Hunting preserve hunting.

wildcat3

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Got invited to go on a hunt at one of the bird preserves, never done anything like this and was wondering what to expect ? I've recently come to enjoy more and more of the wing shooting and I'm actually hoping this is something I end up enjoying. It's much closer and much more doable than taking trips halfway across the country. Certainly not cheap by any means but what hobby is? I've never been one to think I'd enjoy high fence hunting but for some reason I'm thinking and hoping this turns out to be something I enjoy. Anyone have any experience with shooting
preserves good or bad ?
 

BigBow

Ten Pointer
Contributor
My only experience many many years ago w/ preserves was 1st @ a Quail & Duck preserve in West End, NC. My dear old Dad, who golfed but did not hunt, took his 13 y.o. son a couple of times as a way to encourage my growing hunting hobby. What I remember most was you literally had to kick those tame birds in the butt to make them fly. The Mallard Duck hunt consisted of them releasing them from a tower over the lake & I am sure they would make a bee line to the nearest conveniently located food trough w/ you in your grass blind directly in line. No, from this experience & couple more, I would not participate in a preserve hunt again. Dad did take me on a guided hunt in the Fl. Everglades. The guide would put you out on a small hammock & drive all over the place in an airboat putting the ducks in the air & on the move. What I remember most was Teal flying over @ scrub tree top level, seemingly sounding like little subsonic jets. Killed my limit of Ringnecks & missed all of the "little jets". Fair chase hunt IMO though.
 

BigBow

Ten Pointer
Contributor
Got invited to go on a hunt at one of the bird preserves, never done anything like this and was wondering what to expect ? I've recently come to enjoy more and more of the wing shooting and I'm actually hoping this is something I end up enjoying. It's much closer and much more doable than taking trips halfway across the country. Certainly not cheap by any means but what hobby is? I've never been one to think I'd enjoy high fence hunting but for some reason I'm thinking and hoping this turns out to be something I enjoy. Anyone have any experience with shooting
preserves good or bad ?
Let us know how the preserve hunt pans out.
 

timber

Twelve Pointer
A lot of people enjoy it. Use to shoot some helping out a trainer on a preserve. Want my thing because I was use to shooting wild birds. But it was free shooting and I liked killing. Biggest thing was trying slow my shooting down and not shoot them so close and just be a big puff of feathers.
 

Bailey Boat

Twelve Pointer
Some are "good" and others are less. I sometimes take clients on preserve hunts but choose them carefully. What I look for in an operation are flight pens and whether they have a regular schedule of exercising the birds. One of the best ones is in south Alabama and the birds are RAISED is a flight pen and transferred into another pen when they are able to fly more than 50 feet. They have a pack of Jack Russel's that are sent in to exercise the birds several times a day. It's hilarious to watch the dogs when they get the command to go in......
Check out the operation where you'll be hunting and draw your own conclusions....
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
If you want to shoot pheasants, hungarian partridges, chukar partridges or red leg partridges preserve shoots are basically your only option in NC.
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
If you are used to shooting wild bobwhite quail, preserve quail hunting might be a dissappointment.

Are you shooting quail or pheasants?
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I would characterize it as live target shooting. If you are expecting a “hunt” you will likely be disappointed. If you want realistic target shooting and or dog training, it is good practice for going through the motions.

My main complaints are the flight ability of the birds, and the amount and quality of bird cover/habitat. Often they put you in too small of a “field”. Where the cover has been beat down. Reminds me of an overgrazed pasture.
 

darkthirty

Old Mossy Horns
If you go into it knowing it will not be as “sporty” as wild bird shooting, you will have a good time. Personally, I wouldn’t go to one unless I was taking my own dog or someone else was footing the bill but they are excellent for working a flushing or pointing dog or if you just wanna keep your dog in the game. As far as table fare, there fine. I call them edible skeet……..
 
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nchawkeye

Old Mossy Horns
We have one here in Randolph County (Blue Horizon Quail Preserve)...On top of the hunts where you walk up the quail, etc they also have European Tower Shoots, usually with 400 pheasants released over about a 2 hour period...It's fun, after the hunt, they feed you and you get to take about 10 pheasant home, already rough cleaned...I enjoy it and haven't enjoyed a good dove hunt in decades so it takes the place of my trying to find a place to dove hunt...
 

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jenkinsnb

Ten Pointer
We have one here in Randolph County (Blue Horizon Quail Preserve)...On top of the hunts where you walk up the quail, etc they also have European Tower Shoots, usually with 400 pheasants released over about a 2 hour period...It's fun, after the hunt, they feed you and you get to take about 10 pheasant home, already rough cleaned...I enjoy it and haven't enjoyed a good dove hunt in decades so it takes the place of my trying to find a place to dove hunt...
How do you like the standard quail hunts? I’ve been thinking about buying dad a package for his birthday for a couple years now and have always hesitated because I can’t find anybody with personal experience at Blue Horizon. He used to quail hunt a ton back in the day, but just can’t dedicate the time and effort to find them anymore and as you said, a good dove is like a good lottery ticket anymore.
 

Redheadduck

Eight Pointer
I went on a quail hunt with a few buddies about 15 years ago in South Carolina. The guy we hunted with raised his own quail and had access to a ton a beautiful property. He showed us the whole operation from the quail pen all the way to how the birds were placed for the hunts. All the birds flew well when flushed, and it was a good time.
 

JONOV

Old Mossy Horns
How do you like the standard quail hunts? I’ve been thinking about buying dad a package for his birthday for a couple years now and have always hesitated because I can’t find anybody with personal experience at Blue Horizon. He used to quail hunt a ton back in the day, but just can’t dedicate the time and effort to find them anymore and as you said, a good dove is like a good lottery ticket anymore.
Blue Horizon has good birds. The Foothills NAVHDA chapter holds their training days there. It's a nice property.

If your dad isn't as spry as he once was then a tower hunt might be a better option.

My .02 on preserve hunts...I like them, in the same way I like fishing stocked fish.
 

bwfarms

Old Mossy Horns
You wouldn’t believe the number of people that fly into SoDak to hunt preserves 🤦🏼‍♂️

I won’t do a tower ‘hunt’, I’d rather chase them in the flight pen and wring their neck. I’m not oppose to a preserve hunt locally because if you think about it the price is cheaper than an out of state jaunt for 9 birds. Not exactly the same but it kicks the rust off.
 

jboi72

Eight Pointer
We have one here in Randolph County (Blue Horizon Quail Preserve)...On top of the hunts where you walk up the quail, etc they also have European Tower Shoots, usually with 400 pheasants released over about a 2 hour period...It's fun, after the hunt, they feed you and you get to take about 10 pheasant home, already rough cleaned...I enjoy it and haven't enjoyed a good dove hunt in decades so it takes the place of my trying to find a place to dove hunt...
I've hunted there as well, know the operators personally. Good ppl and a fun hunt.
 

TobyScreams

Twelve Pointer
Just ain’t my cup o tea. Went once because I won it… wow. Never again. The birds wouldn’t fly, the dog wouldn’t work, I mean this was amateur hour but even if everything had “worked” I still think I would have hated it. That being said I don’t bait deer either….LOL just isn’t my thing.
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
That being said I don’t bait deer either….LOL just isn’t my thing.
if I had all those years of experience doing metal vocals , I wouldn’t bait em either. You can probably crank out some grunt calls from your diaphragm that summon the most savage bucks in the countryside. You just don’t always utilize it cuz you don’t wanna have to start teaching it to others
 

TobyScreams

Twelve Pointer
if I had all those years of experience doing metal vocals , I wouldn’t bait em either. You can probably crank out some grunt calls from your diaphragm that summon the most savage bucks in the countryside. You just don’t always utilize it cuz you don’t wanna have to start teaching it to others
That’s my coyote call. Sounds like Sasquatch is dying so they all come running. When I hit 50 I had to pay off the deer grunter, can’t always be trusted…..
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
That’s my coyote call. Sounds like Sasquatch is dying so they all come running. When I hit 50 I had to pay off the deer grunter, can’t always be trusted…..
Heck yeah come to the house and we will put on some backing tracks and you can lay it down and we will have plenty of yodel dogs to smoke
 
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