Continental Pheasant Hunt

Hi everyone;

Wow, two posts in one day - what's going on?? But as promised I wanted to highlight Hickory Grove Hunting Preserve in Wyanet, IL. Mike and Lori Wirth, the owners along with their son and a group of great guides have one of the best hunting preserves in North Central IL. Located in rural Wyanet, it is 1100 acres of some great habitat - timber, native grass, creek bottoms along with corn and milo strips galore. If you are interested in any pheasant, quail or chuckar, hunting it is open to the public and they will treat you right!

Anyway, the subject of this post is a "Continental pheasant hunt" and for those of you that don't know what that means, it is an Americanized version of the English "driven" hunts where workers used to drive the birds towards the "hunters" and they would shoot the birds - as incoming or crossing shots. While we don't have servants to drive the birds we do utilize a common release tower in some trees and we surround it on all four sides. They release 10 birds per hunter. We rotate evey so often so we get to shoot from all 4 sides and it is a lot of fun.

But what I like is "the clean up" afterwards for all the birds we miss (and we miss our share). That is when Ike got to get out and strut his stuff. He really did well, hard pointing at least two separate occasions and finding a wounded bird all on his own. His energy and enthusiasm is just something to behold and if any of you have had the privilege to see a dog work, it is an amazing testimony to the beauty and grace of "man's best friend".

The other thing I enjoy about going to Hickory Grove is the TREMENDOUS lunch Lori puts out. Think about it, you have been out in the cold (last year it was MINUS 14*) for 4 hours walking at least 4 miles of clean up carrying 6-8lbs of shotgun and shells, trudging through mud and snow... You work up a heck of an appetite... Take a look at the pictures - now that's good eatin'!

This is the menu:

Pan Fried Chicken

Homemade Meat Loaf

BBQ Pork

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Green Beans

Corn

Peas

Home Made Bread

and your choice of Pie (apple, cherry or pumpkin)

If you leave hungry it is your fault... The worst part is after you get warm, eat a meal like that you almost need a nap before you go home.. They do a great job and are great people...

Until the next time, "Ike find that bird!"