Game farms

[Cody Gruchow]

i would like to take my dog out to pheasant hunting and i know the only way i can do that is to a game farm. I heard that Major Avenue is a good spot, and there prices seem pretty fair. any info or personal expereince from anyone on this place or another place i can go? i would go to my seasonal hunting guide job out at Marsh lake but employee's arent allowed to scratch hunt, its a private club. any info would be much appreciated

[schwinger]

I have had good experiences at http://www.rjsroosterranch.com/..they are in elko. Nice guy that runs the place and far cheaper (for membership) than anywhere that I have seen.

I have also enjoyed hunts at http://www.sandpinepheasants.com/.. this one is a bit farther drive though.

[ATM]

I either go to major ave which you mentioned or golden meadows in cold spring both have good cover and birds and reasonable prices. Adam

[Mayfly]

I haven't been to either. I have been to Glendorado (Princeton) and Rocky Bay (Pine City Area). I have good and bad to say about both but I guess the good outweighs the bad because I would go back to either one.

Although I do enjoy going to preserves to get the dog a work out I am pretty much over it. There was a couple years that I went out a lot but it just is not the same. The birds do not act the same and it gets old. The first few times I went I though it was great! I guess the best thing about these two and I imagine that others are the same is that there are a lot of scratch birds. Going on off days like Mondays are key! They get these big groups in on the weekends that let out tons of birds and only get half of them. Scratch hunting is the way to go and you will have the best experience this way. After going to a place more than a coulpe times you start to learn where they plant the birds. The bird planters seem to have a routine and they follow it everytime.  There is nothing cool about hunting planted bird in my opinion. But to get the best and most realistic hunt go for scratch birds! It will also challenge your dog more.

[icebanger]

golden medows is a good place to go some pretty nice land...

[The General]

Shamrock game farm near Litchfield is having a contest in the next couple weeks.  If yo feel like losing your money I'm hoping to be there.  It's a 2 man team, 1 dog.

[Grute Man]

Here's a couple I know of but can't say weather they're good/bad as I've only been to one of them (Wild Wings) for some sporting clays.  That was good.     Here they are:

Wild Wings of Oneka
  9491 152nd Street N.
  Hugo, Minnesota 55038
  (651) 439-4287
 
Wings North
  RT. 4 Box 274
  Pine City, Minnesota 55063
  (320) 629-5002

[Cody Gruchow]

thanks for all the info guys. i went out to were i work during sept-jan.  Marsh lake hunting club (its a private club) and my boss let me go out sense it was such a nice day and there wasnt any hunts scheduled for the next couple days. so i went out and i ended up shooting 6 scratch birds. 4 of which were roosters, 3 hungarian partridge and 1 chuckar. the dog worked fantastically. he was on a roll, and i was shooting unbeleivably well. only missed one bird.

yeah tim i know what your talking about because i do plant birds and i have been to a few places were they put them in the same spot every time and it just doesnt seem like hunting. but its really the only pheasant hunting i get to do for the year because i cant make it out to south dakota alot to do any bird hunting so this is really my only option.

[Duckslayer]

Come on down here to Hooterville and we can go to Traxlers.  I have been there only once but had a pretty good time!  Take care and N Joy the Hunt././Jimbo

[Cody Gruchow]

yeah ive heard alot of good things about traxlers. heard its a class A place. what are the prices like? what birds do they offer. yeah im up for hunting it, my dog dont really get along with other dogs, he gets easily intimadated. but yeah i up for going bird hunting with you

[Birdshooter]

Was at Little Moran hunt club over the weekend, still hunting! Good birds and great cover. What's nice is spending the night, and a pheasant dinner in their dining room. The hospitality is wonderful! They're not the cheapest, but it's good quality. Their web is www.littlemoran.com

[rem]

I have some pen raised chickens you can shoot (kind of the same thing right)

[Super Star!]

I have some pen raised chickens you can shoot (kind of the same thing right)

Please explain?

[rem]

Just stirring the pot I feel those places are a joke you are paying to kill a bird and not hunt them. Everyone has there own opion (only thing I can think positive  about those places would be to train a young dog)

[Mayfly]

Just stirring the pot I feel those places are a joke you are paying to kill a bird and not hunt them. Everyone has there own opion (only thing I can think positive  about those places would be to train a young dog)

I agree and disagree. I have been hunting pheasants my whole life and I love it. I first went to a preserve when I got my own dog to get her on birds. I can say that it was great for that. I can go so many ways with this one. I have been to preserves where it was not good for me or my dog. I have also been to preserves that were great for my dog and horrible for me. And then finally I have been out when it was great for both of us. Is it a wild hunt? No. Is it a hunt? It can be. If you are going to go do it a day after they have been busy. Mondays are a great day to go. I love scratch hunting. When you buy a few birds and then have the employees plant them they always seem to plant them in the same areas. They ride their atvs on the same trail and release the birds at the same spot everytime, that is annoying. As you can see I am everywhere on this one. But I can say that if you want the best out of going to a preserve hunt scratch birds!! Its the only way in my book.

[Birdshooter]

After moving from Georgia I was able to see what "shooting preserves" are compared to many plantations in the south. There are some all wild bird plantations, but mopst are pen reared birds. My experience is this. If you want an good experience at a game farm you get what you pay for. I've been to farms all over the state, my job allows me the chance. There are those who just planrt birds then there are those that without a good dog, you'll go birdless! farms are a great place for dog work, but also a great place to get young kids started hunting as well as a spouse. To each their own, but going to a game farm allows me a 10 month season, and dog work. I've yet to see my britts or any other dog refuse to hunt because the birds are pen raised. I think the well run farms seldom advertise because they have plenty of business by word of mouth, becareful of the ones always advertising, they need the biz. I hunt a few, but definatley have my favorites!

[Spinach]

I did a lot of bird training at a game farm, when the Pheasant season was open Oct-Dec, we never stepped foot on a game farm though. We took advantage of being able to hunt birds in the spring and had some great get togethers. I think it also depends on the game farm you are hunting, the place we hunted in Princeton was 200 acres and not your typical place with walking paths.

I'd much rather hunt wild birds, but the game farms were great for off season training.

Great post Birdshooter.