Report

SOCAL HUNT CLUBS: Good cover for upland game bird clubs as season approach BY JIM NIEMIEC / WON Staff WriterPublished: Jul 30, 2008

Print This Article Email This Article Digg This Article

CUMMINGS VALLEY - Upland game bird hunters can expect to find plenty of good ground cover when heading out for a day of bird hunting over pointing or flushing dogs when visiting game bird clubs this year. The rains provided just about the right amount of moisture to produce a good crop of native and planted crops and there will be ample cover for birds to hide in. Most all clubs will hunt over a mix of native plants, sage, bamboo, dried tules and cultivated crops to provide wing shooters with the best possible hunting property.     Fortunately, there are a number of very good hunting clubs close by to provide a place to hunt upland game birds. WON has visited most all these clubs and each one offers something special in the way of unique and traditional upland game bird hunting. Hunting at 4 Seasons Hunting Club, located near Tehachapi, will kick off with a dove hunt and then switch right over to the release of pheasant and chukar that can be hunted on a daily basis. The ranch property has been groomed during the off-season to make it a great place for groups and families to spend a day hunting upland game birds. The clubhouse is warm and on a cold morning, when the clouds move in, it’s a great little hunt lodge to get in out of the elements and enjoy a sweet roll and hot cup of coffee. “The cover is pretty good this year in the Cumming’s Valley and our limited farming provided us with enough cover for upland game birds. Our birds are excellent flyers and large flight pens on the property allow feathers to fully develop. The explosion of a pheasant out of a milo field or from under un-harvested wheat is exciting and chukar holding tight in stands of native sage make for a good hunt over a sporting dog,” says club marketing director Jim Hosler.      “Our cover is fair to good this year. It’s a little lower than during a wet year but still there is enough mix of native and planted seed crops to provide excellent protection for the birds but not too high for hunters to walk through to effectively hunt the 200 acres of habitat that we offer bird shooters,” says Four Winds Pheasant Club owner Sam Elder.     The Four Winds Pheasant Club, located in Riverside County close to the San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge, operates 7 days a week with special events planned for weekends and holiday hunts. As long as there are three hunters booked for a day in the field the club is open. The day starts off with a safety meeting at 7 am and then private fields are assigned for the day. The club is offering a mixed bag special and will move its starting time back to 8:30 am when duck season opens. There are a very limited number of duck blinds on the property that can be leased for the season and also Canada geese wing over the property starting in late December. Raahauge’s Pheasant Club in Corona shoots on over 400 acres of native cover that is currently standing knee high and there should be plenty of good cover to produce excellent wing shooting throughout the long upland game bird season. The club will open for the 2009 season on September 27. The ground and cover has dried out, but the hills hunted can green up quickly with just a little rain and hopefully that will occur prior to opening day. Hunters enjoyed good wing shooting on opening weekend last season as the birds really held tight and flushed strong. The club shoots some nice ringnecks and conditions for this early in the season are huntable but hot. This popular club is managed by Pete Piano and Tony Hendy who have spent years in the field, know their sporting dogs and how to make a day in the field a special outing for wing shooters.     “Those that want to take advantage of our mid-week special should look into booking a hunt either on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, when we offer a special on 5 released chukar. We manage the club by advance reservations only to provide a quality hunting experience. Hunters need to arrive by 6:30 am for orientation and field assignments. We also cater to special events and conservation shoots,” stated Hendy.     The High Desert Hunt Club located near Gorman changed ownership in May and now is under the ownership of the Tejon Ranch. The club will operate as a separate entity managed by Peg George, with the day-to-day operations being overseen by Mike Compeau. Opening day will be October 1 and the club will hunt released birds through March 31. The club offers overnight accommodations and arrangements for special hunts can be made. Wing shooters then head out to the prime upland game bird fields of the huge hunting ranch and enjoy a great outdoor experience hunting over sporting dogs.     “This club is basically a membership club, but the general public is invited out to spend a day hunting the ranch. Sportsmen who have never hunted the High Desert Hunt Club before can come hunt the club at membership prices for their first visit and take advantage of our package,” noted George.     In addition to hunting ringnecks, chukar and bobwhite quail, members of the High Desert Hunt Club also have access to thousands of acres of native valley quail country for guided hunts only on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to field reports from dog handlers and guides, the ranch is holding a very huntable population of valley quail and the ground cover is good.     The Onyx Ranch offers pheasant hunting as well as native valley quail and wild duck shooting on its land located near Lake Isabella. The club provides groups of wing shooters with excellent pheasant hunting on private land and all parties will be hunting over exclusive well-maintained upland game bird cover. In addition to released pheasant, hunters can opt for un-guided or guided hunts for native valley quail and chukar. Dove hunters can expect a good opener as there is a lot of wheat on the ground and the dove population along the South Fork of the Kern River is strong. Hunting season will kick off with the opening of dove season and then move into a released pheasant and chukar program for the Antelope Valley Sportsman’s Club located about a 75-minute drive from Los Angeles. The club shoots on over 1250 acres of ideal upland game habitat during a six-month season.     For the opening of dove season the club will also be stocking chukar and 100 spots are open to wing shooters.     “Even though the club is currently holding lots of mourning dove, we cannot always count on the birds sticking around for the opener due to weather conditions and we are sitting at an altitude of 2850 feet above sea level. Chukar provide a good option on years when the opener is slower than expected and hunters can work their dogs and go home with fresh killed birds,” said club owner David Whiteside. The facility offers non-member public day hunts, annual memberships and bird cards, with many special events planned during the year. This well-established Southland club hunts Thursday thru Sunday, advance reservations are required and there is a 7:30 am check-in at the hunt lodge.      Bird shooters from the San Diego area might think about making the drive to El Centro to hunt native ringneck pheasant on the Flying D Game Ranch. The club is located close to the border and hunts native pheasant on nearly 1200 acres of leased farmland. The club will open for the first half of the dove season and then close until the opening of pheasant season in November and continue with upland game bird releases through the end of May 2009.     This club will continue with its $200 Buy –In program that allows hunters to hunt any day of the week for native pheasant and dove during the open seasons on these birds. The program is a good value for hunters who want to get out on some prime property and run their own dogs.     “There have been so many pheasant released over the years that there is a very huntable population of native roosters in the area and the property doesn’t need to be stocked with ringnecks. After opening day of the pheasant season we will begin with our released chukar program and then shoot dove during the second part of the season,” says club manager Bob Duncan.     The Flying D has one big field where it releases chukar and there is a meeting place for coffee in the morning. The fields hunted are a mix of alfalfa, Bermuda grass, Sudan grass and milo.     A new bird-hunting club has opened up in northern San Diego County and it should provide good shooting over mixed cover with a wide variety of game birds scheduled to be released through the season.     “Our goal is to offer a wide variety of upland game birds for wing shooters to choose from. We are looking at Tennessee reds, huns and a released mallard program to go along with the pheasant, chukar and bobwhite quail. The club will shoot on about 10,000 acres of prime habitat that varies from knee high grass to broken ground all of which will make for good bird shooting,” said Jason Baldrick, co-owner of the Palomar Hunt Club.     The club will open with dove hunting and operate seven days a week through the first half of the season and then perhaps move into a 5-day schedule during the late winter and early spring months. Offering half-day and all day hunts, in addition to corporate and group memberships. Arrangements for dog handlers and kenneling of dogs at Raney Ranch Retrievers is part of the program being offered by Palomar Hunt Club. This club will operate as a separate entity of My Country Club and the season will begin with the dove opener and continue through the end of May 2009.     The drive north to the RS Bar Guest Ranch is worth a tank of gas. This club reopened last year after being closed due to a change in ownership and it is one of the premier bird and big game hunting destinations within a reasonable distance. The terrain varies from open meadows, to chaparral and sage covered foothills. In addition to a released bird program for roosters and chukar, the club also offers its clients the option of hunting native valley quail in season when a packaged hunt is booked.     WON visited the RS Bar Guest Ranch last fall a couple of times and each hunt was a good experience. The folks at this club offer great accommodations, outstanding meals and a staff that knows how to operate a combination upland game bird and big game hunting facility that is nestled along the San Benito River.     The Kern River Hunt Club is slated to open up for pheasant, chukar, quail and duck hunting about the first week in November. “We will be shooting on over 325 acres of prime pasture for upland game birds and have vast amounts of adjoining BLM and forest service property for valley quail hunts. Right now we are working on the logistics of developing a good hunting operation and my son Brandon, who is a master guide, will manage the club operations. We have a fine clubhouse and overnight lodging in Kernville is nearby. The ranch has been in the family since the late 1940’s and most all the hunting has been kind of social. We felt that it was time to finally open a public day shooting hunting club,” said ranch owner Dave Prince. Southland shooting clubs all require hunters to wear safety glasses and hearing protection, attend an orientation safety meeting prior to heading out into the field, wear hunting orange in the field, limit the size of shot to #7.5 lead and hunting dogs must be leashed unless actually hunting in the field. Editor’s Note: The Lone Pine Pheasant Club, a very popular upland game bird hunting spot for those who enjoyed a small and informal hunting club that offered a truly natural hunting experience, closed its gates after last season. WON enjoyed many great hunts with owner Bruce Ivey, now retired, and he is spending most of his spare time at the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery along with fishing and hunting with his grandchildren in the Owens Valley. List of clubs: 4 SEASONS HUNTING CLUB – (714) 785-2777 RS BAR GUEST RANCH – (831) 386-0300 ONYX RANCH – (760) 378 -1992 ANTELOPE VALLEY SPORTSMAN’S CLUB – (661) 724-1291 FOUR WINDS PHEASANT CLUB – (310) 370-2238 CAMP 5 OUTFITTERS – (831) 386-0727 FLYING D GAME RANCH – (619) 468-3643 HIGH DESERT HUNT CLUB – (661) 724-1218 RAAHAUGE’S PHESANT CLUB – (951) 738-9212 PALOMAR HUNT CLUB – (760) 782-3000 KERN RIVER HUNT CLUB – (661) 345-6603 WILDERNESS UNLIMITED – (619) 222-2285