I am looking for an inexpensive pheasant hunt to take my three sons on next Thanksgiving. The boys are all three in college. Remember, whatever daily rate an outfitter charges is times-four for me! (otherwise, I'd just pick one of the hundreds of hunts my Google search came up with).

Of course, it would be nice to find one of those outfitters that offers both wild and "preserve" birds in order to maximize the bag, but this my not be cost effective.

Any suggestions?

Buy your own pheasnts and reliese them in your own hunting area. Cheapest way, and probably a beter than most "preserve" hunts

Try www.quailridgeok.com
They have annual family memberships, then you only pay for the birds. They also have trap, skeet, sporting clays to practice and sharpen your shooting skills.

Gahunter:

Your post gives no indication what state you are in. ( I am guessing Georgia from your user name) In upstate NY as a boy I hunted what were called "brush pheasants". They usually were found in sort of ravine or gulley areas and on brushy hillsides. As you can guess these were not cornfield birds -and were extremely wary and durable. A dog wasn't needed but you had to be alert for a bird getting up before you ever saw it (until it was really flying -and if it came off a hillside it was a crossing shot that made you really swing in a lead!) I wonder if you couldn't talk to farmers in your state about doing some pheasant hunting in season on their property. Sure, you'll have to do a lot of driving around (and eying the countryside) but it might give you and your sons a chance to shoot at a truly wild pheasant - and, believe me, the "preserve" birds are nothing like it. Just my thoughts.

Your are right. I did not say where I want to go. I've been looking on the web for hunts in South Dakota so long, I guess I just assumed that South Dakota is the ONLY place that has pheasants!

BTW. We want to go to South Dakota.

Gahunter:

South Dakota is legendary for hunting wild pheasants. There are numerous farmhouse hunts where you and your sons will have one great time. So is Nebraska also good. (Forget NY. It was great pheasant country when I was young - but no more) Wisconsin has pheasant. So does southern Illinois and so does Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania. The important thing is that you seek out wild bird hunting. Please don't let anyone tell you that preserve hunting of pheasants even remotely compares to hunting wild birds. It just doesn't. I have seen preserve birds act like bewildered chickens - and I was paying $750 for a half day hunt. Fact. Preserve birds simply don't behave and certainly don't flush like wild birds. I have seen scatterings of feathers all over a preserve property that signified a hawk kill of a pheasant - As a boy in the country I never saw such scattering of pheasants -because the pheasants were wild when I was young. Preserve pheasants are set out and the ones who are missed by the customers are taken by the hawks and foxes. If chickens could fly they would do as well. Anyway, good luck.