By Bob & Ginny Riege

It was late in the season, late in the day, I was cold from the freshly fallen snow and the brisk northwest wind. It felt more like January rather than the middle of November. A week before the weather was beautiful and the maples were still holding onto the fiery display as the smell of wood fires and burning leaves filled the air. Now just one day before the weather had thrown a punch of winter into the mix. A winter storm brewed out of the Rockies and headed straight for the place we were going to hunt. Bone chilling snow and wind blew into central Minnesota in the early evening hours and caused numerous accidents along interstate highways and country roads. Cover once filled with weeds and stubble fields turned to snow choked barriers for humans and pheasants alike.

I’d been cold in the beginning of the field that had a slight rise to it and as I progressed up the hill I became even colder. Even on the lee side of the low ridge the wind found me, and I hunched my shoulders and tried to snuggle my chin inside the collar of my windstopper sweater. For a moment I paused to gaze through the slanting snow toward the thick field below, to study the switch grass and standing corn beyond. The gray sky dominated everything. It was heavy, dismal and I hadn’t seen any sign of a pheasant for a 1/4 of a mile.

My two Irish Setters, Laddy and Brandi were having a field day running around and jumping from one thick patch to the other. Not really showing any sign of being near a bird my mind started to wonder and think more about the cold than about hunting. All of a sudden from right in front of Laddy’s nose there was a rush of feathers and a Cuk-cuk-cuk-cuk of the rooster as he struggled to gain altitude. Just as suddenly I wasn’t cold anymore. That big, loud, bird was magnificent with his long tail feathers and brilliant white ring every color vivid and contrasting against the sunless sky.

Maybe a half second later, that long form bucked and on the edge of the switch grass caught by my #4 Remington Express shells. Laddy raced to where the pheasant laid and I quickly stuck another round in my Remington Special Field 1187 12 gauge. Years of hunting had told me that it was best to reload as soon as possible because one never knows how many more pheasants are with this one. My decision had proved correct, for there was another one airborne just a little to the left of where my first bird had gone down. With a swing of the shotgun this bird also lay about 10 feet from his companion. Surprisingly, the cold never return to me the rest of the day. As the birds took flight so did the feeling of numb fingers and cold toes.

Laddy, Brandi and I joined by hunting partner Jim Stradcutter and Shamus (Jim’s Gordon Setter) for a chance to hunt some pheasant hunting in Le Sueur, MN. Jim and I had come to Caribou Gun Club in November to do some late season hunting. According to Randy Voss; “We’re the perfect place for all your sporting needs. The Caribou Gun Club features four sporting Clays courses with two 60’ towers, multiple towers, trap and skeet, rifle and pistol range and driven tower shoots.”

Randy also mentioned that, “our hunting preserve features all types of cover, separate fields for each hunting group, with opportunity for pheasant and chukar. Guides available along with top notch dogs.”

The Caribou is renowned for hosting International, National and local sporting clays competitions; along with the Caribou Banquet Hall, which can accommodate up to 350 people. Make sure to ask about the Caribou Log Cabin! Memberships are available for individuals and corporations. The Caribou is always open to the public.

Preserves vary in quality. Some offer only the poorest copy of a wild hunt, with poorly conditioned birds stuck in scruffy cover just moments before the guns are brought up to “hunt” them. Other preserves take great pride in their fast flying birds, and these birds will be released long enough before the hunt. The also takes a special pride in providing excellent quality dogs, handlers, and associated facilities contribute to a quality experience. We chose the Caribou Hunting Preserve because it eliminated the problem of locating pheasants the most important aspect of wild bird hunting and still provided us with the challenges of the shooting. With the weather the way it was and all of the wild birds heading for cover the preserve allowed us the best shooting and in ideal covered terrain.

The Caribou Pheasant Hunting Preserve is seeing more hard working hunters who turn to preserves to escape the frustrations and expense of hunting wild birds. This preserve is becoming more accommodating to these types of hunters because they want it to represent more of the natural wild bird hunting. Also, it is open well after the season begins and ends. In fact, I believe Randy Voss told me that it is open until April 1st. That allows the hunter to hunt upland birds on those beautiful late winter days, or when the early spring weather changes for the better. It gives the hunter the opportunity to get out of the house and to shed some of that “cabin fever”. This time of year is a good time to get your dog on birds. If you have been taking it easy and if your dog has been chasing the sun across the floor, now is the time to get both of you back in to good physical and mental health while enjoying the great outdoors.

If you want to know more about the great hunting at the Caribou Gun Club contact the Caribou Pro Shop: 507-665-3796. Or email caribougunclub@yahoo.com. Snail mail is 30649 39th St. Le Sueur, MN 56058