Pheasants and quail have always been a bucket list hunt for me, and instead of making my way to Iowa or South Dakota, I chose to hunt at Bullseye Pheasant and Duck Hunting in Uhrichsville, Ohio.

Preparing for the hunt

Numerous pheasant preserves are located throughout the Midwest and other parts of the United States. These birds are raised and then stocked on the land before hunting. This might be taboo for some people, but it’s the most economical way to hunt, and has been practiced since the 17th century in Europe. Preserves usually provide trained dogs used on the hunt, which is also a great resource for hunters who do not have the time or resources to train their own dogs.

On this hunt, I brought a 12-gauge, Remington 870 Express, using size 6 shot. My local gun club has a trap machine to shoot clay pigeons. The majority of my target practice was going to the range weekly, sometimes twice a week, and shooting at least two boxes per session. Additionally, I bought a Cabela’s divided shell pouch, which I found a must to carry ammunition. This pouch is very cheap, retailing at $9.99 and goes around the waist like a belt. This was the most significant piece of equipment I bought for the hunt.

I stay physically active year-round, so there was not any real training for the hunt. I recommend walking a few miles a week leading up to the hunt if you do not train regularly.

Footwear is also an important aspect when preparing for a pheasant hunt, with a lightweight hiker that is waterproof being ideal; plan on getting your feet wet with dew or even marshy conditions. Moisture-wicking socks like Darn Tough’s Tactical socks can also determine if you have a pleasant or miserable hunting experience.

The hunt

Bullseye Pheasant and Duck Hunting offers hunts starting in fall and lasting all the way through March. The preserve is owned by Matt and Kim Peters. On my trip, I was guided by their sons Tysen and Tucker. The county they are located in is also home to some of the best whitetail deer hunting in the state of Ohio. The preserve also offers chukar, duck, and quail hunting. Prices are very affordable, and they offer amenities such as a cabin, shotgun shells to purchase, cleaning of birds, and a skeet/trap range.

When you arrive, you notice a huge kennel of dogs and a lodge for large groups. The décor features excellent taxidermy including alligators, black bears, whitetail deer, pheasants, and my favorite, the kudu door handles that open up to the outside.

Matt is very personable and more than happy to swap hunting stories while his sons stock the birds and get the dogs ready. On this hunt, we would take two dogs: one that would point, and one that would flush. I believe the pointer was a German shorthair, and the dog that flushed was a Labrador retriever. The labrador retriever was a lot more muscular than mine, and you could tell that it loved its job.

Right before the hunt started, I warmed up with a round of skeet, and then we hit the field. After a short while, we got to the first bird where the German short hair locked in; the lab then excitedly flushed the bird, and wham! A pheasant flying up with a startling noise can really jolt your nervous system. With a swing of my pump action Remington 870 Express, we had a bird down. This was a good start, but it would not continue as flawlessly, due to my skills as a shotgunner.

Shots varied in distances. In some instances, I would connect with my target from afar; and other times, a bird would be right in front of me and I would miss. Like any hunter I thought that maybe it was my gun, the gun’s action, or the shot size. Also, I did not take in consideration the toughness ring-necked pheasants. Some birds would drop in their tracks, and some would take 2 to 3 shells before dropping.

As the hunt progressed, I became more accustomed to the random flights of the birds; they do not go in the same three places, like the trap shooting I was doing to prepare (shocker). My guides Tysen and Tucker worked tirelessly to find the birds that I missed. With their determination, we were able to bag 12 of the 15 pheasants that we hunted. Afterward, they told me that they never had a solo hunter that has gone 100 percent on these hunts, and at least two of the flushed birds I missed flew onto private land that bordered the preserve. It is important to note that the dogs do 100 percent of the flushing, and the hunt is located on meadows and flat woodlands, which gives it a traditional feel.

This was an exhilarating experience and was one of the most enjoyable hunts I have been on.

Post-hunt

Post-hunt, I enjoyed more great conversation with Matt about hunting, and with his boys about bass fishing. Matt jokingly said that he was the A-Team, and I was hunting with the B-Team, his sons. I said that they put in so much effort with the birds that I was being treated like they were the A-Team.

Bullseye Pheasant and Duck Hunting will clean your pheasants for 4 dollars apiece and package them to be ready for transport in your cooler. They do not offer ice, but a Dollar General right down the road has bags of ice for your harvest.

This hunt was also a gear test for the upcoming waterfowl season. I did invest in a lightweight, Mossberg 940 shotgun that you could put a sling on after this hunt. (For some reason, my 870 did not have a sling swivel on it). The semiautomatic Mossberg 940 is more lightweight and less recoil. Moreover, for pheasants I would probably bring a premium brand 5 shot next time for this hunt.

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