Hunt clubs are no longer second best
ORFORDVILLE, Wis. -- I did the all the math. I figured at least two tanks of gas, two lunches on the road and the fatigue factor mixed in as well. The totals amounted to quite a bit considering the cost of gasoline and wear and tear on these old bones.
Even though the prospect of nailing wild pheasants at the northern Iowa farm where I had previously hunted was awfully tempting, I needed a closer headquarters to unlimber my trusty 12-gauge.
Enter the Blonhaven Hunt Club, just over the Illinois-Wisconsin state line in Orfordville, Wis.
The club is slightly less than an hour away from Mike Seeling's Woodstock home. The drive was a snap.
The only down side to the hunt was the extremely bitter cold last week coupled to some very high wind conditions.
Blonhaven is owned by Beloit businessman Ken Hendricks, a successful entrepreneur who is committed to operating a first-class club that is affordable for most anyone who hoists a shotgun to their shoulder. The day-to-day operation is handled by manager John Mathews, who has a lifetime of hunting pheasants behind him.
Dog handler and field trainer Dave Hill brought Corky to lead us through several fields. Corky is one of his prized 2-year-old German short-hair pointers.
Blonhaven has more than 300 acres of prime hunting ground nestled in rolling fields of milo, switch grass and sorghum. This was perfect for me in that I didn't have to fight the usual tall stalks of corn and prickly bushes during our time afield.
Over the years I have listened to upland game hunters put down hunt clubs because they claimed the birds "aren't wild enough" when it comes to taking flight. This was not the case here at Blonhaven. The birds Corky pointed took off like those frisky Iowa pheasants I was so used to hunting.
In fact, Corky flushed one rooster that changed course in midair and came right at me like a Kamikaze. I had to duck, pop back up and take the shot with the big bird gaining altitude every second.
Blonhaven has been around since 1953 and lays claim to being the oldest continuous hunting preserve in Wisconsin. The clubhouse is brand new, replete with a restaurant.
With more than 100 members on the books, a new member can almost be assured of easy access to day hunts. John Mathews didn't hesitate to brag that slightly more than 40 percent of his membership comes from the Chicago area. Individual memberships run $295, with a per-bird charge. Besides pheasants, Blonhaven offers hunting for chukar and Hungarian partridge, two speed-demon species in their own right that can turn experienced hunters into babbling spectators.
If it weren't for the dedicated members of Pheasants Forever, the wild pheasant scenario would be practically nonexistent in Illinois. But trying to find a suitable place to hunt these birds is something the shooting public struggles with every hunting season. That's why expertly run clubs like Blonhaven and the rest of the brood in Illinois and Wisconsin continue to thrive year after year.
This particular club is convenient and worth the small investment. Call Mathews at (608) 879-3811 or (608) 290-8614.