Thoughts on Caribou Hunting Preserve
- Thread starter Lazer-UPH
- Start date
MNSpaniels
New member
I haven't been there in years, so I can't speak to current conditions. However, about 15 years ago I was a member. When I'd go during times it was open to nonmembers it was a zoo and the birds were not that great of fliers. Also, if you didn't have a large group (which I was often alone), you'd get stuck in one of the small fields with poor cover and often muddy.
The reason I joined though was for Mondays, which was member only scratch bird hunting. Very few members did it at the time and I often had the place to myself. Those Mondays made my young dog at the time into a bird finding machine. During that time, with such poor wild bird populations, it was an incredible learning opportunity for him. In addition to all the other benefits, it really fostered his enthusiasm. He expected success every time we hit the field and this translated into a dog that never gave up when hunting wild pheasants in poor population years.
I let my membership lapse though after my pups first year and haven't been back.
The reason I joined though was for Mondays, which was member only scratch bird hunting. Very few members did it at the time and I often had the place to myself. Those Mondays made my young dog at the time into a bird finding machine. During that time, with such poor wild bird populations, it was an incredible learning opportunity for him. In addition to all the other benefits, it really fostered his enthusiasm. He expected success every time we hit the field and this translated into a dog that never gave up when hunting wild pheasants in poor population years.
I let my membership lapse though after my pups first year and haven't been back.
birdshooter
Well-known member
Great place to shoot Sporting Clays
Seriously, it's been quite a few years since I've used the preserve, but my experiences reflect what some of the others have said, beat up, poor flying birds.
Now... Pheasant Ridge on the other hand, can hardly tell their birds from Wild ones.:thumbsup:
Seriously, it's been quite a few years since I've used the preserve, but my experiences reflect what some of the others have said, beat up, poor flying birds.
Now... Pheasant Ridge on the other hand, can hardly tell their birds from Wild ones.:thumbsup:
Major Avenue, Glencoe, Mn. in my opinion, is the best preserve with excellent natural grass and food plots. About 50 minutes from Minnetonka, due west.
Traxlers has a nice facility, but very pricey.
I shot at Glendorado early this fall and was impressed with their facility.
Traxlers has a nice facility, but very pricey.
I shot at Glendorado early this fall and was impressed with their facility.
I have enjoyed all three of those. I also enjoy Wings of Watertown, it may be small, but the customer service has been great.
Headin west
Member
I am with JohnnyB, Major Avenue has great cover.
I trained my current Golden at Wings of Watertown; they have a great facility and only 25 minutes from the house. Unfortunately, they only operate on the weekends.
At Major, they have a variety of weed-length and flags to identify bird placement for young dogs. Did most of the training here, and had a buddy assist.
At Major, they have a variety of weed-length and flags to identify bird placement for young dogs. Did most of the training here, and had a buddy assist.
I experienced a very poorly ran operation and honestly felt that we were shorted birds. We bought 16 birds and only managed to find 8, that supposedly were placed just minutes before we arrived.
We were given some BS excuses that the birds were running, not the black ones though.... something is fishy I can tell you that.
We were given some BS excuses that the birds were running, not the black ones though.... something is fishy I can tell you that.
We did a hunt at Wings of Watertown on Saturday to introduce my friend's wife to pheasant hunting. We released 15 birds and got 12. Not bad considering my friend and I were the only 2 well seasoned shooters. We saw about 17, so there were some extra birds in the field.
Here's a pic of my friend's wife (her first time hunting), wife, and mother in law, and . Each ga shot at least one bird and my wife made one of the best long range shots I've seen.
Here's a pic of the whole crew. The Jeep makes a perfect bird display area.
Here's a pic of my friend's wife (her first time hunting), wife, and mother in law, and . Each ga shot at least one bird and my wife made one of the best long range shots I've seen.
Here's a pic of the whole crew. The Jeep makes a perfect bird display area.
The cover was surprisingly good. We hunted field B, which is all long grass and some woodland border. The grass was tall and thick in areas and held birds tightly.
Field A has a large amount of cattails you can hunt, that would be a good option although that field is massive.
As for roosters only, this is not the case any longer. They had hens in the mix. I think we had 1 hen for every 2 roosters so at least is wasn't a 50/50 mix.