Michael Galvin set up an upland bird hunt for his buddy Brian Miller, in honor of Brian’s upcoming wedding, where Michael will be the best man. It was another hot dry afternoon when I set out some pheasant, quail and chukar in the Clubhouse Field. Sol and Mac got to come out first finding most of the birds. This was the first upland hunt for both of them and after the surprise of the first pheasant rise, they started knocking some out of the air. Curly and Ava came out next to get into a few more chukar and picking up the quail singles. They hit some birds hard that kept going, including a chukar that they drew feathers with 3 shots and still ended up across Sandy Run into the timber.

Joe Mitterer brought out his shorthair, Grace and his long-time friend, Dave Collins to hunt some quail and chukar. I filled the south Tinkerfarm Field prairie strips with single and double sets of birds for Grace to find and point. She did a good job finding them all, plus a wild covey quail. Nice start of the season for Grace.

I spent some time the summer of 2017 doing some renovations to the cabin that sits on the south side of our main property.  I updated the aircondtioner, added some heating, replumbed the bath, ect.  A lot of general cleanup also.

It is now ready for guests.

The cabin has a full bath on porch, refrigerator, stove, grill, microwave, air conditioning, heat and a queen size bed.  That is about it, no TV no WIFI.  If you are looking to get away to a relaxing setting and unplug, this is one of the peaceful spots I have encountered.  (There is good celluar service).

The cabin was built by my grandfather, Floyd Sonnemann in 1931.  Floyd was an attorney, but his passion was horticulture.  He planted acres of flowers and trees on the property.  Many of the flowers still flourish, especially the daffodils that seem to have naturalized everywhere.  You can still find many of the nut trees he grafted as well as a large variety of persimmon trees.   He called this area “Experimental Gardens”.  Floyd passed away young at 57 from a heart condition mowing his nut tree orchard east of the cabin.

Bob Dasenbrock brought out his setter, Libby to get some early season action on quail. Bob started out hunting some singles in some of the thinner milo in the Clubhouse Field. Then on to the Pasture Field, with some quail stashed around the edge of the alfalfa. Libby found more than I set out and Bob knocked down most. Nice warm-up on a warm afternoon.

Brian Lewis set up an upland bird hunt for his buddy Nick Holstein. I set out a couple pheasant and some mini-coveys of quail in the Clubhouse Field. Sol and Mac started the hunt and Nick was able to knock down his first bird, a pheasant rooster that Sol pointed. Mac and Sol found the quail coveys and the other pheasant, before being replaced by Curly and Ava. The setter and wirehair got the job of finding the quail singles scattered around the field and pasture fencerows. Good early season hunt.

Joe and Josh Lawson came out with Doug Forbes for a family upland bird hunt. Saturday afternoon was hot, sunny and dry, not ideal conditions. I set out some pheasant, quail and chukar in the Clubhouse Field and got Sol out to start the hunt. Sol found a couple of pheasant, a quail covey and a pair chukar before tiring out. Ava and Curly found the remaining pheasant and chukar, but got overheated quickly, so back to the pen for Hildy and Mac to clean up some quail singles. Not ideal condtions, but still a nice early season hunt.

Tim and Melissa Ridderbos brought out their young lab, Bella, for her first hunt. I set out some pheasant and a pair of chukar around the ponds and creek in the Clubhouse and Pasture Fields, trying to keep Bella close to some cool water on a warm morning. She got better with each bird, learning this new game. Before the hunt was over she was finding, tracking and flushing birds through the thick fall cover.

Ethan Greenwald came out for his first upland bird hunt along with his dad and grandfather. Their English Setter, Justice found and pointed the quail and chukar I set out in the Clubhouse Field. Ethan knocked down the first two chukar that he flushed in front of Justice’s points.

Perry Stanfa brought out his three young pointers for a warm up before his trip out west. I set out some quail singles in the South Tinkerfarm Field for the dogs to find and point the birds in the prairie strips. He picked a nice cloudy morning and the dogs had some good finds, working towards mid-season form.

Randy and Jesse Tapp drove up from Kentucky for their first pheasant hunt. They picked the best day of the early season, damp, cloudy and cool, nice break from the hot and dry fall. Sol came out for the first batch of birds, doing a good job of finding the pheasant in the thick cover. After a change of guns, chokes and dogs and we headed back out with Mac and Curly to finish the hunt. The old pair found the remaining birds and a downed one from the first pass. Great early season and first pheasant hunt for Randy and Jesse.