My experience with bird shooting preserves is extensive. Having hunted at more than two dozen of them in seven different states I've seen a wide variety of operations. So I've found that among the hundreds of shooting preserves in the U.S. the Rising Sun Hunt Preserve is already one of the best. Here's why.

Most bird shooting preserves offer limited bird species availability and also minimum hunting flexibility. You pay your money and you usually only get to hunt pheasants released the way the operator wants to release them. Since you usually pay by the number of released birds, rather than the number bagged, if the release is not done correctly many of the birds fly or run out of the preserve grounds and become unavailable to the hunter. This is just tough luck for you as you pay for each released bird no matter what its fate. The operator usually shows no remorse.

The Rising Sun Hunt Preserve appropriately enough rises above the usual m.o. for bird shooting preserves. First, it is run by Bert Holzhauser. This is a guy converting his former cattle ranch to a bird hunting preserve. Having started only a couple of years ago, this means the Rising Sun is in its infancy and Bert is in the process of a lot of hard work. This also means the Rising Sun will be improving each and every year: improving in habitat, improving in hunting variety, and increasing in acreage.

But the fact that Bert is in charge of your hunt is what makes the Rising Sun Hunt Preserve special. Hard work is not a foreign or dirty word to Bert. Bert and his wife Linda are plain and simply hard and honest workers. Their principal concern is your enjoyment and satisfaction with your hunt. This attitude is quite unique given an all too common hunting preserve attitude: take the money.

This means Bert will hold and release exactly the birds you want YOUR WAY. Bert has no preconceived ideas about your hunt. If you're in the process of special dog training, or need a special hunt, Bert will do what YOU want. This makes hunting at the Rising Sun always a pleasure because it's always tailored to your needs.

In case you’re worried or have had poor experiences at other shooting preserves with birds not flying well, this is not going to happen to you at the Rising Sun. Bert's birds fly well, very well indeed! You will be hard pressed to tell them from wild birds. I have many days tromped back and forth chasing just one bird which would flush and fly hundreds of yards each flush before my flushing dog could get a good flush within gun range. Bert's pheasants fly that well.

The Rising Sun Hunt Preserve also offers you a variety of bird species above and beyond most bird shooting preserves. The Rising Sun. of course, has pheasants but three different varieties: ring-necked, melanistic, and a cross between the two. Wait 'til you see what the melanistic pheasants do to you! They are tough and smart and fly like mad. There are also chukars, quail, and Hungarian partridge. Bert's other pheasants are also quality flyers, and his quail and Huns give above-normal, very challenging covey rises.

If you're looking for a quality hunt at a shooting preserve that is going to continue to improve and expand with time, give the Rising Sun Hunt Preserve a try. I'm confident you will leave well satisfied; I always have.

If you have questions, give me a call in Oregon at 541/884-2974 or e-mail: troster@cdsnet. net.