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NAGA News September/October 201610
NAGA SponsorsDIAMOND SPONSORS
Beavers Game Farm, LLC Elkhorn Farms & Hatchery Kuhl Corporation Little Canyon Shooting Preserve MacFarlane Pheasants, Inc. Oak Ridge Pheasant Ranch, Inc.
SPONSOR MEMBERS3T Products
Addieville East
ADM Alliance Nutrition, LLC
Alves Pheasant Farm
Vern and Claudette Beavers
Blue Hill Gamebirds
Boothill Game Birds, LLC
Braune Quail Farm
Cargill Animal Nutrition
Div–Ag, Inc.
Feathered Flyers
Field Trial Gamebirds
Fuzzy’s Pheasant Farm
Gisi Pheasant Farms, LLC
Harper’s Game Farm
Heritage 1865 Hunting Lodge
Hidden Valley Pheasantry & Warriors Mark
Iuka Feeds
Krug’s Northwood Game Birds, Inc.
Lake Elaine Game Farm, Inc.
Mahantongo Game Farms, LLC
Market Financial Group
Martz’s Game Farm, FLP
Metzer Farms
Murray McMurray Hatchery
Olmix
Outdoors Agency, USA
Puroxi Pure Water Global, Inc.
R & R Game Birds
Ringneck Ranch, Inc.
Rockers Pheasant Farm
RTS Strategies
Sharon Pheasant Farm
Show-Me-Birds Hunting Resort, LLC
Spring Farm, Inc.
Star Labs/Forage Research, Inc.
Stump Farms
Suncoast Shavings, Inc.
Trace Pheasantry, Inc.
Whistling Wings, Inc.
Wild Wings of Oneka
Wings North Hunting Club and Sporting Clays
Jim Zindl
I t’s coming—the glorious time of year that so many of us work toward and some of us live for.
Hunting season will soon be here. For some of you, opening day
is in August. Other hunting resorts open their doors in September, while the big day falls in October or even later for others, depending on their location. We open here the first of October and at times it can be a bit too hot, but we still count the days
till it’s here.Are you ready?
Thirty days out it’s “game on” at Show Me Birds. The staff knows this and some who have been gone all spring and summer walk into the club-house to a massive to-do list.
All of these preseason tasks are things we won’t have time to do when hunters are here, things that must be done before hunters see the place.
The master list includes must-do jobs such as mowing trails for hunter
access and stocking birds, fixing bridges across creeks, sprucing up the European course, cleaning park-ing lots and rest areas, and preparing the “dump stations” where guides drop off birds.
Despite all the elbow grease required to ready a resort for the
season, hunters invariably ask, “What do you do when season is closed?” I laugh and tell them, “Watch Days of Our Lives and take naps.”
In truth, our work is never done. For some NAGA members, clients come all year to enjoy clay shooting, fishing and other activities. I could do that with three clay ranges and four fishing areas, but choose not to
SALESMature Bird Sales • Paul Dwyer
Day Old Chick Sales • April Goble [email protected]
Food Product Sales • Rachel [email protected]
Visit our food product website at:www.pheasantfordinner.com
TECHNICAL ADVICEHatchery Supervisor • Ben Lawton
Brooder Supervisor • Brian Davis [email protected]
Production Manager • Chris Theisen [email protected]
Breeder Supervisor • Troy [email protected]
Pen Supervisor • Rich [email protected]
Have your game bird management questions answered at:
www.gamebirdexpert.com
CHINESE RINGNECKK THUNDER
MANCHURIAN RINGNECK CROSSMELANISTIC MUTANT
CHUKAR REDLEG PARTRIDGE FRENCH REDLEG PARTRIDGE
HUNGARIAN PARTRIDGE
2821 S. U.S. Hwy 51 • Janesville, Wisconsin 53546Phone: 608-757-7881 • Toll Free: 800-345-8348
www.pheasant.com
®
KIM SHIRAShow Me Birds Hunting Resort
Industry Insight by Kim Shira
Are You Ready For A Successful Hunting Season?
“People who pay to hunt at a resort aren’t doing so to feed their
family. They can do that at a grocery store. They’re coming for the
total experience.”
11NAGA NewsSeptember/October 2016
for several reasons. One of the most important is to give us time to get ready for hunting season.
First ImpressionsThroughout the prepping process, keep in mind you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Also remember to view your business through other’s eyes.
Consider this experience, for example. One of my large clients is a bank president down in Texas. He is a great guy but ev-erything must be perfect. As he drove to my club-house from the south, he passed a series of 25-year-old flight pens. Last season I heard the banker tell one of his guests, “Don’t judge the place by those old pens, the hunting is amazing and you’ll love it.”
I’ve seen those pens a million times but hadn’t noticed how old they were looking. Others did, and judged the resort by them.
Not anymore, though. During the off season, the aging pens were removed and replaced by a beautiful fishing area complete with retriever launching dock. The hill created dur-ing pond construction holds a large cross with a sign at the bottom of it.
Birds now come from flight pens in other areas. And visitors like the banker’s client, who expect me to be ready for them, will not be disappointed.
Total ExperienceIt’s easy to take for granted how things we see every day at our hunt-ing resorts can be new and exciting to our visitors.
Take hunting cover, for example. It might not seem all that stimulating when you see it all the time, but lush, aesthetically pleasing cover helps a resort appeal to guests, and is a ma-jor part of their overall experience. Great cover doesn’t happen on its own, of course. It takes a lot of work ahead of time.
In fact, the things we take for granted are often the reasons guests
come back. Sure, putting birds on the ground is an intrinsic part of our industry. But it’s not the only thing.
People who pay to hunt at a resort aren’t doing so to feed their family. They can do that at a grocery
store. They’re coming for the total experience, which includes every-thing from great hunting cover and shooting ranges to clean buildings, a first-rate pro shop, gun room and friendly staff.
Make no mistake, if your resort isn’t up to snuff, your guests can afford to do something else with their money, such as golfing at a nice country club or taking a cruise. The more pleasing an experience you provide them, the less reason they have to take their business and pre-cious free time elsewhere.
We all have different hunting operations and do things a little dif-ferently. But in the end, each of us
must still pass the test of provid-ing a great overall ex-perience to our guests. Managers of successful operations know that preseason work helps
make this happen. They also realize the importance of being proactive, not reactive. Hope you all have a grand hunting season. H
God Bless, Kim Shira
“Eve
ryon
e ne
eds
to b
elie
ve in
som
ethi
ng, I
bel
ieve
I’ll
go
hunt
ing.
”
DURING THE OFF SEASON, Show Me Birds converted an unappealing series of aging flight pens into this attractive pond complex, complete with fishing area, retriever launching dock and inspirational setting including a cross and signage.
