I would like to preface this review with a note:…read more
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Johnson's WW hunts is a hunting guide service and lodge. If this is something that you are not comfortable with, please do not read this review.
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Alright, now that the warnings are out of the way another point I'd like to start with: I am a deer hunter, and have never been bird hunting before this last weekend when I went to Johnson's WW hunts. As someone who is not a bird hunter, I was expecting to feel a little out of place in a pheasant and dove hunting trip since I don't know the first thing about hunting either. I could not have been more wrong. The owner and main guide for Johnson's WW hunts is a man by the name of Charlie Johnson. Charlie made me feel very welcome right off the bat. When my GPS took me to the other side of town, and I was literally in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no idea where to go, he was more than willing to meet me and help me get to the lodge. As I was one of the first of my group of 18 to get there, I expected to not have much to do until the rest of the group showed up. I. Was. Wrong. As soon as I got there and got unpacked, Charlie offered to take me over to field that was currently being hunted by 2 others from our group who had gotten there before me so I could get some early dove hunting in. I was then given a bucket seat and some waters to take with me, and Charlie took me over to the field and got me all set up. Did not get many dove that day, but again, I didn't know what i was doing at that point. When legal hunting time had ended we went back in and dinner was ready and waiting for us at the lodge. Food was hot, and delicious, and the 2 ladies that would be the cooks the whole trip were very friendly. Saturday and Sunday we did 2 dove trips and 1 pheasant trip per day. This is where i really started to enjoy myself, because there was a full explanation and inclusion of the process, safety rules briefing, and what to expect.
For those of you that haven't hunted pheasant before, heres the gist of how it works. You have 3 positions that you can be in during a field hunt:
- Blocker: stands at the opposite end of the field from where the walking line starts and gets a chance to shoot any birds that fly away from the line.
- Walking line: the actual line that walks through the field with the dogs and dog handlers, and does the majority of the shooting.
- Flankers: 3 hunters who are spaced out on the sides of the walking line to catch any birds that fly to the right or left of the walking line.
The best part of how this works, is everyone is included. If you have issues with mobility, you can sit at the back and block, if you have limited mobility, or cant plow through chest high sorghum milo, then you can flank. If you don't mind slogging through some thick brush, then the walking line is for you. We averaged around 15 birds a field with 18 hunters and did 4-5 fields a day. After each field, the guides would give out pop or waters to anyone that wanted them, and then would guide the convoy on to the next field. Overall this is easily one of, if not the best guided hunting experience I've had. Charlie and his family have owned this land since the 50s-60s and have been both helping with conservation and farming this land for many years. Charlie could tell you exactly what to expect at each field, and was a wealth of knowledge on the history of the area as well as the processes of bird hunting. The food provided was fantastic, and the roost provides everything you could need for nightime fun whether it be drinking, poker, cigars, or pool. A+++++ Would happily go back for another weekend hunting trip.