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Hey all. Has anyone ever hunted at Hard Labor Creek Plantation in Chipley FL? We have an 11 month old english setter that we want to get onto some birds and we're looking at giving some of the pay to play places a try. We are trying to find a place that has good flying quail but not at $600 for half a day. We want quail that aren't little flutterers...birds that will get up and set down 20 ft from where they got up from... or birds that fly super low and invite the dog to chase as we don't want her chasing birds that flush or might put her in danger of possibly being shot. We need a place that has a lot of acreage. Taking her hunting, she spends the first hour blowing off a lot of steam and she can cover a lot of ground and not do much "hunting". We would like to be able to run her in a place where there aren't known birds and let her burn off some of that steam before taking her into an area that we know has birds. We don't want to get her into the situation like we had this year in one place in MT where she got into a cattail slough that was miles long and THICK with pheasants and she got bird fever so bad, the only reason we knew where she was was because of the waves and waves of pheasants getting up. So we need to burn off some of that energy to begin with. And since she doesn't recognize roads as being dangerous, it'd be nice if the hunting areas aren't in the middle of heavily traveled roads.

Hard Labor Creek Plantation came up as a possibility and I've spoke several times with the gentleman who runs the property. Does anyone have any experience with this place? What do y'all think?

Are there other plantations that might meet our requirements that I should also consider?

Thanks a lot in advance for any help or thoughts....

Danibeth

I have never "hunted" Hard Labor Creek. I have spent many, many enjoyable hours on Ted Everett's beautiful property. If Ted says he can accommodate your needs....he can and will. You will not meet a nicer, more engaging, more honest land owner. I'll bet you have a great time.

I have not hunted Quail and Hard Labor creek plantation so I cannot speak to their program. Sidney Gainey used to run Dogwood Shooting Preserve outside of Cairo and he had a great piece of property and the birds flew well. You might talk to him.

can't speak to the plantations mentioned. I would give Dairy Cannon a call at Cedar Farms Plantation.

When you get ready for a great flushing & retrieving dog, we plan to have some English Cocker puppies close to Christmas this coming year. The flushing dog really makes a difference as to how the quail flies, just my opinion from experience. The female is a blue roan & male is orange & white.

I have gotten another recommendation for Dogwood but I can't find a number or website for them. Do you have one? I found a couple of phone numbers but one is no longer in use and the other it merely rings and there is no messaging service so I can't even leave a message, or even know if the number is correct for them.

Cedar Farms Plantation....thanks will look that one up too...

redbelly, I currently have a lab and he's an outstanding flusher...I wish he weren't getting old but he's been on many great hunts chasing california, mountain and bobwhite quail, huns, ruffled grouse, turkeys, blue grouse, spruce grouse, prairie chickens, sharptails, sage grouse, pheasant, snipe and woodcock in WA, ID, MT, SD, ND, MO, LA, GA, AL and FL. I love following him around and loved following Mike (my buddy's lab who passed a few years ago) around chasing upland birds. I've actually never been to any plantations so I don't know the difference between pen raised and wild quail, other than what people tell me which is why I want to find a place with good birds.

The Setter is my buddy's dog and is his first (and mine by association) pointy dog. It's definitely an adjustment in mentality for hunting and training, but a very nice one. But we need to get her on birds and so that's why I'm looking for plantations.

I'm currently thinking about my next dog. I have a personal limit of two dogs at any one time and both of my boys are getting up there in age (13 and 9). I'm not in the market yet since the boys are both doing quite well and haven't decided if I'll go the route of pointy dog or flushing dog for the next one but I am thinking about what I will do in the future. I may end up with one of each as I am also a duck hunter and will want a retriever. Thanks for the offer of the cocker pups. I bet they'll be precious.

Thanks y'all for your input
Danibeth

There is an enormous difference between pen raised quail and wild quail. Even the best of the best pen birds don't come close to the speed of wild birds. And when wild birds get up, they are gone. And w pen birds, sometimes they fly well, sometimes they don't. It's hard to predict, pay to play "plantations " try to buy birds that fly well, but there is never a guarantee. Flush dogs do get them up better than someone throwing their hat at them. But you can't know how well they fly. At the cocker trials last year, I shot for 3 hunters ( over 75 years old) and for my dog. The birds put out for the first 3 flew well, but when it was my turn, later in the day, the birds wouldn't get over my shoulders. All of the birds came from the same farm. You may also want the keep an eye out for a hunting lease that has the right land for putting out birds. There are a few, I'm on a waiting list for one now. Good luck

Dani, I hope you get the opportunity to hunt sometime w an English Cocker. Ours retrieves ducks doves & flushes. Also great lap dogs & ours stay in house. They do need human interaction. I wouldn't want to see one penned up. I'm going to put some birds out next weekend as our wild birds have gone somewhere....

redbelly7 wrote:Dani, I hope you get the opportunity to hunt sometime w an English Cocker. Ours retrieves ducks doves & flushes. Also great lap dogs & ours stay in house. They do need human interaction. I wouldn't want to see one penned up. I'm going to put some birds out next weekend as our wild birds have gone somewhere....

Yup

Redbelly, do you go to the spring cocker trials?

No, never heard about them but would like to go. Let me know when they are & I will check it out!

Oh man, it's a big time. You can come watch or run a dog or 2. I'll be running a pup and a 3 year old. My father in law will run 2. It's a lot of fun and a good group of friendly people, you probably know some. Big BBQ lunch. Lots of fun. I'll get you more info. Dannibeth, y'all should come also. I think you'd enjoy it. Usually around mid march

I would like to watch & see how the trials go. Send me an inbox message when you know time place etc

Did you find a place to hunt?
I have a few wild birds but usually just put out pen raised birds.
I could set you up on a do it yourself hunt for a lot less than 600 for half a day.

David, I'd love to go to a cocker trial if I can. They do sound like fun.

I have not yet found a place to hunt. Several places I haven't been able to get a hold of so I'm probably just going to write them off. Might give one more chance. Tabb, do you have a website or contact info?

I have hunted both Hard Labor Creek and Cedars Farm Plantation in the last 2 weeks. Both nice operations but Cedars Farm land is much prettier. It may be the prettiest land I've hunted. I think it's $475/half day. Don't recall what Hard Labor was. Give Derry a call.