What to Expect on a Guided Pheasant Hunt in Missouri

There is nothing quite like walking into a field behind a good bird dog.

One minute you are moving through the cover with your guide and hunting partners. The next, a dog locks onto point. Everyone gets ready. Somewhere ahead, a pheasant is holding tight.

Then the bird rises.

That combination of anticipation, fast shooting, good dogs, and time spent with friends is what makes pheasant hunting such a memorable experience.

At Flying Feathers, we have been helping hunters enjoy days like this for years. Our game bird hunting preserve is located in the countryside outside Golden City, Missouri, near Lockwood in Southwest Missouri.

Whether you have hunted pheasant for years or are planning your first guided bird hunt, here is what you can expect when you come to Flying Feathers.

A Pheasant Hunt Built Around Your Group

We don't believe every group needs exactly the same hunt.

When you contact Flying Feathers, tell us what kind of experience you are looking for. We offer pheasant, quail, and chukar hunting, and custom packages can be created depending on the birds and type of hunt you want. Half-day and full-day options are available.

Tell us the kind of hunt you're looking for, and we'll help you plan a day in the field that fits your group.

You'll be greeted with the country hospitality Flying Feathers is known for, with hundreds of acres of cover waiting for you and your hunting partners.

Your Guide Is There to Help

A hunting guide accompanies every hunt at Flying Feathers.

Our guides are experienced hunters, but their job isn't to make the hunt complicated. They are there to help your group enjoy a safe and successful day in the field.

Each guide can take up to four hunters per hunt, and Flying Feathers can accommodate multiple groups during the day.

Flying Feathers owner Bruce Lilienkamp has years of hunting experience and grew up hunting with his dad and uncles.

As Bruce likes to say:

“When I started hunting with my Dad and uncles, I was the bird dog.”

Fortunately for Bruce, these days the real bird dogs handle most of that work.

Watching the Bird Dogs Work

For many hunters, the dogs are one of the best parts of the entire hunt.

Flying Feathers primarily uses English Setters and German Shorthaired Pointers. These experienced pointing dogs know what they are in the field to do.

Picture yourself and a couple of friends walking through a field of milo or switchgrass. A dog working ahead catches the scent of a bird and suddenly stops solid on point.

Now everyone knows there is a bird close.

The dog holds while the hunters move into position and prepare for the flush.

Even if you have hunted birds for years, that moment when a good dog locks onto point can still get your attention.

Then the Pheasant Flushes

Pheasant hunting can change from quiet to exciting in a matter of seconds.

You've been watching the dogs, moving through the field, and wondering exactly where the bird is hiding.

Then it comes out of the cover.

Pheasants are fast, strong-flying birds, so you need to be ready. Sometimes everything comes together and you make the shot. Other times the pheasant gets the better of you.

That's part of bird hunting.

After the shot, the dogs go right back to work. Flying Feathers' dogs are trained to point, honor other dogs on point, and retrieve downed birds.

Watching a good bird dog work from the search to the point and finally the retrieve is an experience in itself.

Can You Bring Your Own Bird Dog?

Absolutely.

Hunters are welcome to bring their own gun dogs to Flying Feathers. Many customers bring a dog because they want additional work on birds or an opportunity to sharpen the dog's hunting skills.

You can hunt with your own dog for part of the hunt and switch to Flying Feathers' dogs if you choose. When hunting behind your own dog, you are responsible for handling and controlling it in the field.

If you don't have a bird dog, that's no problem. Trained Flying Feathers dogs are included with our guided hunts at no additional charge.

What's Included With Your Hunt?

We want to make a day at Flying Feathers easy to enjoy.

Our half-day and full-day guided hunting packages include:

• An experienced hunting guide
• Trained bird dogs
• Birds dressed and packaged
• A group photo
• Lunch

The time spent together is an important part of the day too. Bird hunting is a social kind of hunting. There is time to visit while walking the fields and over lunch, along with plenty to talk about after the dogs find another bird.

By the end of the hunt, every group usually has a few stories.

What Should You Bring for a Pheasant Hunt?

You don't need a long list of equipment, but there are a few things every hunter should bring.

Flying Feathers asks each hunter to have a hunter-orange vest or cap, walking boots, shotgun, and shells. A cooler for taking your birds home is also recommended.

For pheasant hunting, we recommend #6 shot with an improved or modified choke. Flying Feathers does not allow shot larger than #6 on the preserve.

Good walking boots are important. This is an active hunt through upland cover, and part of the experience is following the dogs through the field.

What If You've Never Hunted Pheasant Before?

You don't have to be an experienced upland hunter to have a good time at Flying Feathers.

A guided pheasant hunt can be a great introduction to bird hunting because you have an experienced guide and trained dogs in the field with you.

Before long, you'll start watching the dogs more closely. You'll notice when they begin working scent differently. And when one of them stops solid on point, you'll know it is time to get ready.

Your guide can help you understand what to expect in the field and make your first pheasant hunt an enjoyable experience.

A Great Hunt to Share With Friends and Family

One of the things we enjoy most about pheasant hunting is that it can be shared.

Bring a friend. Hunt with family. Introduce someone else to upland bird hunting. Or bring along that special client you would rather spend a day in the field with than sitting across a conference table from.

There is plenty of time to talk and enjoy the company, followed by those moments when a dog goes on point and suddenly everyone's attention turns toward the cover ahead.

Those are often the moments people remember long after the hunt is over.

When Is the Flying Feathers Hunting Season?

The Flying Feathers hunting season runs from November 1 through mid-March, Monday through Saturday. Appointments are required.

Hunters must be 14 years of age or older.

A Missouri hunting license is required. If you are coming from out of state or don't have a Missouri hunting license, a preserve permit can be purchased on-site. Hunters born after January 1, 1967 must have a Hunter Safety Card to purchase a permit.

For current license, permit, equipment, and hunting requirements, visit our Hunting Information page or give us a call before your hunt.

Plan Your Guided Pheasant Hunt in Southwest Missouri

A day at Flying Feathers is about more than the number of birds you take home.

It's walking through the Missouri countryside with friends. It's seeing an English Setter or German Shorthaired Pointer suddenly lock onto point. It's waiting for the flush, making the shot, watching the retrieve, and talking about it afterward over lunch.

That's what a day of pheasant hunting at Flying Feathers is all about.

Our preserve is located at:

Flying Feathers LLC
556 State Road A
Golden City, MO 64748

To schedule your hunt or ask about available dates, call (417) 232-4033.

Flying Feathers. Where great hunts make unforgettable memories.