Going Places

The High Lonesome Ranch

By Ralph P. Stuart

I was about four miles along the gravel road when I began thinking I might have made a wrong turn. After all, there had been no sign at the juncture, and so far there had been no indication that there was anything but Colorado backcountry in the direction I was heading. Then I rounded a corner and saw an odd-looking bird on the shoulder-odd in the way a rooster pheasant appears out of place in the sage prairie. A couple of hundred yards farther there was another pheasant. Hmm, this is a good sign. Then to the right was a small pond with groomed banks and a pavilion where one could take lunch. Aha, I must be getting warmer.

Sure enough, in another two miles I came to the large wooden sign announcing that I had arrived at my destination: The High Lonesome Ranch. And a quarter-mile past that I pulled into the office parking area, where ranch manager Buzz Cox and several members of his staff were sipping sundowners around the fire pit.

Turns out I had arrived just in time for dinner, so after meeting the staff and the party of four Texas wingshooters who were enjoying their last evening in camp, I sat down to a scrumptious meal prepared by resident cook "Aunt Linda."

After dinner I made the short drive to the main guest lodge, which I ended up having all to myself. (The Texans were staying in one of several cabins on the property.) I played pool, watched the news on the big-screen TV, and turned in early, leaving the sliding-glass door open a crack to let in the cool September air. A bull elk bugling up-valley serenaded me to sleep.

The next morning, with breakfast tucked away, Cox, head guide Todd Weiszbrod and I headed out for some shooting. En route, Cox explained that the ranch has 20,000 deeded acres, with controlled access to 200 square miles. Of course not all of that is used for bird hunting, but the portion that is has been well managed for habitat. Sage and oakbrush flats are interspersed with fields that have been plowed and planted to such things as oats, triticale, wheat and Russian rye grass. Aggressive bush-hogging has encouraged the return of native grasses, and there is plenty of cover in the cattail and willow bottoms that line North Dry Fork Creek, which runs through the valley.

Major species include pheasants, chukar and Hungarian partridge-with wild blue grouse, sage grouse and doves also available. Early releases are supplemented throughout the season, and there are plenty of holdover birds as well as those that have been naturally reproduced. (We saw several large coveys of Huns and chukar that contained birds of the year.)

Most hunting is done over flushing dogs, although guests can bring whatever breeds they choose. The daily limit on the preserve portion of the ranch is 10 birds, with extras costing $20 each. There is also a 5 Stand setup, and European-style driven shoots can be organized as well.

This day, however, was all about walk-up, with Weisz-brod's black Lab, Raider, in charge of thrashing the cover, and Cox and I the designated Guns. We enjoyed challenging shooting in some thick and nasty places. The quality of the birds was particularly impres-sive, as they were tough to rout out and hard-flyers once airborne. One large covey of Huns melted into the grass 30 yards away and then gave us the slip, yielding only two birds-both of which we missed. Another covey of chukar popped out of a stand of tall oakbrush, buzzing us in fours and fives faster than we could reload.

All in all, we ended up with 13 birds during our half-day hunt. Plenty for my tastes. Not only that, but we were able to enjoy some beautiful country, with the backdrop of the scenic Rockies and an idyllic trout stream wending its way through the cover.

Although the ranch can accommodate up to 26 guests, no more than 15 wingshooters are booked at a time-with a hunter:guide ratio of 3:1. In addition to wingshooting, the ranch offers hunting for trophy elk and mule deer as well fly-fishing for four species of trout in 11 remote ponds and 100 beaver ponds along North Dry Fork Creek. (We watched rainbows up to 30 inches finning in the pools.)

The High Lonesome Ranch is located in Debeque, Colorado, about 30 miles from Grand Junction and 210 miles from Denver. For more information, call 970-283-9420 or visit www.thehighlonesomeranch.com.

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