Prairie King Wingshooting

Under a blue Nebraska sky, my springer, Mac, worked close and fast, slipping quietly through the native grass. Suddenly his pace quickened, and his excited tail gave notice just before a dozen prairie chickens thundered into the air. I managed to focus on one bird as I brought up my vintage English double, and although I was not quite ready for the hunt to end, the grouse folded at the shot and crashed into the corn.
Mac disappeared into the stalks and then popped back out, delivering the bird to hand. I took a moment to marvel at the old “boomer’s” beautiful plumage before plucking one of the long feathers protruding from the back of his neck. I placed the feather neatly into a bead-and-leather dressing on my recoil pad in honor of the regal prairie trophy.
The beauty of the landscape surrounding the Niobrara and Missouri rivers can take your breath away. James Brion, owner of Prairie King Wingshooting, owns and leases 70,000 private acres of this gorgeous country and offers hunting for a variety of birds and big game. His primary passion, however, is the greater prairie chicken—what he calls “absolutely, positively, without doubt, question or debate America’s most fabulous and historic gamebird species.” The habitat consists of native grasslands, sandhills and irrigated cropfields, plus wooded ground.
Prairie chicken season opens in mid-September, when the birds are in small family groups and easier to approach. In mid-October the grouse begin gathering into larger wintering flocks that are harder to get within range of. Chickens routinely will be in the crops in the morning and then settle into loafing areas in the grass at midday. For this reason hunting usually takes place from 10 am to 2 pm, when the birds are less wary. Although prairie chickens can be walked up without dogs, clients are welcome to bring their four-footed companions. In addition to walk-up hunting, pass shooting at concentrated flocks takes place during the late season, when mountable specimens have fully developed plumage.
    During “down time” early and late in the day, hunters can take advantage of great mixed-bag opportunities, as for one daily price Prairie King allows hunting for any small-game species that are in season. For example, on a November chicken hunt you also could go after sharp-tailed grouse, Canada geese, Merriam’s turkeys, predators and preserve pheasants. (A bonus bison could be taken for an extra fee.)
    Hunters fly in and out of Sioux City, Iowa, where they rent cars and drive the 120 miles to one of Prairie King’s two north-central Nebraska lodges. I stayed at Redbird Lodge, a remodeled farmhouse near O’Neill that will accommodate up to eight hunters. (Mac slept at the foot of my bed in a nicely appointed room.) The interior is adorned with plenty of game mounts, and there is even wireless Internet access. Ponca Lodge, located near Spencer, is another remodeled farmhouse, and it will handle a group of up to six hunters. Both locations offer easy access to the hunting areas as well as delicious home-cooked meals. (The buffalo steaks were excellent.)

Prairie chickens are unpredictable and can be difficult to locate in the vast grasslands. “After all,” according to guide Butch Sojka, “a chicken is a chicken.” Irrigated crops in the sandhills are one of Prairie King’s secrets to success, as they attract birds and help focus hunters’ efforts. Another secret is employing guides like Sojka who have hunted chickens all of their lives and know where and when to find them.
    A covey rise of greater prairie chickens is about as special as it gets when it comes to wingshooting adventure, and there are few places left where odds are good of bagging three-bird limits several days in a row. Once numbering in the millions, prairie chickens now are found in isolated pockets of our disappearing prairie—the last frontier for these treasured gamebirds. To quote James Brion: “Chickens are truly trophy gamebirds that capture the spirit of the pioneer West like no other.”
    For more information on hunting prairie chickens in Nebraska, contact James Brion, Prairie King Wingshooting, 406-363-0801; www.prairieking.net.