By Steve Weisman
In the movie Field of Dreams, a famous line is often quoted: “Build it and he will come.” Toward the end of the movie, actor James Earl Jones (Terrence Mann) says to Kevin Costner (Ray Kinsella) as he encourages Costner to build the Field of Dreams with an outfield “fence” of an Iowa cornfield. “Ray, people will come, Ray!” The movie has become so famous that the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox met this past summer for a major league game commemorating that movie.
Something similar is happening in northwest Iowa’s Clay County where for the past five years the Clay County Iowa Pheasants Forever Chapter has held a yearly Ladies Pheasant Hunt. Here’s something pretty exciting: a total of 55 ladies enjoyed the 5th annual Ladies Pheasant Hunt, which was held on Saturday, November 6. From 15 participants five years ago to 55 participants in 2021! Yes, “Build it and, and people will come” is certainly a fitting phrase for the growth of the Ladies Pheasant Day. Here are the activities that made the day so special:
- 8 a.m. – registration with coffee and light breakfast provided by Blackearth Java and special gifts provided Nelson Jewelry and Tailored Graphics
- 8:30 a.m. – opening remarks and gun safety demonstration by Marty Eby, DNR Safety Officer
- 9:15 a.m. – trap shooting practice
- 10 a.m. – divide into groups for shooting handguns, crossbows and live bird hunting
- Noon – a special gourmet lunch provided by Yesterdays and beverages provided by Century Farms Distillery and The Iowa Project.
Organizer and Clay County Pheasants Forever board member and volunteer Paul Daniels, was ecstatic with the way the day went. Daniels noted that the Ladies Hunt is designed to showcase the many reasons that make hunting such a great pastime. The hunt is open for all ladies – whether they have a hunting background or not. “Yes, we’re here to help the ladies get a chance to bag some roosters, but it’s also about community and relationships. It was fun seeing the ladies encouraging and cheering each other on as they went through the different activities.”
Daniels continues, “Our Clay County Iowa Pheasants Forever is extremely appreciative of the many local sponsors. Nelson Jewelry was the presenting sponsor and also gave each lady a special take home bag. The participants also got a nice shirt produced by Tailored Graphics. With any good hunt, there are usually food & beverages and we got support on these items from BlackEarth Java, Yesterday’s of Okoboji, and the beverage from The Iowa Project and Century Farms & Distillery.”
Key to any successful hunt is good upland habitat and pheasant numbers. There was plenty of both at this hunt. Daniels notes, “Thank you so much to our gracious hosts Bill and Debi Muller. Their beautiful property is the ideal set-up for this type of event. Their generosity and hospitality help make this event extra memorable for our lady hunters.”
When it comes to an event of this magnitude, success revolves around the volunteers and helpers. According to Daniels, “Our board members put this together and ran the event, and we had numerous extra volunteers that we asked to be dog handlers, additional mentors to help during the hunt and others that ran our handgun and crossbow stations. One of our most important volunteers was Marty Eby from the IA DNR. He gave a safety presentation and helped with teaching safety and how to handle a firearm throughout the event.”
Dividing into groups limited the group hunting into smaller groups of between 8-12 women. When it came to the field hunt, each group included three dogs/handlers along with three other mentors walking along to provide support and guidance. Although some of the ladies chose to just walk behind with their group, at least 40 of the participants carried shotguns.
Were they successful? Well, how about 23 rooster pheasants bagged! One of the participants, Maureen Reeves Horsley notes, “A very special thank you to all for the planning and organizing that went into this morning. Thanks to the sponsors, the Mullers, volunteers and all those who made this a memorable, fun and safe day!”
Chance Steward, Pheasants Forever Regional Rep Western MN and Northern IA, was invited to be part of the morning. “I had a blast at the event. I learned a lot, and it was great to meet some of the guys. From my perspective, I don’t know if that event could have gone any better/smoother. Judging by the smiles on everyone’s face, I’d say it was a huge success.”
Photos by Vanessa Moore with Vertical Marketing
