THE RANCH
QUAIL HUNTING ON SILVER LAKE PRESERVE OTHER GAME ANIMALS ALSO AT LYKES RANCH NEAR LABELLE
S
Written by: William R. Cox
ilver Lake Preserve provides great hunting opportunities for quail—and wild turkey, hog, pheasant and American alligator. This beautiful preserve includes 1,876 acres and is located at the Lykes Ranch at 2860 Silver Lake Road, just north of LaBelle, Florida.
This past October, I had the pleasure of spending time with preserve manager Philip O’Bannon and hunting guide Jamey O’Bannon on a morning quail hunt. I was there to photograph my friend Andy Woodruff while he hunted. Woodruff utilized the two professionals as guides—and their hunting dogs—to locate and flush quail. We stayed at the preserve’s lodge the evening before the hunt, and enjoyed a great steak dinner. The following morning, everyone was offered a ranch breakfast to start the day. The meal package is an option for lodge guests because the preserve wants all hunters to have a memorable and pleasurable time.
A 3-minute hunting safety film was shown—safety is heavily stressed. Before going on the hunt, all hunters are required to fire a few rounds at clays launched from a five-station, multi-level wobble clay shooting deck. This gives the hunter a chance to warm up and go over safety tips. We started our hunt at 8 a.m. with three pairs of dogs. Each pair was made up of an English pointer and a flush dog (a cock-a-tzu, which is shih tzu and cocker spaniel cross). It was thrilling to watch the bird dogs work together to point (locate), flush a covey or single birds and then retrieve the shot quail. Below, Silver Lake Preserve guest Andy Woodruff takes a shot while hunting guide Jamey O'Bannon observes the flight of the quail.
56
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY D e c e m b e r | J a n u a r y 2 0 1 9
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE BY WILLIAM R. COX
The preserve books 600 hunters annually, so it’s best to schedule your hunt as far in advance as possible. Conveniently, it is only an hour from Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, and two hours from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Broward County.
