Pheasant Bonanza Hunt Club | Premiere hunting lodge

Blaze & Waterfowl Membership

Blaze & Waterfowl Membership

I apologize that I have not been consistent in writing every week. This is one of my goals to work on this quarter. Once I develop the habit, it becomes a lot easier. I would like to take this opportunity to ask you for topics you’d like me to write about. Please e-mail me at trent@pheasantbonanza.com and I will add your input to my “Thoughts from the field” schedule.

Something that tears me up is losing one of our dogs. They work so hard for us, they never complain, and they ALWAYS show up to work with the best attitude. Last Thursday, we lost Blaze, one of our Labrador guide dogs. She died from a stomach rupture and we are all very saddened. I believe the hardest part of owning a dog is having to say “goodbye”. When we lose a dog, we lose part of our soul. Blaze’s best friend was Nate Sears who has been with since the spring of 2019. Nate helps us out with picking up shells, loading clays, bird cleaning, and many other odd jobs. He would take Blaze out with him any chance he could and this fall she helped him rack up a heck of tab with all the birds he shot over her. Nate has had a hard time coping and he said this today: “She was incredible, she found me a lot of birds, she kept me company, she made me smile, and she didn’t need a whistle or an E-collar. I am going miss her a lot but I’m thankful for the time I had with her.” Blaze is a mother to many puppies and she is going to be missed dearly. I am so thankful we have one of her pups to enjoy. “Ginny” will have some big paws to fill but I have no doubt that she will be as good or maybe even better. RIP Blaze 11.4.13-7.16.20

Our Upland and Waterfowl Seasons are upon us! Do you plan on doing any waterfowl hunting? We have reduced our waterfowl memberships and we have improved our lake & our habitat. We are just 200 yards off of the Missouri River and we also hunt the river & drainage ditch draining into the river.

IF you are already a member of Pheasant Bonanza or join this fall you can get a seat in the blind for $600. If you aren’t a member the price is $800 per seat. We do not charge for youth if accompanied by a member. We want to encourage youth hunting so there isn’t a fee. If you have an adult accompany you, it’s $75/person additional cost.

Our lake will be set up for teal, fall season and the late season (depending on flight). The seat does not roll into the conservation light season dates. The nice thing about getting a seat is you can come and go as you please and you don’t have daily costs. If you have a dog you’d like to bring, we welcome dogs but ask that they be put in our dog blinds or on a leash in blind. If you would like a tour of our waterfowl lake please let us know and we would be more than happy to show you or answer any questions you may have. These memberships are first come first serve and we are limited to 16 seats. We can host more but we like to save seats for our daily hunters or our staff when needed.

I hope and pray that you are doing well even with all the chaos in the world. I have chosen not to focus on the negative and it really changes my morale. Focus on the positive and appreciate what you are thankful for. I know my biggest appreciation the past 6 months has been family time at work and at home. It’s been a huge blessing having my entire family help with our workload at PB. We are starting to get our lodge booked and some companies are allowing meetings again so I am very thankful some of the restrictions are loosening up. If there is anything my team or I can do to help please, reach out. It never hurts to ask, the worst that can happen is we say “no”.

Here are some of the updates at PB:

1. We have one Lab Litter available right now:

Stryder/Stokes SH

-Lab Litter

-DOB: 6/29/20

-Ready to go home: 8/24/20

-$750 Limited Registration

-$950 Full Registration

2.) Saturday evening, August 1st is our next Open Dining & Cocktails!

Call 402.374.1765 for your reservation!

August 29th-30th is our next Registered Shoot, the Season Warm-up from 9am-3pm.

3.) Mark your calendars for this season’s first European Hunt, Saturday, Sept 26th! Our Gun Dog Series will be starting back up in September as well. Stay tuned for details!

Words of Wisdom:

“You are braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Christopher Robin

“Don’t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can’t be exactly who you are.”- Lady Gaga

The past couple weeks I have been able to hit my goals. Why? Because I am putting in the work and I am making time for what is important. For the month of July, I have been committed to doing 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, and 50 pull ups every day of the month. It’s amazing what you have time for if you schedule it daily!

Trent Leichleiter

Managing Partner

Pheasant Bonanza

Blaze and her camera shyness

Nate Sears, Pheasant Bonanza’s Employee & Best Friend to Blaze

KAMO – What and Why?

KAMO- What is it and why?

WHAT?

KAMO stands for: K-9 Adoption & Mentoring Outdoors

I saw a need and I took action. Surprise, Surprise. I need to take lessons on READY, AIM, FIRE. Sometimes I get excited and AIM, FIRE, then ask READY? Last summer I decided that I would start the non-profit we called KAMO. It’s been a very fun journey! We have 7 very committed board members that share similar passion to the mission and vision. KAMO is very easy to visit about because it’s all from the heart and I believe in it.

WHY?

I noticed hunting resorts were having a hard time selling or adopting out their retired dogs and dogs that didn’t hunt. I want to give dogs a chance before the owners have to resort to euthanizing. This isn’t focused only on clubs as many of the dogs that have been surrendered to us are from families. I also didn’t know of a a non-profit that focused on sporting dogs. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of rescues and they all are VERY important but I wanted to focus on sporting dogs that needed re-homed. To date, we have adopted out 10 dogs since last summer and we have 1 pending now.

Relating to the mentoring side of the non-profit, I have always wanted to give back. The outdoors have taught me so much and I know it’s not for everyone, but our goal is to introduce the outdoors to individuals who don’t have the opportunity, the means, or a mentor. Obviously funding is a limitation but I want to get as many people introduced to the outdoors as possible. We will be funding a minimum of 2 deer hunts, waterfowl hunts, and upland hunts, fishing, and shooting activities. The great part of this mission is that our board members and volunteers have passion and love helping make this all possible.

I could not be happier with what we have accomplished to date, without any paid employees. We will grow but we want to grow efficiently and be very thoughtful of where and when we spend our donations. Please note, this is NOT a non-profit that is making the rich richer. Our first donation was $100 and we appreciate any amount the donor is able to donate. We have a mission, vision, and we plan to put in the work to make it happen.

Our current need is we need funding for general operation, activities, supplies, and a future shelter/small office. We would love to break ground 1 year from now if we can fund raise enough money to build our canine shelter and office building. We are very thankful that Pheasant Bonanza has been so generous by allowing us to use a few kennels but we have out grown the facility and we would like something more calm for our KAMO dogs.

If you do not have the funds to help us, please consider us in the future. We will take financial or volunteer help, please reach out to us if you are interested. We also have a fundraiser coming limited to the first 75 RSVPs and it will be held at Pheasant Bonanza with a shooting event, dinner, cash bar, auction, and outdoor fireplace. If you are interested, please RSVP asap.

*PLEASE ADD THE KAMO RSVP AND INVITE CARD*

KAMO

Mission: To find a new FURever family for sporting dogs that need a new home. Offer the recreational outdoors to all through a mentoring program.

Vision: No sporting dog is ever done, no individual left indoors.

Here are some of the updates at PB:

1.) We are still doing small groups of 10 or less in the lodge and practicing safe social distancing. We are hoping the regulations will be lightened up June 1.

2.) May 16-17 is the Missouri River Registered Shoot! Our first of the season! (9am-3pm)

3.) The KAMO event is taking place June 13th at 4:00pm. Please RSVP as soon as possible to reserve your spots!

Words of Wisdom:

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”- Lao Tzu

“You can’t outrun your own insecurities.” – Mark Jewell

The past couple weeks I have not been able to hit my goals and I get very frustrated. Why? I skipped putting in the work…. I have to let go of the attachment of all or nothing. Progress vs Perfection is truly the main focus. A 30 min workout is better than 0 even if your goal is to workout 90 minutes. The same goes with business, if you want to work “on” your business 1 hour each day, it’s still better to put in at least 15 minutes versus 0. Know that if you can put in the work and hit your goals 70% of the time that you are way better off when you can’t the 30% of the time. Prepare for the storm and put in the work!

Trent Leichleiter

Managing Partner

Pheasant Bonanza

What We Do in the Off-Season

I am very sorry I missed the email last week. My family had an unexpected issue come up that caught all of us by surprise. Many of our Kansas and Nebraska customers already know what I am talking about. My little brother, Tanner, had an amber alert go out as he took his two step-grandkids on a trip to Kansas. There are a lot of details to the story and it’s very complicated. I believe my brother’s intentions were good but the decision in how he went about it was not good. As many of you know, my brother Tanner worked for us part time for many years and came on full time in 2018-2019. In October 2019, Tanner took a different career path and is also owner and manager of the Tekamah motel in Tekamah, NE. I would like to ask that you all pray for Tanner and his wife Nora as they are both in custody.

Let’s lighten it up a little now. We get asked all the time, “Hunting season is over so what do you do now?” Our team, along with my family, celebrated the last day of the season with a little take-out and we recapped the season together. I prepped the team by telling them, “Yes, season is over but the real work now begins…” So what do we do now? Shur Shot Gamebirds and Pheasant Bonanza team up and do food plot management, waterfowl lake management, and habitat management for other customers. We will be working sun up to sun down every day it’s dry until the middle of June on projects. If we had the resources, we could keep one guy on a sprayer 10 hours a day 7 days a week just to stay ahead on spraying. It’s one of my favorite times because my boys help a lot and it allows me to bring back my farmer roots and tinker in the farming business. So far, we have burned a lot of our ground and we’ve helped quite a few land owners burn this year too. Our burn team was very busy burning over 1,500 acres. Let us know if you have any projects that you’d like us to look at. We will travel up to 1.5 hours away with our equipment but we will also travel anywhere in the world for consulting. This year we have had consulting jobs in Wyoming and Kansas and have taken our equipment as far as 15 miles south of Yutan, NE. Our partnered team also raises over 20,000 pheasants for other clubs, private stocking, or private hunts. We have 5,500 chicks in right now and the rest will be coming throughout the summer in 5 week increments.

Pheasant Bonanza offers so much in the off-season. Our lodge does not shut down and we keep our guides, trainers, chef and lodge staff on year-round. One of our focus areas in the non-peak or off-season is our open dining and lodge gatherings. Gatherings may consist of family reunions, birthday parties, bachelor parties, friend gatherings, or corporate meetings and team building events. We offer significant discounts during our non peak season. Another big part of our off-season is dog training. Our dog trainers are very busy throughout the spring and summer prepping client dogs for the fall and to be well mannered. Our guide dogs get walked by Chuck and they get to go out on birds a couple times during the week to keep them fresh. Closer to the season, we will start running them with an ATV/UTV for exercise. As I mentioned in my last email, as a member, you can train in the off-season, use our grounds, get a couple birds, and enjoy fresh air with your hunting companion. Lastly, we offer sporting clays, trap shooting, 5-stand, skeet, and this year we are going to run a short sporting clay league with a flurry integrated into the score. We didn’t do a league for quite a few years due to lack of interest but we thought with the COVID19 keeping everyone in, by the end of the summer we’d have more interest in a league. Leagues are a lot of fun and they include a free dinner to encourage camaraderie. We will be sending out reminders as we get closer.

Don’t forget we are open by appointment so if you’d like to schedule something give Sheri a call (402-374-1765). We have a lot of things we want to accomplish this year to make our services and facility better for this fall. Again, if you have any suggestions please let us know.

Here are a couple things I want to leave you with: Don’t celebrate the “busyness” and don’t compare your schedule to others. As my friend Wade Johannes always says, “Busy is NOT the end goal.”

COVID-19 has taught me that we need to step back, appreciate the important things in life, and enjoy life.

Here are some of the updates at PB:

1.) Checks will be going out to the winners of the Upland Challenge toward end of this week.

2.) May 16-17 is the Missouri River Registered Shoot at Pheasant Bonanza! Our first of the season! (9am-3pm)

3.) Scout-Betty puppies were born Monday night and Mike was up until 4:00am helping Betty deliver the puppies. There are 9 puppies! If you didn’t get a puppy reserved from the Scout-Tikka litter this is your chance to get on our list. This will be an excellent litter for hunting, trials, or just as companions.

Words of Wisdom:

“The best way out is always through.”- Robert Frost

“Keep steadily before you the fact that all true success depends at last upon yourself.”- Theodore T. Hunger

How are your goals going? My goals are not being met as planned but I am still committed I am working on Progress vs. Perfection. The pastor (Andrew Anderson) at CBC church near Blair shared this with our congregation: Set goals in the 5F area. Faith, Family, Fitness, Future and Finances.

Have a safe and healthy week!

Trent Leichleiter

Managing Partner

Pheasant Bonanza

Prepping for Next Season

Prepping for Next Season-

Season is over and preparation for next season started today! I would really like to hear from any of you if you have suggestions for us to make our services and products better. This morning one of my “appreciations” was honest and loyal customers. If you have input, I want to hear it so we can better Pheasant Bonanza.

I should be in the skid loader as I’m typing this and in the past I would have skipped this and been going sun up to sun down (or later) working. Instead I have Jager (my oldest son) in the skid loader and I am able to do more. I used to be worried about what everyone thought about me allowing my kids to operate machinery at such a young age but I don’t anymore. I was brought up operating at a very young age and I am teaching my children to do the same. I am so fortunate to be able to have my kids come to work with me and learn the trades at such a young age. I’m so blessed to be in the situation I am in and doing what I love. I challenge each and every one of you to think about the positives that come with your job. If you can’t think of anything, remember you aren’t stuck! You may feel stuck but that is your mind winning over, you can change your story and sometimes it feels like you’re jumping off of a cliff. If you “just do it” you won’t have to wonder “what if”, “I should have”, or “I would have”. Blah, Blah, Blah! If you want change, CHANGE! It really is that simple, you are the author of your story.

At Pheasant Bonanza we have been working on burns, tree/shrub management, and we have started preparing food plots. We are very excited to make our grounds better for next fall. Don’t forget we will keep some grounds set aside for dog training. You can train with chukar, pigeons, quail, or hens. (See below for NE regulations). The best thing you can do in off season is keep your bird dog crisp and putting birds under them a few times in the off season is VERY beneficial. If you have questions or need help, let us know. We are willing to help!

Dog Training Regulations:

Please be aware of the following regulations when training your dog:

For each dog involved in a session, no more than two hen pheasants and five quail may be harvested. (Chukar and pigeons have no limitations)
It is permitted on private land, provided landowner permission is obtained and dog training rules are followed.
It is unlawful for anyone to exercise, run, train, or hunt with dogs on state wildlife management areas during the period from May 1 through July 31 of each year, except on areas designated and specifically posted with “Authorized Dog Training Area” signs.
Training or exercising dogs on areas designated and posted as a “Dog Trial Area” is prohibited; such areas are restricted for field trial use only.
All game birds released for training purposes must be obtained from a captive wildlife permit holder or licensed nonresident breeder, and must be banded by the trainer or seller with official bands authorized by Game and Parks. Any person who purchases game birds from a captive wildlife permit holder or licensed nonresident breeder shall have in his or her possession a sales tag/receipt from the permit holder listing the date, species and number of birds purchased.
Game birds obtained for dog training may be kept in captivity without a captive wildlife permit for a period not to exceed 14 days following date of purchase or receipt.

Here are some of the updates at PB:

1.) The Upland Challenge Results:

1st place: Pete Schuelke’s team | Payout: $600.00

2nd place: Terry Bisgard’s team | Payout: $360.00

3rd place: Jeff Tryon’s team | Payout: $240.00

2.) May 16-17 is the Missouri River Registered Shoot! Our first of the season! (9am-3pm)

3.) Our current litters are sold out BUT we have more Upcoming litters coming soon- stay tuned for more litters.

Words of Wisdom:

“Always Do What You Are Afraid To Do” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail”- Charles Kettering

It’s not too late: How is your goal setting going? Set Goals! I personally set goals for each quarter so I am getting started on my 2nd quarter goals. The pastor (Andrew Anderson) at Country Bible Church near Blair shared this with our congregation and I really like it. Set goals in the 5F area. Faith, Family, Fitness, Future and Finances. Make sure you are making measurable goals that you measure in the end. Example: Lose weight and get healthier… That’s great but what are you going to do and what input goals do you need to put in place to accomplish that. Rather it would be better to set a goal to walk/run (cardio) for a minimum of 5 hours per week.

Sincerely,

Trent Leichleiter

Managing Partner

End of Season

We are already preparing for next season here at Pheasant Bonanza!

We have over 5,000 day-old chicks coming in tomorrow but there are some final adjustments that need to be made to the brooder barn. I hope you are having a great week and getting lots of quality family time in! Family time has my biggest appreciation of the COVID-19. I have truly enjoyed being a family and not getting caught up in the “busyness” of this world. I hope you can take time to appreciate every day, it’s been a game changer for me and my mentality.

We are almost wrapping up our 2019-20 season and we appreciate all of our customers’ support and business. If you have time to stop out before April 15th, we still have some really good promotions going on and we appreciate any last minute business we can get. I will spend more time writing next week but until then check out our end of season specials.

Here are some of the updates at PB:

1.) We are offering 30% off guided half day hunts & overnight hunt packages!

2.) Our last European hunt is this Saturday, April 11th. (We will not be meeting inside for this and lunches will be Carry-Out.) All paperwork can be done outside and you can still enjoy the events. This Euro is going to be a large release as we have to use up our birds.

We are offering a Euro special! If you buy 4 at the $199 price, you get 2 FREE and they are already discounted to $199/person including a carry-out boxed lunch.

3.) We are taking precautions for the spread of this virus. If you are getting stir crazy and tired of being cooped up inside, book an outing with us. If you don’t feel comfortable coming into our office, we can do everything outside and you can have very little or no exposure to people. We can customize and we will help you have a successful outdoor outing and get a good dose of fresh air and exercise. Call Sheri at 402.374.1765 or email office@pheasantbonanza.com.

4.) Member released or crated: Buy 3 hen pheasants, chukar, or Hungarian partridges and you get 3 FREE. That is a 50% discount on top of the non peak/member price. Help us finish out our season and practice safe social distancing!

Words of Wisdom:

Where your attention goes, energy flows!! – Unknown

It’s not too late: How is your goal setting going? Set Goals! I personally set goals for each quarter so I am getting started on my 2nd quarter goals. The pastor (Andrew Anderson) at Country Bible Church near Blair shared this with our congregation and I really like it. Set goals in the 5F area. Faith, Family, Fitness, Future and Finances. Make sure you are making measurable goals that you measure in the end. Example: Lose weight and get healthier…. That’s great but what are you going to do and what input goals do you need to put in place to accomplish that. Rather it would be better to set a goal to walk/run (cardio) for a minimum of 5 hours per week.

Trent Leichleiter

Managing Partner

Dog Training

It’s been another challenging week but thankfully we have had a lot of members come to see us and use our services. We are being very careful with our common areas, practicing social distancing, and making sure we protect your health as well as our team’s health.

As I type this up, there are a couple words I am tired of hearing…. COVID 19 and SOCIAL DISTANCING. We need to be smart but I am tired of all the negativity. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very serious issue and everyone’s health is very important. I have the attitude that I am killing negativity with positivity. Each day when I wake up I appreciate five things. When you start your day off being positive I have noticed I show up better at work, with family, and when visiting with customers.

Personally, I am not going to dwell on the negative effects of this virus. My five positive appreciations today are:
1.) Family time- I have been able to spend more time with my family getting away from the “busyness” of life.
2.) We are able to still operate and provide a service that encourages “social distancing”. We aren’t able to host our larger corporate groups but we have been blessed to host a lot of our members and provide them a place to get outdoors, exercise, and enjoy Mother Nature.
3.) Accountability- I have a few accountability groups that I report to daily and being an athlete for 20 years of my life has taught me to welcome accountability in all areas of my life.
4.) I appreciate the Owner of PB Lynden Tennison- along with hundreds of thousands of other business managers, I am carrying a lot of weight and I appreciate the way Lynden is handling this trying time. Lynden could have had me shut the doors and minimize all additional expenses but instead he wants to keep operating and keep pressing forward.
5.) Our PB Staff- I appreciate my staff and my family often in my daily appreciations. Without the staff, we wouldn’t be the great place PB is. They do a lot to go above and beyond to accomplish that. Operating during this time requires a lot of extra cleanliness, off the clock hours, and extra positivity. Our staff has been very positive during this tough time and I’m very thankful for them!

I wanted to touch a little on dog training. Now is the perfect time to get your dog trained! We offer gun dog training, obedience training, and socialization. My children wanted to do a quick commercial for their socialization. See the video here.

I need to teach the kids a little more about the commands and consistency but they have truly loved being at home and they are socializing dogs daily as part of their homeschooling. If you have any interest in having our professional dog trainers, Chris and Chuck, train your companion, please reach out as soon as possible as we have just a few spots left for April-May. Training is defined as, “the action of teaching a person or animal a particular skill or type of behavior.” Repetition and consistency is very important in training. If your dog is not responding well to training, 90% of the time, it’s the trainer. Dogs learn and respond differently than humans- they don’t reason as well as humans so it’s very important that you are consistent and provide ample repetitions for a behavior or action. When training dogs, it only takes around 100 repetitions to make a fresh habit but around 800-1,000 reps to break a bad habit, so it’s important do it right the first time.

Here are some of the updates at PB:

1.) The specials are in your favor and we are doing what we can to finish our season. We are offering 30% off guided half day hunts & overnight hunt packages.

2.) The “Upland Challenge” is a perfect way to end the upland season and if you pencil it out, it’s cheaper than any hunt we offer. You don’t have to have 5 shooters- you can hunt with one or two if you desire. So far the teams that have tried it have had great experiences. I can’t give you the results but there isn’t anyone “perfect” yet. Ha ha!

3.) We are taking precautions for the spread of this virus. If you are getting stir crazy and tired of being indoors, book an outing with us. If you don’t feel comfortable coming into our office, we can do everything outside and you can have very little or no exposure to people. We can customize and we will help you have a successful outdoor outing and get a good dose of fresh air and exercise. Call Sheri at 402.374.1765 or email office@pheasantbonanza.com.

4.) Our “Social Distancing European Hunts” are April 4th, and April 11th. We will not be meeting inside for this and lunches will be “carry-out”. All paperwork can be done outside and you can still enjoy the events. These Euros are going to be large releases as we have extra birds to use up. SPECIAL: Buy 4 get 2 free if you want to bring your whole family!

5.) The finals for the GDS (Gun Dog Series) is this weekend (April 4th) and if you did not enter twice throughout regular season you can still buy into the tournament. This is the finals and there will be a CASH prize. We are looking forward to seeing who ends the season as our GDS champions! Chukar will be used for this finals tournament.

Words of Wisdom:

“If you don’t have goals, you are just coasting!”

Set Goals! I personally set goals for each quarter so I am getting started on my 2nd quarter goals. The pastor (Andrew Anderson) at Country Bible Church near Blair, NE shared this with our congregation and I really like it: Set goals in the 5F area. Faith, Family, Fitness, Future and Finances. Make sure you are making measurable goals that you measure in the end. Example: Lose weight and get healthier…. That’s a great goal but write down what are you going to do and what input goals you need to put in place to accomplish that goal. Rather it would be better to set a goal to walk/run (cardio) for a minimum of 5 hours per week.

Until next week, stay healthy and positive and we will all get through this together!

Trent Leichleiter

Managing Partner

Jager, Kruze, & Bryx pose with their dog training partners (Dallas, Bambi, & Angel).

Professional Trainer, Chuck Bohlin

Professional Trainer, Chris Bogacz

Hosted Hunts

It’s been a challenging week to say the least. Every day is changing with the coronavirus. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the media and all the negativity. I understand its seriousness and it’s hard to see any positive out of this crisis. This has been extremely tough on our business and we are doing what we can to accommodate the customers still willing to come out. A lot of our corporate customers don’t have the option as they are on a company wide travel ban. We are offering to meet guests outside, pay over the phone, and respecting requests. Thankfully upland hunting qualifies for social distancing. Please let us know if we can book anything for you, we can hunt upland birds until April 15^th.

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I wanted to discuss more about the Texas Crane & Goose hunt that we went on this past January. Click on the video link to watch the highlight film. Our video guy (Cody from Southern Beardsman) did a great job with the footage he was provided. I was only able to provide him footage from my Go Pro, Garmin Virbs, and my iPhone. We as a Pheasant Bonanza Team, are going to provide our guests with more off-site hunts and one we are featuring this fall/winter is a Texas Crane hunt with Cash Parrish. If you have not had a chance to hunt Sandhill Crane, you are in for a treat.

These hunts start in November and go into January and we’d love to host a few if we have the interest. The PB guides who went with this year were Trent Leichleiter, Troy Wakefield, Brian Frost, Paul Carrier, Brad Schavee, John Hundahl and our good customer Dennis Fenderson. I invited a few more guides and customers but work family commitments kept them home. If you have any questions or want references, any of the guys that went on the trip will be happy to tell you about their experience with the hunt and with Cash. The hunting trips are typically 4-5 days consisting of crane hunting 2 days, and lesser goose & snow goose hunting 1 day. We drove down day 1, hunted days 2, 3, and 4 and drove back after the hunt on day 4. If you flew to Texas, naturally you’d have less travel.

The hunts are not fancy but Cash knows how to put on a show. We ended up staying in Plainview, Texas but the hunts are also in Amarillo and Midland. Cash likes to make a plan but depending on where the cranes are depends on where you will end up staying and hunting. If your fortunate to hunt around Midland, you might get an opportunity to hunt blue quail on 1 afternoon. This is something I am really looking forward to in the future. Many people have asked where you stay, eat, and what do you hunt out of? You would stay at a local hotel, eat at local eateries, and hunt out of A-frame blinds. Folding chairs are used for cranes and lay down field blinds and white suits are used for the goose hunts. Is it fancy? No, but it’s worth every penny. These hunts are very reasonably priced as we just did the 3 day hunt for $1,600/person including travel expenses. We’d prefer to book groups consisting of 4-8 hunters. If you have any interest in booking one of these hunts please let me (Trent) know as soon as possible.

Here are some of the updates at PB:

1.) Our specials are in your favor and we have to do what we can to finish our season. We are offering 30% off guided half day hunts & overnight hunt packages. We are offering a Euro special for the April 4 and 11 Euro if you buy 4 at the $199 price you get 2 FREE and they are already discounted to $199/person including a carry-out boxed lunch. Last but not least, we are offering a member release promotion and if you buy 10 or more birds we will release an extra 50% FREE so if you order 10 you get 15, if you order 20 you get 30. This promotion is for Chukar and Pheasants. Membership discounts will still apply! Help us finish out our season and practice social distancing.

2.) The “Upland Challenge” is a perfect way to end the upland season and if you pencil it out, it’s cheaper than any hunt we offer. You don’t have to have 5 shooters- you can hunt with one or two if you desire. So far the teams that have tried it have had great experiences. I still can’t give you the results but there isn’t anyone “perfect” yet!

3.) The coronavirus is causing a lot of cancellations so we have plenty of openings. We are taking precautions for the spread of this virus. If you are getting stir crazy and tired of being cooped up, book an outing with us. If you don’t feel comfortable coming into our office, we can do everything outside and you can have very little or 0 exposure to people. We can customize and we will help you have a successful outdoor outing and get a good dose of fresh air and exercise. Call Sheri at 402.374.1765 or email office@pheasantbonanza.com.

4.) Our European hunts are March 28, April 4, and April 11. (We will not be meeting inside for this and lunches will be carry-out.) All paperwork can be done outside and you can still enjoy the events. These Euros are going to be large releases as we many birds to use up.

5.) The finals for the GDS (Gun Dog Series) is April 4th and if you did not enter twice throughout regular season you can buy into the tournament. This is the finals and there will be CASH prize. Looking forward to seeing who ends the season as our GDS champions! Chukar will be used for this finals tournament.

6.) For dining parties of 10 or less, we are offering Carry-Out! Call 402.374.1765 for menu and pricing!

Words of Wisdom:

“Optimism is the ability to focus on where we’re going, not where we’re coming from.” -Simon Sinek

Quick Reflection: What is your “WHY”? What is it that inspires you, gets you up every morning, and gives you the reason to do what you do? Your “WHY” may change throughout your life but just take a moment and reflect on your “WHY”. If you don’t know or don’t have one, I strongly encourage you to define it and write it down.

Trent Leichleiter

402.374.1765
trent@pheasantbonanza.com

Trent Leichleiter

No Dog? No Problem!

My favorite part of Wingshooting is dog work. It used to be the kill but after guiding and hosting so many hunts, now it’s the dog work. Do I love the high volume shooting? ABSOLUTELY! I dream about going to South America and doing a high volume dove or waterfowl shoot but it’s hard to beat watching dogs do their thing. I throughly enjoy watching a pointer skid sideways and lock up on a bird or a retriever shake with excitement prior to getting released for a retrieve. Dogs are simply amazing and they make the hunt.

Now I will make my sales pitch and give you a few options if you don’t have a dog. Our guides and our guide dogs are amazing to hunt behind and when you’re on a guided hunt, you can enjoy the dog work and focus on shooting the birds. It’s enjoyable and when I travel to other clubs, I typically don’t take my dogs. I want to watch how others do it and let the outfitter do his or her thing. Our guided hunts are very popular and we do allow you to bring your dog if he or she is trained and capable of hunting with a roster of other dogs.

Another option is joining our club and hunting unguided. At Pheasant Bonanza we do not allow non-members to hunt unguided- it’s a privilege reserved for members only. We also allow members to rent our guide dogs for $35/hour per dog. Our guide dogs are very easy to handle and it’s a great option to hunt with a dog in a relaxed environment. You can go at your leisure, take your time, and you get to be in charge of the hunt. Our hunting memberships start at $500 per year and they are good for a family or your entire company. Membership’s have other privileges as well such as discounts on our goods and services. Please reach out to me or Sheri and we can explain the memberships in further detail with you.

We just had two litters of GSPs (German Shorthaired Pointers) and that brings us to another great option of purchasing and owning a dog. You can buy it from us or from another breeder but I do warn you that it is a very big commitment but it’s so rewarding and it’s very enjoyable caring for a sporting dog. Make sure you do your due diligence (health checks, referrals, pedigree) prior to purchasing. Our Labradors and GSPs are very dual purpose and they are excellent family and house dogs. Do they need exercise and time? Absolutely- I am not going to drift from the truth. You get what you put into your dog. If you lock the dog up and don’t spend time with him or her daily, they will be unruly, disobedient, and very high energy. I will go into training tips in the future but if you spend time with your companion, they will be your best friend. Contact Chris at (402) 870-0887 if you would like more information on our litters. We have a reservation process so the sooner the better!

The final option we offer is co-owning a dog or long-term boarding a dog with Pheasant Bonanza. Currently we have 8 dogs that are either long-term boarded or co-owned with Pheasant Bonanza and our clients. Why is this a good option? You have the joy of owning a hunting partner but you don’t have to spend the time taking care of him or her. Look at it like you are sponsoring a dog and providing the financial support while we do the work. This is a popular option for people who travel, have demanding work/family schedules, or family members have dog related allergies. We hunt and train the dog when you aren’t hunting and you get to hunt him or her when you want. You can pick your dog up and travel with him or her whenever you have a hunting trip. You might have reservations or feel bad that the dog would be in a kennel but our kennels are very nice and we have packages that we will train or exercise your dog daily. If you are interested in a co-owned or long-term boarding dog, let me know and I will give you the options and pricing.

Here are some of the updates at PB:

1.) Arrow (GSP) and Ammo (GSP) both had their puppies earlier this month and they are doing great! Tikka (Lab) is looking very pregnant so hopefully she has a healthy litter as well. If you are in the market for a puppy, please reach out to Chris Bogacz at (402) 870-0887 or at chris@pheasantbonanza.com. We specialize in Labrador retrievers and German Shorthaired Pointers.

2.) The “Upland Challenge” is a perfect way to end the upland season and if you pencil it out, it’s cheaper than any hunt we offer. You don’t have to have 5 shooters- you can hunt with 1 or 2 if you desire. So far the teams that have tried it have had great experiences. I still can’t give you the results but there isn’t anyone “perfect” yet. Ha ha!

3.) In regards to the Coronavirus, we are happy to announce that we are still open for business. Due to travel restrictions, it has caused a few cancellations so we have plenty of openings. We are taking precautions for the spread of this virus. If you are getting stir crazy and tired of all the negative media, book an outing with us. If you don’t feel comfortable coming into our office, we can do everything outside and you can have very little or no exposure to people. Don’t quit living but do take more precautions and we will help you have a successful outdoor outing and get a good dose of fresh air and exercise. Call Sheri at 402.374.1765 or email office@pheasantbonanza.com.

Words of Wisdom:

This is very important especially with all that is happening right now with the corona virus.

“E + R = Outcome (Events + Responses = Outcome)” by Jack Canfield

What is the one factor in this equation that we can control? It’s the R, the response or reaction. Our responses or reactions is going to dictate the O (outcome). I want the best outcome possible with the event that is playing out and the only thing I can control is my responses. Yes I am frustrated and tired of the negativity but the Coronavirus is here and we can’t change it, we have control of our responses/reactions and that will influence the outcome.

Sincerely,

Trent Leichleiter
Managing Partner