By Chris Erwin
I once told my wife, while standing in a field watching my young Brittney spaniel lock up on quail with the wind in her face, “That’s about the most beautiful thing I ever laid my eyes on.” I don’t think she completely agreed with me, but to this day a bird dog locked on a point like a picture frozen in time is a breathtaking sight to see.
This beauty and love for the sport of wing shooting inspired Tom Bonzo to open Sportsman’s Paradise way back in 1960. The Bonzo name is well-known in the area as his family farm has been around since 1906 when it was purchased by Jacob and Jenny Bonzo. Back in those days, it was primarily a dairy farm. Today, four areas of the farm, consisting of about 200 acres, is dedicated to and the home of the shooting preserve.
As I talked to Bonzo about the good old days, I asked him about how long his season was and what a hunter needs to know to book a hunting trip. He told me his main season is from September to about the end of April. Hunters should know that they need a hunting license – out-of -state hunters can buy a permit – but they also need to wear hunter orange just the same as they would hunting at any other time or place.
Weekends fill up fast, so it is always good to call well in advance to book your trip. Bonzo requires $70.00 worth of birds per hunter. The minimum can be satisfied by one type of bird, or a mixture of the birds he has on the farm. Prices are: $7 dollars a quail, $12 for Chuckers, $15 for Hungarian partridge, and $20 for Ring-neck pheasants.
Bonzo’s bird rearing is quite impressive. While his numbers go up and down according to time of the year, it is rare for him to have less than 6,000 quail, 300 or 400 Chuckers, 600 pheasants, and 20 dogs at any time. “I started out with 2,400 (Quail) chicks in one batch last year,” he told reporter Carrie Stambaugh last year during an interview about his operation and family farm.
In addition to hunters, Bonzo has quite a few customers who prefer to purchase birds they have no intention of shooting. “They will have wild game dinners, and of course there are a lot of people that will come and get some to take home and eat. They won’t even hunt them, just dress the meat,” he told Stambaugh.
When you book a trip, the preserve offers dogs and a trainer to accompany you if needed. Or you are welcome to bring your own dog. I also asked Tom if he still trains dogs and replied, “Yes. Pointers, setters and German short hairs, English and German short hair pointers, and Brittanys (spaniels).”
With the decline of grouse and quail on this end of the state, a place like the Sportsman’s Paradise can be heaven sent to anyone who loves wing shooting. Or if you are training a bird dog, the shooting preserve is a perfect place, especially if you still have your dog on a check cord.
Sportsman’s paradise is located just off US 23 for those of you with a GPS, the address is 1214 Mullins Street, Flatwoods, KY 41139. You can also contact Tom Bonzo by phone at (606) 836-5434, or 606-236-6436 to set up your hunt.
Editor’s Note: This column first appeared in the Greater Ashland Beacon.
Good morning
Just checking on what is available for hunting some young brittanys, they are pointing but need some training. I live in kermit wv and dont have a lot of birds in this area. We have been getting a few grouse up but not many. Look forward to hearing from you. Do you know of any other preserves that has birds?
Thanks glenn
I have went to Bonzo’s hunting with my family.
It was an experience I will never forget. Would love to go back down with my family and shoot some more birds.
Tom, I have a 10 month old Vivsla pup
that needs to be put on some birds. When can we come to hunt and approximate cost? I”ll probably come by myself. Thanks Gary.
Gary,
You need to contact Tom directly I wrote this article in 2012 and I don’t think he is still looking at it.
Chris Erwin