Cherrybend Pheasant Farm - continuing the tradition

by Larry S. Moore

Many Ohio hunters will recognize the name Cherrybend Pheasant Farm. It was operated for many years by the Hollister family. The Hollister family were experts at both raising pheasants, providing quality hunts and serving fine lunches. Today their tradition is continued by the Ellis family. They are not only keeping the land in local farm production but continue to operate Cherrybend Pheasant Farm. It is a labor intensive effort of love that offers hunters the best in a pheasant hunting experience in Ohio.

Mick Runk, who has worked at Cherrybend for 15 years, explains, "Hunters may think of the summer as the off season but for the preserve operator there is no off season. It's simply a change in season from hunting season to bird raising season for next year. Our preserve hunting season stops in March. A lot has to be done in April to be ready for the day old chicks by the first of May. Everything in the brooder house is washed and disinfected. The barns have to be cleaned. The brooder house is a thirty-foot by seventy-foot building were the chicks will be kept for the first six-weeks."

The brooder house is divided into five sections each holding approximately five-hundred chicks. That's a lot of interior to wash! The temperature control system is critical for the chicks. Each section has a separate heater set to 100-degrees the first week. Runk explains, "We have thermometers on the floor to constantly monitor the temperature. As the chicks get their feathers we can reduce the heat. We have a new ventilation system to control the humidity. We also check the operation of the automatic watering system and the feeders. It's amazing to watch the day-old chicks immediately find the water nipples to drink." They will handle at least two batches of chicks which means that the entire cleaning process must be repeated after the first chicks are moved outside. Even the feed is special. It is a medicated feed starter mix from the local mill. As the birds grow older they are graduated to corn. Disease control is very important as any infection could wipe out a large number of chicks.

Moving the chicks outside involves catching each bird. The blinders are put on when the birds are six-weeks old. The blinders keep the birds from looking forward which prevents them from pecking each other. It is certainly a labor intensive effort. It also means that as birds are released for hunters, the blinders must be removed and cleaned. There is a lot of behind the scenes work involved in order to provide healthy pheasants to the customer. For Runk, the birds are just in his blood and are a labor of love. He knows the birds and what it takes to raise healthy pheasants.

Runk adds, "We also raised 1000 quail this year. They are a little less work because blinders are not required on the quail. However, we still have the same need to clean and disinfect. The quail are raised in another converted hog barn with 100 foot flying area. There are plans to add another outside pen adjacent to the quail barn. There is a lot of demand for quail hunts."

The outdoor pen next to the brooder house was new last year. It is used for the first batch of chicks. The second batch of chicks will be moved a converted hog barn which has an adjacent outdoor pen. Since this batch will not be mature until later in the hunting season, it is important to have a place for the birds to get inside in the event of heavy snow or ice storms. Getting the birds out of the weather will keep their long tails nicer and the birds healthier.

There is some additional effort required on the farm to have fields ready for hunters. Cherrybend is a working grain farm but it is farmed a little differently to provide good hunting habitat. The hunter will certainly notice the strip farming used. Runk explains, "We strip farm so we have the proper cover and can utilize the tree edges and fence rows. Many farmers remove the fence rows and have large fields. This is smaller farming and takes more time. But it maximizes the hunting experience for our customers."

The sporting clays course is open year round by appointment. It is designed as a 50 bird course through eight stations or can be shot using the second set of shooting positions for 100 targets. The course is cleverly laid out around the woods. Most of the target presentation is very well done. Good luck with your scores as the targets will seemingly hang in the air and then disappear. Rush your shot and you will miss. Wait too long and the target is gone. Good concentration without being fooled by appearances is key to a good score here.

Runk concludes, "The entire Ellis family are really good stewards of the land. They love the land and farming. They also appreciate the legacy the Hollisters left here and the impact Cherrybend has had for hunters over the years. We roll out the red carpet for every customer. Customer service is the key to our business. We can raise a lot of birds but without customer service it will not matter. People return here especially at Thanksgiving to hunt. Sometimes we get to see the kids get their first bird. We are always proud to be part of that. The kids are our sportsmen investment in the future."

The Ellis family has continued to invest in the preserve operations through building maintenance, adding new pens and equipment upgrades. It's wonderful to see Cherrybend thriving and well positioned for the future. The Cherrybend hunting season is now in full swing continuing through March. It's the season for which they have prepared all spring and summer.

Hunting arrangements can be made by contacting Cherrybend Pheasant Farm at (937) 584-4269 or on the web at http://cherrybendhunting.com/.

Outdoor writer and hunter education instructor Larry S. Moore is a long-time volunteer leader for Buckeye Firearms Foundation and winner of the 2005 USSA Patriot Award, the 2007 League of Ohio Sportsmen/Ohio Wildlife Federation Hunter Educator of the Year and the 2010 National Wild Turkey Federation/ Women in the Outdoors Hunter Education Instructor of the Year.