FINE GERMAN SHORTHAIRED POINTERS
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What do I need to bring? A good pair of hunting boots is a must. We do a lot of walking, most often on un-even and rocky terrain. Bring your own shotgun, shells and hunting vest. Chaps or "brush buster" pants are also a good idea, especially when hunting Gambel's and Scaled Quail. What to wear. A lot of hunting in Arizona is done in shirt sleeves. Usually a light jacket is the most you will need, and then only for the first walk of the morning. You will need a good pair of hunting or hiking boots. The fall and winter months are very unpredictable, and it is a good idea to always check conditions a few days before your hunt to get the latest conditions. Here are the current conditions and easy links to detailed Arizona weather conditions, High, Low and South.
Where will we meet? We normally meet our hunters at a location that is central to our hunting locations. Quite often it is the Texaco/Convenience Market at the junction of SR 82 and SR 90, north of Sierra Vista. You will receive information about our meeting place and time when you confirm you hunt and let us know where you will be staying. Will I need a vehicle? Normally our hunters ride with us in our trucks. You will need transportation to our meeting place and back each day. Where should I stay? Once
Mearns' season opens we are headquartered near Sierra Vista, Arizona. We suggest
our hunters stay in this area. A list of Sierra Vista accommodations can be
found using the link on our Links page. What are your rates? Our rate is $250 per gun - per day with a two gun minimum. Includes lunch, snacks, drinking water and soda pop. What kind of shot should I use? What about chokes? This all depends on what gauge you are using and how quick you get your first shot off. If you are a 12 gauge shooter, we suggest using a 1 1/8 oz load that has about 1200 fps velocity. For Gambel's and Scalies use a IC/MOD set up in your double barrel gun, or pick one or the other for your single barrel gun based on how fast you get your first shot off. You can use 7 1/2 for all three species. 20 gauge shooters should use 1 oz. HIGH Brass loads (2 3/4 dram equivalent) with 7 1/2 size shot for Gambel's and Scalies. Mearns are normally shot much closer, so we recommend using a 7/8 oz. load of 7 1/2 or 8 shot. Chokes for 20 gauge guns should be open for Mearns' and a little tighter for Gambel's and Scalies. I use SK/IC for Mearns' and IC/MOD for Gambel's and Scalies. Can you provide good Taxidermy Services? We sure can. Our taxidermist specializes in quail and upland birds. We maintain an inventory of mature mounted birds at the Ironhorse Ranch. These are done as pairs (male/female) of each specie and we also have a "Arizona Flush" which is a male bird of the three Arizona species. This enables us to swap your specimen with one that is already done, so you can take it with you if you like. We can also arrange for shipping. Our price for mounts is $75 per bird. (Pair = $150, 3-bird mount= $225.) Add $20 if you do not have a mountable specimen to swap. We also sell our mounted birds to non-hunters when available. They are priced at $95 per bird plus shipping. Can I handle it? That is a real good question. We are hunting wild birds only. We work very hard at it and often our walks are a couple of hours or more over hilly and often rocky terrain. The elevation varies from about 3800 to 5500 feet, depending on species, which also contributes to fatigue. The average age of our clients seems to be about 58. We do the best we can to adjust our hunts to meet the limitations of our clients and many of our clients are 65+. We are hunting only wild birds, we have to hunt them where they are, not where the walking is easy. We are not responsible for your lack of good health and we require all of our hunters to sign a disclaimer that relieves us from any responsibility should you have any kind of accident or injury including heart attacks. See Disclaimer
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