As a hunting and fishing examiner for western Pennsylvania the mid to late winter months prove to be the most challenging time of year for finding current and relative subject material on which to report. When examiner.com informed me about their winter getaway initiative I was relieved because it meant that I could search beyond the empty cupboard that is the area’s fishing and hunting scene during January and February.
As fate would have it my associate contributing editor (a hunting and fishing buddy of mine) offered to send correspondence from his annual upland bird hunting trip at the Boggy Pond Plantation in Moultrie, Georgia. He is a true professional not only in his pursuit of wild game and fish but in most everything he directs his time and attention towards so I was certain that his reconnaissance material would supply me with a surplus of appropriate subject material. His reports from the field conveyed the events that transpired during his Georgia quail hunt with such precision and grace that I was left with no other alternative than to submit his work in lieu of my own. So without further introduction I give you T. Dayton’s report from the Georgia wild.
11/26/2012
Marcel:
I just got back from another fantastic quail hunt at the Boggy Pond Plantation in Georgia. I took “a few” notes and some pictures to supplement the winter getaway article for the Examiner. I have included a link to the Boggy Pond Plantation’s web site. Interested parties can access a complete list of rates, events, accommodations, and contact information at www.boggypond.com
Boggy Pond is a 3,000 acre plantation owned and operated by Mackie and Judy Dekle. “Mr. Mackie” is a true southern gentleman who loves bird dogs, quail hunting, and entertaining guests to his own private bird hunter’s heaven. Located just 50 miles north of Tallahassee, near Moultrie, GA, it’s an ideal winter getaway when the weather turns cold in Pennsylvania. The nights are just cool enough to be comfortable and it’s not unusual to hunt in shirt sleeves during the day.
The main grounds consist of several lodging buildings, a large dining hall, and a pond-side dock designed for sporting clays. The lodge accommodations are tastefully decorated and provide excellent privacy. Each bedroom has its own full bath and the living room offers all of the comforts of home. Huge live oak trees draped with Spanish moss adorn the Boggy Pond grounds.
The meals are out of this world! Miss Lynn and Miss Connie, (shown sitting on the front porch of the dining hall), cook up good old southern dishes served family style for breakfast, lunch, and supper. They ring an old iron bell to signal their guests that it’s time to eat. I usually gain 3 or 4 pounds every time I go there in spite of all the walking during the bird hunts.
Each morning breakfast consists of scrambled eggs, thick cured bacon, sausage, the best grits you’ll ever eat, and homemade biscuits. I like to go early and sit in one of the soft leather couches drinking a cup of fresh brewed coffee and watching Fox News which Mr. Mackie always has on the big TV. The inside of the dining hall is covered with rustic wainscot paneling. Paintings of bird dogs from generations past adorn much of the wall space with the single exception being a single painting of the Boggy Pond owner, Mr. Mackie, standing with his over/under shotgun.
Shortly after breakfast, we gather our hunting gear and get ready to leave for the morning’s hunt. I cannot speak highly enough about the guides there. Brian and Shane are our favorites. Both men have been guiding at Boggy Pond for many years. It’s important to have good guides who not only can handle the dogs but can also make you laugh when you miss a bird. We’ve gotten to know Shane and Brian pretty well in the 3 years I’ve been coming down. Each guide takes a pair of hunters to the field in the back of their truck and we sit on elevated bench seats during the short ride to the area’s hunting grounds.
Comments