Shooting Preserve welcomes hunters

The Midwest Gamebirds Shooting Preserve in Pierz opened up for another season Saturday, Sept. 7. Multiple groups of hunters went out into the fields of tall and thick grass to hunt pheasants.

Even though pheasant season in Minnesota doesn’t start until Thursday, Oct. 12, The 120-acre game farm allows hunters to shoot pheasants early, with no licenses required. It’s family owned by Mike Kaluschke and Kristy Long, raises two types of birds: pheasants and chukar partridges. Despite the birds not being in the wild, Kaluschke strives to provide his customers with a realistic experienceone would get when hunting wild birds.

“(People) can look forward to a hunt that is as close to wild hunting as you’re going to get,” Kaluschke said. “The cover’s thick but the fields are flat, easy walking. It’s just a good time.”

Kaluschke has been pheasant hunting all his life. He and his family bought the property in the late 1990s and established the preserve in 2008. They raised about 5,000 birds every year and release them to be hunyted by hunters of all skill levels. Before owning the preserve, Kaluschke was a producer in St. Cloud, where he raised and sold pheasants to other preserves.

The preserve in Pierz had an agricultural field burning this past spring, setting several plots of grass ablaze. This was part of field management, to get rid of any unwanted plants and vegetation that may negatively affect the fields.

“What it does is it clears the dead grass that’s laying down on the bottom from year to year,” said Kaluschke. “It clears that out so that you can have clean soil.”

With the heavy rain they received this past spring, the bluestem grass is high and thick, making it great cover for the pheasants. Kaluschke said it was nowhere near as thick in the 2023 season.

“Last year, with the lack of rain, that bluestem was probably 20% of what it is right now. So that stuff can stay dormant for five or six years without rain or sprouting because its roots go so deep and that as soon as you get enough rain they come up,” said Kaluschke.

Kaluschke also plants food plots for “scratch birds,” which are leftover pheasants and chukars from previous hunts. Although the birds grew up in captivity to an extent, some would thrive in the wild and find areas to nest in during the spring.

When hunters need a break from the fields, they can rest at the preserve’s clubhouse. Kaluschke said the clubhouse was previously a shed on the property, mainly used for storage. A few years after Midwest Gamebird Shooting Preserve was established, it was cleared out and refurbished with recycled barn materials and hunting themed decorations, giving it a rustic look.

Kaluschke said a lot of people from out of town, such as Duluth, Rochester and Grand Marais come to the preserve. Some of the occasions involve bachelor parties and corporate events.

Whether hunters want to explore far into the property, or just stay on the provided fields, Kaluschke will help with any requests needed to make sure they’ll get the best out of their hunt.

One of the preserve’s regular hunters, Kyle Klawitter has been coming to Midwest Gamebirds Shooting Preserve for the last six years. He appreciates the personal touch the preserve has, along with the variety of fields fit for big hunting parties and the training opportunities for hunting dogs iin a realistic enviroment

“I think the type of field (Mike has), it’s what you’re going to encounter in the wild,” Klawitter said.

Klawitter explained he goes to the preserve with his hunting dog to prepare for the hunting season in South Dakota. If no birds are found there, he’d go back for the preserve’s extended season in the winter. He said he also appreciates how Kaluschke and Long serve their customers and make it a fair challenge for both them and their dogs .

“Great family run operation,” Klawitter said “A lot of fun. They’re just great people to work with.”

Kaluschke shared experience pheasant hunting and being a bird producer has helped him with running the preserve. He also loves meeting the people who have come out, helping them train their dogs and seeing young hunters get their first rooster.

“What I like most about (owning the preserve) is sharing the passion of pheasant hunters with other hunters,” Kaluschke said.

The Fall operations for the shooting preserve are on the weekends until Nov. 2, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The preserve is closed Nov. 9-15 for deer hunting, but will be open seven days a week starting around the winter season. For more information, go to midwestgb.com.