NEWSLETTER • November/December, 2008

Coming Events

Nov. 22, Start of Gun Deer Season – Blaze Orange Required!
One Shift, 10am-2pm from Sat. 22nd –Tues. 25th
Nov. 27, Thursday – Thanksgiving – Club closed to all activities
Nov. 28, Friday- Triple Shift – 3 hunt periods

FALL SPECIAL – ENDS NOVEMBER 21ST
10 BIRDS ONLY $125
ALL ROOSTERS FOR WERN VALLEY MEMBERS!

Packer Sunday Special – Starts Nov. 23rd
10 Pheasant - 50/50 - $150

Holiday Huns – Starts Dec. 6th
10 Hungarian Partridge - $125

In the Field

A lot of hunters have been taking advantage of the Fall Special! The surplus birds the Club usually sells out west are just about gone, with the Club setting a record for birds released during the month of October. The weather has been beautiful. Cool and dry with plenty of frost to open up hunting cover. Yet, there are still a few trees that have leaves on them, a bit unusual for this time of year.

The Fall Special will end with the start of the regular gun deer season. After that, it will be the Packer/Sunday Special and from early December to the New Year the Club will have a few hundred speedy Hungarian Partridge to offer as well. Huns love to stick together in coveys and can challenge even the best wingshooters. The Club has added a few new dog handlers this year, which is a good thing considering how busy it has been.

Wern Valley has always been known for its outstanding habitat and cover management. Considerable effort has been made over the last few years to improve hunting cover as invasive species such as buckthorn, purple loosestrife, and wild parsnip have moved into the area over the last decade. Giant ragweed makes great pheasant cover, but at 10 to 14 feet in height is not a favorite of hunters. Several hunt areas have seen a major transformation from ragweed to grain sorghum after CRP contracts on those acres expired last fall. Buckthorn has been replaced by warm season grasses in other areas. The bottom line is birds and hunters need good cover that can stand up to record winters like we had last year. While a lot of preserves were planting birds in snow banks, Wern Valley had cover.

One of the interesting stories behind the Fall Special this year has been the quality and ability of the dogs people hunt with. Some groups have had great hunts, others not so great. The truth is a good dog equals a good hunt. Training, conditioning and experience are just as important on pen raised birds as they are on wild birds. If your hunt isn’t going well you might want to consider scenting conditions, wind direction/speed, and strategy. Coming to a preserve does not guarantee success, a good dog usually will.

Archery included, the DNR is serving up seven deer seasons here in CWD country including a Holiday Gun season December 24th – January 4th. With the Youth and Early Gun seasons behind us, there is still the Regular, Muzzleloader, Late Gun (Antlerless Only) and Holiday Gun Seasons to go. Wisconsin Law requires 50% blaze orange for all hunters (waterfowl excluded) during the gun deer seasons. 50% blaze orange is also required (Club Rule) for all hunting here at Wern Valley, so it shouldn’t be a problem for Club members to remember all the dates. Just keep in mind your guests will need to have their orange too! The Club has blaze orange hats and vests for sale if needed.

The Club would like to remind everyone that firearm safety is the #1 priority at all times. Shooting over roadways is illegal, regardless of the weapon being used - rifle or shotgun. Shooting towards roadways, buildings, vehicles or others is inexcusable and reckless use of firearms will not be tolerated! Enough said. Also, please note the Club grounds are closed at all times except for scheduled hunts now that the bird hunting season is under way. Members who wish to use the rifle range to sight in for the gun deer season should call ahead or check in with staff prior to shooting. No exceptions! Remember to please pick up litter and NO GLASS allowed on the range!

Deer registrations at Wern Valley are about where they usually are with the rut just getting under way. One of the biggest bucks the Club has ever registered came in just this week. The 230 pound bruiser had 11 points, massive 28 inch main beams, and a 22 inch inside spread. It will likely score over 160 as an 8 pointer. That’s as big as they come! There will be just one hunt period (10 am to 2 pm) for the first few days of the regular gun deer season. The Friday after Thanksgiving is a very popular date with the kids off school, and the Club will accommodate as many groups as possible with three hunt periods on that day. Don’t forget to make your holiday reservations early.

Take It Home - Brats, Burgers, and Sticks

In addition to the bird exchange, smoked pheasant and always popular pheasant pot pie, the Club added pheasant bratwurst to the list of what hunters could take home after the hunt last year. This year the Club has two new items to offer- pheasant hamburgers (30% pork added) and pheasant snack sticks.

If you want to eat heart healthy, try grilling these burgers with your pheasant brats! If you want a special treat for deer camp or a snack in the field, go for the sticks. If you haven’t tried the smoked (whole) pheasant, you should –they are done right here in our own Hatco commercial smokers and they are delicious!

Danny Ross

On Wednesday, August 27th of this year, the Club unexpectedly and tragically lost one of our youngest employees. Daniel Ross, the 16-year old son of our good friends Charlie and Lynn Ross, passed away the night before in his sleep. He worked for us on the Bird Crew and for sporting clays. The cause of death was unknown for the first several weeks, but they now know that it was an allergic reaction to something he ate. The medical term is an anaphylactic reaction, which put him into cardiac arrest within seconds of falling asleep that night. It was known he was allergic to nuts and peanut oil, but the exact food item that caused it will never be known.

The news came as an extreme shock to everyone at the Club, as well as our customers who knew Dan. He will always be remembered as the happy, hard-working and genuinely good kid who loved working on the Bird Crew. He will be greatly missed and long remembered.

We would also like to thank all of our shooters who made a contribution to Dan’s memorial on the night of our summer league banquet. Over $1,000 was raised in his memory, which was donated to the memorial at his high school. If you would also like to make a contribution to the Daniel Ross memorial, please contact:

Share The Field Project
c/o Mike Fink
Kettle Moraine High School
349 N. Oak Crest Dr.
Wales, WI 53183

Footnotes

While at the NSCA National Championship held last week in San Antonio, Texas, the Club’s sporting clays range manager Steve Knoll was invited to set targets for next years event- a real honor for Steve, and the Club..

Help Wanted: Wern Valley is looking for part time help. Must be willing to work weekends!

In addition to Fiocchi ammunition, the Club has some new Wern Valley logo fleece jackets, dry-duck jackets, game vests and hats for sale.

Group Outings are becoming more popular these days. The Club had a lot of them shooting sporting clays this past summer, and has booked a few bigger hunts as well. If there is an event or outing you would like to hold, we can help! 5-Stand Sporting Clays is also available by reservation.

The Cornerstone Restaurant in Genesee Depot offers a full menu and delivers to Wern Valley. You can place an order before your hunt- and have it waiting for you when you’re done. Order forms are available in the clubhouse, and can be placed just about anytime you like. Pizza and pheasant pot pies are always available, with the clubhouse kitchen generally open to members who want to do their own cooking.

The Club is always looking for suggestions on how we can better serve our members! Please let us know how we’re doing and thank you for your business!!!

Newsletter Archive
August - September 2008