Article from the Christopher Progress
Quail Haven
Hunting Preserve
By Tom Vaughn
"Looking for some good, clean outdoor fun? An excellent hunting preserve
is flourishing just west of here in Perry County, along the Pyatt blacktop
just past Pyramid Park south of Pinckneyville, called "Quail Haven." The
site is being managed for upland game birds by its owners, Jeff Egbert
and his cousin, James Weston, with Jeff's mother, Brenda, providing an
excellent outdoor shooting experience on pheasant, quail and chukar.
Jeff and his staff are trying to develop a more natural habitat to hold quail
and to bring back a more natural type of cover. The great crop residue
and the lush ditches now utilized provide an excellent ground cover where
the released birds are not so readily visible to dogs or hunters. This
characteristic of Quail Haven helps eliminate the problem of early
flushing and rampantly running birds that plague many preserves.
I spent some time last Sunday accompanying a group of six hunters from near Coulterville that included Ray Jebron, a
farmer, and his 16-year-old daughter, Olivia. The young Okawville High School sophomore is a member of her school's
newly-formed trap team that will begin competition this spring as will several other high school teams in the vicinity of
the new Sparta Shooting Complex.
The young lady has hunted deer, waterfowl and upland game all her life that she can
remember and was having a great time that day, trying to shoot a few pheasants and
chukar. Her first shot was at a pheasant that flew directly over her head to depart
behind her, resulting in a miss on a shot that I couldn't even have attempted.
The next pheasant flew out more reasonable and she smoked it with one shot. Olivia
said it was her fourth time down at Quail Haven and that she just loves it. Olivia's
boyfriend, Devon, also an Okawville student, was there and had already collected a
fast-flying chukar of his own. Devon's father was along, managing a very good, young
setter as were Ray's two nephews, Tony and Danny Jebron.
Danny had a wide open three-shot miss on a fleet-winged pheasant he said flew
directly into the sun that popped out from behind the clouds at the wrong moment.
Nobody mentioned to him that the bird had flown west of him at about 11 o'clock in
the morning.
In general, it was great to see the fun this group was having in a high-quality outdoor environment, shooting birds under
some very natural conditions. The 400 acres available at Quail Haven are rolling, open areas with a type of cover and
vista that would remind a hunter of the rich upland hunting areas of eastern Kansas.
Jeff Egbert's birds are strong flyers, and flushed birds came out
fast. Chuckar are normally fast, but the pheasants climbed hard
and high also, giving some challenging and safe shots for the
hunters. The control that a good preserve shoot can offer makes
it perfect for sharpening hunting skills of the youngster whether
human or bird dog. As a case in point, Egbert told me that he
will be holding a special youth hunt on Saturday and Sunday,
December 30 and 31. For a cost of $40, kids will be able to
shoot two rounds of skeet and take six quail.
The group I accompanied this day, so comfortable with each
other and so welcoming to a stranger, made it a great outing.
There were other hunters there who had come from Louisville,
Kentucky to hunt with friends from O'Fallon, Illinois. A total of
five groups finally came on board during the day, indicating that
more and more hunters are finding this hidden jewel.
Quail Haven is another delicacy in the outdoor buffet that is Southern Illinois. You can make reservations for a fine hunt
by calling Jeff Egbert at (618) 910-0359. Quail Haven is just west of the Pyramid State Park main entrance on Pyatt
Road. Just go west a couple of miles past the sweeping "S" curve and turn south on Union School Road and follow the
signs. You can access the preserve's web site at www.quail-haven.com."
