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Happy New Year from HHH!

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A Glance Back at 2014

Another year has passed, and my does it goes by way too fast.  I always enjoy this time of the year as I find myself reflecting on all the amazing events, activities, and gatherings that have taken place here at Highland.

I would like to take this time to thank all of you for being such loyal customers and allowing Highland Hunting to accommodate you, your family, friends, clients, or whatever the case may be, Thank you for letting Highland Hunting be a part of it!

As I mentioned we are so blessed to have loyal customers that continue to share traditions, new memories, and new adventures with us here at Highland Hunting.  We truly enjoy seeing familiar faces throughout the year, along with many new ones as well.  With this being our 15th season it has been a real joy to see many families grow, and watch many young hunters grow to young adults.

I can’t say it enough, whether we see you on the sporting clay range, in the field chasing birds, or in some cases both, we want to thank all of you for allowing Highland Hunting to accommodate you, your families, group events/outings, and appreciate all of the continue business throughout the years.  Without great folks like you Highland Hunting would not continue to grow.

Have a great New Year and make 2015 one to remember!
– Ryan Giannini

Sporting Clay Complex

This was a great year on the Highland Sporting Clay range, we hosted many new events along with events that continue to grow year after year.

During the 2014 sporting clay season we threw over 251,000 targets!

This year we hosted for the first time, the Iowa High School Sporting Clays Championship in June.  This was a great event and an amazing thing to be a part of, the youth shooting sports program is growing at an accelerated rate.  The potential and skill out there in these young shooters, shows the dedication of the DNR staff, coaches and students participating.  We look forward to to seeing the youth shooting sports evolve.

Another favorite event among many is the Ronald McDonald House shoot, this was the 9th year for this event and they continue to grow with an amazing $26,500 raised for the 2014 shoot.  180 shooters participated in this event makes this the largest sporting clay shoot in Iowa, and we are proud to be the host!

We are gearing up for another great year on the range, and we look forward to seeing all of you soon!

SHOOTING AND COURSE DATES WILL BE ONLINE SOON, KEEP AN EYE ON THE NEW WEB SITE FOR MORE DETAILS. 

View from the Field

As always at Highland we continue to strive to have the best upland habitat available for all of our hunters to enjoy.  We have plans to conduct a few prescribed burns to improve the cover, create more winter food cover plots, enhance the quality of the cover in a couple of fields, and experiment with a few other food sources for the food plots.

Hatchery Report

With this being the 15th season, this past summer we completed many small projects on the farm that updated things after 15 years of use.   A couple of the aviaries were in need of some up keep and repair and with the great weather we had this summer it allowed us to get these complete.

We also had a great year in the hatchery with a very successful hatch.  We hatched just over 27,000 pheasant chicks this season, and raised just over 20,000 to maturity.
The Aiming for a Cure Foundation Celebrity hunt will take place March 20th and 21st.  The hunt is sold out, but there are still banquet tickets available.  Click Here to purchase a ticket to the banquet.  Hope to see you all there!

HHH Annual Canoe Trip

Ryan and Jason continued the tradition with taking all the trappers and seasonal summer help on a canoe trip down the Iowa River in August.  The crew did great, and only had one tip over this year!

Staff Updates

The Giannini’s

Ryan and Kate continue to be amazed at watching their son grow up, and boy it happens fast.  Easton has already had a few days on the job , and keeps Ryan on his toes as Easton runs the lodge.  (Above Left) The Giannini Family was able to continue their family tradition of pheasant hunting on Christmas Day, Kate scored a wild rooster, and Easton had a blast.  (Above Right) Ryan was named an honoree of the Corridor Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Award.  This distinguish award honors 40 leaders under the age of 40 in the corridor that are making a difference.  Ryan was honored because of his efforts with the Aiming For a Cure Foundation, Highland Hideaway Hunting, Compass Resource Management, and the Highland Shooting Sports Team.  

Ron Rath

Ron had a great spring with many custom native seeding projects completed.  Also, last winter Ron purchased a 1956 Ford Customline, which was the first car he ever owned.  Last summer he started slowly working on this project, with plans to get it ready for a summer road trip in 2015.  Ron and his friend Ruth, had a great year, and are looking forward to continued adventures in 2015.  

Jason Vanderlinden

Last year Jason and his wonderful wife, Megan were united in marriage in June at Backbone State Park.  HHH crew had a blast celebrating the happy couple, and many memories were made.  Jason had another great year fishing with his dad, and probably the best hunting season he’s had while sharing it with his lab Bailey.  Jason truly looks forward to 2015,  and the upcoming sporting clay shoots, Thursday night cook-outs, prairie burning, habitat management, and making memories with his friends and customers at HHH.

Upcoming Events:

January 24th – Family Ice Fishing Day
February 7th – Wild Game Feed
February 20-22nd – Pheasant Fest, Des Moines, IA
March 14th – Cabin Fever Hunt
March 20th-21st – Aiming for a Cure Foundation

Check out our Calendar for more detailed information on upcoming events.
Don’t forget, the hunting lodge is available for rent for your next event!  Weddings, birthdays, reunions, getaways, employee or client outings, bachelor/bachelorette parties, scrap booking or quilting getaways.  Take advantage of our facility, services, and grounds for a relaxing, welcoming event.

Highland Hunting Closed New Years Day

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Happy New Year!

Highland Hunting will be closed January 1, 2015 to celebrate New Years Day. We look forward to seeing all of you out here when we open again on January 2nd and throughout the rest of the year.

Hunting 2015 New Year

 

Family Ice Fishing Day

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3rd Annual Family Ice Fishing Day

Don’t let the weather keep you away from outdoor fun. Come join us for our 3rd annual Ice Fishing Day at Highland Hunting! This will be a fun-filled day of fishing, prize giveaways and education for everyone. Once again this is a fundraising event with part of the proceeds going to the Riverside Fire Department.

Event Details

  • Where: Highland Hunting Preserve
  • When: January 24, 2015 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
  • Cost: $20 per family (includes lunch & dessert, fishing and door prize tickets)
  • Prizes: Everyone is entered for door prizes and there are a number of ways to win prizes while fishing.
  • Ice Fishing Safety: Free Fish Iowa and Aquatic Education handouts and booklets for the kids
  • Food: Lunch is included and snacks are available throughout the day
  • You can view or download the event flyer HERE.

 

** There will be a live rescue demonstration by the Riverside Fire Department starting at 10:00 am. **

Don’t have gear? We will have a limited supply of gear available for your use at the event. All children 15 years of age and younger must be accompanied by an adult with a current and valid Iowa fishing license.

Please note that ice conditions must be safe for the event and we will post any updates or changes on our website and Facebook pages.