An Excerpt From
Plan Your Hunt Now
By Joe Arnette
Reprinted with permission from Joe Arnette

…don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about pheasant hunting to the exclusion of all else. But I want to briefly mention Ringneck Ranch because it exemplifies a high-quality Kansas upland bird outfitter. In one way, Ringneck Ranch is different from other outfitters. Owner and operator Keith Houghton’s great-grandfather homesteaded the land in the early 1870s, and it has never changed hands. It was a working cattle ranch until 1983, when Keith and his wife/partner Debra turned it into an upscale pheasant hunting operation. It has been successful from the beginning, and with good reason: in a word, quality.

From a very comfortable and homey lodge where toothsome, local Kansas fare is served and guests are housed, to a separate set of units for those who prefer to be set off a bit from the main quarters, to 7,200 acres of huntable land, it is easy to see why Ringneck Ranch has a high clientele return rate. The staff aims to please, and that attitude is reflected by their thoughtful approach to clients; they do their best to see that all get exactly what they want.

Here’s an example of hands-on service. Three years ago, I had a seven-month old springer spaniel pup with me at Ringneck Ranch. Although I had worked him on a few wild pheasants, I felt he needed the confidence-building gratification of quickly finding, flushing, and retrieving birds. Typical of Ringneck Ranch commitment to hunters, Keith spent a good piece of an afternoon driving me to different locations, planting birds, and helping me to set up training situations that would ensure the pup’s success.

Like most pheasant hunting outfits, Ringneck Ranch has land set aside and licensed as a game preserve for longer seasons and larger bag limits. The well-managed ranch has a strong bird supplementation program that ensures not only preservation of wild stock, but that hunters have plenty of wingshooting opportunities.