I've hunted and shot sporting clays there a few times. I'm not a member, however I have a friend who is. It's a nice club no doubt - but out of my range $$$ wise. It's close to WI which is about 70 miles from my house, so I tend to shoot at clubs closer to me. Overall Richmond has GREAT flying birds, the SC course is great, people there are nice and if you can afford it - GO FOR IT! I see your from your tag "Chicagoland area". I would also check out the following clubs: Rooster Heavan, Erienna Hunt Club, Seneca Hunt Club, Deer Creek Hunt Club and Fortino HUnt Club. All are in IL except Deer Creek (Three Oaks MI), and I've hunted all of them and shot some sort of shotgun sport at each. I tend to hunt more at Erienna since most of my hunting buddies are near there and it's a public club and I've always had a great time there.

I'll get off my soap box now. I hope you find what your looking for with Richmond. Ask for a tour prior to joining.

JP

 

I've hunted and shot sporting clays there a few times. I'm not a member, however I have a friend who is. It's a nice club no doubt - but out of my range $$$ wise. It's close to WI which is about 70 miles from my house, so I tend to shoot at clubs closer to me. Overall Richmond has GREAT flying birds, the SC course is great, people there are nice and if you can afford it - GO FOR IT! I see your from your tag "Chicagoland area". I would also check out the following clubs: Rooster Heavan, Erienna Hunt Club, Seneca Hunt Club, Deer Creek Hunt Club and Fortino HUnt Club. All are in IL except Deer Creek (Three Oaks MI), and I've hunted all of them and shot some sort of shotgun sport at each. I tend to hunt more at Erienna since most of my hunting buddies are near there and it's a public club and I've always had a great time there.

I'll get off my soap box now. I hope you find what your looking for with Richmond. Ask for a tour prior to joining.

JP

JP, Thanks for this info! I haven't joined yet as I agree that Richmond is a little bit pricey (but it's also got a lot of other things going for it from a family perspective that some of the other clubs don't have). I'm going to check out the other clubs you mentioned before I make any specific decision.

Take care, and have a great holiday season.

HB

 

I like it there.

The sporting clays is terrific. Very picturesque setting.
Water, bridges, towers and a puller travels with you....old school.

The pheasant hunting is the also very nice (800 acres)
I have some friends who have said the birds are on the slow/inactive side. Although I was happy.

I have done the math and find that I can go often. pay the non-member fee and come out ahead.
Remember it's open to the public.
I think you have to go often to make up the the member fees.

I belong to another club for Sporting Clays half the distance to my home.

 

I like it there.

The sporting clays is terrific. Very picturesque setting.
Water, bridges, towers and a puller travels with you....old school.

The pheasant hunting is the also very nice (800 acres)
I have some friends who have said the birds are on the slow/inactive side. Although I was happy.

I have done the math and find that I can go often. pay the non-member fee and come out ahead.
Remember it's open to the public.
I think you have to go often to make up the the member fees.

I belong to another club for Sporting Clays half the distance to my home.

Can I ask which Sporting Clays club you belong to? I'm a member at NSC in Hainesville which is very nce, but there isn't any hunting there.

HB

 

Yep.

I belong to Northbrook too.

 

RogerOverUnder - I really like Northbrook! How do you join?
I saw on there member application that a new member has to be referred my a current member?

Advise.
JP

 

RogerOverUnder - I really like Northbrook! How do you join?
I saw on there member application that a new member has to be referred my a current member?

Advise.
JP

I had several friends who were members when I joined.
I think that it is true about the referral.

 

It can be easier than that. I didn't know anyone when I showed up and I just started chatting up the manager Mike (a great guy). He set me up to shoot for a while with a couple of members who vouched that I was a safe shoter and wasn't an a$$hole :shock: . They signed my application right there and the rest is history... Lots of geat shooters and nice folks up there. Let me know if you're coming up for a visit...

HB

 

Yeah. That sounds right.
The folks are all really nice/easy going.

This is not a stiff operation.

If you just show up.
Fill out the memebership form.

It works itself out. :wink:

 

AWESOME Info. Thanks guys!!!
JP

 

I can't vouch for Richmond because quite frankly it was out of what I wanted to pay.
I belong to Blonhaven Hunt Club in Orfordville Wisconsin ( about 45 minutes north of Rockford Illinois).
Beautiful rolling well manicured fields. Each hunter / hunters get their own private area, guides and dogs available. NO charge for extra birds shot. each area fenced in so dogs don't go into other areas if you have a dog.
Week day membership is $285.00 per year with a minimum of three birds released at $59.00. I think guides are 15.00 per hour. I have my own dog so I haven't used theirs.
Full membership that includes weekends is $400.00 year again with minimum of three birds released.
Beautiful club house with full resturaunt facilities, fireplace etc.
Kids hunt free with parent or guardian hunter.
Phone number is 608-879-3811 ask for John or Kevin. or go to www.hunt-club.com
Good luck
I have hunted a lot of places being an outdoor writer and Blonhaven works out very well for what I can afford and am looking for.

 

I decided to pass on Richmod also, primarily because of the cost. I'd still like to hunt there, but it's a little too rich for my blood right now.

Thanks for the info on Blonhaven. Do they allow the general public to hunt there too?

HB[/b]

 

Hot Barrel - I'm sure Blonhaven will allow you to do an itro hunt. I have hunted there before with a friend of mine and it's a nice club. One of my buddies is actually on their video you can pull down from their website.

Give them a call. It's worth the drive.

JP

 

Hot Barrel - I'm sure Blonhaven will allow you to do an itro hunt. I have hunted there before with a friend of mine and it's a nice club. One of my buddies is actually on their video you can pull down from their website.

Give them a call. It's worth the drive.

JP

Thanks, guys (or gals?) :lol: I appreciate the input...

Safe hunting!

HB

 

You can do an intro hunt for $150.00 bucks and if you like it you can put that towards your membership which means you are getting the hunt free( if you join).
It has just been bought by two guys and they have a lot of plans.
It is affordable to me and I don't have to worry about my dog because of the fenced in areas, though she is pretty obedient as far as that goes, but the fields are so nice to hunt. Also you don't pay for anything you shoot over your release which is nice.
I looked a lot of them over and Blonhaven works best for me.
Good luck wherever you choose to hunt.

 

Erienna Hunt Club

I have had some GREAT experiences at Erienna Hunt Club.

The place is very nice, no membership fees, nothing but paying for birds, here's the link:

http://www.eriennahuntclub.com/

The guy who runs it--Jason Stuckey--is a GREAT guy. I am in your boat jtelli71, I don't like paying for membership fees AND birds. Just give me my per-bird-fee and I'm a happy man! I see no need in paying for a membership fee AND birds.

Thats why Erienna is so high on my list. CHEAP birds too, at only $18.50 for Pheasants, also can put out chuckars for ya, and I actually heard he might have some Hungarian Partraidge and some Quail the last time I was there. So you can have a NICE mixed Bird hunt. This late in the season, the Partraidge and Quail go fast, so he might be all out.

Jason gets his birds from Max-McGraw in Janseville IL. (little side note): Only reason I know this is 1st of all he told us, and 2nd of all, it's a HUGE pheasant raising facility in the Mid-West. I hunted one of their branch Max-McGraw facilities twice on a free "youth dove and pheasant hunt", and let me tell you...WOW was that a nce facility. Anything titled "Max-McGraw" is somethin to be proud of. Their birds in Janesville are shipped directly to Prince Charles himself for his bird hunts in England. Anyways, back to Max-McGraw. I hunted a youth hunt with my brother (even though I was WAY over the age limit, and they had a no-show so they had an open spot, and I brought my gun so they said "why not"). If you think the membership for Richmond was bad, check out Max-McGraw's, (I know this because I talked to the guy who runs this particular branch):

$100,000 per membership (no typo, that's $100k), that's just to get on the land to hunt.
$100 per pheasant (no typo either, $100).
(if I remember right, because we were hunting pheasants that day) Geese: $200 per
Deer: $1000 (and WOW do they have some nice deer there--but not $1000 worth) Actually they raffel their deer hunts off to the highest bidder, and some of the deer hunting packages can get upwards of $1700 per hunt.
So if you think Richmond was bad, go check out Max-McGraw. HIGH CLASS, we are talking CEO of Fortune 500 Corporations high class. And my brother and I hunted it for free in a youth hunt. Bagged 7 of the 8 birds that were released for us. Nice facility, nice land, but for $100,000--no way!

Anyways, back to Erienna:

Jason accomadates ALL sizes of groups, my family and I (5 people) as well as my grandfather and a family friend all went out (total of 7 people)--on the same field mind you--and have a GREAT time. Pheasants flew very well, like they were wild, they DID run on you, which was nice, actually follow them.

If you don't have a dog, you can use one of the clubs for an extra $30, and Jason's dogs are the best I've ever seen. (Get Lance if you can--chocolate springer--WOW can that dog work!).

There is a cleaning area at the club so if you like you can clean the birds there.

My favorite thing about the club is you pay your $10 gun fee, and the birds--nothing else (unless you want to tip). Very nice for the hunter who just wants to pay for birds and hunt. It is WIDE OPEN for the public, so everyone is welcome.

So if you don't feel like spending $1000 a year on membership fees, and then paying $20 per bird released like some of the "clubs" are, then I suggest you spend a fraction of that price and pay for your birds only at Erienna Hunt Club.

 

Jack - You couldn't have put your response any better! I really enjoy hunting at Erienna and Jason Stuckey is a class act! I've always had a great hunting trips there.

JP

 

I hear ya guys on the memberships but for my $265.00 yearly membership fee I get excellent manicured hunting fields that have dog proof fencing around each area where I never encounter another hunter and never have to worry about somebody's dog getting into my area. I also can shoot all the birds I want over my limit release at NO CHARGE. There are always extra birds as they have euro shoots and release 500 birds at a time and the kill ratio on euro is about fifty to sixty percent which leaves a lot of pheasants in the fields.
Cleaning is 2.50. I can purchase all the birds cleaned birds I want at 2.50 or 6.00 for two smoked breasts, no limit in spite of how many I kill.
For the pleasant hunting conditions and services I don't mind at all paying the membership and find it quite reasonable. I have about an hour drive from my house so it all works well for me.
We have a three bird release minimum and then you can purchase specials, for instance the special for Feb. was three roosters for 59.00 added to your minimum release or you can go with just the minimum. IF you didn't want roosters you could go with five chuckars.
Anyway all bird hunting is enjoyable no matter where you are.
Good shooting guys.

 

This is an out of date thread but I thought I'd provide an update since I just joined in 2011 but have known and visited RHC for many years.

The prices have become more affordable because it is pre-season and they still have a few memberships left at most tiers. Personal/Unrestricted Weekend/Corporate, etc.

The prices I was quoted maybe 10 years ago seemed like they were around $10,000 initiations and several thousand dollars a year in support, plus $25 per bird charges, etc. I can say that the pricing at RHC now is very, very fair considering it is a private club.

The land hasn't changed at all in the past 15 years. The same quality fields are still there. Sporting clays has really improved over the past many years and it is open to the public by reservation for a very fair rate.

Most importantly, the owners are the same (I'm going to botch their names, Wunderlich?). The owners were always welcoming, hospitable gentlemen. Better yet, some of the ornery managers and staff from 15 years ago are gone and they've been replaced by some very, very good people.

I'm delighted to have become a member and given the recent gas price increases and the increased costs of leasing good land in central IL, RHC has become quite a good value for a premium hunt club experience close to Chicagoland. I don't think someone is saving very much by driving 2.5 hours to some obscure location for a similar hunt.