We decided to hunt these birds in Malta Mt. and Kimbil S.D..
We own a ranch in Malta which is in north central Mt. about 4 hours north of Billings on rt 191 almost up to the Canadian boarder. In this area there is the famous Milk River which our ranch is adjacent to. The ranch gets about 10 to 12 inches of rain per year. So this ranch is is considered a dry land farming ranch. Our ranch is 5 miles north of Malta. The ranch has 470 acres of rolling hills and draws to hunt. An adjoining ranch is called the Wassen Ranch. This is 320 acres that we can also hunt.
We hunted there and on nearby ranches for 3 days. As many of the hunters in our group are elderly, this area was hard to access and thus though there were pheasants. The birds were difficult to flush out as we did not have a dog and terrain is to hard for 70+ year old hunters to easily kill the pheasants that were there. To our surprise old Bill did get one.
The second area that we hunted was in Kimbil S.D.. Many of us had hunted at the Country School Lodge before.
This area is known as the pheasant capital of the world. This year there had been an explosion in the pheasant population. We saw hundreds of pheasants. In a ten acre strip of corn we would easily flush out 10, 20, or 30 birds. It took only afew hours and we would limit out.It became evident to us that in both Montana and in S.D. there are many reasons that pheasants survive here and not in our home state of Pa.. These states have combinations of wetlands, croplands, haylands, and large idle fields in the government CRP programs that produce better habitat for pheasants. The areas which have undisturbed grasses and legumes are ideal for nesting and brood rearing. Wetlands also provide windbreaks and cover durring heavy snow loads and cold winds. And of course plenty of foodplots from large fields of grain which is a consistant winter food source.
It is no wonder that the stocking of pheasants which has been done year after year in Pa. is not successful. Habitat improvement is the best way to improve pheasant populations. At Highland Hill Farm, we offer many plants that can help you improve your habitat for this game bird. (You knew there would be a sales pitch here somewhere.) The following are some suggested further readings for planting tips and selections. 
We allow some of our customers the use of our lands for recreational purposes such as hunting, birding, fishing, and camping. There are places to hunt fossils or dig for indian relics for a fee. We own thousands of acres in many states. We don't allow 4 wheeling or tree stands. If you wish to lease land in a state that we are located in please email us and tell us which state you want to hunt in, which county, what type of game you want, and what term of lease. Click here to Email Us! Here are some of the areas available:
| Milan Pa. | 1100ac. |
| Gillete Pa. | 265ac. |
| Fountainville Pa. | 220ac. |
| Herkimer NY | 190ac. |
| Austin NY | 400ac. |
| Rockville Ind. | 330ac. |
| Crows Va. | 185ac. |
| Messerly Ranch, Malta Mt. | 470ac. |
| Wasson Ranch, Malta Mt. | 320ac. |
| Osage Io. | 360ac. |
| Magdalena NM (est. 03/06) | 41,500ac. |
| Sierra County Ranch,Truth or Consequences N.M. (est. 03/06) | 78,000ac. | Elephant Butte Lake Ranch, Truth or Consequences, NM | 14,000ac. |
The northern boundary of Herkimer County is in the Adirondack Mountain wilderness, where we have our farm for "northern" trees, hardiness zone 3 trees, evergreens and hardwoods both. It's where customers are invited to hunt deer, turkey, bear, or fossils, arrowheads, etc. and enjoy summer camping.
I wrote about my great-uncle Bill Barber and his comments to me emphasizing the inherent value of owning land. I have written about what that has done for me and perhaps what it can do for you too. The story of the Herkimer family and the son whose service as a general in the Revolutionary War gave him local immortality, giving the new county its name just goes to show how history is really a constant repetition of the same activity only with new people and new technologies.
George Santayana (no not Santa Anna, the Mexican "el presidente" known for the Alamo) was a Harvard professor and writer who said in 1905, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to relive it." Let's learn from all those people before us who didn't know to own some land. The Herkimers' example illustrates history is really always the same as George Santayana said; they knew the value of land just as Mr. Bill Barber did 50 years later.
Herkimer, herdimer, herchkeimer, hekamar, even erghemar, the translation of the German family's name had almost 100 (yes, almost one hundred) spelling variations. Wow, I say. The family came with other early immigrants to German Flats, also spelled German Flatts, in 1720. They may have come with some money already in their pockets, so to speak, and made great use of their head start. Each of the five adult family members received a land grant of 100 acres from the New York and New Jersey governor. In time, the close-knit Herkimers and their many offspring, Nicholas Herkimer had 13 brothers and sisters, wisely bought land all along both sides of the Mohawk River. They bought right where there were extreme rapids, actually little waterfalls as high as 12 feet. "Portaging" or carrying any boats around the impassable water was a necessity. Today you can go and visit the restored grand farmstead home of Nicholas Herkimer on the southern bank of the Mohawk River just east of the aptly named town of Little Falls, NY.
Even before canals, rivers were water highways far better suited to carrying large loads than wagons in the alternately rocky, muddy, rough up-and-down topography of the eastern colonies full of so many low altitude mountains. Nicholas Herkimer did not charge a toll fee to the travelers portaging their flat bottomed boats, called "bateaux," but as most travelers were heading west against the unfortunately eastern flow of the Mohawk he offered laborers (slaves, actually) for a daily price, and a store to sell provisions. He even had a candle making factory. Nicholas Herkimer was known for his honesty and fair dealings with all people, natives, newcomers, and passersby alike. My hero. Canajoharie, New York had the Indian Castle, the center of the Iriquois Confederacy's Indian Government about 20 miles to the east. Nicholas was popular as a commissioner with the Indians. His father, Johan, had added to his landholdings, over 2,500 acres by 1772. Johan Herkimer was a road building commissioner of, the Highland District which included his original family farm.
(Almost like Highland Hill Farm, how about that?)
Nicholas Herkimer served at the end of French and Indian war of 1754-1763 as a lieutenant. Just like another guy in Virginia whose life was somewhat similar, that fella's last name was Washington, Nicholas Herkimer didn't have to buy the uniforms and supplies for enough men to become a general, like so many others did. Men like Herkimer and Washington were elected to the position. General Herkimer died as the result of the injuries he sustained at the Battle of Oriskany in 1778. He had 800 settlers against 2,300 Tories, Mohawk and Seneca Indians, with British regular soldiers, one of his own brothers an officer amongst them. Nicholas Herkimer marched his "army" into a trap, planned in part by the wiley Chief Joseph Brant. Nevertheless, Herkimer's army heroically staved off the westward thrust of the British three-pronged attack upon New York.
At the very same time as the Battle of Oriskany, Benedict Arnold was coming to his aid. He actually turned the British back with what today would be called "black ops," then he helped stave off the other two prongs of the British attack both, with strategic leaderhip at the Battle of Saratoga. Unfortunately for Benedict Arnold, he did not die as a result of his injuries received at Saratoga, but that's a whole 'nuther story.
Articles on Tress Plants and Shrubs
- Winter Gardening Tips
- How to Grow Softwood Cuttings
- A Novel Way to Buy Land for Hunting or to Grow Nursery Stock
- Planting in Clay Soils
- Propagate Your Own Ornamental Grasses
- Planting Instructions
- Transplant Shock
- Hedges
- Arborvitae Types we sell
- Berry Plants
- Deer Proof Plants
- Evergreens We Grow
- Evergreen Grow Plugs
- False Cypress of Highland Hill Farm
- Free Fencing!
- Free Use Planters For Seedlings
- Hollies of Highland Hill Farm
- Japanese Maples
- Junipers at Highland Hill Farm
- Lilacs of Highland Hill Farm
- Ornamental Plants
- Seedling Supplies
- Shade Loving Plants
- Shade Trees at Highland Hill Farm
- Spruce Trees And Shrubs Trees
- Transplants
- Viburnums of Highland Hill Farm
- Wetland Plants
- White Pine Trees
Pictures of the Horse Mountain Ranch
Pictures of the Elephant Butte Ranch
