Good Dog, Open Country: Guiding Pheasant Hunts in the Eastern Sierra
Turner the pointer dog delivers a pheasant retrieved for his handler, Adam with the Lone Pine Pheasant Club. PHOTO BY SPENCER SHEPARD, KERN VALLEY SUN
By Spencer Shepard, Kern Valley Sun
LONE PINE — On a clear Eastern Sierra morning outside Lone Pine, the mountains rise abruptly from the desert floor. The air is cool, the grass dry underfoot, and a German shorthaired pointer named Turner moves slowly ahead, nose low, tail steady, anticipating pheasants.
When Turner stops, everything else does too.
His handler, Adam, watches closely. Somewhere ahead, a pheasant holds tight. Turner doesn’t rush. He locks up, frozen in place, waiting. Only when the bird finally flushes does the hunt move forward. That moment — quiet, controlled, and deliberate — is what keeps Adam coming back.
“This will be my fifth year guiding up here,” he said. “There’s no place I’ve hunted that’s more beautiful than the Eastern Sierra.”
Guiding through the club
Adam guides exclusively through the Lone Pine Pheasant Club, a licensed game bird club operating on private land in the Owens Valley. He does not guide independently on public land.
“To guide on federal land, the permits and insurance are expensive,” he said. “It would be cost prohibitive.”
Instead, hunters book directly through the club, selecting a date and the number of birds they want released for the hunt. When making a reservation, clients can also request a specific guide.
“That’s how I started getting return hunters,” Adam said. “They’ll call the club and ask if I’m available.”
The club operates as a controlled hunt, but Adam emphasized that success is never guaranteed.
“You’re not guaranteed birds,” he said. “Conditions matter. Skill matters. Safety matters.”
Why a pointing dog matters
Turner’s job is precision.
“He’s a pointing dog,” Adam said. “Once he smells a bird, he stops. He won’t flush it.”
That pause allows hunters to move into position before the bird takes flight and keeps the dog at a safe distance.
“A lot of people are good about watching where other people are,” Adam said. “But if they haven’t hunted with dogs before, sometimes they forget about the dog.”
Accidents involving dogs and firearms do happen in the hunting world, though Adam said he has never experienced one himself at Lone Pine.
“That would be awful,” he said. “Getting paid to take somebody out and they shoot your dog — I don’t even want to think about that.”
Turner’s discipline comes from both instinct and training. Adam got him as an eightweek- old puppy and sent him to a professional trainer for four months when he was six months old.
“I didn’t have the knowledge to get him as good as he could be myself,” Adam said. “When he came back, hunting season was about a month away.”
They’ve worked together every season since.
Experience helps — but it’s not required
Adam said first-time hunters are welcome, though some preparation helps.
“It’s easier if they’ve shot clays before,” he said. “They don’t need to have hunted birds, but they should be able to hit a moving target.”
All hunters must complete a hunter safety course and carry a valid California hunting license. Blaze orange clothing is strongly recommended, along with eye and hearing protection. Firearms are not provided.
Before every hunt, Adam starts with a safety talk.
“A big thing I tell people is don’t shoot birds on the ground,” he said. “Let the bird get up.”
Most hunts begin in the morning, when cooler temperatures improve scenting conditions for dogs. A typical hunt lasts three to four hours, followed by lunch at the clubhouse.
Local roots, long experience
Adam grew up in the Kern River Valley and spent nearly three decades working for the U.S. Forest Service. He retired recently as a battalion chief after beginning his wildland fire career in 1995.
“Being out in the woods that helps,” he said. “You learn the ground. You learn how animals move.”
While pheasants bring him to Lone Pine, quail remain his favorite bird to hunt closer to home.
“There’s usually a good population,” he said. “You can find them in a lot of areas, and they’re fun birds to hunt.”
Adam also remembers hunting pheasants in the Kern River Valley as a kid through the Junior Pheasant Program, through a partnership between the Mountain Mesa Men’s Club. And as to give back to his roots Sanders is still involved in the Kern River Valley’s hunting spirit.
“I helped out with that this year,” he said. “It was good to see it come back.”
The day’s pheasant kill is lined up on a tailgate at the end of the
hunt. PHOTO BY SPENCER SHEPARD, KERN VALLEY SUN
Passing it on
What keeps Adam guiding isn’t the number of birds harvested.
“I take out a lot of families with kids,” he said. “Seeing a 12- or 13-year-old shoot their first bird — that’s exciting.” He sees those hunts to keep upland hunting traditions alive.
“If we can help the younger generation get into it the right way,” he said, “that matters.”
About the Lone Pine Pheasant Club
The Lone Pine Pheasant Club is a licensed game bird club operating on managed private land in the Owens Valley. According to the club, hunts take place across a mix of open fields, native grasses, brush, and riparian cover designed to support strong-flying birds and realistic hunting conditions.
The club offers annual memberships as well as single-day hunts. Memberships allow hunters to reserve multiple hunt days during the season until their bird allocation is used. Non-members may also book day hunts by requesting a specific number of birds.
Pheasant seasons typically runs from mid-November through early April. Chukar may also be available by request. All hunts require reservations. Lunch is served at the clubhouse following morning hunts.
Adam recommends going through the club rather than contacting guides directly. “That’s the easiest way,” he said.
Hunters interested in booking a hunt or learning more can contact the Lone Pine Pheasant Club directly:
Lone Pine Pheasant Club Phone: 760-876-4590
Website: www.lonepinepheasantclub. com