Shepherd Lodge and Joy of Hunting
Shepherd Lodge and Joy of Hunting
Shepherd Lodge and Joy of Hunting
Shepherd Lodge and Joy of Hunting
Shepherd Lodge and Joy of Hunting

Shepherd Lodge and Joy of Hunting

Nearest Town, Shepherd, Montana
270 acres
Lodging Available

Pheasant Hunting Preserve​ and Lodge Hosted by Bruce and Anne Kania

The Shepherd Lodge and Joy of Hunting is a unique pheasant hunting preserve​,​ managed and guided by Bruce and Anne Kania. The terrain is mostly flat, through fields of crops and grasses managed for food and cover. There are also big draws which provide a more exciting and energetic hunt. We cater to all (legal) ages and levels of fitness.

Joy of Hunting also hosts a wingshooting “school”​,​ where women (or anyone, in fact) can take bird-hunting lessons from another woman (Anne) who is an understanding coach and skilled hunter.

Joy of Hunting Pheasant Preserve:
Our 270-acre property is situated on the bluffs overlooking the Yellowstone River near Shepherd,​ MT​,​ where we enjoy over a mile of river frontage and grand views towards the mountains. The property is managed for pheasants​,​ with food plots​,​ roosting areas and unplanted ground strategically linked. In the past, the nesting success on our property ensured a steady wild population. The last few years have seen a decline in the wild population so we supplement with released birds to ensure that hunters enjoy a fast and furious hunting experience!

We provide accommodations in our home​,​ which has the quality of an intimate hunting lodge​,​ with large private quarters and separate bathrooms for a small number of guests. The lodge is situated in a park-like setting surrounded by mature trees. Our spectacular vista across the river is particularly fine with a glass of wine in hand. Our clay-target thrower is sited so guests can enjoy the view while honing their shooting skills. Our home chef prepares imaginative and delicious meals with a paleo​,​ wild game focus.

Fish Fry Lake​,​ our 6.5-acre fishing hole​,​ boasts a catch-rate of 1 fish per minute at peak​,​ and guests are welcome to cast for bluegill​,​ pumpkinseed​,​ black crappie​,​ northern yellow perch​,​ smallmouth and largemouth bass when their feet are sore from hunting. You can tie into bass over six pounds on Fish Fry Lake! And you have the option of fishing from floating islands​,​ an incredibly unique waterscape feature​,​ or a canoe.

Being next to the Yellowstone and with lots of wetlands and ponds on the property​,​ we often enjoy excellent waterfowling​,​ especially woodies early in the season. Geese and mallards are usually here throughout the season. Because of their unpredictable nature we don't offer a separate package but overnight pheasant-hunting guests are welcome to pass-shoot, jump-shoot or organize theirt own decoy hunt.

Our preserve season runs from 1 September to 31 March but​ we don’t start until around 12th September when the weather gets cooler for dogs.


Anne Kania’s Joy of Hunting Wingshooting School:
Based at the Joy of Hunting Preserve​,​ Anne offers coaching​,​ primarily to women who want to learn to hunt from another woman. Anne is a qualified sporting clays shooting instructor and has a methodical approach to teaching hunting skills. She is very easy to get along with, will go at your pace and put your comfort above all. She offers lessons to complete beginners as well as seasoned shooters who wish to tune up their skills.

Not included: Preserve hunting licenses​,​ bird cleaning. 

RV access only available April 1st - August 31st. 

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Anne K

Hosted by

Anne K

5.0(4 reviews)
Questions about activities, lodging or amenities?

Property Visited

This property is managed tremendously well for strong pheasant populations every year. No doubt about it!

kris-poirier
Property Visit on 6/15/2022

Kris Poirier

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LandTrust Field Rep

Available Packages

Hunting
Pheasant Hunt
Starting Price $330 / Guest
1 Guest
1 Day
RV Site(s)
Outdoor Recreation
RV Experience
Starting Price $15 / Guest
5 Guests
1 Day
RV Site(s)

Frequently Asked Questions

Will there be other hunters on the property for the days I book?
How is the population this year?
Will I receive property maps so that I can plan my hunt?
Does LandTrust allow a day for scouting pre-hunt?
How do I know every property/available package is authentic?

Property Access & Ground Rules

  • Check In: After 8:00 AM
  • Check Out: Before 4:00 PM
  • Nearby Interstate: No
  • Nearby Highway: No
  • Nearby Airport: N/A
  • Campfires: Not allowed
  • Pets: Allowed on property
  • ATV's: Not allowed
  • Parking: Yes
  • Drive-in Access: Yes
  • Walk-in Access: No
  • Guests: 4 Allowed

Landowner Rules: -Hunters must hunt with a trained bird dog, either theirs or ours. -Maximum number of birds included in cost per hunter per day: 6 (extra charge for more than 6). -Half-Day hunts available – 3-bird limit. -Hunting lesson hunt: 3-bird limit -We have a policy of resting the property between hunts to manage the pressure on birds. We may ask for flexibility if your preferred date is not available. Fishing rules: - Rigorous slot-limits are maintained. In general, we keep the big spawners and harvest the small fish.

Cancellation Policy: Refunds are only available within 48 hours of the landowner accepting your booking request. View Policy

Reviews (3)

5.0
  • Shawn S
    Shawn S

    Anne and Bruce are deeply passionate about conservation and climate activism and it shows. They have a property that may be the finest managed ecosystem I’ve ever set foot on. Everything is done with great care to increase habitat, not only for pheasant, but for all animals. Their initiatives are inspiring and the hunting I experienced was top notch. My partner becca was able to get a lesson in shotgunning and bird hunting from Anne while I hunted the fields and draws of the property. We harvested four birds that I was able to hunt over my own dog. They treated us and our dog like family. I can not wait to return.

    Reviewed by Guest on December 2022
    Anne K
    Anne K

    Shawn and Becca were wonderful guests and we would welcome them both back any time. Shawn was the real deal, an avid hunter, very conscientious, and hardy, braving the below-freezing temperatures to give himself and his dog a fine hunt. He reaped the rewards of an early start, getting a jump on the pheasants. He was very responsive to communications beforehand and an extremely pleasant guest, as was his delightful English pointer, Kestrel!

    Reviewed by Landowner on December 2022
  • Nic D
    Nic D

    We had another great hunt with Bruce & Anne! I had some friends from out of town and we opted to have Bruce & Anne guide us with their dogs so that we ensured we had the best opportunity to get on birds. The property is beautifully managed and there are a bounty of birds. Half of the birds that we harvested were wild. We'll be back soon!

    Reviewed by Guest on December 2020
    Anne K
    Anne K

    Nic is a very conscientious and experienced hunter and a charming guest. We enjoy hosting him very much and feel very confident - for ourselves and our dogs - around him! His party were novice hunters, who are all experienced shooters. It was interesting for us to see the gaps in our assumptions, such as us providing shells, loaner guns and bottles of water as part of our daily rate. I hate to "nickel & dime" guests for extras so I'll have to be more specific about "what to bring". I think we gave good value and felt like we charged the right amount, but we need to go and buy more shells!! Come back soon, Nic!

    Reviewed by Landowner on December 2020
  • Nic D
    Nic D

    The Shepard Lodge was an incredible experience. Anne & Bruce were great hosts who take great pride in habitat management that produces one of a kind hunting & fishing opportunities. We showed up on a Saturday afternoon in preparation for our Sunday morning pheasant hunt and were warmly greeted by Anne & Bruce at their beautiful lodge. We immediately went out to fish on Fish Fry Lake which is their beautiful, immaculately managed fishery. Bruce is an aquaculturist who uses Fish Fry Lake as his testing grounds for new products & methods of aquaculture which has led to one of the BEST fisheries in Montana. Our group caught 2lb crappie, 40+ large bluegill and I caught a 3-4lb largemouth bass (I missed a couple bigger fish!) Saturday evening Bruce & Anne had prepared a lovely meal and we had drinks and discussed how they approach managing their farm for the best habitat for fish & wildlife. They are truly passionate about this. Sunday morning we were up at dawn with a hearty breakfast prepared by Bruce and he walked us out to the pheasant fields and showed us our hunt plan for the day. We immediately got into birds and, although the wind was blowing 25-35 MPH, we managed to get quite a few roosters and saw tons more. It's important to note, although this is technically a 'preserve' for pheasant hunting, you would NEVER know that any of the birds on the property have been released. They have a very healthy wild bird population and the way that they release birds has them integrated into the wild population and they have significant holdover from season to season. Of the 3 roosters that I harvested, 2 were wild. This is not one of those preserves that put birds out 30mins before your hunt with birds that sit and look at you and simply want to fly back to their pen. We'll be back many more times for this one of a kind experience. Thanks, Anne & Bruce!

    Reviewed by Guest on October 2020
    Anne K
    Anne K

    Nic and his party were super-conscientious, friendly, experienced hunters who we enjoyed immensely. I hope they continue to come as our guests and (new) friends! We also learned a lot about LandTrust's overall vision and are proud to be part of their conservation initiative. Thank you, Nic.

    Reviewed by Landowner on October 2020

Landowner

Anne K

Hosted by

Anne K

5.0(4 reviews)
Response rate: 93%

Hello from Bruce and me! We're glad you found us and we look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful corner of Montana! We love making new friends through hunting on our Preserve. Here's a little bit about us, in case you're interested. I, Anne, began my hunting journey during my first visit to Montana in 2005. I am a meat-eater and wanted more connection with how my food gets on the table. I learned to shoot and to hunt from dear Bruce, with copious tears, frustration, mistakes and figuring it out along the way. I became proficient (not great) and it became my number one passion. One day I woke up and decided I wanted to teach women to hunt and Joy of Hunting was born! Bruce and I are a team when it comes to managing the preserve. He has an enormous amount of knowledge and experience in stewardship of habitat and other conditions designed to attract and keep pheasants on our property. He is a great bird hunter, always in the right place. And he rarely misses. He is intense, walks fast and always has a plan for the hunt. Me, I like to think I am more relaxed about it (actually, I can be pretty intense too!), aware of how difficult is can be for a new hunter to manage all the different facets of hunting and be purposeful about creating a comfortable learning experience and building up skills and confidence at the same time. Our canine support team is very important to us too. Violet is now our senior dog, a handsome Yellow Lab who is brilliant at retrieving runners; Reacher is a Brittany who is still learning the ropes but as a puppy had 44 pointed birds shot over him; and Rimu, our new Lab, 6-months-old as the 2020 season starts, is already an astounding, though as-yet undisciplined, hunter! Through hunting, I took up Sporting Clays for practice and fell in love with the sport! I became a certified Level 1 instructor under the NSCA program and took Montana State Championship (Ladies) in 2018. I love to introduce new shooters to Sporting Clays. And, for those that make the journey into hunting, I adapt my teaching to fit the art of hitting flying birds, coming out of nowhere with an unpredictable flight path, while knowing where the other hunters and the dogs are, being safe, not falling over or getting behind or in front, and having a good time! So if you feel like giving it a try, I can't wait to hear from you!! Anne

Hello from Bruce and me! We're glad you found us and we look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful corner of Montana! We love making new friends through hunting on our Preserve. Here's a little bit about us, in case you're interested. I, Anne, began my hunting journey during my first visit to Montana in 2005. I am a meat-eater and wanted more connection with how my food gets on the table. I learned to shoot and to hunt from dear Bruce, with copious tears, frustration, mistakes and figuring it out along the way. I became proficient (not great) and it became my number one passion. One day I woke up and decided I wanted to teach women to hunt and Joy of Hunting was born! Bruce and I are a team when it comes to managing the preserve. He has an enormous amount of knowledge and experience in stewardship of habitat and other conditions designed to attract and keep pheasants on our property. He is a great bird hunter, always in the right place. And he rarely misses. He is intense, walks fast and always has a plan for the hunt. Me, I like to think I am more relaxed about it (actually, I can be pretty intense too!), aware of how difficult is can be for a new hunter to manage all the different facets of hunting and be purposeful about creating a comfortable learning experience and building up skills and confidence at the same time. Our canine support team is very important to us too. Violet is now our senior dog, a handsome Yellow Lab who is brilliant at retrieving runners; Reacher is a Brittany who is still learning the ropes but as a puppy had 44 pointed birds shot over him; and Rimu, our new Lab, 6-months-old as the 2020 season starts, is already an astounding, though as-yet undisciplined, hunter! Through hunting, I took up Sporting Clays for practice and fell in love with the sport! I became a certified Level 1 instructor under the NSCA program and took Montana State Championship (Ladies) in 2018. I love to introduce new shooters to Sporting Clays. And, for those that make the journey into hunting, I adapt my teaching to fit the art of hitting flying birds, coming out of nowhere with an unpredictable flight path, while knowing where the other hunters and the dogs are, being safe, not falling over or getting behind or in front, and having a good time! So if you feel like giving it a try, I can't wait to hear from you!! Anne

Location

Anne K

Hosted by

Anne K

5.0(4 reviews)