Craig Helke and Dylan Burrow have developed a clearly defined marketing brand for Rooster Ridge Pheasant Farms, based on their own pheasant hunting experiences.
A brand is a promise of what customers can consistently expect every time from a service, product, or interaction. Helke and Burrow promise their customers a true Midwest hunting experience, as proudly stated on the sign at the end of the driveway: Your Premier Midwest Pheasant Hunting Experience.
Both men have hunted at many hunting preserves and know what they like and what they don’t. Their goal was to create an experience for their customers that they themselves would enjoy.
The men proudly shared that they have many return customers. Helke explaine, “We want everyone to be successful because we want them to keep coming back.”
Four years ago, Helke and Burrow got a state permit and purchased 100 roosters for their own use at the farm. When they mentioned this to friends, those friends expressed interest in buying birds and hunting as well at the farm. That first year, they ended up purchasing 500 rooster pheasants. Four years later, they estimate they will purchase around 4,000.
The 240-acre farm is owned by Helke. He said he sold his cattle four years ago and put all the cropland into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), planting native grasses across nine fields. The hunters get a 5, 10, or 15 acre field just like out west.
“Our fields are very thick, and even when we do get a lot of snow, we’ve got excellent cover,” explained Helke. One of the things the men did not care for when they went hunting at other pheasant farms, there was no cover. Hunters could see the birds.
The native grasses also provide survival food for the ones that don’t get shot. Sorghum, corn, and beans are planted in other fields where hunting is not allowed. It stands year-round for all the animals.
Helke emphasized that the farm is still considered “a working operating farm,” noting that they “still have badger holes and fences.”
The farm sits atop a ridge, offering spectacular vistas in all four directions. The steep, hilly terrain guarantees both hunters and dogs a workout after two to four hours of hunting.
Burrow serves as a guide. “Some hunters want flushers and some guys want pointers,” Burrow said. “Pointers will surround the bird and hold it until you get there to flush it.”
Burrow uses all pointers because they hold the dog in place, allowing the hunter to get close. He added that they are fun to watch.
One thing the men have learned is that it’s not about the hunt for 99% of the people. It’s about the dog. It is about hanging out with their buddies.
Helke shared a story that relates to the poem The Dash by Linda Ellis. The “dash” on a tombstone between the birth date and date of death “represents all the time that they spent alive on earth.” Burrow said that pheasant hunting is all about making memories.
The men offer corporate hunts, Christmas parties, bachelor parties, and dog training sessions. The Winona chapter of the Pheasants Forever hosts its youth day at the farm. Trap clubs also visit to hunt, and Helke and Burrow said with smiles that “the trap clubs are the safest, most fun to watch, and the best shots.”
Hunters typically harvest about 32% of the birds at the beginning of the season and up to 90% by the end.
Hunters who come to Rooster Ridge travel from all over the United States. For example, California, New Jersey, New York, Georgia, Twin Cities and Rochester.
Burrow shared, “I think people were really surprised the first time they came here. They always come back, and say, ‘That was unbelievable. I can’t believe it.’”
Helke added, “We hear people say, ‘I don’t hunt game farms because that’s too easy.’ And we always say, ‘Come out and try.’ The ones that do or ones that have been on other farms, they go, ‘This is unbelievable. I’ve never had an experience like this.”
The hunting season runs from October 1 through the end of March, depending on the weather.
Call the men to book your hunt today! Burrow can be reached at 507-450-6295, and Helke at 507-450-2152.
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