SPORTS. FRIDAY. JANUARY 24, 2003 . THE TAMPA TRIBUNE. TBO.com
"Because we stock these birds. we have five times the density you'll see on wild quail, and that means everybody gets plenty of shooting. "
-JON ACKERLY

Quail Hunting Made Easy

As habitats vanish, private initiative and recovered phosphate lands produce a
well-stocked quail experience.

By FRANK SARGEANT fsargean@tampabay.rr.com
It may soon be the only game in town. As more and more of Florida's farmland and palmetto country turns into suburbs, the habitat for native wild quail has shrunk like an ice cube on anAugust day.
And the areas where avid bird hunters can follow their pointing dogs have shrunk even faster. No Hunting signs are the norm rather than the exception these days on thousands of acres that used to be unfenced and welcoming.
But where there are problems there are opportunities. Enter entrepreneurs such as Jon Ackerly of Dream Lakes of Florida, who offers hunting for stocked quail on 500 acres of recovered phosphate lands southeast of Brandon. Ackerly, like other wingshooting preserve operators, provides field transportation, well-trained dogs, guides, loaner shotguns and even bird cleaning and freezing as part of his packages - everything but shooting skill.
"Most people that used to own their own dogs and hunt on their own live in the suburbs these days and they don't have the time or the place to work their dogs, so we try to make hunting easy for them," said Ackerly, who recently hosted one of Tampa's prominent wing-shooters, Ken Cochran, on a morning shoot.
Hunts typically last three hours, during which hunters have ample opportunities to bag eight birds.
"Because we stock these birds, we have five times the density you'll see on wild quail, and that means everybody gets plenty of shooting," said Ackerly, who several years ago joined three partners to buy the restored land after he retired from decades of work in the phosphate industry.

"The nice thing about preserve hunting is that it's fun for everybody,"ran said. "It's a good place to get a youngster or a woman that has not hunted before into the idea of collecting their own dinner, and you really don't have to own any of the gear at all.'
The pointing dogs freeze at the scent of the birds, holding steady until hunters walk close. The birds then usually explode in all directions in a mightywhiir of wings, and shooters have seconds to pick a fleeing target before they disappear into the woods.

In addition to quail hunting, the preserve also offers alligator hunts and bass fishing in five phosphate pits. The winding lakes have produced gators to more than 13 feet long, and the biggest bass went l4pounds. .
A half. day quail hunt costs $175, including eight cleaned and freeze-packed birds. The season continues to April 20, well beyond the March 2 closing for wild birds.
For details about Dream Lakes of Florida, call (863) 640-7783.

 

 

 

BASSMASTER Volume 36 No.4. April 2003 . bassmaster.com
A Look At Pay Lakes
By Tim Tucker
Senior Writer

"If You Got The Money But Are Limited On Time, Consider Visting One Of
The Growing Number Of Private Bass Fishing Resorts"

DREAM LAKES Of FLORIDA (863-640-7783; www.dreamlakesof florida.com) - After retiring from the mining business, Jon Ackerly and three partners purchased a series of bass-rich phosphate pits and created Dream Lakes of Florida Inc. Today, those lakes provide some of the best private fishing in the Sunshine State.
Built in the early 1970s, the seven reclaimed lakes total 175 acres and are as deep as 30 feet in places, with about 12 miles of shoreline. The lakes are managed by a professional fisheries biologist, and the results are impressive. Located near the central Florida city of Fort Meade, the phosphate lakes are loaded with bass up to 14 pounds. And the fishing occurs in a wonderful setting without airboats Jet skiers or water-skiers.