The most popular package offered by many all-inclusive wingshooting lodges is the three-day/four-night hunt. Getting to the lodges often includes air travel and/or long car rides, and “three-and-four” seems to justify the lengthy journeys. Many hunters wish they could stay and hunt longer, but work, family and other obligations often conspire against such indulgences. There are those, however, who have the liberty of enjoying longer vacations. These lucky folks sometimes add extra hunting days to their itineraries, but more often they choose to fill out their trips with non-shooting activities before or after their hunts—say, for example, several days of eating lobster and touring the coast around a Maine grouse hunt or taking a swing through the Black Hills following a South Dakota pheasant junket. One of the best opportunities of this kind is found at Castle Valley Outdoors, in Emery, Utah, where world-class wingshooting can be combined with some of the best non-shooting activities in the US.
The wingshooting part of a Castle Valley trip is straightforward to the point of being cliché—in the best of ways. The no-limit hunting is with guides and pointing dogs that know precisely how to handle the pheasants and chukars that inhabit the ranch’s 15,000 acres. The lodging, meals and hospitality are also what one would expect from an establishment that has earned the endorsements of the top authorities in the wingshooting industry. Simply put: The three-day/four-night hunting experience at Castle Valley is as close to a slam dunk as there is.
As for non-shooting options around Castle Valley, there are many. Amongst the most popular tourist destinations in the world are America’s national parks, and Castle Valley is within a couple of hours of five! Called the "Mighty Five," Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches total almost a million acres of recreational land. This represents enough photographic canyons, arches and monoliths to eat up the storage capacity of most smartphones. And not only are these some of the nation’s most scenic parks, but they also tend to be far less crowded.
Left to right: Arthouse Studios on Pexels; Anne McCarthy on Pexels
Other sites and activities abound even closer to the lodge. The Rochester Rock Art Panel, for example, features prehistoric petroglyphs and is 45 minutes away. Closer still are all-terrain tours of the forested Fairview Mountains and the Millsite Golf Club, home to one of the most picturesque 18-hole courses in Utah.
In addition to all this there are plenty of non-hunting activities to do right at Castle Valley. There are ponds stocked with trout, bass and bluegills for spin or fly-fishing. There’s a rifle range with targets out to a mile. And for those who just want to relax and recharge, there’s no better venue than the elegant and comfortable 12,000-square-foot lodge.
Castle Valley Outdoors fits the bill in many ways. It is not only a great destination for hunters seeking a straight-up three-day/four-night wingshooting adventure, but it also serves well for those looking to spend some extra time enjoying the sights and sounds of a spectacular part of the country.
Castle Valley Outdoors is a full-service Shooting Sportsman Endorsed Lodge. To learn more or to make a reservation, call 800-586-6503 or email jim@castlevalleyoutdoors.com.
Castle Valley Outdoors photographs courtesy of Castle Valley Outdoors.
