Each of the buildings have private and group rooms with comfortable sleeping arrangements, a gathering room and other niceties that provide the comfort of home. Including newly added high speed wireless internet.
Sitting off of the Houghton House is the ranch kennels. Inside these kennels
are housed most of the common pointing breeds of dogs. These include Brittany’s, French Brittany’s, German Shorthaired, German Wirehaired, Weimaraner, Setters, aand Hungarian Vizslas.
A group of hunters from Dallas, Texas have been out working the fields all morning. With 39 pheasants down, it is time for lunch. The dinning facility in the Ranch house is set up like a large family dinning room. The cook, Phyllis Schmitt, has prepared a steaming pot of chili with all the fixings. Accenting the chili on the side is a warm pan of gooey cinnamon roles, a local favorite.
Chatter amongst the hunters is about everything except their jobs. Ribbing about a missed shot and just general good natured conversation fills the room. Seven year veterans of Ringneck Ranch, these hunters said they comeback because they know exactly what they are going to get in the fields and in the kitchen.
The term used by the staff at the ranch is "country gourmet" and it truly sums up what will be found there. Everything from fist thick pork chops to sauced pheasant breast is served. In the kitchen area, is the staff dinning room where guides sit together and discuss the areas of the ranch that are being hunted that day.
Dan Watson, guide since the ranch's inception, is interrupted briefly by a departing guests. Kind words are exchanged and so are promises of the next hunt.
"All our guests are sent a letter every year reminding them of the dates that they hunted the previous year," said Keith, "Guests are guaranteed reservations for the corresponding dates time as their previous hunts upon receipt of their deposits."
Keith said that return rate is about 90%.
Return rate is something that Keith takes very seriously. “With out high rate of annually returning guests, this type of business would not survive,” he said.
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