Few pleasures in life excite me more than a fish fry of fresh lake perch. Of the few greater; the explosion of a high rising, heart stopping, cackling pheasant bursting from beneath my feet is right up there at the top of my list of life’s greatest. Now to the combine these two highlights of sporting life is sheer euphoria, and that is just what’s available at The Grand Kankakee Hunt Club. 

            The first time I visited the Grand Kankakee Hunt Club, I was in my early teens. Hunting was at that time, just beginning to place a stranglehold on my existence. Along with the expected emergence of my desire to explore wild woodlands arrived another deep passion; outdoor literature. I dove into the words of such authors as London, Ruark, and Rawls. Their tales set my soul to drift.

The pictures in my mind of the places these men described in their prose began to dance when my father turned our family vehicle into the drive of the Grand Kankakee Hunt Club. As we slowly made our way along the narrow lane leading to the lodge, snow gently fell. The majestic pines lining the lane were covered with a light dusting. My heroes, those men esteem whose words I had been reading, would have undoubtedly appreciated the scene. It was January, and for my birthday, my father had arranged a dinner I would never forget.

            I have now more than doubled my years since the age I celebrated that night at The Grand Kankakee Hunt Club, but describing the scene as I remember it takes me back as if it were yesterday. Very few places have this kind of lasting affect, but this club is that special. An essence of outdoor charm is apparent from the gate to the grounds, from the lounge to the dinner table. A rustic, northern feeling of that classic cabin in the woods excites the senses of outdoorsmen from the moment they arrive. The atmosphere is the epitome of hunt club lifestyle. But beyond roasted quail, wall mounts, and fine spirits, rests the reason one joins a hunt club in the first place.  

            The Grand Kankakee Hunt Club and its sister operation in southwestern Michigan, Deer Creek Hunt Club, are both outstanding put-and-take wingshooting and sporting clay destinations. Both operations adhere to the mentality of providing utmost excellence in all of their hunting and shooting endeavors. From top-notch guides and dogs to meticulously designed and laid out sporting clay courses, Grand Kankakee and Deer Creek are exceptionally high-class. Now don’t go making the mistake of associating my terminology of “high-class” with high-dollar. The fees of participating in a put-and-take bird hunt or a relaxing day on the range at either of these fine resorts are realistically affordable for most anyone

Deer Creek Hunt Club Office Manager, Tammy Umlauf, states, “Guys come out and feel like they’re at home. And I know it’s because we go the extra mile to put personal touches on experiences at our hunt clubs. We know members families and we ask about their lives. Our members are part of our family.” It’s this sense of family and community that brings the great tradition of hunt club lifestyle to Indiana at The Grand Kankakee Hunt Club and to Michigan at Deer Creek Hunt Club.

            The Grand Kankakee Hunt Club is located just north of Knox in north central Indiana, and is an easy commute for all points in the state. With onsite lodging as well as dining, this is a true sporting destination. A rustic appeal combined with modern conveniences and unique recreational opportunities makes Grand Kankakee a perfect location for a weekend getaway or a corporate retreat. Tammy was proud to say, “Our lodging facility is absolutely wonderful. After people stay with us, they can’t wait to come back. Everyone loves the food and the raves about the wild décor.”

The Grand Kankakee Hunt Club is a place I will remember for the rest of my life. It served as my first exposure to the sporting lifestyle I am living today. I can still see the snow falling as I recall my first taste of quail. If there is an adolescent in your life, or even an adult for that matter, whom you would like to impress a hunt club lifestyle upon, The Grand Kankakee would be an outstanding choice of locations to leave a lasting memory.