Water Fowlers' Haven

I don't think there would be much arguing before most water fowlers agreed that some of the best action to be had in the United States runs along the Mississippi flyway. In central Illinois in particular, the town of Pittsfield stands out. Lying between the Illinois River and the Mississippi, the Pittsfield area's rich farmland sucks in flocks of migrating ducks and geese with the efficiency of a Dyson vacuum.

Jeff Foiles, creator of the Foiles' Migrator series of waterfowl calls, hails from Pittsfield and it is there that both his company and the Foiles' Fallin' Skies Strait Meat Duck Club are located. Last season, several members of the Petersen's HUNTING staff along with Final Approach Decoys' Mark Schaefer, traveled to Pittsfield to sample quality water fowling at its finest.

The Fallin' Skies Strait Meat Duck Club is situated on 350 acres of prime Illinois farmland. Better still, the property is adjacent to a wildfowl refuge that holds thousands of birds and the general area is home to more than half a dozen more. More than one-third of Foiles' total acreage is comprised of flooded cornfields inundated via a state of the art 30-inch pumping system and an elaborate series of dikes and levees. An added bonus of this flooding system is that the pumps keep water flowing even during the coldest days, which keeps the ducks on the water. From the air, Fallin' Skies must look like the Ritz Carlton to passing ducks and geese and most of the travelers stop in for a visit. When they do, they are greeted by a curtain of steel shot dispensed by a maximum of 24 hunters spread within a series of 11 deluxe pit blinds.

These blinds are all top end, measuring 28 feet long by seven feet high. There is plenty of room to move around and all the blinds feature electric stoves for heat and to keep the coffee warm.

In addition to the aquatic habitat at Fallin' Skies, there is also plenty of land devoted to varied food plots that create a veritable smorgasbord for the discerning waterfowl's pallet. While corn provides the staple fare, there is also a choice of millet, milo and buckwheat for those ducks and geese that appreciate having a choice.

While all the various species common to the Mississippi Flyway stop in at Fallin' Skies at some point during the season, the bulk of visitors are mallards. On our two-day shoot, we limited out on mallards each day and took in addition several pintails and gadwalls. The action was fast and furious with what seemed a never ending stream of ducks coming in to the decoys, presenting us with in-your-face shots that even the most inexperienced water fowler would have trouble missing. Hunting with a master caller like Jeff Foiles was more than worth the price of admission and when you combine that experience with all the benefits offered by the Fallin' Skies Strait Meat Duck Club you've got a real win-win situation for the wildfowl enthusiast.

Contact: Jeff Foiles' Fallin' Skies Strait Meat Duck Club at www.fallinskiesduckclub.com; 217-285-5665.