Heritage 1865 - Hunting Outfitters and Lodge Review

By Andrea Haas

If you're looking for a great place to hunt upland birds, turkeys, or whitetail in Iowa, Heritage 1865 is the place to go! My husband and I went on an upland bird hunt there in October and were extremely impressed, not only with the hunting guides and the amount of shot opportunities at birds, but the amenities available at the lodge and the warm, friendly atmosphere as well.

Heritage 1865 is a family owned and run outfitter in south central Iowa, near Promise City. The lodge sits on 6,500 acres of prime hunting ground that is abundant with wildlife and has been managed to provide the best habitat for pheasant and quail. It's in Zone 5, which has been known to produce Pope and Young quality bucks and record-breaking eastern turkeys as well. 

The Heritage property is owned by the Ewing family and has been in their family for 150 years, passed down from one Ewing generation to the next since 1865. When we arrived at the lodge we were greeted by the owner, Travis Ewing and his grandmother Judy and could smell dinner cooking on the stove! Grandma Judy made us home cooked meals and desserts each day that were honestly the best we've ever had. We felt right at home and were treated like family!

Our guide, Tad, was very knowledgeable and familiar with the land. His hunting dogs Diesel, Hammer, and Dale didn't disappoint us either! This was our first time hunting with dogs, but it was clear that they knew what they were doing and were very well trained. We got multiple shot opportunities at quail and pheasants and the dogs were able to find and retrieve each bird that we shot.

I could not have asked for a better experience than at Heritage 1865. My pictures and review just do not do this place justice! Please check out the video on their website to see more, or better yet, book the lodge to see for yourself! The rates are all very affordable and there is a good variety of hunting packages available to best suit your needs.

Visit their website (www.heritage1865.com) for more information and to read up on some of the interesting Ewing family history that truly makes this place one of a kind! My husband and I look forward to returning there year after year to hunt and to visit with the family!

Buttermilk Fried Quail Recipe

By Andrea Haas

This October I went on my very first quail hunt. We ended up with 12 total, just enough for a meal! I've never had quail before so I experimented with it and tried it a couple of different ways to see how I like it. The recipe is intended for the whole quail breast, but we cut the meat off of the bone on a few and fried them that way, similar to nuggets. I personally preferred it that way, my husband liked it left on the bone (which is definitely easier and quicker). If you decide to make these into nuggets, use less oil and don't fry them as long. Once they are floating in the oil & golden brown, they are done.

Ingredients

-8 to 16 quail breasts

-2 cups buttermilk

-2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning

-2 teaspoons paprika

-1 Tablespoon garlic powder

-1 teaspoon ground white pepper

-2 cups flour

-1 Tablespoon salt

-3 cups vegetable oil

Instructions

Mix the buttermilk with all of the spices (except the salt). Dip the quail in the mixture and then set in a covered container for 1-8 hours.

When you are ready to fry, pour the oil in a large pan - I prefer a 10" cast iron pan - and heat over medium-high heat. You'll want enough oil so that it almost submerges the quail breasts.

Meanwhile, take the quail out of the buttermilk and let it drain in a colander. Don't shake the colander, just set the quail in it and leave it there.

Test the oil temperature by sprinkling a little flour into it. When it's ready, the flour will immediately sizzle.

Pour the flour and salt into a plastic baggie and shake to combine. Put a few of the quail into the bag and shake to get it coated in flour. Fry for about 4 to 5 minutes on one side. Turn the quail over and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes. You will probably fry in batches, so leave the unfried quail in the colander until you're ready to coat them in flour and fry them. You don't want the floured pieces to sit and soak up the flour.

When the quail are fried, set them on a cooling rack set above paper towels to drain away excess oil. 

Here's the finished product! It would go perfect with biscuits & gravy!