Backcountry Shooting Preserve

Alex CliftFebruary 2026

★★★★★

I cannot recommend Backcountry Shooting Preserve highly enough. I first learned about it while browsing Facebook, where I came across a video showing quail flushing strong and flying fast. The cover looked remarkably similar to true wild quail habitat, and it immediately caught my attention. From that moment, I knew I wanted to hunt this place. I reached out to Kenton outside of traditional business hours to ask about hunt availability, and he returned my call within five minutes. From the start, he was exceptionally friendly and took the time to answer all of my questions without any pressure to book a hunt. On the morning of the hunt, my wife and I were greeted by Kenton and Hunter as soon as we arrived. While they prepared for the day, my wife and I had a pleasant conversation with Kenton's father. Once everything was ready, we climbed into the UTV, and Kenton reviewed his safety guidelines as we made our way to the starting point for the hunt. We were able to hunt our own dog, but we also had the opportunity to hunt over Kenton's pointer, Bob. Bob demonstrated impeccable manners on every bird and was a pleasure to watch work. I would be remiss not to mention the tremendous effort put in by Kenton's top-tier English Cockers, Bubba and Tank. The dog work at Backcountry Shooting Preserve is second to none. The area we hunted covered roughly three and a half hours, and we never passed over the same ground twice. There were so many birds that we focused solely on covey rises. To give you an idea of just how impressive the habit is, Bob pointed a woodcock during our hunt. And this was in February, when the grounds at many clubs start to look worn down - yet here, everything remained in pristine condition. After the hunt, we enjoyed a phenomenal meal prepared by Chef Lucas. The meal included Ceasar salad, garlic bread, brussels sprouts, chicken marsala, and blackberry cobbler for dessert. Lucas was a pleasure to talk with and happily answered all of my wife's cooking questions. I have hunted quail plantations in the Red Hills region of Georgia, and in my opinion, Backcountry Shooting Preserve captures all the elements that make a Southwest Georgia quail hunt truly special. If you're looking for hard-flying quail over top-tier dogs on grounds that reflect what authentic quail habitat should be, do yourself a favor and book a hunt with Kenton at Backcountry Shooting Preserve.

Kellie NashDecember 2025

★★★★★

Chris Nash here! Kenton, Chef Lucas and Trent done an amazing job making my father and myself feel like special guests. Kenton’s dogs are top notch and work birds up like magic! I’ve never seen more birds in one place. His preserve is managed to a science and safety is an utmost priority. Truly a professional gig! This place might be the best I’ve ever seen. He helped my father and myself make another memorable hunting excursion. This is the real deal can’t thank his team enough.

James HeltsleyNovember 2025

★★★★★

Excellent experience! Great staff and amazing food! Dogs were wonderful! Will definitely be back! Thanks for an awesome time!

Mark BoothNovember 2025

★★★★★

Had an incredible experience at Backcountry. The rolling hills and beautiful open fields made for the perfect setting. Kenton and Hunter did an outstanding job putting us on the birds all day. Their knowledge, professionalism, and enthusiasm made the entire hunt smooth and enjoyable. To top it off, the chef prepared an amazing lunch that was every bit as impressive as the hunt itself. Great food, great people, and a great property. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a top-notch quail hunting experience.

Creed GrayNovember 2025

★★★★★

Great habitat, great people, great food and most importantly, great dogs! Bonus was the multiple coveys of wild quail we saw while on the hunt. Would highly recommend to anyone!

Jacob PridemoreNovember 2025

★★★★★

Where to even start…. I can’t say enough wonderful things about my experience at Backcountry Shooting Preserve . From the moment we arrived, everything was absolutely first-class. Our guide, Kenton, was exceptional—professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely passionate about creating an unforgettable day in the field. He made the entire experience flow effortlessly and added so much to the enjoyment of the hunt. The private chef was another standout. The meal before the hunt was crafted with care and creativity, and each dish was as impressive as the last. The cornbread and pecan pie was some of the best I’ve ever had! The land itself is stunning—rolling fields, wooded edges, and wide-open skies that make you want to stay outside forever. It’s clear the preserve is meticulously cared for, and the natural beauty adds so much to the quality of the hunt. And of course, the dogs were phenomenal. Skilled, energetic, and a joy to watch work, they elevated the entire experience. Their enthusiasm was matched only by the plentiful quail, which made for steady action throughout the day. Overall, this experience and hunt exceeded every expectation. Incredible food, lodging, beautiful landscaped, top-tier dogs, and a guide like Kenton. I think the group was all in agreement this would be a yearly tradition.

Wyatt GoshornNovember 2025

★★★★★

What a great morning hunt! (With a fantastic seasonal sit down lunch!) Kenton is a well educated upland habitat resource manager, obviously a gifted dog trainer, and a great guide to spend some time with! Phenomenal dog work.

Bryan SimpsonNovember 2025

★★★★★

First class operation, privet and professionally ran! Hunting over award winning dogs makes the difference. Just when you think it doesn’t get any better,,,,,,, they feed you!!!!! Wow!!!

Hunter SextonApril 2025

★★★★★

I was a first-time bird hunter and they made the whole experience feel easy and unforgettable. The guides, dogs, and setup were top-notch—I’ll definitely be back.

Gary McClureApril 2025

★★★★★

Kenton is a great host. Knows birds and dogs as well as anyone I’ve met in my 72 years. Got a great thing going in Backcountry.

Seth BushJanuary 2025

★★★★★

Awesome guide with awesome dogs, if you’re wanting to bird hunt Kenton is the man!

Gary StantonJanuary 2025

★★★★★

Kenton has a great operation and it’s only a little over an hour for the heart of Nashville. 200+ acres of CRP to hunt and do some dog work. We even saw few wild conveys there cause the habitat was so good. The food and hospitality were just as great as the day afield.

Charlie MuncasterJanuary 2025

★★★★★

We had a 5 star experience. Property is absolutely beautiful and the dogs are studs! They treated us like family, fed us, and even made us hot chocolate and cookies after the hunt. Couldn’t recommend this place more if you’re anywhere close to Kentucky!

Ben WeddingtonJanuary 2025

★★★★★

We had an awesome time! All 3 times we’ve been here we’ve found nice, big covies of birds and got the opportunity for plenty of shooting.

Jeff WellsDecember 2024

★★★★★

A much needed dose of relaxed southern hospitality combined with an action packed hunt! Never experienced large coveys of quail like these guys present and the dog was nothing short of impressive. Don’t get to see too many family operations these days and each contributed to make a great overall experience. Well done. I see a new tradition coming! Oh yeah, don’t skip out on Jill’s lunch!

carson crumpNovember 2024

★★★★★

My dad and me visited late October and were blown away. We got to go around the entire farm hunting big coveys quail in pristine quail habitat. Was an unforgettable experience with my dad hunting over my own dog. We got to also experience an absolute stud of a dog that was trained by Kenton and was very impressive to watch that high of a caliber dog work. Kenton and his entire family have a top notch place. The place they have to hunt is amazing but the atmosphere and friendship that Kenton and his family share with you is unreal. From start to finish they want to make sure you have a great time. They sent us home with desserts for my mother’s birthday and still help answers any questions i have while trying to train my dog. My dad and I have been trying to work out dates to come back and hunt again this year. Will definitely be a new tradition for our family to visit. I highly recommend visiting.