Located in the hills of Vermont is a hunting preserve dedicated to hunting as it should be. Now I know that 4000 acres does not sound like a lot of land to you westerners but here in New England it is a sure bit of territory to travel looking for game. From Texas Dall Sheep, Russian boar, Mouflan Ram, Corsican Ram, Red Stag, European Red Deer, Fallow deer, Buffalo, yes Buffalo, Sitka deer and a lot of whitetails this preserve is made to make a hunter's dream come true. Bill Ritcher is the owner and has made quite a name for himself.

Bill has lived in Alaska  for 5 years. Living with the Eskimos and even working as a guide in Alaska. Bill even guided Fred Bear on one of Fred's hunts in the land of the Midnight sun. Bill also guided and traveled in the out backs of the South American swamps for a few years and was in constant danger of the native tribes that were cannibalistic. I believe he even did a short time guiding in Africa. But the point is he loves hunting and helping hunters achieve their goals. Some people even believe that preserve hunting is a "canned hunt."  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

If any of you have hunted boar either alone or over dogs you know it is not easy.  I know because I took a nice boar a few years back up there. After 3 hours of boars chasing me as well as fighting and wounding a dog, we were finally able to put it down. 

The acreage is all free ranging animals. No guarantee what you are going to see at any given time which makes it interesting.   The guides can drop you off, you can sit on the sides of hills, stalk your quarry, or decide to use the terrain to locate the game you wish to pursue.  The 2 1/2 day hunt was not an easy one. The ATVs tried getting me   into a locale where they thought some rams might come out, none did. Sitting on a rocky ledge watching for a glimpse of a ram was interesting. 3 Red Stags came by about 75 yards away. Then a small fallow deer about 2 hours later and just before sunset a coyote trotted up to about 25 yards away. I debated shooting him but decided not to. Other then that the first day offered no shot. But the hardwoods and the changing colors of the foliage made it a sight to behold.   The guide told me where to be so they could pick me up. I decided to do a little stalking and took a stalk through the trees and rocks that were scattered through the high hill side. But still no game was seen on that stalk. So at around 6 p.m. I sat on the rock waiting to be picked up and took in the red and golden hues of the autumn scene that engulfed the valley below me as the sun was sinking beneath the hill in the distance. Truly a sight to behold.

Food. Bill's wife made the food special. Pure homemade cooking. From the smell of pancakes in the morning to the tender Red Stag steaks cooking in the evening. All fresh, all delicious and cooked in front of you.

No fat, no artificial ingredients just pure meat every night. No electricity at night either. 

Evenings were spent in the rustic lodge, before a warm fireplace with lots of hunting tales. It wasn't the Ritz but we did have a light in the room attached to a car battery and a hot shower that felt good after each hunt. 

The next day was the same only the trip up the rugged hillside on the ATVs had me a little worried because I don't bounce well. My bow bounced off once and I almost bounced off as I was on the back. Knowing I was too brittle to be hitting the ground from a moving vehicle, the guide was wise enough to move me to the front going up, to the back going down. I appreciated that.   Knowing my limitations of being able to hold on, and hold my bow, he held the bow until finally securing it by bungee cord to the rack so we could both hold on. Believe me I could not wait until I hit even terrain. 

After a harrowing ride I took a deep breath and started hunting from a location he had suggested. Eventually I was able to spot, then move into position that showed promise. It was not easy and after a couple of failed attempts on my part, some binoculars and some rocks along the way I found the animal I was looking for and made a stalk among trees to get my 25 yard shot. With some help from Muzzy broadheads and my rugged Golden Key accessories, I was able to arrow a nice Corsican ram. 

Art Champoux with his Corsican Ram.

While the guides are always eager to help, I hunted those woods alone. Thankfully though the guide was there to help me get my trophy out though. Again, I know my limitations. 

If you want a great hunt, some great home cooking with a great quality person and an avid hunter and veteran woodsman ... there is not a better place then Wild Hill Preserve. This was a high quality hunt and the affable conversations and expertise that Bill and his lovely wife gave to all of us there made it special. His memories of hunting on the Alaska tundra, his expertise on game management and the hospitality and cleanliness of his operation along with his willingness to help the hunter get his quarry ensured my return. For more info Contact Bill @ 802-333-4179 leave a message they will get back to you.

That's the way I see it in my "View From Behind The String".