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Friendly Fire Travel: Hunting with Cheney in New York

October 30, 2007 at 4:45 PM | 1 Comment

Vice President Dick Cheney took another one of his hunting trips Monday, though not a lot of news came of it. (Of course, no news is good news when the story involves the Veep and shotguns.) He stopped in at the Clove Valley Rod and Gun Club in Dutchess County, about 75 miles north of New York City, and didn't even stop to tell reporters whether he bagged a bird or not.

While you need to have friends in high places to hunt at Clove Valley (annual dues: $100,000), the county has some other hunting grounds available to commoners. TMT Hunting Preserve has 100 acres of private land, knowledgeable guides and trained hunting dogs. You can search out pheasant, chukar and mallard for a couple hundred bucks a day, which is about the same cost as a deep sea fishing trip. All sorts of deals are available, and since they supply pretty much everything, you don't have to worry about traveling with a ton of gear.

Not into shooting live birds? TMT also has sporting clays, as does the nearby Orvis Retail Store. At Orvis, 100 clays sell for $75 (to non-members) and you'll need to reserve a slot in advance. The store has ammo, gun rentals and ear and eye protection, too, making it easy to drop in for a day.

If you don't like guns at all, there's also lots of nice hiking in Dutchess County, including a section of the Appalachian Trail.

Related Stories:
· Cheney Goes on a Hunting Trip [NYT]
· TMT Hunting Preserve [Official Site]
· Orvis Retail Store, Sandanona, NY [Official Site]
· Shooting coverage [Jaunted]