Some of the larger outfits offer a combination of pen-raised and wild birds. On a couple of occasions in California, I hunted wild valley quail each morning and then after lunch I went after bobwhite quail, Hungarian partridge and pheasant that had been released.

On a preserve in Oregon, I hunted released chukar in the lowlands and then headed to higher ground on the very same preserve and hunted wild chukar.

The ringneck pheasants I hunted in South Dakota one time were a mixture of wild and released birds, and I absolutely could not tell one from the other in the way they flew, nor could anyone else in our groups of hunters. The coveys of bobwhites I hunted on a farm in Georgia last year contained both wild and released birds.

Some preserves charge on a per-bird basis while others charge a flat fee for the hunt, a guide and his dog, and a specified number of birds. Quail are the least expensive, ringneck pheasants the most expensive, chukar and Huns are usually in between those two.

Quail are the least predictable of the bunch. They may fly like gangbusters on Monday and refuse to fly more than a hop or two on Tuesday. They also fly better on some preserves than on others, mainly due to the differences in the environments in which they were raised.

And forget hunting released quail on a rainy day; once Brer' Bob's feathers get wet he will often refuse to budge, even with a pointer panting down his neck.

The chukar is a more a reliable performer than quail, but strong winds will sometimes keep it plastered to the ground when it should be flying.

Pheasants and Huns are the all-weather champs and will usually fly quite aggressively come rain, snow or shine. Between those two, the Hun is by far the most challenging to hit because it is smaller and it flies faster on the flush. I have hunted Huns on preserves and I have hunted them in the wilds and find no difference in how fast they fly, nor how difficult they are to hit. This is why I consider the Hungarian partridge king of game farm birds and strong contender for the same title among all wild birds.

As a rule, game farm birds hold tighter to the point of a dog than those in the wild. This allows the hunter to approach closer before taking the shot. It is for this reason that shotguns with the smaller bore sizes have become quite popular for use on liberated birds.

The 12-gauge is still favored by the inexperienced, once-a-year shotgunner, but the 20-gauge loaded with 7/8-ounce of shot is the No. 1 choice among those who frequent preserves quite often. On some preserves the 28 gauge in its common 3/4-ounce loading rivals the 20 in popularity, but nationwide the 20 sees more use.

The .410 is quite popular among experienced hunters, and I seldom ever use anything else. The 21?2-inch skeet loads with 1/2-ounce of No. 81?2, and No. 9 shot work fine on quail out to 20 yards, but I switch to the 3-inch shell loaded with 11/16-ounce of bigger shot when shooting bigger birds, No. 71?2s for chukar and Huns and No. 6s for pheasant.

Like many other things in life, preserve hunting is what you make it. If you go in with a negative attitude, you really don't need to be there in the first place. If you go in with an open mind and with the intention of enjoying a beautiful day in the field with good friends, good dogs and fine guns, you will likely return on another day.

Few hunting preserves are as good as the real thing, but the better ones beat the heck out of the alternative many hunters face today. In certain areas of our country the choices are simple: You either shoot birds on preserves or you don't shoot them at all. Thank goodness we are still free to make such choices.