Rush watching me clear snow out of the kennels.

Winter came roaring in this week. Hopefully everyone reading this post made it through the storm safely and stayed warm. It was a doozy.

This is our dog, Rush. He was very happy to have the drift of snow moved out of his kennel today. Although the other half of his kennel is inside a heated kennel building, he prefers to be outside so he can see what’s going on at the farm. He’s a good boy.

Check out the snow though. Woof!! That’s a LOT of snow!!

We had a full week of blizzards in South Dakota…yep, you read that right, the whole state got rocked. The western border got 48 inches in some areas! We got a little over 14 inches in Pierre, but it shut us down for a solid 4 straight days. So digging out has only just begun.

Icicles and waves of drifted snow outside the dog kennels.

The wind has made some very interesting drifts in the snow. Now that the storm has passed, we are able to appreciate the beauty that was left behind. Nature is so very powerful and truly amazing. Mike is out flying his drone… I will try to share some of that video soon.

Make sure you follow Broken Arrow Farms on Facebook and Instagram too. We post photos on those platforms regularly so you can keep up with our day to day operations there.

Wishing you all the happiest of holidays and the best that 2023 has to offer.

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The Ferritto Family hunt 2020.

This weekend was bittersweet at Broken Arrow Farms. We bid our final farewell to our friend Rick Ferritto. He’s been coming every October for more than 20 years. Over those years, we became more like family. We watched his kids grow up, get married, and start families of their own. While we so looked forward to seeing the Ferritto family, it wasn’t the same without Rick.

This man lived. He truly LIVED. Maybe God knew He would be calling him home sooner than any of us were ready for. One thing I know for sure, anyone who knew Rick was blessed. He improved our lives in ways he never knew. He cherished his family and friends. He loved and served the Lord.

Release of pheasants in honor of Rick and Sully. Cooper, Matt, Catie, & Chris salute.

Rick was one of the best story tellers I have ever known. He would come up to South Dakota telling stories of his adventures back home, so I am sure he would return home filled with stories about his travels in South Dakota. Like the time his father, Sully, killed 6 pheasants in 6 shots. Or the time he rescued a dog who was wandering around in a field. Turned out she was my dog, Pepper. And she was learning to stay with her guide or she’d get left behind. Haha!

Although it won’t be the same without their dad/grampy, the Ferritto’s will continue the tradition started by Rick, just as he would have wanted it to be. Life goes on. Cooper, Matt’s son, has been carrying his BB gun on hunts and walking along with his dad. Before we know it, Cooper will be a pro and maybe even carry on Sully’s title, “6 for 6.”  🙂

The Ferritto Family 2022. In loving memory of Rick.

Rick smiled down on us this weekend. We had perfect weather for spending time in the great outdoors. The hunters had a great hunt and the non-hunters enjoyed playing with the puppies, painting pumpkins, a lively game of nature bingo, and even a little pony ride. It would have also been Rick’s 65th birthday on Friday… so we celebrated him to the fullest. See our tribute to Rick here.

“Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. They simply mean we’ll miss you… until we meet again.”

With love, the Broken Arrow Farm Family

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Wine and hunting dog for added effect.

What do you do after you have finished your hunt!?? You make Broken Arrow BBQ Bird Bites of course!! I used a Traeger pellet grill to make mine, but you can use any sort of grill or even roast them in an oven!

Ingredients: 4 pheasant breasts, 1 lb of bacon, season all, grape jelly, and chili sauce. I’m not a brand snob, but I will tell you what I used just in case you want to replicate exactly. One reason I like cooking over baking is that recipes for cooking are much more forgiving than baking recipes. Cooks can sub in pretty much anything to cater to a particular taste. As for me, I have a sweet tooth. I used maple bacon, an all-purpose seasoning blend from Savory Spice in Ft Collins, CO, Welch’s Natural Concord Grape spread, and Heinz Chili Sauce. If you’ve ever been to a super bowl party, you’ve probably had a fan favorite crock pot dish called Beanie Weenies…. this is that same magical secret sauce.

chop chop

Step 1: Cut the pheasant breasts into cubes and cut the bacon strips in half as shown.

Step 2: Season the pheasant cubes with all-purpose seasoning to taste.

Step 3: Place pheasant on an end of the bacon strip and roll. Place bacon wrapped cube onto a skewer. (you can also make individual tooth pick skewers or place seam side down on a baking rack) Repeat until all cubes are wrapped with bacon and skewered. I was able to get 6 bites per skewer. I didn’t want to pack them on too tight to make sure all sides get browned.

Step 4: Let seasoning cure on meat while you preheat your pellet grill filled with mesquite wood pellets to 225 degrees. I set at the highest possible temp to still have the ability to use the “super smoke” feature on my specific grill.

Step 5: Once grill reaches temp, place skewers of bites on the grates, set to super smoke, and smoke for 30 minutes. Flip and rotate and smoke for an additional 30 minutes.

smoke ’em if you got ’em!!

Step 6: In a small bowl, mix a 1/4 cup of grape jelly with 1/4 cup chili sauce. We’ll call this the beanie weenie sauce.

Step 7: Cancel super smoke and increase grill temp to 350 degrees. Using a brush, baste your skewered bites with the beanie weenie sauce, flip and baste the other side.

Step 8: Grill bites for an additional 10 minutes allowing the beanie weenie glaze to caramelize.

Step 9: (Optional) If you want additional sauce for dipping, you can combine the remaining grape jelly and chili sauce in a sauce pan and heat on a stove top, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until thickened.

Step 10: Remove from grill and serve warm. These delicious little bites pair well with an ice cold beer, comfy couch, and a football game.

These are just as good warmed up the next day…. or you could grill them up and drop ’em in a crock pot to keep warm so you can impress your friends at your next neighborhood pot-luck or tailgate party! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, so good!!!

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Mark and Jeff

Meet Jeff. He’s a keeper. Truly an all around good guy.

Jeff is one of our hunting guides. If you are on the calendar to hunt at Broken Arrow, chances are pretty solid you’ll get to meet him in person! We keep him super busy during hunting season and plenty busy off season too. There’s never a dull moment around here. Between bird chores and dogs and all of the general day to day maintenance and repair, it’s not hard to find things to do.

Finlee

Being a central South Dakota sportsman through and through, you won’t be surprised to learn that Jeff is also an avid fisherman. Next to a cool fall day in the field hunting, there’s nothing quite like a sunny summer day floating down the river with a fishing pole in hand.

Now that the lodge is open all year, we’ve been getting more and more inquiries about fishing excursion opportunities. As luck would have it, Jeff is your guy(d)!! (hahaha – see what I did there??)  Give him a call at (605) 280-1736.

When you’re planning your next trip to Pierre, whether for hunting, fishing, or just a relaxing get-away, the Lodge at Broken Arrow Farms is the answer. Bring your buddies. Bring your spouse. Bring your clients. Bring your co-workers. Bring your family.

We’ll be seeing you soon!

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Come see what all the hype is about!

A good time was had by all and the Lodge at Broken Arrow Farms is now officially open for business. We appreciate everyone for coming out to celebrate with us! The Pierre Area Chamber of Commerce kicked it off with this little man and his giant scissor… He couldn’t be more excited to welcome you to the farm!

The Lodge has something for everyone and for every occasion. Family Reunion? We have room for gramma and grampa and all of the cousins in our 9 bedrooms and 14 queen size and larger beds. Birthday Party? With a full kitchen, you can bake your cake and eat it too! Intimate wedding? Explore 100s acres of beautiful prairie scenery for the perfect backdrop. Team building retreat? The two huge TVs in the great room are perfect for all of your presentation needs. Need a quiet weekend away with friends? Sit out on the patio around the wood burning fire pit with a few of your favorite humans listening to the crackle of the fire and the frogs chirping in the distance.

It was a good day to have a good day.

Although you could check in and stay at the farm for your entire trip, Pierre has plenty of other things for you to do! We are only 15 miles from the Missouri River where you have access to fishing, swimming, recreational boating, or kayaking, just to name a few. We’re 13 miles from the city where you can eat some of the best steak of your life at one of our fabulous restaurants, visit historical landmarks like the beautiful SD State Capitol and grounds showcasing bronze statues honoring our military veterans and former governors, miles and miles of groomed walking, hiking, and bicycle trails, shopping, or play a round of golf.

 

Whatever the occasion, give us a call. We’d love to meet you.

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