Guilt is a burdensome thing. More so, I have learned, if you own a tightly wired upland gun dog.

Before my English setter, Sally, became my constant companion nearly eight years ago, I loved and lost a number of other dogs, mostly Labs and Goldens. I hunted them some, but as long as I fed them and gave them a soft place to sleep, there were never any second thoughts like, “Should I have hunted her more this year? Did I cheat her by only getting her out for one day of waterfowling? Am I not worthy of this dog that was clearly born to hunt?”

All of this guilt came to the fore with Sally. She lives to hunt. That drive and hereditary trait is present every waking moment. She reminds me of a competitive runner always poised at the starting block. It dawned on me this October, during my absence in Colorado, that her clock is running. Maybe faster than mine. God wants her to hunt. I must get her more time afield, lest I face lingering guilt long after she is buried out back with my old black lab Bernice.

Dennis Jellison to the rescue. He, along with his wife Kathleen and his 18-year old son, Torin, are the operators and owners of a marvelous pheasant hunting preserve aptly called Setter’s Point. About four years ago, Dennis, a Master Maine Guide, took a deep breath, quit his day job and bought a vintage farm house and 225 acres in the shadow of Flint Mountain, not far from Waterford in Maine’s Albany Township.

A gracious and gregarious man who clearly loves his work, as well as pleasing clientele, Dennis has great enthusiasm for his operation, which is evident in everything that he says and does. At his invitation, Sally, my son Scott and I hunted pheasant at Setter’s Point for a couple of action-packed hours.

Setter’s Point has a lot of good things going for it. Situated on a high point of land overlooking the White Mountain National Forest, the view is inspiring. The hunting terrain is a nice blend of open fields, hardwoods, and pine groves. Perhaps best of all, Dennis Jellison is raising quality birds. This is important, because as anyone who has hunted farm-raised pheasant can tell you, there can be a wide disparity in these captive birds when it comes to flight characteristics.

These birds at Setter’s Point really get out of Dodge fast when the pressure is on. There was a steady wind with good scent and Sally “locked up” with precision and aplomb. Not so for the shooters. Scott and I managed to stop only three out of eight birds, and only after some quiet self-evaluation and good-natured ribbing from Dennis. Oh yes, team shooting brought our kill rate up some, too.

Maine is fortunate to have a number of high-caliber pheasant hunting preserves like Setter’s Point, which, according to Dennis, will offer an additional 50 acres of groomed hunting terrain next year. These pheasant hunting preserves are a great way to get a gun dog up to speed quickly, especially in lean grouse seasons like Maine has just experienced.

Setter’s Point is only about an hour’s drive from either the Portland or Lewiston areas. So far, Dennis reports that business has been brisk, attracting gun-dog folks from all over the Eastern seaboard. You can hunt pheasant year round, guided or unguided. Dennis has three seasoned Llewellin setters that he uses on guided hunts.

For more information about Setter’s Point check out the Web site at www.setterspoint.com. Dial 824-8824 or e-mail Dennis at [email protected]. As well as pheasant, they also offer chukar and quail in season.

As for Sally, she got her due that day in the scent-rich fields beneath Flint Mountain. We both moved slower the next day, but have since recovered.

If you and your gun dog didn’t “get on” enough birds this fall, you might consider a few hours at Setter’s Point, or any number of Maine’s growing list of pheasant hunting preserves.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].