LEROY — For Ben Jacobsen, owner of Three Arrows Hunting Preserve, one of his favorite aspects of the business is when families hunt together.
“The most fun is families — when you get three generations, you get the kids and their kids and the grandparents all together,” Jacobsen said.
Jacobsen operates the hunting preserve and a Brittany dog training business near LeRoy, alongside his wife, Diane. Over the years, his now-adult children have been involved in the family businesses, have competed with the Brittany dogs and still help out as needed in varying capacities.
The Three Arrows Hunting Preserve land has been owned or rented by the Jacobsen family for almost 100 years. The land is divided into 160 acres dedicated to the preserve, which started in 2011, plus another 100 acres of habitat in the Conservation Reserve Program.
The preserve is predominantly a pheasant hunting experience, with hunters paying for the release of mature pheasants before they arrive. The Jacobsens release 4,000 to 4,500 pheasants into the unfenced preserve each year.
“(I am happy) as long as they leave smiling — whatever that experience is,” Jacobsen said.
Jacobsen said some of his guests have been visiting several times a year since he opened the business.
“You get to know them pretty well,” Jacobsen said. “(It) gets to be a family feel. … I hope I mean as much to them as they do to me.”
A special yearly event hosted at Three Arrows Hunting Preserve is the veterans hunt in October.
“To hear the vet stories, that’s probably one of the most rewarding to hear what they went through,” Jacobsen said.
One of the veterans he specifically remembers attending was a World War II veteran. The veteran had been a boat driver who had helped land soldiers at the Normandy beaches on D-Day in France.
“He didn’t share a lot of his story, but it was pretty powerful,” Jacobsen said.
What made it more special was that the veteran’s daughter who accompanied him that day was also hearing his story for the first time.
“She didn’t know what he did in the military until that day because he was never in a situation where he was comfortable to talk about it,” Jacobsen said.
The veterans’ hunt is a collaboration between Jacobsen and several hunting and firearms organizations.
“We decided that we’re not putting anybody’s name on it,” Jacobsen said. “It’s just a vets’ hunt, because that’s what it’s about. It’s about the vets. It’s not about us.”
Jacobsen started his preserve initially because he needed more land for training Brittany dogs and preparing them for competitions. The Jacobsens are both breeders and trainers. In 2024, during their largest class, they had 25 dogs, which they trained for three months.
Jacobsen said he has always liked dogs. His dad bred Brittany dogs, but it was Jacobsen who enjoyed training them. Now, Jacobsen’s son, James, helps him with training during the summer.
“We do a lot working with the dog’s natural desire to be with you as a pack,” Jacobsen said. “It starts by building their instincts and trying to get them confident with their instincts.”
The Jacobsens work to create a relationship with the dog, something they call “join up.”
“Trainers work with the dog’s natural ability,” Jacobsen said. “We think you get a happy, more stylish dog when you can work with what the dog has.”
The dogs are not the only ones to receive training. The owners are also given instruction.
“Most dogs that got problems, it’s manmade (problems),” Jacobsen said.
Besides for operating the preserve and training dogs, Jacobsen also works part time in maintenance for the Grand Meadow School District.
“If you don’t work 80 hours a week, what do you do?” Jacobsen said.
There is seasonality in his three roles. Dog training mainly happens during warmer months, while the hunting preserve is in operation from mid-September through March if the weather allows. The elongated hunting season is legal under their commercial license.
“You get a sunny, 20-degree day in February, it feels pretty warm,” Jacobsen said. “A lot of guys like to come because it breaks up cabin fever.”
The preserve’s commercial license makes hunting there popular for those with family or friends visiting from out of state, because they do not need to buy an individual license.
Jacobsen also has hunters who are locals or are from a few hours away. His farthest-traveling clients were visiting from Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in Rochester.
“We get a lot of first-time hunters,” Jacobsen said. “People will bring their kids out here when they’re hunting for the first time because it’s more controlled, and they know they’ll see something.”
Many hunters come with their own dogs and hunt independently. However, Jacobsen, his wife, adult children or one of their crew can also offer guide services and dogs.
“Whatever level of need people have, we try to help them with it,” Jacobsen said.
The preserve has mown trails, making it accessible to varying levels of physical ability. The Jacobsens do habitat management including spot spraying, maintaining food plots and ensuring the right mix of flowers and grasses are planted and growing. Jacobsen said his wife’s favorite flower in the preserve is the black-eyed Susan, and his favorite is the purple coneflower.
As Jacobsen thinks about the future of his business, he does not currently have plans to expand because more clients would require him to hire more staff. He said his business grew steadily for the first seven to eight years and has stayed steady since then.
“It’s not easy to find somebody that they can come in and do this kind of work,” Jacobsen said.
However, Jacobsen said, he would like to eventually pass the business on.
“We’d like to see one of the kids or a combination of the kids … take it over,” he said. “I also don’t want to put that pressure on them either. I know firsthand what pressure comes with buying the family farm.”
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