Chris Ingram for SPLIT REED

Alex Russo, the owner of Flatland Flyways, was born and bred in the Sand Lake/Hecla area just outside of Aberdeen, South Dakota, and has been hunting waterfowl for as long as he can remember. He grew up hunting with his father and quickly developed a name for himself and began guiding groups of hunters in his area since age 16 when members of his community recognized his ability to consistently locate and harvest ducks and geese. Alex mentions how much he enjoys the challenge of staying on the birds, adapting to changes and learning their behaviors and routines. After high school, Alex enlisted in the Marine Corps and aspired to build a career in the military. While serving in Afghanistan, he developed a back injury and after returning home, attempted to return to the local workforce and began a job in construction; however, due to his complications, he was unable to continue working the way he wanted to. It was then that he turned back to his first and leading love of waterfowl hunting. He had done some guiding in the past and had even worked a season with Tony Vandemore at Habitat Flats, surely, he knew he could turn his passion into a lucrative business. In 2016, Flatland Flyways took flight and this outlet has been instrumental in helping him come to terms with his injury and completely embrace this new direction in his life.

With his wife, Megan (marketing/sales), father, Art (lodge management), mother, Maggie (lodge chef), along with a devoted team of guides and support staff by his side- the Flatland Flyways team set out to create a service-based experience, dedicated to providing a unique, custom and personalized outing for every person that came through the lodge. Groups are kept to just 6-8 guests, 12 maximum at any one time, to ensure that every hunter is afforded personal interaction with the entire lodge team, a concept that not all outfitters adhere to. Alex and his family have made it their mission to produce an individualized experience that reminds guests of being at home with family and friends.

Based in Hecla, South Dakota, Flatland Flyways has a humble, transparent, open-door policy when it comes to hunting and expectations. Some days the birds don’t follow the script and sometimes weather controls the show. They don’t guarantee rainouts and limits day in and day out, but if that’s your agenda, there are other places for you to turn to. At Flatland Flyways, it’s all about the experience rather than just the reward. Alex and his guides have decades of knowledge regarding hunting ducks and geese in the region and they know how to consistently put clients on birds. Take a note here, at Flatland Flyways, it’s not about how fast you can fill a limit, it’s about how good the birds are finishing in the decoys. You may have to sit on your hands and let the first few flocks pass, but when the shot is called, you’re going to have birds so close you can reach out and grab them. Alex and his guides pride themselves on putting greedy greenheads at your fingertips. He finds great joy in seeing the smirks and smitten faces on the hunters after a hungry mass of mallards bombed the spread at 5-10 yards. And it’s not uncommon for a client at Flatland Flyways, to see more ducks in a single hour than they will see all season back home.

So, what can you expect when you visit the Flatland Flyways lodge? As an Orvis-endorsed lodge, you will encounter nothing but complete professionalism with impeccable service of the highest integrity from Alex, his staff and his family. The entire process from booking your hunt, to arriving at the lodge with a warm meal waiting, to jumping into the blind with decoys already set, to bird processing and the lodge life itself will be entirely effortless on your part. You’ll be hunting fresh birds, without the heavy pressure that you may find at other outfitters, on private leases and productive ground that Alex has been hunting for several decades. While greenheads in the dry field are the bread and butter hunt here, when the migration is on, you can also expect to get into pintails, wigeon, gadwall, teal, divers, Canada geese, and specks. If you filled your limit of ducks in the morning your group may decide to chase honkers in the afternoon. In the springtime, it’s all about hammering on the snow geese, Alex’s favorite bird to pursue; with no plugs, no limits and no worries. The lodge itself is comfortable and cozy, including large private rooms with deck views of the nearby Sand Lake Refuge, scrumptious, down home-style meals prepared with love by Maggie (Alex’s mother), and a few additional exciting special features including an optional massage therapist and access to a fitness center. After your morning hunt, you’re welcome to catch a nap in your room or challenge your buddies to a friendly competition at the on-site gun range, which sports a pistol pit, rifle range and trap set. At Flatland Flyways, you’re paying a premium price, but the team and their facilities are committed to ensuring you leave with a premium experience.

On a personal level, Alex has a mentality towards his operation that can only be viewed as sincere, genuine, and authentic. He truly cares about every individual’s private experience. He will be in the blind next to you, asking you about your job, your wife and your kid’s sports team. He welcomes and encourages questions and comments about decoy strategies, bird behavior, or why he’s hunting the way he is. You’re going to get a more intimate experience with more attention than you would nearly everywhere else. Spending a week at the lodge, getting under massive migrating flocks of ducks and geese and becoming engrossed in good conversation lends everyone the opportunity to decompress from their busy and stressful lives for a few days, and Alex is pleased to generate that opportunity for his clients. He mentions how humbling it is and how lucky he feels to live and hunt where he does, in dry cornfields next to a national wildlife refuge, after hearing about the grandiose efforts and constant struggles that some folks go through on their hunts back home.

Finding a way to give back to our public service community, Alex offers discounted rates and custom packages for our military, law enforcement, and first responders. One of these notable special events that mean the most to him, are the hunts he hosts with Special Ops Xcursions. Having formerly served in the military himself, Alex seeks to show his gratitude and give back in his own way to this noble set of men who serve our country in one of the most honorable yet frequently overlooked and under-appreciated ways. It’s a humbling opportunity to reclaim his own sense of perspective. He appreciates spending time with this crew because they could care less about shooting limits, posting on social media or otherwise getting caught up in the attention-seeking behavior that has perverted our sport. They become genuinely engaged at the moment and wholly appreciate the simple opportunity to exercise their freedom to hunt and spend time together.

I asked Alex, what he thought were some of the key aspects that have allowed his business to be so successful and he affirms that it is the character and integrity that he and his family refuse to sacrifice in putting together a memorable experience for each and every guest that comes through their door. Every member of Flatland Flyways takes the time to get to know every guest, asking about their life, their family and their story. The Russo’s are tirelessly enthusiastic about creating exciting and memorable opportunities for their guests which is the single-most prided aspect of their entire operation. In the off-season, Alex and his family stay busy at the lodge hosting special events, corporate functions, Christmas parties, retreats, pistol self-defense training and more. Alex also hinted to me about some exiting new developments in the early formational stages at the lodge, including a pro shop with all the essential gear and a “man-cave” style game room outfitted with televisions to watch Saturday afternoon college football and an array of games from dart boards to foosball tables to pool tables and more.

Now that you’ve gotten to know Alex Russo and Flatland Flyways just a little bit more, they want to hear from you, get to know your story, invite you to their lodge to wine and dine you and put you and your flock on the trip of a lifetime. So, grab your best buds or load up the family and start planning your trip to Flatland Flyways. To find more information about their accommodations, rates, packages, and availabilities, be sure to visit www.flatlandflyways.com and stay connected in the meantime via their Facebook (www.facebook.com/flatlandflyways) and their Instagram pages (www.instagram.com/flatlandflyways).

Chris Ingram

Flatland Flyways

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