Hunter's heaven.

At a 7,000-acre antebellum plantation hidden just outside the city of Holly Springs, W.O. "Bill" Fitch has fulfilled a dream to create one of the nation's best quail preserves.

The 70-year-old straight-shooting Fortune 500 veteran now spends most of his time there in a restored home once owned by General Nathan Bedford Forest. From the nearby recently built commissary, he directs a staff that has made Fitch Farms-Galena Plantation arguably the Mid-South's finest quail hunting venue, fifth-ranked in America.

Redolent of the Old South, Galena now hosts two annual field trials and offers quail hunts throughout the hunting season where shooters pay a flat fee "per gun" for a full-day hunt, complete with lodging, meals, and "hors d'oeuvres while birds are dressed." Guests hunt by horseback of from mule-drawn wagons.

Even the least experienced sportsman is assured of a good time; each hunter is guaranteed 12 birds each day. The quail crop is so abundant that a good shooter will often kill 100 in a three-day hunt--and some have bagged as many as 160.

Randy Downs, a third-generation quail dog trainer from Rienzi, is in charge of the plantation's dog program and field trials. He and his aides lure the quail with field strips of milo, millet, and other grains.

In 1992, Downs, a two-time Dog Handler of the Year, led Fitch-owned "The Hitch Hiker," nicknamed "Ike," to the National Field Trial Championship at Grand Junction, Tennessee. Although Ike has been the only Fitch-owned national winner, a dog from here has qualified to run in the National in each of the last 16 years. "We had two there last year and should have two there the next time," Downs says.

Fitch launched his own Open All-Age Field Trial here four years ago after becoming an outspoken critic of the low number of birds at the National. This year's Open All-Age Field Trial begins Dec. 13, and a large contingent of competitors is expected. One hundred dogs turned out last year for the romps across the Galena Plantation. "There were handlers here from 13 states and Canada," Fitch beams. "There were gallery riders from as far away as New Hampshire."

In addition to the Open, a qualifying event for the National, Galena also hosts a revival of the old Marshall County Amateur Trial. In this three-day event last year, 69 dogs participated. "We're not big in the amateur deal," Fitch says. "They had a little amateur club here back in the '60s, and we have helped hunters around here revive it."

Both Mississippi U.S. senators, Trent Lott and Thad Cochran, have brought friends to Galena for quail hunts. President Bush was planning to come to the plantation before September 11, 2001, but had to cancel his outing, Fitch says.

In addition to quail hunts, Galena offers wild turkey and deer hunts on a 4,000-acre range. No extra enticements are offered to get either the deer of the turkey onto the plantation. "This is a natural habitat for them," explains Fitch's wife, Joan. "They're just everywhere--hundreds of them," Downs adds. "They are a nuisance to a degree."

Lovers of history appreciate the plantation as much as lovers of the hunt do. Noted Confederate cavalryman Forest bought the home that is the centerpiece of these grounds in 1845 for $300. During the 12 years he lived there, the building served as the site for his wedding and for the birth of two of his children.

The home was actually located in Hernando when Bill and Joan Fitch first discovered it. They decided to move it to its present location, but before they could do so, "We had to tear down seven rooms that had been built around it to get down to the original logs," Fitch says. "We put everything back to the original." Since relocating the historic home, Joan has filled it with antique furniture, noting that her research on Forest has revealed that he "liked fine things." Guests are invited to stay within its newly restored interior of to choose from several other historic buildings, including the original slave quarters of the Milan Plantation and a quaint home known as "Uncle Otis' Cabin." After a long day of hunting and trail riding on the plantation's rolling hills, guests gather in the lodge for a gourmet meal of wild game and "five-star desserts" prepared by professional chefs.

Fitch's next addition to Galena Plantation--which already includes 10 unique buildings, in addition to the barns--is a "replica of an antebellum mansion with columns," Fitch says. "Civil War buffs and two retired Army generals who conduct Civil War tours have started coming here, so we don't get a lot of rest being in [the Forest home] and next to the commissary."

For those not interested in hunting, the plantation also offers horseback-riding vacation packages, for which days begin with "ranch-hand breakfasts" and culminate in leisurely rides through the woods interrupted only by elaborate picnic lunches.

Hunting dates are from October 1 through March 31. For more information booking a hunt, call 662/252-8855 or see www.fitchfarms.com.