My wife and I just got a brittany about 3 months ago and I have been working with him on retrieving and pointing (he was naturally pointing robins, squirrels, and rabbits in the yard). He loves every minute of it. I am looking for some areas to take him. I am close to carlyle, so hazlet is a possibility. Any other advice would be great.

They do hunts over at Horseshoe lake in Granite City too.

If you are looking for open public land with birds your best bet would be Kansas. Unfortunately, in Illinois upland game does not get much attention. It is also hard to find private places with the deer leases. I used to do the pheasant releases. Horseshoe is a little bette than Carlyle (fewer people and more fields/grasslands, but I always thought the best place was Ramsey lake. It is a little more of a drive, but there are fewer people and you can shoot quail. Be sure to apply for the free upland permit. You don't have a very good chance of getting selected, but I have had some really good hunts at Pyramid SP. There are also some hunting preserves that release birds and you have a much longer season.

I kick up a good many quail at Pyramid and Willie's gotten fair at flushing them...
One of our members here - Deno owns Muddy River Shooting Preserve - it's at Wolf Lake so it would be a drive, but I can guarantee you it would be worth the drive - Deno's is an especially great place to work with young dogs and folks new to bird hunting - he and his wife Linda are super hosts, and there is lodging at his place should you need it.

I can't say enough good things about his place. If he and Linda would let me..I'd just move into the Dog House LOL