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pheasantaddict

pheasantaddict

New member
After having a good fishing trip in SD, and seeing a good number of roosters. I would like to go bird hunting there this fall. Anybody recommend some places that have a trespass fee for $75-125/day range? Looking for 2-3 days and hunt public the rest.

Thanks,
Another Disgraced Iowa Hunter
 
Addict: Most of the restaurants or convenience stores in the small towns have local advertising for such. Also, try the motels in the towns or talk to the locals on a night out. Been freelancing SD for the last couple years due to low Iowa bird numbers. Hunting public is tough if you don't like people on top of you but it can be done successfully. My cousin (Iowa DNR employee) refuses to pay to hunt so we rough it out on public land but I have paid a trespass fee and it was well worth it. Question: why "another disgraced Iowa hunter". I'm assuming due to bird numbers?
 
No problem. Sometimes you have to travel to the birds. It took me awhile to "give up" on Iowa and head to SD. I finally got my father to make the trip last Dec. and I'm sure he enjoyed it but won't admit it. Iowa proud. I'll be back to Iowa once the bird numbers improve but driving from TX, we go where the birds are thick. I went to ISU and hunted around Marshalltown for many years until recently.
 
PA I am glad you have seen the light and are headed west. Maybe Niceshot will give you his hunting spots now that he is smoozing with old retired farmers and hunting in Iowa more.
 
pheasantaddict said:
Anybody recommend some places that have a trespass fee for $75-125/day range?
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I think finding a place with a $75-125 trespass fee will be as difficult as finding some place to let you hunt for free. Not too many years back $100-150 was kind of the norm. Now I'm seeing $225-275 as being very common. As long as people are willing to pay the price these landowners keep raising it. I can't say I agree with it but it's just the way it is.

Chris with Uguide Pheasant Hunting use to be on this site and may be something worth checking out. Here's the link to Chris' web site: http://www.uguidesdpheasants.com/

Good luck.
 
Dakotazeb said:
I think finding a place with a $75-125 trespass fee will be as difficult as finding some place to let you hunt for free. Not too many years back $100-150 was kind of the norm. Now I'm seeing $225-275 as being very common. As long as people are willing to pay the price these landowners keep raising it. I can't say I agree with it but it's just the way it is.

Chris with Uguide Pheasant Hunting use to be on this site and may be something worth checking out. Here's the link to Chris' web site: http://www.uguidesdpheasants.com/

Good luck.
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That is the kind of issue that has kept my family from moving to South Dakota. Simple fact is, either you have your own property or for us...you don't go. We no longer buy a Pheasant license in SoDak. We hunt Minnesota on the way to our place out there. Then concentrate on other game when we get to South Dakota. The commercialization of the sport there has ruined it for us. That's just our decision. We had to draw the line somewhere and for us pheasant hunting in South Dakota is now in our past.

Onpoint
 
I agree that the prices continue to go up due to demand but there are bargains if you look hard enough. Two years ago, a friend and I paid a trepass fee of $50/each in prime pheasant country (west river). We seen thousands of birds. The commercialization of the sport is a double edged sword to me in that most folks who truly hunt (vs shoot) cannot always afford the fees but on the other hand, it does wonders for the habitat. Every year you see more and more shelter belts and food plots being planted. Growing up and hunting Iowa all my life, it is definitely different paying an access fee. I guess moving to TX and paying for everything (leases) has softened my stance on such. I still don't like it, but will do it if I need to.
 
Habitat that is locked away behind unacceptable ground/fences does no good to those on the outside looking in. It's a fact for myself. I could careless if pheasants survive if I can't hunt them. Plow it under and make my cost of food cheaper. Then I will at least benefit in some way.
 
onpoint said:
Habitat that is locked away behind unacceptable ground/fences does no good to those on the outside looking in. It's a fact for myself. I could careless if pheasants survive if I can't hunt them. Plow it under and make my cost of food cheaper. Then I will at least benefit in some way.
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Is it possible that one should care if the habitat that produces pheasants and all the other game, not to mention the improved water quality and other benfits is worth something on its own and that hunters are secondary to this process.

We tired the fence row to fence row farming and the destruction of vast amounts of tree belts and you know what, that did not work well,remember the dirty thiritys

Yes the pay to hunt is not good for the commom man but not all habitat projects end up that way, some of us let people hunt for free and enjoy doing so, I spend thousands of dollars yearly and don't charge a thing. I just enjoy the hunt.

Want to hunt my place,bring your kid----thats a sure bet.
 
I agree that commercialization of the sport is not ideal, but that's just the way it is. No different than any other commodity that's in demand. And like I said, as long as there are people out there willing to pay the price there isn't much to change it. You can't really fault the landowner for not wanting to pass on the potential income. And because South Dakota has the most pheasants it continues to get a bad rap because "pay to hunt" has become the norm. Do you think it would be any different in other states (Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, etc.) if they had the pheasant population that SD has?

Look, I don't like it either as I've lost most of the private land I use to be able to hunt due to "pay to hunt". Thankfully SD has a lot of public land. Yes, it does get hunted heavy but I still manage to do quite will on public land.
 
SDJIM said:
Is it possible that one should care if the habitat that produces pheasants and all the other game, not to mention the improved water quality and other benfits is worth something on its own and that hunters are secondary to this process.

We tired the fence row to fence row farming and the destruction of vast amounts of tree belts and you know what, that did not work well,remember the dirty thiritys

Yes the pay to hunt is not good for the commom man but not all habitat projects end up that way, some of us let people hunt for free and enjoy doing so, I spend thousands of dollars yearly and don't charge a thing. I just enjoy the hunt.

Want to hunt my place,bring your kid----thats a sure bet.
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SDJIM, I totally understand where your coming from. Also, IMO...you are a rare breed who would let some folks on your place to hunt with out charging. I commend you Sir. You are a dying breed in this day and age. So many have to make money with every move they make. Even my wife's own family won't let their own family hunt(sister to sister). It pay or no play for even close relatives. In the end, they have alienated themselves from many family members. Sad to see greed come to this level, to where it separates family.

Onpoint
 
Onpoint you have a point, yes it is greed. Sometimes it is just business but its easy to slip into the greed end of it.

Keep it alive, take a kid hunting :10sign:
 
There are justifiable points to from both side here.

SDJIM, my hat's off to you Sir.

It's comes down to the priorities within reason from both parties, the farmer and the hunter. It would be great to see both find a nice common ground that works and would develop a great friendship based on more than monetary value. Like it used to be.

I grew up farming most of my life and understand things from both sides. I'm not pretending to know everything here. The common ground is more important than ever, understanding there are so many fathers and families out there trying like hell to keep family traditions alive and thriving by hunting together. Some of us have for years been taking nieces and nephews out to chase birds, teaching patience, safety, respect, and fun with the dogs and the pheasants being the driving force. IT WORKS WELL. The memories as they say are at times "Priceless".

Last year I took my son and two nephews to our first SD hunt. We had some glitches but they were minor. I haven't seen so many big eyes and smiles on these kids before this trip. We're planning to return again this year. I'm sure it will be another great time.

One very important factor in this "First Trip to SD" was a nice young man and his parents in the Aberdeen area that were kind enough to contact me on this website and give me a good deal (because I pay for the kids each season) which enabled us to make this trip. We were so thankful for the opportunity.

There are more good people out there than some realize that give us opportunities like this to keep our young people excited about our sport.

If as a farmer/landowner you're contacted by a hunter to ask permission to hunt your property, at least ask some more questions. The hunter might be someone like myself who would rather walk along with the dogs, watch the kids and have a few days of memory building. Still, keep in mind paying (within reason) for the opportunity to hunt great bird ground. There is a lot to be said for building real relationships and friendships.

Our next generation isn't far behind. Opportunities to teach values, respect and relationship building isn't practiced enough these days. Look around the next time you see a screaming toddler or disrespectful preteen in a restaurant or other public place. Our hunting sports are a great way to teach these values. Most of the time without the youngsters even realizing it.

I said enough already I'll step off of my soap box. Again Super Kudos to SDJIM.

Ric
 
onpoint said:
Habitat that is locked away behind unacceptable ground/fences does no good to those on the outside looking in. It's a fact for myself. I could careless if pheasants survive if I can't hunt them. Plow it under and make my cost of food cheaper. Then I will at least benefit in some way.
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Please keep in mind that habitat produces wildlife. Wildlife is just that, WILD. The ducks, geese, pheasants and deer are free to leave any time. Many do leave. It costs money to produce wildlife. Those of us who like to see wildlife are willing to invest in that. There needs to be a return or it can't be sustained. It would be great if you could hunt for free. It would be great if you could golf for free or go to a movie for free. But golf courses and theaters would go broke. Every year friends and family come here for opening weekend and hunt for free, and I would not have it any other way. That is probably a $10000 hunt. I just can't can't give them all away.
 
Haymaker, What it boils down to is, what's important to you. What may mean the world to some..means very little to others. Simple fact is, the more people who can't afford to participate in a activity. The less that activity becomes important to them.

Here's where I see the only hope there is in this sports survival. That bad times in our economy will price enough out of it. That the commercial end of the sport begins to die out. Yes, habitat will suffer in the end but just maybe when there's little demand to pay $100's a day to hunt. People will once again be able to gain access at a rate the common man can afford. If not? a select few will not keep the sports head above water. The key to the sports survival is in numbers of hunters not the amount of money of a select few. The common man who was priced out will see little reason to support what they can't enjoy. Just look at the UK. The rich thought that money alone could save their sport forever but instead. those who were priced out of the sport voted in restrictions and laws that continues to halt the sport of hunting in it's tracks. A man/women who makes a $100 million a year.. vote carries the same weight and power of a homeless man who lives under a bridge. It's not a secret that hunting is a dying sport and we loose 1000s of hunters a year. With each of them, we loose voting power. I doubt the Ind. will acknowledge this or change. Too many are seeing the short term profits that are able to be made. They will ride the wave and like the good years before our economy took a dump. People said the good times could never end, well they did and they will in the sport of hunting too. The number of people who can afford $200-$250 a day for land access shrinks each minute of everyday.

Onpoint
 
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onpoint said:
The number of people who can afford $200-$250 a day for land access shrinks each minute of everyday.

Onpoint
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I think you would be surprised at the number of "common man" type guys who pay that type of money. They look at it different than most people on this forum do. We look at pheasant season as the whole season. So to pay that type of money for hunting 10, 15 20 or more days a season seems crazy. But for a lot of people pheasant season is 5 days. So to spend that type of money for there one hunting outing a year does not seem that bad. Heck I spend way more than that to hunt everyear.

For the last couple of years I have been doing a 5 day fishing fly-in and it cost about $1000 door step to door step. I am sure the Canadians look at me and think I am nut for spending that to catch a few fish when they can do it everyday for much less. But hey that is my fishing season for the most part.
 
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