Noplclkneb1
Banned
Posted 10-7-2013 by Noplclkneb (Noplclkneb was banned shortly after this post) This post really got Uguide worked up 
At the good wild bird commercial pheasant pay to play farms, you are paying the farmer to plant pheasant habitat, and farm for pheasants. To farm in this manner costs the farmer money, to pay for this cost he charges hunters a fee.
Its not a trespass fee, but a fee to pay for leaving in crops, not cutting and bailing grass/hay. The fee hopefully covers his extra costs plus some profit. The other great part about all the pheasant cover that is maintained on a good pay to play outfit, is that later in the season all the bonus surrounding pheasants flock to the good cover and away from the for profit only farmers moonscape land.
I paid to hunt wild birds the past two years near Winner. The place I went to did an outstanding job of farming for pheasants. Excellent habitat left for the birds and the habitat is set up to hunt. Plus the guys running it are excellent guides also. It was a great time and I would do it again.......as long as I am going to get my bang for my buck.
Here is where so many people seem to disagree with me. I'm not going to pay $300 + per day to see twice as many birds as I would see in Nebraska. I get it that some of you have zero birds in your state and just want to see a wild pheasant. That is fine, and more power to you, its suppose to be a free country, and who am I to tell you what to do.
Here is what I think is going to happen this year and in the future IF corn and hay prices stay high:
The pay to play farms that focus on great habitat for the birds are always going to have birds. The first two or three weeks will be good, but they are not going to get the influx of the bonus farm for profit neighbor's birds that keep coming to their great habitat later in the season because......there aren't any birds anymore on the neighbors moonscape land.
In Nebraska where I live no one farms for pheasants. The farmers here farm every square inch of land they can. But there are a few places around my place that are not farmable, a nice wetland, and some old abandoned farm places. They have birds, but for 10 miles in each direction there is not 1 pheasant, because there is no cover, none.
This is what I see happening in South Dakota also. Yes there are always going to be birds in South Dakota, but without the bonus neighbor birds coming in later in the season, it's going to kill the wild commercial hunting operations, other than the first couple weekends which will still be very productive.
Now am I saying don't hunt South Dakota? Hell no, South Dakota will always be the top pheasant hunting destination in the world because there is no center pivot irrigation, and the land is not as productive as Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, thus it is not worth as much and it is feasible to leave some land out of production for pheasant habitat. Will the pay to play farms have pheasants, hell yes! But in my opinion it will not be anything like it has been the past 10 years due to moonscape farmer next door to the pay to play places.
This can all change for the better if corn prices fall, and something replaces the CRP of yesterday.
I will most definitely hunt South Dakota again in the future, pay to play.....I don't know? Hunt public ground....probably not. Hunt with friends/family on private ground for a nice dinner out and a couple good bottles of whisky....sign me up!
At the good wild bird commercial pheasant pay to play farms, you are paying the farmer to plant pheasant habitat, and farm for pheasants. To farm in this manner costs the farmer money, to pay for this cost he charges hunters a fee.
Its not a trespass fee, but a fee to pay for leaving in crops, not cutting and bailing grass/hay. The fee hopefully covers his extra costs plus some profit. The other great part about all the pheasant cover that is maintained on a good pay to play outfit, is that later in the season all the bonus surrounding pheasants flock to the good cover and away from the for profit only farmers moonscape land.
I paid to hunt wild birds the past two years near Winner. The place I went to did an outstanding job of farming for pheasants. Excellent habitat left for the birds and the habitat is set up to hunt. Plus the guys running it are excellent guides also. It was a great time and I would do it again.......as long as I am going to get my bang for my buck.
Here is where so many people seem to disagree with me. I'm not going to pay $300 + per day to see twice as many birds as I would see in Nebraska. I get it that some of you have zero birds in your state and just want to see a wild pheasant. That is fine, and more power to you, its suppose to be a free country, and who am I to tell you what to do.
Here is what I think is going to happen this year and in the future IF corn and hay prices stay high:
The pay to play farms that focus on great habitat for the birds are always going to have birds. The first two or three weeks will be good, but they are not going to get the influx of the bonus farm for profit neighbor's birds that keep coming to their great habitat later in the season because......there aren't any birds anymore on the neighbors moonscape land.
In Nebraska where I live no one farms for pheasants. The farmers here farm every square inch of land they can. But there are a few places around my place that are not farmable, a nice wetland, and some old abandoned farm places. They have birds, but for 10 miles in each direction there is not 1 pheasant, because there is no cover, none.
This is what I see happening in South Dakota also. Yes there are always going to be birds in South Dakota, but without the bonus neighbor birds coming in later in the season, it's going to kill the wild commercial hunting operations, other than the first couple weekends which will still be very productive.
Now am I saying don't hunt South Dakota? Hell no, South Dakota will always be the top pheasant hunting destination in the world because there is no center pivot irrigation, and the land is not as productive as Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas, thus it is not worth as much and it is feasible to leave some land out of production for pheasant habitat. Will the pay to play farms have pheasants, hell yes! But in my opinion it will not be anything like it has been the past 10 years due to moonscape farmer next door to the pay to play places.
This can all change for the better if corn prices fall, and something replaces the CRP of yesterday.
I will most definitely hunt South Dakota again in the future, pay to play.....I don't know? Hunt public ground....probably not. Hunt with friends/family on private ground for a nice dinner out and a couple good bottles of whisky....sign me up!
