Best affordable lodge for a trip?

S

sellersrobe

New member
Hi all, I'm new to the sport and was hoping to take a trip sometime this winter. There are a few preserves by my house and have a hunt lined up with one, but I had to cancel a different hunting trip and am looking to replace it. Does anyone have some good recommendations for the most affordable lodges that still offer good hunts? I would love to do public land but don't have a dog to do so. Any advice is much appreciated!
 
This is a loaded question so be be ready for the responses. Best advice I have is to select a few places that pique your interest and ask them for recommendations. Most will have dogs. If you want to hunt by yourself I would recommend walking ditches in SD.
 
The front page of this web site (main page and not the main forum page) actually lists lodges and pay to play sites. Maybe click the links listed on this site to generate a little revenue for the owners of the web site.

The vast majority of hunters that use and post on this forum are hunters that do not use the high-end lodges (well they do not admit to using them). Most have dogs and many hunt strictly public land or private land they have permission to hunt via relatives, friends, or knocking on doors.
 
Miforester said:
This is a loaded question so be be ready for the responses. Best advice I have is to select a few places that pique your interest and ask them for recommendations. Most will have dogs. If you want to hunt by yourself I would recommend walking ditches in SD.
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Thanks all. My impression was that dogs were nearly essential for hunting - is that not necessarily the case? The preserves I talked to made it sound impossible, but thinking about that a little more, I guess that mindset would help their business. If I can save some money and do it myself I don't mind getting only getting a few
 
Most of us all have dogs as that is the most enjoyable part of hunting for me is watching my dogs. But they are not necessary, you can be successful without a dog. Walk slow and in a zigzag pattern stopping every so often. This keeps the birds guessing and when you stop they get nervous and will flush. Good clean kills are a must as you won't be able to find cripples unless you have snow and then that is not a guarantee. If solo I would stick to ditches.
 
Miforester said:
Most of us all have dogs as that is the most enjoyable part of hunting for me is watching my dogs. But they are not necessary, you can be successful without a dog. Walk slow and in a zigzag pattern stopping every so often. This keeps the birds guessing and when you stop they get nervous and will flush. Good clean kills are a must as you won't be able to find cripples unless you have snow and then that is not a guarantee. If solo I would stick to ditches.
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benelli-banger said:
Not a golfer at this point, but it’d be like playing with 7 clubs instead of 15…
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Thanks guys. Maybe I'll look into doing a day or two guided and then kick around some brush the rest of the time. Might bring my dog (non hunting) with me for the hell of it if I can get him accustomed to gunfire by then. I've been working on it and he's been doing well but not something I want to rush
 
sellersrobe said:
Hi all, I'm new to the sport and was hoping to take a trip sometime this winter. There are a few preserves by my house and have a hunt lined up with one, but I had to cancel a different hunting trip and am looking to replace it. Does anyone have some good recommendations for the most affordable lodges that still offer good hunts? I would love to do public land but don't have a dog to do so. Any advice is much appreciated!
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I have a great dog, hunt public and private land, but I did hunt at one of those $$$ lodges three weeks ago in the Gregory area. I was invited to join a very special group of guys that my son works with. It will be an annual thing moving forward.
 
Thanks guys. Looking at SD and IA for now. Thinking the further south the better for an early January trip? I know the whole corridor doesn't vary in temperature all that much like the coasts but still thinking it may be a decent idea. Open to suggestions though
 
sellersrobe said:
Thanks guys. Looking at SD and IA for now. Thinking the further south the better for an early January trip? I know the whole corridor doesn't vary in temperature all that much like the coasts but still thinking it may be a decent idea. Open to suggestions though
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That far out it can be a toss up. There's a snow cover map somewhere, it's really helpful for late season hunting. Something to check a week or two out.
 
Bob Peters said:
That far out it can be a toss up. There's a snow cover map somewhere, it's really helpful for late season hunting. Something to check a week or two out.
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That sounds good thank you. Worst comes to worst I can just sleep in my truck if I can't get a room all the nights
 
BRITTMAN said:
Reserving rooms should not be an issue that time of year.

If you decide to use minimum maintenance roads in SD after the snow comes and stays ... I would be prepared to sleep in the truck ... likelihood is low, but being prepared is a must
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That makes sense, thank you sir
 
sellersrobe said:
Thanks all. My impression was that dogs were nearly essential for hunting - is that not necessarily the case? The preserves I talked to made it sound impossible, but thinking about that a little more, I guess that mindset would help their business. If I can save some money and do it myself I don't mind getting only getting a few
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The dog is only essential to complete the experience. Believe me I've logged hundreds of miles, kicking every possible place a game animal or bird could live, with a pump gun in my hand. But once the dog comes into play you will realize that dogless doesn't compare. So, knock yourself out. Find the nearest public ground and go for it.
 
sellersrobe said:
That makes sense, thank you sir
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You have received a lot of good responses....
Here's mine.....
1) start by doing the research. Definitely get onx or gaia map apps to help with that. You don't have to go to pheasant nirvana to have fun and get some birds. You want to find smaller out of the way spots that may hold a few birds but gets bypassed by all headed for previously stated nirvana...lol
Day trips from home make a lot of sense for you at this stage if thats possible.

2) leave the dog at home until you have the basic command and control in place....

3) use a fairly open choke with a premium plated shot. 1and3/8 oz load minimum. You have got to kill or disable when the shot presents. Use good judgement on your shots....you will feel a lot better about yourself watching a healthy bird fly off rather than one with a leg dangling that you will never recover. You said you were new to this....please take this admonition seriously. Shooting wild living creatures is not the same as shooting clay pigeons...though they are both considered "sport"..

4) and finally...how to get it done w/o a dog.....
Study the cover and terrain and think tactically...push cover to places that will check the birds that are running out in front of you....and yes, most of them are out in front of you, excepting the occasional cagey bugger that will slip out the back door. Push the cover to the very END....kick the very last bush or clump of grass...you might be surprised what comes out.....lol. generally that last 30 to 40 yards is going to be game time

Last seaon I was haded back to my rig thts was parked on a dirt 2 track. The dog and I together were trailing pretty fresh rooster tracks in light snow in moderately heavy sage brush. 40 feet from my rig, the rooster comes out and wants to fly back the way he ran....never made it...but that nrrow dirt road was enough to hold him...just an example.
Snow helps, but I would mostly use the same tactics as doing it snow free..
If it's a new fresh snow thats 4" or more, tracking can get results.a lot of times the track will go from being straight line to zig zag...get ready when it goes zig zag,,,,that birds looking for a place to tuck in...

I met a fellow in his 70's last year that hunts w/o a dog.....he had over 60 birds for the year......so don't listen to the naysayers...

Good luck
 
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