Midamerica Hunting Association

C

colorado_bailey

New member
Good morning,
I'm looking for some perspective on the Midamerica Hunting Association. I've read their website, spoke with a gentleman in the office. I sense a touch of arrogance, am I correct in this feeling.

I'm not trying to stir the pot, I'm only trying to get some first-hand info on the association. The fact they won't allow to you see any property really scares me.

Please feel free to PM me with any comments.

Thanks in advance!!!
 
I know that they have leased a little land down here in SEK. Actually, some land that I used to hunt on, which had changed land owners, is leased year around by them. I still hunt pretty close to that section, and have only saw one or two guys EVER hunt it. Probably use to be my best turkey spot. Has had some big deer harvested out of there also. Anyway, when they first leased it up I called and talked to some guy who was a total a hole. The price scared me away, and that was 15 years ago. Not much help on your question, but to me, ( just a poor white guy ) nothing beats knocking on doors, rather have 20 farmers tell me no, then pay to hunt.
 
That's about the ratio you get when knocking on doors. Last year I knocked on 23 doors to get a spot to hunt on. Year before that another 20+. Lots of gas and time invested to get the 3 places I have now. One of which has other bird hunters that were the farmers neighbors that got on it last year. By the time you add up all the gas and hours spent I'm probably up there in cost pretty good, just sayin.

-Mark
 
I was a member when I lived in NE Kansas around 15-16 years ago. The same people own it now as then. It was an absolutely professional operation and they had good, inspected leases and assisted their members any way they could. At the time I was traveling frequently for work and didn't have the time to scout out private landowners. I hunted Kansas, Missouri and Iowa and loved the organization. I'm retired now, and living in Oklahoma. If I could make it up north more than once or twice a season I would be a member again. They may seem a little arrogant on the phone but to their members they are 100% oriented on service. I highly recommend them.
Floyd
 
I was a member in 2012. I hunted pheasant and quail in the Norton area, and near Greenburg. The Association had good properties in both areas. When you reserve a property you know you will be the only hunter on it, which I like. On the whole, I found more birds on the MAHA properties than the WIHA properties. I never found a really good property for quail, but many had some quail, and I hunted quail mostly incidental to hunting pheasant. I hunted the opening week of deer season, and had some competition for a good property the first few days, but always had a decent property to hunt. The reservation system worked well for me.
Here are some things to consider:
1. It is pretty expensive, and a couple hundred dollars more than when I hunted Kansas. The price is really based on more than pheasant hunting. If you were interested in deer, and perhaps waterfowl (particularly in Mo.) it would be a real bargain. I believe the great majority of members were in eastern Kansas, Mo, and Iowa.
2. You pretty much have to hunt alone. The rules on guests are very restrictive and your chances of finding another MAHA member to hunt with are very limited. They said they had a "buddy" system but it never worked for me. I like to hunt alone, so this was not a major issue, and I did find another hunter who I took as a guest a couple of days.
3. Sometimes the properties are not well marked and a little hard to identify. This was more of a minor nuisance than a major problem.
4. By Christmas, pressure on WIHAs decreased to the extent that I was almost as successful there as on MAHA property.
5. Is it worth it? Close call for me. I stayed about a month so got good use of the membership. My travel, license and lodging costs are at least $1500 so the membership doubles my cost. The greatest advantage is that I enjoyed the hunt more, knowing that I had no other hunters to worry about.
 
I joined last year and let my membership lapse in another club based in the KC area. Before joining I spoke to Jon at length, and before I bit the bullet I spoke to a couple existing members including one who belonged to both clubs. The members were all complimentary about the club and the way it was run, and the fellow that belonged to both clubs was pretty convincing in his preference for MAHA. Since then, I've talked with Jon's son TJ and Susie (?) at the office a few times. I have nothing but good things to say about them too. Never have picked up even the slightest sense of arrogance. They're good folks.

I truly believe Jon and the gang try to deliver a quality product by leasing good properties, keeping in touch with the owners, reviewing them frequently, and being helpful in getting you onto game. They're a no-nonsense bunch. I don't think they'd be so secretive as to not let you see some specifics because I don't think knowing where some of their properties are puts them at risk. It's a legitimate question -- I'm sure they've got an answer. I got comfortable by talking to to Jon and the other members.

They have an online reservation system that links to good PDF maps and also aerial photos through Bing maps. You can do a lot of your legwork from your computer that way. You reserve a 'map' which typically has several 'farms' on it to hunt. For example, I've got almost four thousand acres reserved for KS opening day spread across 13 farms ranging in size from a quarter to a full section. It CAN be shared by more than one hunter, but it's very limited. Just 2 others can be on the map I've got, and I'll recognize their car(s) and they'll recognize mine by our window tags.

I get the feeling their biggest membership concentration is deer and turkey hunters, which isn't surprising. I wouldn't say that's their main focus though. They have tens of thousands of acres in Kansas for pheasant and tons of quail properties around MO, KS and IA. Also, waterfowl properties and strip pits for fishing. As I said, I only joined last year so I don't have a lot of info about specific properties. Just hunted a single property late season last year in NE KS. Great looking property with a few hundred acres of CRP, but I didn't shoot anything. I guess I will know more in a couple weeks. But I know I've got CRP, irrigation circles, and crops from talking to Jon and reviewing the aerials. And way more land than I'll be able to cover. This trip is part scouting for later in the season.

The other club had an online system and required a 'game report' after each hunt. Sounds like a good idea, but if you knock 'em dead are you really going to report that? I was always truthful in my reports, but I wondered about some of the others. When I see a guy reserve a property every weekend for a month and report poor results each time, well, I think I can smell a rat. Also, that club would often send out e-mails threatening to cancel memberships if you broke the rules, etc. It made it feel like an us-against-them kinda place. And some of the rules were so lengthy and involved (like for some strip pits they had) that I was nervous about even going out there. MAHA is much more laid back, and straight forward feeling. Your common sense should be enough to keep you out of trouble.

So, I'd say think through your questions and concerns, then give Jon a call. He's a reasonable guy and I feel certain he will try to get you comfortable with what you're buying. He won't try to sell you and he won't make any empty promises either, in my experience. You're gonna get great access, but you're still gonna have to hunt. If you want a sure thing, skip the club and go to a preserve a few times a year.
 
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I have been a member for 5 years now and it has worked out great for me, I always move birds sometimes more than others.
I have also had some luck turkey hunting and like was stated above I believe upland hunters are the minority there are mainly deer and turkey hunters.
 
ness said:
I joined last year and let my membership lapse in another club based in the KC area. Before joining I spoke to Jon at length, and before I bit the bullet I spoke to a couple existing members including one who belonged to both clubs. The members were all complimentary about the club and the way it was run, and the fellow that belonged to both clubs was pretty convincing in his preference for MAHA. Since then, I've talked with Jon's son TJ and Susie (?) at the office a few times. I have nothing but good things to say about them too. Never have picked up even the slightest sense of arrogance. They're good folks.

I truly believe Jon and the gang try to deliver a quality product by leasing good properties, keeping in touch with the owners, reviewing them frequently, and being helpful in getting you onto game. They're a no-nonsense bunch. I don't think they'd be so secretive as to not let you see some specifics because I don't think knowing where some of their properties are puts them at risk. It's a legitimate question -- I'm sure they've got an answer. I got comfortable by talking to to Jon and the other members.

They have an online reservation system that links to good PDF maps and also aerial photos through Bing maps. You can do a lot of your legwork from your computer that way. You reserve a 'map' which typically has several 'farms' on it to hunt. For example, I've got almost four thousand acres reserved for KS opening day spread across 13 farms ranging in size from a quarter to a full section. It CAN be shared by more than one hunter, but it's very limited. Just 2 others can be on the map I've got, and I'll recognize their car(s) and they'll recognize mine by our window tags.

I get the feeling their biggest membership concentration is deer and turkey hunters, which isn't surprising. I wouldn't say that's their main focus though. They have tens of thousands of acres in Kansas for pheasant and tons of quail properties around MO, KS and IA. Also, waterfowl properties and strip pits for fishing. As I said, I only joined last year so I don't have a lot of info about specific properties. Just hunted a single property late season last year in NE KS. Great looking property with a few hundred acres of CRP, but I didn't shoot anything. I guess I will know more in a couple weeks. But I know I've got CRP, irrigation circles, and crops from talking to Jon and reviewing the aerials. And way more land than I'll be able to cover. This trip is part scouting for later in the season.

The other club had an online system and required a 'game report' after each hunt. Sounds like a good idea, but if you knock 'em dead are you really going to report that? I was always truthful in my reports, but I wondered about some of the others. When I see a guy reserve a property every weekend for a month and report poor results each time, well, I think I can smell a rat. Also, that club would often send out e-mails threatening to cancel memberships if you broke the rules, etc. It made it feel like an us-against-them kinda place. And some of the rules were so lengthy and involved (like for some strip pits they had) that I was nervous about even going out there. MAHA is much more laid back, and straight forward feeling. Your common sense should be enough to keep you out of trouble.

So, I'd say think through your questions and concerns, then give Jon a call. He's a reasonable guy and I feel certain he will try to get you comfortable with what you're buying. He won't try to sell you and he won't make any empty promises either, in my experience. You're gonna get great access, but you're still gonna have to hunt. If you want a sure thing, skip the club and go to a preserve a few times a year.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty fair assessment of both clubs which I also was a member of. Many of the members only hunt deer, many more hunt the waterfowl set ups they have. Overall I would probably join again if I had more time.
 
I was a member at one time, but have since let my membership lapse.

I never had any issue with Jon or any of the folks in the organization. The maps are accurate, their web site is honest and pricing is reasonable. So why did I leave the club?

In short, they just kept losing land. It's replaced, but rate much lower than it is lost. It's my belief that they are trying to move the club toward deer and turkey hunters. These hunters require less ground and are probably more profitable than those of use who need larger areas to hunt.

I realize that in this day and age that it's tough to find landowners that want to enter into a business deal with some sort of "club" and I respect that. Unfortunately, it got to the point that belonging to this club was just one step away from hunting WIHA. In fact, toward the end, I hunted more WIHA ground than club ground in mid and late season.

Much of land they have is pretty decent, but like WIHA, most of the hunters in the organization know where those spots are and they get hit very hard. In addition, it is possible that you WILL NOT be the only hunter on a property. The properties have limits as to how many people can hunt them, and some are limited to 1 or 2 hunters but others allow several more. It is possible to arrive at a spot only to find somebody else already in it. There's also a limit as to how many times you can hunt a property in a 30 day period. What I hear from a buddy is that this rule was put into effect in the last year or two as acreage diminished.

One thing to consider is the quality of the hunter that you are following on club ground. As a general rule, the guys in this club have dogs, can shoot, hunt hard, and understand HOW to hunt. If your going to spend the buck to join, you're probably more serious than the average Joe. In short, my opinion is that they are more efficient than the the average weekend warriors that pound their way though WIHA hacking out of shape dogs, yelling at their buddies, and missing many shots. Because of this, mid and late season opportunities can be very limited on club ground.

All in all, the club is run well from an administrative standpoint, but my experience was that the very thing I was trying to escape exists at the club level as well. If they hadn't lost so much land in Kansas, I'd probably still be a member.

Personally, I found that knocking on doors and building relationships with landowners is a much more effective way of gaining access to ground.

Best of luck.

Point!
 
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I agree with the losing land comment, in just 5 years i have lost a couple farms that had good quail populations on them and one that has turned into just turkey that had two to three coveys on it. But that's the way the cookie crumbles i guess.
 
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