Pay to Play rates in SD

One of the justifications I use to my checkbook when joining a group going to SD when will be paying to shoot is "It's for the dogs". My "home hunting field" is Eastern Colorado. My labs and I do a whole lot of walking for few shots and retrieves Going to SD for them is like going to Disneyland. They get more smells and retrieves in a few days there than in multiple seasons in Colorado.
 
Matt D said:
I think you are comparing a full out "lodge" to landowners that charge a trespass fee. Two completely different scenarios IMO. Both are out there as there is demand for both but offer two completely different things to their customers. Not saying that some of these lodges don't try to tell a story to uneducated clients as they do. Some people buy it hook line and sinker and others see it for what it is I would guess. Again it is supply and demand and these places are fulfilling a demand whether we personally like or agree with it. Just like I'm sure there are people that may not like what some of us do for a living. That's life.
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Yeah, I know. But I can't help but think a smart landowner who sells hunts by a trespass fee isn't supplementing the pot to ensure his "clients" come back. I'm sure there are cases where it's just a simple access transaction.
 
Matt D said:
I think you are comparing a full out "lodge" to landowners that charge a trespass fee. Two completely different scenarios IMO. Both are out there as there is demand for both but offer two completely different things to their customers. Not saying that some of these lodges don't try to tell a story to uneducated clients as they do. Some people buy it hook line and sinker and others see it for what it is I would guess. Again it is supply and demand and these places are fulfilling a demand whether we personally like or agree with it. Just like I'm sure there are people that may not like what some of us do for a living. That's life.
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Your right. The difference being the 150 a day guy isn’t paying to buy birds. Why would he charge that and spend a third or more of it on birds? Furthermore because he doesn’t advertise and deals in cash, he can hope to avoid the state rules on replenishment. I used to have a similar deal like that over by Murdo. All wild birds on about 10k acres with food plots and waterways. The guy ran a group a week through there of various sizes. He kept a tally and one year his hunters harvested 650 birds in a full season. That year I went twice, the last time being a week or so before Christmas. We probably say 3-5000 birds in four days of hunting. The ground can certainly support it if the weather cooperates and it is managed correctly.



 
GetTothePoint said:
I find it hilarious that folks pay to go to these ranches, that have multiple groups a year, possibly per week, yet the people still think they are hunting wild birds. I worked as a guide during college and we had a kid that would turn out birds in the middle of the night on properties for the next day. They had huge flight pens at the lodge but the hunters never seemed to put 2 and 2 together. To each their own I guess, and don't let the "details" get in the way of their good stories. Couldn't tell you how many times I'd hear over cocktails at night "I've never seen so many wild birds." 😄
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I'm totally against releasing pheasants, and I'm against pay hunting.
 
carptom1 said:
Your right. The difference being the 150 a day guy isn’t paying to buy birds. Why would he charge that and spend a third or more of it on birds? Furthermore because he doesn’t advertise and deals in cash, he can hope to avoid the state rules on replenishment. I used to have a similar deal like that over by Murdo. All wild birds on about 10k acres with food plots and waterways. The guy ran a group a week through there of various sizes. He kept a tally and one year his hunters harvested 650 birds in a full season. That year I went twice, the last time being a week or so before Christmas. We probably say 3-5000 birds in four days of hunting. The ground can certainly support it if the weather cooperates and it is managed correctly.
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Goosemaster said:
That's bs.I don't pay those guys a dime. Thumbs down.
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Goosemaster said:
I'm totally against releasing pheasants, and I'm against pay hunting.
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Citori16 said:
What would hunt like that cost?
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We were paying 150 a gun per day. For me with limited time to hunt and traveling 8 hrs to hunt, it made good sense. Those opportunities are out there and I just lucked into that one. Unfortunately he started to neglect his property and between the drought and less appealing cover, the birds began to suffer. I hunted there last about 5 years ago and it was fairly thin.
 
I've never paid a dime to hunt a wild pheasant in my life (I've been to a game farm to train a new dog, but that's not hunting). I hunt in central MN. I still do it the old fashioned way. I get in my truck, scout, drive around, knock on doors and ask for permission. Been doing it like that for 25 years now for pheasants, turkeys, and deer. Its effective. I always offer these landowners a pack of fish, pheasant, or venison and some of them accept that, but most of them are perfectly satisfied with nothing. I don't know where this idea of paying someone to hunt their land came from, but it hasn't made it to the area I hunt and I hope it stays that way. It honestly sounds more like a lease for deer hunting, which I've heard of around here on occasion. Maybe since there's only a fraction of the hunting pressure here compared to places in South Dakota, that has something to do with it. Money talks. If the spot is open to the highest bidder and you are willing to fork that over, I'm sure the landowner isn't going to decline it. Its unfortunate that its come to that.

If I had to pay 150 bucks to hunt pheasants at every spot I went to, I wouldn't be doing it.
 
gimruis said:
I've never paid a dime to hunt a wild pheasant in my life (I've been to a game farm to train a new dog, but that's not hunting). I hunt in central MN. I still do it the old fashioned way. I get in my truck, scout, drive around, knock on doors and ask for permission. Been doing it like that for 25 years now for pheasants, turkeys, and deer. Its effective. I always offer these landowners a pack of fish, pheasant, or venison and some of them accept that, but most of them are perfectly satisfied with nothing. I don't know where this idea of paying someone to hunt their land came from, but it hasn't made it to the area I hunt and I hope it stays that way. It honestly sounds more like a lease for deer hunting, which I've heard of around here on occasion. Maybe since there's only a fraction of the hunting pressure here compared to places in South Dakota, that has something to do with it. Money talks. If the spot is open to the highest bidder and you are willing to fork that over, I'm sure the landowner isn't going to decline it. Its unfortunate that its come to that.

If I had to pay 150 bucks to hunt pheasants at every spot I went to, I wouldn't be doing it.
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While I certainly understand the aversion to any compensation to hunt, these places I have gone were improved for not only bird production ( grassy water ways and buffers around fields) and food plots of 3-5 acres that were not harvested until spring. Someone has to pay for these improvements. They were some nice guys but doubtful they would lay out the money for seed, fuel and lost land production unless the received something more than a thank you. The best thing was it increased bird numbers on all the surrounding ground they didn’t own.
 
carptom1 said:
these places I have gone were improved for not only bird production ( grassy water ways and buffers around fields)
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Here in Minnesota, that was made state law about 5 years ago. Every waterway and ditch is required to have a buffer. You aren't permitted to plant row crops right up to the edge of it anymore. It has made a significant difference in the amount of habitat available not just for pheasants, but for other wildlife too. Plus it has greatly increased water quality.

When that legislation first came out, there was a lot of push back from the agriculture industry (obviously). Sounds like some other neighboring states like Iowa and the Dakotas need to consider this.
 
gimruis said:
Here in Minnesota, that was made state law about 5 years ago. Every waterway and ditch is required to have a buffer. You aren't permitted to plant row crops right up to the edge of it anymore. It has made a significant difference in the amount of habitat available not just for pheasants, but for other wildlife too. Plus it has greatly increased water quality.

When that legislation first came out, there was a lot of push back from the agriculture industry (obviously). Sounds like some other neighboring states like Iowa and the Dakotas need to consider this.
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I agree that would be awesome. I have never hunted in Minnesota although I did a fair amount in Iowa back in the 80’s and 90’s. Grew up hunting in western Kansas. Farmers would leave a field here and there fallow for a season or more. Shot my first birds in the seventies out of knee deep wheat stubble with sunflowers and weeds. Man those fields would be full of birds. Nothing like that left. Even if it is left unplanted it is turned and bare. I would pay a habit tax if we could figure out a way to bring some of that back
 
Every year this debate goes on. If we don’t have farmers leaving habitat we will have no birds. Yes, habitat costs money… nothing is free anymore. If you prefer not to pay , so be it… That is a beautiful thing about this country.
 
it's all about economics, it is the rare landowner that plants habitat for free. some one in the food chain is going to pay for hunting pheasants, to the land owner and /or through license fees. usually both.
 
Goosemaster said:
That's bs.I don't pay those guys a dime. Thumbs down.
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Goose just so you know, the group that was here opening weekend paid for a three-day hunt and a four-night stay, took me out to eat and then gave me a real nice tip. Then rebooked for next year. We all know you are against it; you have mentioned it occasionally. The reality is they have a good time and want to have a good time again next year.
 
hunter94 said:
it's all about economics, it is the rare landowner that plants habitat for free. some one in the food chain is going to pay for hunting pheasants, to the land owner and /or through license fees. usually both.
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I used to do just that. Because I wanted this to be hunter paradise, I made sure it was and it was for me and my family and friends. People would come and ask if they could hunt and usually I would let them. Sometimes I would get a bottle of wine or a ham one time I even got some wild rice. Then one day it occurred to me that I was going to have three kids in college at the same time. Poor family planning I know. So I accepted an offer to take in hunters and the rest is history. Now I get to keep this as hunters paradise and supplement my income. It all works out nicely as I produce grass finished beef that I let the hunters sample and they usually take some home with them.
 
hunter94 said:
judging your situation, i would say you are engaged in good asset utilization. keep up the good ethical work.
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I have not mentioned the best part and that is the 20 percent of our crop able acres that we plant to full season cover crops that we hunt first and then graze is wonderful for the health of the soil. So, it is a win- win- win situation.
 
Would love to get the names of a few receptive land owners for next year. Central to eastern SD. Even with property App's it hard to plan a trip from a far. I can see both sides (Lodge vs. Public) but after traveling it's nice to come back with more than just stories. The picture is from the last and only 2nd trip with 6 guys. Not sure I will ever be able to match that as it was on a friends family ND farm. PM if you have any recommendations. Thanks
 
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