Pay to Play rates in SD

PairOfLabs

PairOfLabs

Active member
I've hunted in SD with several different groups through the years, public land, pay-to-play, and combinations. None were preserves. All were wild birds, but maybe with
some supplemented. What is the current going rate for private land daily trespass/gun fee with and without a guide?
Thanks,
Tom
 
They have definitely gone up. I see guys paying anywhere from 150-250 a day depending on what is offered. I know Goose save your breath
 
Great question. I'm still robust enough to chase public birds, but when that ends I would like to know what pay to shoot costs. Yes Goose I'm not there yet.
 
Our group pays $150 / Gun. It’s been that price for last 15 years. I’m waiting to be told it’s going up with everything else in this economy.
 
I know of one place that is up to $500 per day per gun. Includes lunch, bird cleaning and a round of trap. No lodging, that's another $50/person/night with a minimum of $300/night. I know this is crazy but they have the clients that keep coming back every year.
 
lol, there is stupid money everywhere. problem is it puts a floor under the lower rates. if you gave me the money i would not spend it.
 
Thanks for the feedback. They are not "my" trips so I either go or don't go. The labs always vote YES. I may try to do a second public only trip on my own.
 
Time is money. I can only get out to SD for one 5 day trip. When I can see 300 wild birds in a day it is worth the $150 / a day. I’ve done the public thing. Not worth my time to walk all day and see a few birds. I can do that here in Illinois. Our group of 9 will limit out everyday if bird numbers are “up”. We leave this Saturday, if our group hunted public exclusively my bet we would be lucky to shoot 5-10 birds a day. We feel $150 is a bargain compared to what others are paying.
 
Pay hunting isn’t for everyone but hunting good private land for 150 dollars a day is a deal. I see how the preserve thing gets a bad knock with released birds and it’s over the top expensive. Every landowner is in a different position some with large chunks of family land inherited and are sitting good in life and some like me are guys that live to hunt and be outdoors so they bite the bullet and buy some. I’m eyeballs deep in debt to have it but it’s what I enjoy. I have always hunted and still do hunt public and permission land. There’s a 20 man limit on my land ever day as it’s not hunted for birds just archery deer. I could have 20 guys come out at 150 bucks and shoot till their barrels burn up as the sky turns black like the glory days and not cover the foodplots and taxes with that money. They don’t make more land so I’m hoping it’s a good investment but anyone that pays to hunt private instead of buying it or driving around all day long burning gas is just smart in my eyes. I see the fun of doing public only but most people that say pay hunting is trash and they can’t afford it could just quit drinking pop or something everyday for a year a hunt decent private land every year with the money.
 
Have never gone the pay to play route but appreciate that there are places out there offering it. I look at as anyone managing property for birds is helping the rest of the area out since all those birds hatched on a piece don't stay just on that piece of ground. I have gotten to know a couple of people that offer daily hunting on their land and they aren't getting rich doing it but it does help offset the cost of trying to provide for the birds. I can see where there is a place for that option but obviously no one has to go that route if they don't want to. Lots of options for what works for each person/group.
 
I remember we beat a thread to death last year on this same subject; everyone's situation in life is different so there are bound to be a myriad of responses. No wrong answers either--but all that said, I'm with hockeybob...there's only so much time and an out-of-stater like me could burn up several days finding out where the birds are NOT....and that doesn't work for me-- I can take long fruitless walks at home. This year,much like last, my son and I will hunt on two separate private-land tracts in Central Illinois where we know there are wild birds. We have a good chance of limiting each day, but of course no guarantees, nor would I want one. Then we are headed to NW Iowa on/about November 7, for 2 to 3 days for a mixture of wild and released, but definitely not "tame" birds, and we'll also hunt WIA's around there. We have a good dog and are really looking forward to a great season. Hope most of the corn is out by the time we get up there. Good hunting to all of you!!
 
Wolfchief said:
I remember we beat a thread to death last year on this same subject; everyone's situation in life is different so there are bound to be a myriad of responses. No wrong answers either--but all that said, I'm with hockeybob...there's only so much time and an out-of-stater like me could burn up several days finding out where the birds are NOT....and that doesn't work for me-- I can take long fruitless walks at home. This year,much like last, my son and I will hunt on two separate private-land tracts in Central Illinois where we know there are wild birds. We have a good chance of limiting each day, but of course no guarantees, nor would I want one. Then we are headed to NW Iowa on/about November 7, for 2 to 3 days for a mixture of wild and released, but definitely not "tame" birds, and we'll also hunt WIA's around there. We have a good dog and are really looking forward to a great season. Hope most of the corn is out by the time we get up there. Good hunting to all of you!!
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Wolf chief,
I started hunting in 1975 in Dwight, IL. I would give anything to go back to those days!
 
Hockeybob said:
Wolf chief,
I started hunting in 1975 in Dwight, IL. I would give anything to go back to those days!
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I started in 1956 in SW Minnesota. Love to go back to those days as well. But, that ain't going to happen. 😁
 
Hockey,
It's surprising to me how many birds can be found in the grass waterways, filter strips and ditch banks in east central Illinois. At least where we hunt, there is a scarcity of large, CRP-type cover because the soils are so good that they are perfectly suited to continuous, intensive row cropping. But searching diligently with a good dog in the weed pockets, creekbends, fencelines, ditchbanks, etc. we can usually scare up a bird or two; nothing like NW Iowa or SD, but still rewarding.
 
Wolfchief,
I grew up in Rockford and hunted as a kid for pheasants with my Dad at a friend of his farm near Byron, just south of Rockford. Going to school at U of I in Champaign I had a couple of great trips with fraternity buds to hunt around Bloomington where they were from. I saw more birds there than all the days I hunted in N. Illinois. My family moved to Houston in 1970 while I was in college.
 
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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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 thier 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 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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