Private land?

[gimruis]

show up in 1 vehicle, send only 1 guy to the door, if the landowner wants to know who is hunting, by all means introduce your friends after, and if you get permission, be sure you get clear info on where you can hunt on the property.

I agree with this part. Go by yourself. And if others are with you, send 1 person up there. I think landowners are way more likely to give permission to one person than a group. Face to face is always more professional and courteous than by phone, email, etc. Don't just assume that since you have permission, you can bring a bunch of "buddies" with either. Be specific about who intends to hunt and when you intend to hunt it.

And then when you receive it, don't ruin it either. Be respectful of people's land. Don't hunt it every other day or for days on end.

Be prepared to get rejected too. Some people just don't like strangers on their property carrying guns.

The good part about receiving permission is that quite often, once you obtain it and don't abuse it, they almost always let you come back in the future if they still own it. There are some spots I've had permission to hunt for over 20 years and the owners have come to expect me every season. Some of them tell me I don't even need to ask anymore, but I would never go without doing that anyways.

 

[Goosemaster]

I agree with this part. Go by yourself. And if others are with you, send 1 person up there. I think landowners are way more likely to give permission to one person than a group. Face to face is always more professional and courteous than by phone, email, etc. Don't just assume that since you have permission, you can bring a bunch of "buddies" with either. Be specific about who intends to hunt and when you intend to hunt it.

And then when you receive it, don't ruin it either. Be respectful of people's land. Don't hunt it every other day or for days on end.

Be prepared to get rejected too. Some people just don't like strangers on their property carrying guns.

The good part about receiving permission is that quite often, once you obtain it and don't abuse it, they almost always let you come back in the future if they still own it. There are some spots I've had permission to hunt for over 20 years and the owners have come to expect me every season. Some of them tell me I don't even need to ask anymore, but I would never go without doing that anyways.

When asking,keep your head down,and act like a total sap.That works some time.Or drive a vehicle more than 40 years old.Taking a kid helps.Tell them you know Kenny olson.Dont shoot the combine!!

 

[BRITTMAN]

Do you draw straws then the house is guarded by a ferocious beast nipping at your tires as you drive into the yard while barking and then staring intently at the car door waiting for it to open ?

 

[dakotasj]

Do you draw straws then the house is guarded by a ferocious beast nipping at your tires as you drive into the yard while barking and then staring intently at the car door waiting for it to open ?

Yes we actually did that for the last 10 years on one piece of property! Somehow it seemed like I drew the short straw most of the time.
Finally got somewhat smarter and now I just call ahead. Just 80 acres, half trees but it was between 2 large ag fields, always good and really great if there was snow.

 

[Goosemaster]

Do you draw straws then the house is guarded by a ferocious beast nipping at your tires as you drive into the yard while barking and then staring intently at the car door waiting for it to open ?

Nope,you turn around!! This means a definite no!

 

[Bob Peters]

Once we pulled into a yard, two guys were out in coveralls, and a large dog. I rolled down window, a buddy was driving. Dog looked intently at me, I asked, "Is he mean?" The guy replied with a pokerface on, "you'll find out if you get out." So I opened the door and stepped out and that dirty old farmyard german shepherd came over and sniffed my hand and I gave him a few friendly pets on the head. We got permission, but it was to fish a trout river.

 

[dakotasj]

Is pay-to-play the primary way to gain access to decent private land?

Absolutely NO.

Unless you consider taking the landowner's family to dinner or my approach, include sharing my homemade jams and jelly from my farm.
My experience is some of the best people on earth live in SD and for the most part, their family has been on that property for decades, not a corporation.

Knock on some doors, be respectful. Most of the private property I hunt now I got permission 20 years ago.
We actually stayed with one family that we got permission to hunt for many years until they had to move into assisted living. They only had 3 sections but got us permission to hunt 2 more sections.

 

[haymaker]

So I have a question. The hunt I offer includes housing. You do your own cooking; it has a full kitchen and gas grill. Two bathrooms and 12 beds, and a heated bird cleaning building. It is a package deal. My question is how much is the lodging worth per night? It is a three-day hunt and a four night stay. I have not raised the value of the housing since I built the place 15 years ago. I usually throw in a steak for each hunter.

 

[Highvoltage]

So I have a question. The hunt I offer includes housing. You do your own cooking; it has a full kitchen and gas grill. Two bathrooms and 12 beds, and a heated bird cleaning building. It is a package deal. My question is how much is the lodging worth per night? It is a three-day hunt and a four night stay. I have not raised the value of the housing since I built the place 15 years ago. I usually throw in a steak for each hunter.

Do you have any pictures of the housing? 12 people is a lot of people in camp. Do you charge per person or the same amount regardless of the number of occupants? Dogs inside or out, and if out is there a heated dog room?

 

[haymaker]

Per person 7 hunter minimum. Dogs in, but not in beds for people. This was not intended to be an advertisement, just a question about what the housing is worth. Message me about pictures of housing.

 

[Highvoltage]

Per person 7 hunter minimum. Dogs in, but not in beds for people. This was not intended to be an advertisement, just a question about what the housing is worth. Message me about pictures of housing.

You did ask what we thought housing was worth? I can’t give much of an answer unless one knew more about the setup. I don’t need any additional housing but I guess those that do can get ahold of you.

 

[haymaker]

You did ask what we thought housing was worth? I can’t give much of an answer unless one knew more about the setup. I don’t need any additional housing but I guess those that do can get ahold of you.

Yes that is correct. we are booked up for this year, if the weather stays nice we might add one week after Thanksgiving.

 

[Matt D]

I would think at a minimum $50 a night per person for the housing. That is what we are paying and feel like it’s a good deal. If it went up 20% I would think it’s still a good deal. To be perfectly clear where we are staying is nothing special but it works of us very nicely.

 

[gps4]

So I have a question. The hunt I offer includes housing. You do your own cooking; it has a full kitchen and gas grill. Two bathrooms and 12 beds, and a heated bird cleaning building. It is a package deal. My question is how much is the lodging worth per night? It is a three-day hunt and a four night stay. I have not raised the value of the housing since I built the place 15 years ago. I usually throw in a steak for each hunter.

I expect on-site lodging on or very near private hunting grounds during early-to-mid-season fetches a premium over an AirBnB or motel/hotel in a nearby town.

a couple years ago, I stayed at a "package deal" commercial outfitter in KS who provided 2-night stay, 2-day hunt for $500 a day that included guide, dogs, staff-cooked breakfast and dinner, field lunch, bird cleaning and packaging. you could bring your dog, but they were not allowed inside the house.

one year when the stars all lined up just right, 3 of us had the good fortune to make a late-season hunt at the end of january, and stayed at a farmer's farmhouse in SD for $100/night per person, and we were responsible for our own meals. (the house can sleep 14 comfortably)

One more than one occasion, I have done the freelance public land hunts staying in dumpy dog-friendly motels for $60-$70 a night (sometimes split two ways with a buddy), and ate out breakfast and dinner at local restaurants.

this year 4 of us and 2 dogs stayed at a small AirBnB in a small town (15-20 miles from where we hunted) that slept 4, and was dog friendly for $125/night and we cooked our own meals.

I prefer to keep lodging at or less than $100 per night per person, but im sure there are others out there that are willing to pay more per night for a house with decent parking, clean linens, plenty of room, and an equipped kitchen.