REAL South Dakota 2021 review.

benelli-banger said:
I think it’s a bit like golf…if you’re price conscious, or not that into it, use the public course…May have to wait in line, may be in poor shape, etc; if you want a better course, more certainty of your tee time, etc, play private courses that cost more. Trust me, pay hunting isn’t ruining the common man’s pheasant hunting…farm economics is. Look into it. Cattail sloughs being tilled up, tree rows being cut down, fence lines being removed, etc, is all about having a few more acres to farm, in order to pay off land that cost $6,000 or more per acre to buy or $250-300 to rent each year. And there may be another generation joining the farm operation that needs to be supported. Clinging to nostalgic ideals of 75 or 50 years ago is fine…hope it works for you. I
Choose to recognize that an acre of land is worth a lot to a farmer, and how he chooses to utilize it matters and has to be considered carefully. It would be great if a guy who owns an apartment building would leave a few units vacant so his buddies had a place to stay for free when they’re in town a few times per year. I’ve been hunting CRP this fall that is smallish chunks of marginal land…great hunting, would make poor farmland…the landowner is getting paid to put it in CRP, and making a bit of $ giving the hunting rights to my farmer buddy…a win-win.
Click to expand...
Bingo BB, I could not have said that better. This is a business if I am going to take land out of production of commodities to produce wildlife, wildlife has to generate enough revenue to replace the revenue that the commodities would have generated. It is a simple business decision. I didn't raise next years rates because I wanted to make it harder on my hunters. I did it to keep up with increasing land costs. I discussed it with each group when they were here and they all understood . They got to decide what I am going to do with the acres that I plant for pheasant hunting. They decided that I should keep using it for hunting.
 
i am glad your operation supports a 25% increase in hunter fees.
eventually with enough increased hunting fees, some of these guys will stay home.
there is too much money to be made in ag for most producers to fool with hunters.
 
BeirlSetters said:
Yes sir. Class of 92'
Click to expand...
Chad, I just got back from my second trip to Chamberlain area and met these guys at the motel. Long story short we ended up spending a day together on a huge SGPA with 5 guys and 5 dogs. My lab and their English Setters. I might have to come and check out your pups.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20211209_081209591_HDR.jpg
    IMG_20211209_081209591_HDR.jpg
    3.2 MB · Views: 39
hunter94 said:
i am glad your operation supports a 25% increase in hunter fees.
eventually with enough increased hunting fees, some of these guys will stay home.
there is too much money to be made in ag for most producers to fool with hunters.
Click to expand...
You are probably correct about that, there are probably guys staying home now. I sat down with each group and went over the numbers. I asked them what they wanted me to do and they told me they wanted me to stay in the business. There may come a time when they will tell me to farm it.
 
Miforester said:
My son and i will be heading out the 19th and coming home Christmas day. Should be a good trip weather wise and we are making homemade goodie bags for the farmer and his workers as a thank you.

This will be the second trip and first late season in 7 years. Looking forward to the late season hunt with my son. Hope everyone has a great holiday season. If see a white Ram with a big black dog from Michigan that will be us. Wave and say hello.
Click to expand...
If you are up around Bainvill, look for an old Ford, with an old caveman camper.
 
All the negatives about released birds and caned hunts remind me of myself 20 years ago. I said I would quit before I hunted tame birds. Then all of a sudden, no wild birds. My how mother nature and father time changes your perspective.
 
haymaker said:
You are probably correct about that, there are probably guys staying home now. I sat down with each group and went over the numbers. I asked them what they wanted me to do and they told me they wanted me to stay in the business. There may come a time when they will tell me to farm it.
Click to expand...
were your bird numbers sufficient to keep most of these guys happy?
i assume they were if they are coming back?
did you shut it down at a certain point or limit your hunter numbers each week?
just curious how you manage the resource.
 
birddude said:
All the negatives about released birds and caned hunts remind me of myself 20 years ago. I said I would quit before I hunted tame birds. Then all of a sudden, no wild birds. My how mother nature and father time changes your perspective.
Click to expand...
I did hunt a preserve near Dixon sd, 10 years ago in March. It was pretty easy.It isn't my cup of tea.There were 2 of us, and they took us out in a big bus.We had a guide.It was 400 bucks a day!! My dad paid.Its targeting wealthy, filson types.
 
hunter94 said:
were your bird numbers sufficient to keep most of these guys happy?
i assume they were if they are coming back?
did you shut it down at a certain point or limit your hunter numbers each week?
just curious how you manage the resource.
Click to expand...
Yes we did better than I expected we would. We have 100 acres of CRP in four different locations, 750 acres of native prairie but that didn't do much this year because of the dry weather maybe 2 miles of grass waterways and many sloughs plus a railroad that runs through our property that provides some nesting habitat. We only hunted five weeks this year. I was sure we would be short on birds this year so we cut it short. Week five was a little short. We hunt one group a week, 3 day hunt 4 night stay. I plant about 85 acres of cover crops that consist of millet, milo, oats, corn, forage sorghum and this year plenty of kochia.
 
Goosemaster said:
I did hunt a preserve near Dixon sd, 10 years ago in March. It was pretty easy.It isn't my cup of tea.There were 2 of us, and they took us out in a big bus.We had a guide.It was 400 bucks a day!! My dad paid.Its targeting wealthy, filson types.
Click to expand...
Thats my point, it wasn't my cup of tea either. I know exactly how you feel. But now I feel I've worn out my share of boots. I don't have anything to prove anymore. I'm not by any means wealthy but I do have a Filson vest. I just want you to realize that all those guys on that bus might not have been want to bees. And by the way, I went to SD once. way to commercialized for me, but I'm no longer above laying down some jack to put myself and dogs in birds.
 
The last 3-4 days have been challenging but fun. Some wind, some snow, bunched birds, etc…at 21 miles thus far starting thur…many more to come today….averaging a bird every 2.25 miles or so…fun walk in the grass this am on my ground…got one in the cedars, and followed one to the field edge, he ran out of field! Dogs were crazy!
 
Last edited:
haymaker said:
Yes we did better than I expected we would. We have 100 acres of CRP in four different locations, 750 acres of native prairie but that didn't do much this year because of the dry weather maybe 2 miles of grass waterways and many sloughs plus a railroad that runs through our property that provides some nesting habitat. We only hunted five weeks this year. I was sure we would be short on birds this year so we cut it short. Week five was a little short. We hunt one group a week, 3 day hunt 4 night stay. I plant about 85 acres of cover crops that consist of millet, milo, oats, corn, forage sorghum and this year plenty of kochia.
Click to expand...
Dennis...I can recall hunting the railroad track, in December, many years ago.What a fun day thanks to your kindness! Merry Christmas!
 
haymaker said:
Yes we did better than I expected we would. We have 100 acres of CRP in four different locations, 750 acres of native prairie but that didn't do much this year because of the dry weather maybe 2 miles of grass waterways and many sloughs plus a railroad that runs through our property that provides some nesting habitat. We only hunted five weeks this year. I was sure we would be short on birds this year so we cut it short. Week five was a little short. We hunt one group a week, 3 day hunt 4 night stay. I plant about 85 acres of cover crops that consist of millet, milo, oats, corn, forage sorghum and this year plenty of kochia.
Click to expand...
thank you, sounds will managed.
 
birddude said:
Thats my point, it wasn't my cup of tea either. I know exactly how you feel. But now I feel I've worn out my share of boots. I don't have anything to prove anymore. I'm not by any means wealthy but I do have a Filson vest. I just want you to realize that all those guys on that bus might not have been want to bees. And by the way, I went to SD once. way to commercialized for me, but I'm no longer above laying down some jack to put myself and dogs in birds.
Click to expand...
It just seems strange to me to commercialize pheasant hunting, or any kind of hunting. Will all private land be pay hunting at some point? That will be incentive not to hunt.
 
Goosemaster said:
It just seems strange to me to commercialize pheasant hunting, or any kind of hunting. Will all private land be pay hunting at some point? That will be incentive not to hunt.
Click to expand...
Keep doing what you’re doing. You and I will be long dead before your fears manifest. And the hunting that is gone won’t be because of pay hunting. Trust me. It will be due to the economics of farming. Do you know farmers/ranchers well? Get to know the realities of their world. Maybe you do. I’m sitting in my farmhouse now with a farmer who is merging his son and his family into the operation. It’s no slam dunk. The end.
 
Goosemaster said:
It just seems strange to me to commercialize pheasant hunting, or any kind of hunting. Will all private land be pay hunting at some point? That will be incentive not to hunt.
Click to expand...
Does it seem strange to you to commercialize corn or beans or wheat or alfalfa? We plant crops to get a return. When we develop habitat it is like planting wildlife seeds. We develop habitat and it produces wildlife. Not only pheasants but ducks and deer and geese and birds of many kinds. Habitat costs money so paying customers pay for habitat development. I like seeing wildlife, it looks better than a harvested soybean field.
 
Goosemaster said:
It just seems strange to me to commercialize pheasant hunting, or any kind of hunting. Will all private land be pay hunting at some point? That will be incentive not to hunt.
Click to expand...
Yes, GM sadly private land will be paid hunting. As BB said we will be gone by then. We don't have wild pheasants here, but I see more and folks leasing ground for deer and turkey hunting. Most of my best friends are farmers, if I hadn't taken a different fork I to would have been. They all feel as I do, anti dich to dich farming. Won't lease for deer hunting. But what do you think will happen when they are gone? Most have sons, and none want to carry on with the farm! I do not begrudge wealthy folks, but they are the only ones that can buy it. It goes like this: It's sold, loggers come in and rape all they can get. Dozers come in and shove out EVERYTHING. What's left is either leased to deer hunters or posted and only the wealthy guy's kids, etc. gets to hunt it. Think about this, my grandfather was a sharecropper raised 9 kids. Lived mostly on a big garden and wildlife. My dad said they had 9 coveys within easy walking distance. Killed rabbits with sticks. They were their golden years! I had endless fence rows! On a good day might even kill the limit. Those were my golden years! My grandsons will remember going to the preserve and watching my dogs and shooting some birds. We have some land, so they will be able to do some deer and turkey hunting. Their golden years! Look at the wealthier European countries who have been around a lot longer than us and you will see what hunting will become here. Enjoy your golden years! Be thankful for your health, your birds and your freedom! Merry Christmas to all of you! Even you Goosemaster!! (I really do need to cut back on the coffee)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top