fsentkilr
Active member
I have been reading some of the post on farming, and some wanting an explanation why we do what we do. I kind of hijacked another thread so thought I would start a new one.
Let me start by saying nobody loves to hunt more than me. I spend about 3 weeks a year in western Kansas hunting pheasants, and lots of time here in Anderson county hunting quail, deer and turkey. I bought 2 half sections in Finney county for the specific purpose of managing it for pheasants. I own all of my ground I farm here where I live, but I rent the farm ground in Finney county to a friend who farms it. It has 150 acres of pasture on it, that I have let grow without cattle on it solely for pheasants. I have spent lots of money and time on the farm here at home planting thousands of plum trees, and we have close to 500 acres of filter strips and upland bird buffers enrolled in CRP specifically for the quail. It cost us money, because we can make more farming it than we get in payments.
So I read on here a lot that leasing out ground will be the end of hunting. I don't lease out any ground and don't intend to, but I don't agree it's a bad thing. If a farmer can make money by leasing his ground out and promoting hunting, he is more likely to leave cover or plant food plots which in turn increases the bird numbers on his farm and neighboring farms. Its a win, win situation regardless if you can hunt there or not. Imagine if a third of the ground was managed for birds, how much better the other two thirds would be. You can't expect farmers to lose money to provide you guys a place to hunt.
I have read on here several times how guys are entitled to hunt because the public owns the wildlife. Really? Am I entitled to come hunt in your yard? Private property is private property, one of the things this country is founded on. Anything else is pretty much Socialism or Communism. Some of the attitudes on here towards farmers and landowners is pretty disturbing. It isn't our responsibility to provide you a place to hunt, nor to provide a place for game you wish to hunt a place to live. Our responsibility is to our families to provide them a living, just like you have a job for.
There can be a common ground, but it won't happen if farmers get the blame for habitat loss. We do what makes us the most money. There are reasons we push out fence rows, like making larger fields which are easier and more economical to farm. Draining that wet area which cost a lot to farm around, or pushing out that isolated patch of brush which makes us turn on both sides of it costing us time and money.
Some of the solutions I see is supporting field borders and other CRP but not at a reduced rate to cash rental values as in the last farm bill but at equal values or more if it promotes wildlife cover and environmental benefits such as filter strips. Private organizations like Pheasant Forever promoting incentives like money to help get farmers started using stripper headers which leaves the wheat straw a lot taller than conventional headers. I think this will show the farmer the benefits of leaving straw taller because of extra cover on the ground anyway, but some guys won't see that because of the cost of changing. There are other programs which would benefit us all, these are just a couple of examples.
Don't be against farmers leasing out their ground to hunters. If they see a monetary benefit to leaving cover or planting food plots, leaving that fence row or isolated thicket they are more likely to do it. This will benefit not only the people paying to hunt their property but the neighboring properties as well.
In closing I would like to say that farmers and sportsman need to work together, and we can find common ground. We both need to realize that even though we may have different priorities, there is middle ground. I would invite anyone on here wants to see example on how a farm can be manged for economic viability and wildlife sustainability to come see me. I would gladly give a tour of our farm anytime.
Mike Spencer
Let me start by saying nobody loves to hunt more than me. I spend about 3 weeks a year in western Kansas hunting pheasants, and lots of time here in Anderson county hunting quail, deer and turkey. I bought 2 half sections in Finney county for the specific purpose of managing it for pheasants. I own all of my ground I farm here where I live, but I rent the farm ground in Finney county to a friend who farms it. It has 150 acres of pasture on it, that I have let grow without cattle on it solely for pheasants. I have spent lots of money and time on the farm here at home planting thousands of plum trees, and we have close to 500 acres of filter strips and upland bird buffers enrolled in CRP specifically for the quail. It cost us money, because we can make more farming it than we get in payments.
So I read on here a lot that leasing out ground will be the end of hunting. I don't lease out any ground and don't intend to, but I don't agree it's a bad thing. If a farmer can make money by leasing his ground out and promoting hunting, he is more likely to leave cover or plant food plots which in turn increases the bird numbers on his farm and neighboring farms. Its a win, win situation regardless if you can hunt there or not. Imagine if a third of the ground was managed for birds, how much better the other two thirds would be. You can't expect farmers to lose money to provide you guys a place to hunt.
I have read on here several times how guys are entitled to hunt because the public owns the wildlife. Really? Am I entitled to come hunt in your yard? Private property is private property, one of the things this country is founded on. Anything else is pretty much Socialism or Communism. Some of the attitudes on here towards farmers and landowners is pretty disturbing. It isn't our responsibility to provide you a place to hunt, nor to provide a place for game you wish to hunt a place to live. Our responsibility is to our families to provide them a living, just like you have a job for.
There can be a common ground, but it won't happen if farmers get the blame for habitat loss. We do what makes us the most money. There are reasons we push out fence rows, like making larger fields which are easier and more economical to farm. Draining that wet area which cost a lot to farm around, or pushing out that isolated patch of brush which makes us turn on both sides of it costing us time and money.
Some of the solutions I see is supporting field borders and other CRP but not at a reduced rate to cash rental values as in the last farm bill but at equal values or more if it promotes wildlife cover and environmental benefits such as filter strips. Private organizations like Pheasant Forever promoting incentives like money to help get farmers started using stripper headers which leaves the wheat straw a lot taller than conventional headers. I think this will show the farmer the benefits of leaving straw taller because of extra cover on the ground anyway, but some guys won't see that because of the cost of changing. There are other programs which would benefit us all, these are just a couple of examples.
Don't be against farmers leasing out their ground to hunters. If they see a monetary benefit to leaving cover or planting food plots, leaving that fence row or isolated thicket they are more likely to do it. This will benefit not only the people paying to hunt their property but the neighboring properties as well.
In closing I would like to say that farmers and sportsman need to work together, and we can find common ground. We both need to realize that even though we may have different priorities, there is middle ground. I would invite anyone on here wants to see example on how a farm can be manged for economic viability and wildlife sustainability to come see me. I would gladly give a tour of our farm anytime.
Mike Spencer
