Wild bird hunting might be cheaper than I thought

Hockeybob said:
For our 5 night 4 day hunting trip to SoDak…
Lodging $250 ($50 night / 5)
Liscense $140
Gas $100 per man
Treaspass fee $600
Misc $60
Total $1150 per man
$1150 / 12 birds = $95.83 per bird LOL
Click to expand...
Trespass fee?
 
gimruis said:
Luckily I don't have to deal with the 1, 2, 2, and 3 you listed. Why did you list 2) twice lol

Quite honestly if I had to spend that much time and invest that much into upland hunting I wouldn't be doing it. I don't enjoy it THAT much.
Click to expand...
Do you not enjoy traveling to new bird country to see different species? I think figuring out a new place is half the fun
 
I missed the opener in NE a couple years back. I got back in town at 3:00 Sunday afternoon. Wanted to hunt so bad! Drove an hour and 15 min to hunt 45 min. My buddy and I got 5 birds that day in 45 min. That’s one of my greatest hunting moments. 2 1/2 hours of driving over $50 in fuel, I’d do it again in a heart beat! Some might say that’s dumb, you’re dumb! The price we pay for the things we love some will never understand.
 
Quailnerd said:
Do you not enjoy traveling to new bird country to see different species? I think figuring out a new place is half the fun
Click to expand...

No, not really. I stick to where I have permission to hunt.

I'm not THAT into upland hunting.

If I had to travel long distance or pay big money or haul an RV or fight public land crowds all the time, I would not be upland hunting anymore.

Luckily I don't have to. I consider myself fortunate to be in this position.

I would like to hunt a Merriams wild turkey in the Black Hills someday though.
 
Last edited:
If I had the choice to spend 1k-2k for 4-5 days hunting in prime pheasant habitat with a chance to limit out each day OR spend the same money on gas but get to hunt mediocre pheasant habitat 3 times a week, I’d opt for the latter. I’d rather be out with my dog more often, over the course of the whole season.
 
A few years ago now I drove out about 150 miles west of the Twin Cities to a pheasant spot. Dog and I got out at 9AM sharp. 20 minutes later dog on point. Two roosters flush. Double. Done. Back at the truck by about 9:40 or so. That part of MN does not have much in the way of other upland birds. We did walk one more area on the slim chance of seeing a Hun. I was back home by 1:30 that afternoon.
 
BRITTMAN said:
A few years ago now I drove out about 150 miles west of the Twin Cities to a pheasant spot. Dog and I got out at 9AM sharp. 20 minutes later dog on point. Two roosters flush. Double. Done. Back at the truck by about 9:40 or so. That part of MN does not have much in the way of other upland birds. We did walk one more area on the slim chance of seeing a Hun. I was back home by 1:30 that afternoon.
Click to expand...
150 miles west of the Twin Cities puts you around Marshall, which is what some may consider the unofficial "Pheasant Capital of MN" so now I'm just confused where the good areas are 😂
 
BRITTMAN said:
A few years ago now I drove out about 150 miles west of the Twin Cities to a pheasant spot. Dog and I got out at 9AM sharp. 20 minutes later dog on point. Two roosters flush. Double. Done. Back at the truck by about 9:40 or so. That part of MN does not have much in the way of other upland birds. We did walk one more area on the slim chance of seeing a Hun. I was back home by 1:30 that afternoon.
Click to expand...
I hear you, I don’t have a single property within 40 miles of my house to hunt, most are 100-130 miles and still manage 30-35 days a year. Mostly day trips or 2 day hunts… worth every mile and every penny!
 
Glock said:
I think it’s one of the least expensive hobbies. The thread of using stuff over ten years old shows that. At least compared to fishing or duck hunting. I like to think of it like I’m “saving” money by only hunting pheasants!
Click to expand...
Also the exercise of upland hunting has major health benefits.
I think I would be 30 pounds heavier and likely die a decade earlier if I sat around
instead of year-round hiking in preparation for upland season.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
I'd own a dog & pamper the heck out of him even if I didn't hunt, so my pheasants end up costing about $15 +/- each, figuring gas, shells, & miscellaneous stuff/gear. As soon as they cost over $20, I'm hanging it up.
Click to expand...
Frozen ducks for retriever training in Alaska cost us over $35 per frozen mallard when we can ship them.
 
Munster927 said:
150 miles west of the Twin Cities puts you around Marshall, which is what some may consider the unofficial "Pheasant Capital of MN" so now I'm just confused where the good areas are 😂
Click to expand...

I live on the east side of the metro. The place I hunted was almost exactly 150 miles door to field. Not near Marshall ... it used to be much better area a decade ago. Neither spot has any Huns that I have ever seen or heard.

1723595432297.png
 
BRITTMAN said:
Food costs can vary a bunch based on homemade vs. going out and where you chose to go out. Just saying ....
Click to expand...
Oh I hear you and understand. I could go to Manny's and ocean Air in Minneapolis. Then travel to bird hunt and eat mustard sandwiches 🥪 and save a lot of dough on food costs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top