Private land access vs fully guided hunt

[stevevan]

I think thats where this being a personal initiative comes in handy. I don't have to really worry about catering to everyone to turn a profit. I just have to find decent people to connect with my friends.

Wish I'd known about you earlier in the year. I would prefer a DIY hunt on a piece of private property but because of the hurdles of being 700 miles away and never having set foot in Kansas I swallowed a big pill and book a guided hunt through a hunting consultent. I believe I'll have a wonderful hunt but the cost ($) is enough that I probably won't be able to do it every year dependent on number of points to secure a license. Next time I'd like to deal with you as a middleman to secure access to private.

 

[Rich M]

I think thats where this being a personal initiative comes in handy. I don't have to really worry about catering to everyone to turn a profit. I just have to find decent people to connect with my friends.

Something is tingling my scooby senses, not sure what it is, not too worried about it tho. Wish you the best.

 

[wabash503]

Wish I'd known about you earlier in the year. I would prefer a DIY hunt on a piece of private property but because of the hurdles of being 700 miles away and never having set foot in Kansas I swallowed a big pill and book a guided hunt through a hunting consultent. I believe I'll have a wonderful hunt but the cost ($) is enough that I probably won't be able to do it every year dependent on number of points to secure a license. Next time I'd like to deal with you as a middleman to secure access to private.

Shoot me a DM

 

[wabash503]

Something is tingling my scooby senses, not sure what it is, not too worried about it tho. Wish you the best.

Seems like generosity sounds foreign to you.

 

[yfarm]

Just do some searches online for season long limited hunter number leases in Texas. Generally the higher the quality of the deer population the higher the price. Have seen 6 hunters on 400 acres for the season for 500 each on land with mediocre population. 10 hunters on 5000 acres with medium quality population for 6000/ hunter. Friend was on a lease of 33,000 acres with 20 hunters at 13,000/ hunter, high quality population, remote and damgerous from a smuggling perspective. Same property now has 10 hunters at 20,000+/ hunter, had too many hunter conflicts so reduced the number of hunters and upped the price. Keep in mind in Texas the main revenue from many of these ranches is raising cattle or oil/gas lease compared with the midwest where most or all revenue is row crop. Cattle will coexist with deer,turkey and hogs in the same pastures. Once the corn and beans are picked habitat may be nonexistent. Fence lines and associated habitat are long gone from most of the midwest.
As others have said, I have hunted WIHA properties in SW Kansas and have not been impresssed with habitat quality compared with properties in the same area that are leased by commercial hunting operators that sell day bird hunts. The landowner either has to be rewarded financially for developing the habitat or the operator bears that expense and charges appropriately for the investment. The state is simply paying for access to land that in many cases holds no wildlife due to farming practices.

 

[Rich M]

Seems like generosity sounds foreign to you.

There is a motive, you're just not being forthright about it.

I've been on a number of hunting leases and you couldn't pay me to run one. You are saying you are gonna run a handful.

Set up the leases with contracts and insurance. Cover yourself and more importantly protect the farmers. If they don't have a lot of money a lawsuit would be horrible for them.

 

[WCB]

I like how some guys that don't want guides talk about outfitters/guides deceit but will drop the same amount or not blink at dropping money on a property without a guide where any guy with cash can lease out for a week and burn the place out....If you go with a well vetted guide that has a proven/good track record...they will have to face the music everyday a guy gets out of the stand.

Landowner that pockets 1500 for the week never has to talk to that guy again or tell him about the 20 other guys that ran all over the property.

 

[SDHNTR]

IME, diy on good private land without an outfitter/guide is fairytale land for liability reasons alone. No landowner is gonna allow a complete stranger to hunt on his land, even after cash is paid. This isn’t the 1950’s anymore.

 

[wytx]

Seems like generosity sounds foreign to you.

pm sent wabash

 

[wabash503]

There is a motive, you're just not being forthright about it.

I've been on a number of hunting leases and you couldn't pay me to run one. You are saying you are gonna run a handful.

Set up the leases with contracts and insurance. Cover yourself and more importantly protect the farmers. If they don't have a lot of money a lawsuit would be horrible for them.

I've told you my motive. I care about the people in my community. I have no desire to make money off helping them. What I think is happening, is you are applying your ethics to my decision. I can't help with that. I have no need for contracts. I have no need for insurance. This isn't a business opportunity. I am just trying to find decent people to connect with my friends.

 

[Swamp Fox]

Just curious how many NR hunters would prefer a lower cost option to get access to private land vs want a higher cost fully guided experience? I know a lot of land owners/farmers who could use the extra income here around Manhattan KS. Thanks for your input.

Not enough info.

That's why you are getting the responses you are.

Whitetails only? Whole season(s) vs. a few days? Number of hunts/hunters? Accommodations?

The list of questions could go on for pages.


Everyone prefers "a lower cost option to get access to private land vs want a higher cost fully guided experience" ...

So there's your problem.

 

[Honyock]

Out of curiosity, what are annual or full season hunting leases going for in that area? I personally think it would be a nightmare for a farmer to do weekly leases. The more people that hunt it, the higher the probability of issues (gates left open, fence jumpers, etc.).

 

[Fowl Play]

@wabash503 , shot you a PM. I'd be interested, but do wonder how it would all work out. I've done similar things in other states, but only in person with a firm handshake and enough in person talk that convinced the property owner we were stand up guys.

 

[wabash503]

Out of curiosity, what are annual or full season hunting leases going for in that area? I personally think it would be a nightmare for a farmer to do weekly leases. The more people that hunt it, the higher the probability of issues (gates left open, fence jumpers, etc.).

I've seen a lot of different prices depending on the quality and size... For a smaller piece of land that is archery only and has cattle on it, $10 per acre. For a larger property, year round, no cattle, $20+.

 

[long hunter]

IME, diy on good private land without an outfitter/guide is fairytale land for liability reasons alone. No landowner is gonna allow a complete stranger to hunt on his land, even after cash is paid. This isn’t the 1950’s anymore.

Not so, I guess I am fortunate as to have a place all to myself the owner might hunt it one day out of the season. It’s a good place there are some very nice white tails on it I passed up a few last year in the 120 class waiting on a particular buck seen him twice just could not connect. All you gotta do is ask and respect the ground rules.

 

[wabash503]

I

Not enough info.

That's why you are getting the responses you are.

Whitetails only? Whole season(s) vs. a few days? Number of hunts/hunters? Accommodations?

The list of questions could go on for pages.


Everyone prefers "a lower cost option to get access to private land vs want a higher cost fully guided experience" ...

So there's your problem.

I guess I don't see this as the problem. The problem for me is finding the right people.

A few have reached out so far that are promising though. What I think is really going to show people's true colors is this is a long term process... The folks I know are in units 7, 8, and 9, and the application window is already over for KS Whitetail for 2024. So people interested are going to have to reach out, establish a relationship, draw for one of those areas, and maintain it until 2025 to get access.

I think that's why guys like Rich M seem unsure about what I'm doing. There's no instant gratification in it. Guys that want a surefire thing right now are better off with a guide.

For folks that want access to quality private land habitat (200 acres with 75+ animals), are willing to establish a relationship and then come figure it out on their hunt, then reach out to me. I'll show you the property lines, where the feeders are located, patterns, bedding areas, trails... But blinds, setup, tactics, producing a shot opportunity and getting it done... That's on you, that's real hunting.

If you want, year round pictures of animals, blinds in place, someone telling you where and when they're gonna show up... That's what a guide does. I'm not offering that.

 

[Rich M]

I

I guess I don't see this as the problem. The problem for me is finding the right people.

A few have reached out so far that are promising though. What I think is really going to show people's true colors is this is a long term process... The folks I know are in units 7, 8, and 9, and the application window is already over for KS Whitetail for 2024. So people interested are going to have to reach out, establish a relationship, draw for one of those areas, and maintain it until 2025 to get access.

I think that's why guys like Rich M seem unsure about what I'm doing. There's no instant gratification in it. Guys that want a surefire thing right now are better off with a guide.

For folks that want access to quality private land habitat (200 acres with 75+ animals), are willing to establish a relationship and then come figure it out on their hunt, then reach out to me. I'll show you the property lines, where the feeders are located, patterns, bedding areas, trails... But blinds, setup, tactics, producing a shot opportunity and getting it done... That's on you, that's real hunting.

If you want, year round pictures of animals, blinds in place, someone telling you where and when they're gonna show up... That's what a guide does. I'm not offering that.

I've been in several leases and seen the good/bad/ugly, mostly bad and ugly.

The doing it for the sake of doing it part has my head spinning, I gave up trying to rationalize it.

Sounds like a utopia and hopefully it is for all involved.

 

[Mcfish]

I'm interested... PM sent

 

[Honyock]

I've seen a lot of different prices depending on the quality and size... For a smaller piece of land that is archery only and has cattle on it, $10 per acre. For a larger property, year round, no cattle, $20+.

It's pretty much $20 per acre with or without cattle where I hunt in SW Oklahoma. More if you consistently have elk on it. The elk are about a 1/2 mile south of me so hopefully we'll have some in the next year or two.

 

[2531usmc]

We have a farm in Ohio that only the family hunts on. We lease the land for farming but not hunting.

We would have to think really long and really hard if we were to lease it to hunters. Some of the questions we would ask ourselves:
-how will this raise our insurance if we lease for hunters
-will we have to clean up after them
-are we concerned about them damaging anything
-are they lawful and ethical. How would we know before we leased to them.
-what is our liability if they are unlawful and unethical
-what are the unintended consequences

So the financial bar would be pretty high and, given that, it does not seem reasonable that a farmer would want to get involved with an idea like the OP’s offer of “someone that comes around to help him”