But wait ... what would you pay?

mask
Rank: 4X Champion
Posts: 632
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:05 am
Location: Idaho

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by mask » Tue Dec 31, 2013 2:06 pm

Some of you should learn where the money in the farm bill actually goes. It all sure does not go to farmers. Also there is a vast difference between corporate farmers and independent farmers. If you run cattle on public land you pay for it with no subsidy. As far as pay to hunt, if you don't want to pay find another place to hunt. I'm a retired cattleman and farmer, I never received a subsidy because I didn't want one and in most cases did not qualify. I guess when we no longer like to eat we can do away with the evil farmer. :lol:

User avatar
gonehuntin'
GDF Junkie
Posts: 4867
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 5:38 pm
Location: NE WI.

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by gonehuntin' » Tue Dec 31, 2013 2:52 pm

JWP58 wrote:Farming isn't bad for birds. Subsidy farming (and the over production of corn in a failed ethanol experiment) is bad for PEOPLE, not only is our tax money being squandered but we aren't even seeing a return on it. I don't think anyone would say farming is bad for birds, the environment, or anything else.
I would say it's not only bad, but devistating for birds. When you farm fencerow to fencerow, mow ditches, poison the weeds between the rows, mow, burn and fill pot holes, and eliminate nesting cover, you end up with no birds. You end up with what Iowa and Wisconsin have become and what SD is slowing heading to.
LIFE WITHOUT BIRD DOGS AND FLY RODS REALLY ISN'T LIFE AT ALL.

User avatar
Frankug
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:23 pm

But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by Frankug » Tue Dec 31, 2013 6:53 pm

Back to the original question: would you pay for hunting? If the Farmers in my area were treating the land like Gonehunting says they are in his area. I would not pay a dime. I don't know why anyone would want rights through their taxdollars to hunt their land. Sounds like a wasteland to me. That is too bad. The farmers in my area that are making a living off the land are generally treating the land with respect. They want to continue making a living off of the land. Right? Are they doing everything to just manage wildlife, of course not. True many farming practices are terrible for wildlife. Mono species, chemicals, weed control, removal of fence rows etc. But to think they are the rapist described is disrespectful to the whole farming community, who work hard to feed the nation. I can assure you I am not that kind of farmer/landowner. Most of my land is in Cattle or Timber production. The timber supports wildlife. The cattle hardly supports wildlife, with mono species turf grass that are super invasive. These turf grasses have been the detriment of the Bobwhite Quail in my area, along with development, farming practices, fire ants. To name just a few. I was also fortunate enough to work on a farm for ten years where we did nothing but farm for wildlife, mainly the Bobwhite Quail. The most susceptible to non native invasive species bird out there. Is my whole farm dedicated to wildlife? No. I have to put shoes on my little girls feet you know. I have to strike a balance. I kind of know both sides of the coin. To stereotype all farmers is just ignorant.

There are major problems with the farm bill. Unfortunately in with the food stamps, government desire for cheap food "subsidies", is a tiny section ($wise and pages) that is dedicated to the wildlife we love. The CRP payments, costshare practices, Whip, Equip, NRCS, are fractional dollar amounts to the others. I think we ought to thank the farmers who have enrolled in some of these programs, without them we would of lost millions of acres more of wildlife habitat. And to think these lands "won't grow squat" is asinine they will grow wildlife.

User avatar
Frankug
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:23 pm

But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by Frankug » Tue Dec 31, 2013 7:36 pm

I am sorry Gonehunting has never met a farmer that is a steward of the Land. I can tell you that he has never met me. I work everyday on my farm taking care of my land. I have put 600 acres of my farm in permanent Conservation easement, restored more habitat than he will ever think of attempting. Just sitting around telling everyone what is wrong with the world and not getting out there and doing what's right. I eat drink sleep stewardship of my land. I love my land and take care of it too. My grand kids will be able to hunt with a gun over dogs! Will Yours???

Ms. Cage
Rank: 5X Champion
Posts: 705
Joined: Wed May 09, 2012 5:01 pm
Location: Hibbing, Mn. 55746

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by Ms. Cage » Tue Dec 31, 2013 8:19 pm

We don't pay to hunt. If i was a farmer my first concern would be to raise enough crop to pay the bills. Feeding the wildlife, leaving land for the wildlife would not be a concern. Those that bi@#$ about the farmer well, maybe you should go invest in 600, 1,000 acres , pay taxes on the land, buy equipment and farm for wildlife. we'll see how long you last before you are TU selling all you have.
I think one of the biggest problems for pheasant was the intro of artifisial fertlizer. grandpa had tons of pheasant on his farm. Ditchs weren't mowed, fence lines weren't touched , apples orchards weren't touched. After a few years of using chemical fertilizer birds were gone.

User avatar
gonehuntin'
GDF Junkie
Posts: 4867
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2006 5:38 pm
Location: NE WI.

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by gonehuntin' » Wed Jan 01, 2014 7:00 am

Frankug wrote:I am sorry Gonehunting has never met a farmer that is a steward of the Land. I can tell you that he has never met me. I work everyday on my farm taking care of my land. I have put 600 acres of my farm in permanent Conservation easement, restored more habitat than he will ever think of attempting. Just sitting around telling everyone what is wrong with the world and not getting out there and doing what's right. I eat drink sleep stewardship of my land. I love my land and take care of it too. My grand kids will be able to hunt with a gun over dogs! Will Yours???
Do you make your living from your land like a farmer has to, or is that land just a hobby for you?

As I have said, I certainly understand a farmer making and taking all the money he can to make a living, but to say they are all stewards of the land is really a long, long, stretch.
LIFE WITHOUT BIRD DOGS AND FLY RODS REALLY ISN'T LIFE AT ALL.

Mountaineer
GDF Junkie
Posts: 1630
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2010 7:23 pm
Location: State?...The one where ruffed grouse were.

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by Mountaineer » Wed Jan 01, 2014 7:13 am

gonehuntin' wrote:As I have said, I certainly understand a farmer making and taking all the money he can to make a living, but to say they are all stewards of the land is really a long, long, stretch.
Some are, some aren't.
Not all bird hunters are comparable one to another in many measures.....concern for the birds being but one.

If one looks deep enough and honestly, complaining is often most about more than any subject at hand.

User avatar
Frankug
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 96
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:23 pm

But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by Frankug » Tue Jan 07, 2014 4:59 am

I never said they are all stewards of the land, as I am not an idiot. Like I said that to say all are rapist is idiotic as well.

User avatar
deseeker
Rank: 5X Champion
Posts: 1186
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2010 1:38 pm
Location: Blair, Nebraska

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by deseeker » Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:01 pm

I used to pay a land owner $250 a year to hunt upland birds on 5 plots of CRP totaling 750 acres. I also gave $250 a year so I could take another hunter along with me( I could take anyone I wanted, But he had to be with me). There were 3 other people the land owner made the same deal with. Myself and whoever I took averaged around 45 phez a year(low 30 some, high around 60). To me this was a very reasonable deal for a place to run dogs. I could also run dogs during the off season for bird work and keeping them in shape. We lost this ground to the landowners dentist---he traded family dental care for deer hunting rights & and keeping other hunters off of it :lol:

The last 8 years I have been getting an Indian Rez(about 40 miles away) upland lic which costs $150 a year---It's limited to about 125 hunters a year. There is a LOT of CRP to hunt, but since there are more hunters, I only average about 15 to 20 birds a year off this ground. I still consider this cheap, because most of the places I used to hunt are 10 acre housing lots or all in corn due to high grain prices(most of the CRP has been taken out). :roll:

I also make 1 or 2 trips to ND for wild birds which will run me about $700 to $800 each trip---for either 12 or 24 birds depending on how many trips.
So around here the old days of going to the neighbors for free are pretty much gone---I can still hunt their ground for free, but there are no birds on it :roll: .
So now I pay a little money so I have a chance at some wild birds :!: :!: :D

AlbertaChessie
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 63
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:07 am
Location: Lougheed, AB

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by AlbertaChessie » Tue Jan 14, 2014 12:24 pm

slistoe wrote:Glad I live in Alberta where charging for access to public game is still illegal.
Amen buddy....amen.

I have been getting cold chills reading this thread

jimbo&rooster
Rank: 5X Champion
Posts: 1252
Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2010 4:22 pm
Location: Sullivan IN

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by jimbo&rooster » Tue Jan 14, 2014 1:13 pm

I hadn't looked at this thread in a while, and have just read back through most of it. I WILL NOT pay to hunt anyones land. simple as that. Now I am in a situation like many who have responded where I live on the family farm and have ground to hunt. I also have buddies who pay several thousand dollars for deer/turkey leases, and waterfowl leases. My concern is this..... 10yrs ago I could knock on most any farmers door and get permission to hunt their land and it cost me no more than a hand shake and a smile. Then some of the guys my age got out in the world making a few bucks and started to pay ridiculous money to lease land for deer hunting. Now it is nearly impossible to gain access to land without someone having a hand out.

I don't have a problem with a farmer closing his land only to family, and I really don't blame them for leasing it to someone willing to pay for it. But to charge by the day? I don't really agree with that. I don't blame the farmer. I also don't really blame the guy writing a check for a lease. unfortunately this is the world we live in.

I'm more irritated with the state here letting large tracts of land they used to lease from the mine, and it getting sold of for housing developments.

Jim
A limit on the strap is nice, but the kill has nothing to do with tradition.

TXShooter
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 70
Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2008 12:38 am
Location: Sugar Land, TX

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by TXShooter » Thu Jan 16, 2014 11:44 pm

Paying to hunt is growing and here to stay. It's the future, but I'm glad I've been able to enjoy a lot without paying.

If you really do your homework free hunting is still available, but it's sure not easy to find.

As far as the Texas comments, when the conditions are right there are more numbers then anywhere in the nation.

hyperb
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2013 12:51 am
Location: Central Cali valley

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by hyperb » Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:20 pm

This is a really good topic that cuts to the heart of a lot of things. My short answer is it would depend on the landowner, land, stewardship, and experience.

If I feel a private landowner is contributing to better collective game mgmt at large in a state, than I'd probably pay once or twice just to support good land mgmt. I ain't rich enough to do that often.

But I want the experience of wild game in a healthy outdoors. Releasing canned birds for me to plug is not my thing.

In CA I can lay a lot of the thin quail and chukar numbers on the historic drought (climate change?). That said I've done a lot of research and scouting to still get into birds this year, requiring a lot of lung and leg busting. I wouldn't want it any other way.

The truth is I don't want it easy, I want it real. I like a lot of the sentiment I'm seeing on this string about pulling together through volunteerism, donations, and demanding more of our politicians. Kudos, let's do it.

User avatar
roaniecowpony
Rank: 5X Champion
Posts: 817
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:05 am
Location: westcoast

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by roaniecowpony » Sun Jan 26, 2014 9:29 am

Like hyperb, I'm in CA and the drought has about wiped out every type of game bird. My choice this year has been to let them alone so they'll be a base population for recovery. It's not a popular opinion, especially among young hunters who are impatient and want to fill their limits.

What would I pay to hunt ground with plentiful wild birds? Well, I've been paying a hunt preserve $160 for a 6-8 bird day, mainly to ensure my dogs get some type of hunting in these past two bad years here. Hunting for city dwellers has always been a costly endeavor. The cost of long distance travel and lodging is and always was expensive. Nonresident license fees are high. So depending on how good an experience a particular parcel of land is to hunt as well as how large, I might pay enough to beat my competitors for that opportunity. That might be a lot of money to some and not much to others.

Some folks here that were raised in good hunting country when it was free to hunt their neighbor's land or used vast public lands are seeing this evaporate and now are unhappy and even resentful toward other hunters that have paid landowners for exclusive rights. The "hunt lease" has become a cash cow for ranchers and farmers. Leases are priced at what the market will bear. Even "day hunting fees" are being edged out by big money exclusive annual leases for all the wild game on a property. Unfortunately it's mostly a result of population growth and won't be reversed in our lifetime.

TonyS
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:03 pm
Location: Anaheim, CA

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by TonyS » Thu Feb 13, 2014 7:55 pm

Scott,

Not all of us have tv shows. What do you pay or do you only hunt for tv?

Scott Linden
Rank: 3X Champion
Posts: 520
Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2008 6:44 pm
Location: Bend, OR

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by Scott Linden » Wed Mar 05, 2014 9:30 pm

TonyS wrote:Scott,

Not all of us have tv shows. What do you pay or do you only hunt for tv?

And I'm grateful not everyone tries to make a TV show. It is very expensive and there are only so many sponsors out there. So don't quit your day job.

I couldn't afford to hunt many of the places we make shows.

Luckily, I do hunt "free" at the locations you see on my show. It is not actually "free," as the lodge gets a ton of advertising and marketing advantage from the exposure, valued in the dozens of thousands of dollars. They host us in exchange for that marketing value. And the cost (to me, out of my pocket) of a day in the field for my crew averages about $10K. So nobody's getting rich on "free" hunting trips to luxe lodges. Consider that my "trespass fee," if you like. The lodges we hunt at on TV cost anywhere from a couple hundred dollars a day including lodging, up to $1,000 per day per person.

But as you might know, it's not only my job, it's my life. I hunt a lot of preserves for fun, and the cost averages about $20 per bird for pheasants, lodging is all over the board. Private land access, I don't do enough to have an average - $50 to $150 per day.

Public land where I hunt most of the time, the cost is my travel time, license, tags, fees, fuel, groceries, and tax dollars ...just like you.

And you? How much do YOU pay?
Follow the hunter with the longest nose!
http://scottlindenoutdoors.com

User avatar
ezzy333
GDF Junkie
Posts: 16625
Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:14 pm
Location: Dixon IL

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by ezzy333 » Wed Mar 05, 2014 11:39 pm

I don't know of a farmer anywhere that is not the steward of his land. Some just are not the stewards of wildlife like so many of us want them to be. It is a shame that we as hunters think the farmers owe us something when many are struggling to provide for their families. And the hue and cry would be deafening if we asked the rest of the people to help provide for us. But the farmer owes us.

never had a problem with a farmer if you treat them right.

Ezzy
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

Bounty_Hunter
Rank: Champion
Posts: 327
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 8:57 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by Bounty_Hunter » Thu Mar 06, 2014 7:15 am

ezzy333 wrote:I don't know of a farmer anywhere that is not the steward of his land. Some just are not the stewards of wildlife like so many of us want them to be. It is a shame that we as hunters think the farmers owe us something when many are struggling to provide for their families. And the hue and cry would be deafening if we asked the rest of the people to help provide for us. But the farmer owes us.

never had a problem with a farmer if you treat them right.

Ezzy
Well I do. There are dozens of them near our hunting land in rural PA that I don't consider good stewards of the land. They have jumped on the band wagon with the gas industry and are all driving new trucks and cars and smiling all the way to the bank. And we all know what fracking does to the purity of the land and water, don't we! And what about all the farmers that sell out to developers, are they the good stewards?

User avatar
nikegundog
GDF Junkie
Posts: 1508
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:21 am
Location: SW Minnesota

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by nikegundog » Thu Mar 06, 2014 7:50 am

ezzy333 wrote:I don't know of a farmer anywhere that is not the steward of his land. Some just are not the stewards of wildlife like so many of us want them to be. It is a shame that we as hunters think the farmers owe us something when many are struggling to provide for their families. And the hue and cry would be deafening if we asked the rest of the people to help provide for us. But the farmer owes us.

never had a problem with a farmer if you treat them right.

Ezzy
Shelter belts to protect soil erosion are being removed, buffer strips to protect waterways are being removed, fields are plowed black in the Fall, allowing top soil to be lost, plenty of bad stewardship here, I come from a farm family and live in a farm community. Perhaps our definition of stewardship differ, I look at my neighbors field that is plowed back every winter, the hills are nothing but sand, although forty years ago it use to be black, the snow in ditches are covered in top soil, I call that bad stewardship, my Grandfather would just say "Larry's an idiot".

User avatar
ezzy333
GDF Junkie
Posts: 16625
Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:14 pm
Location: Dixon IL

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by ezzy333 » Thu Mar 06, 2014 10:18 am

Bounty_Hunter wrote:
ezzy333 wrote:I don't know of a farmer anywhere that is not the steward of his land. Some just are not the stewards of wildlife like so many of us want them to be. It is a shame that we as hunters think the farmers owe us something when many are struggling to provide for their families. And the hue and cry would be deafening if we asked the rest of the people to help provide for us. But the farmer owes us.

never had a problem with a farmer if you treat them right.

Ezzy
Well I do. There are dozens of them near our hunting land in rural PA that I don't consider good stewards of the land. They have jumped on the band wagon with the gas industry and are all driving new trucks and cars and smiling all the way to the bank. And we all know what fracking does to the purity of the land and water, don't we! And what about all the farmers that sell out to developers, are they the good stewards?
I have seen no evidence that fracking has done but have seen a lot of rethoric from activice groups. I finally saw an actual report of a study that has just been completed but it showed it did no damage. So you are going on record that people who sell the mineral rights of THEIR property as being bad stewards. I lived for several years in the middle of an oil field and saw no negative effect on the earth. They weren't as scenic as some things but they provided the energy our world has thrived on and still needs. Gas and oil wells have been with us for decades and just recently they have become a bad thing with people who don't realize their very existence is probably due to those wells.

Why don't you tell us about the farmers that have sold land so you could build a house? Maybe you should tell them to their face that if they were the type of people they should be they would have told you to get lost and let you live in a tent some place.

To answer your question directly, no I do not see that as being a bad steward of the land. And I don't see a lot of other things as being bad stewards. I haven't seen a moldboard plow used in ages. I see chisel plows used but those are environment friendly though many people don't understand the difference. And I have seen waterways cleaned so water runs down them rather than across the chiseled ground. I see tile put in to drain a lot of the surface water so it doesn't cause more erosion. I see a lot of contour farming and no-till farming with chemicals used to kill the weeds instead of disturbing the soil which reduces erosion. However, nothing is perfect and I would love to see ditches and waterways left un-mowed to enhance more wildlife and the ditches and medians of our interstate highways do not need to be mowed near as much as they do.

Farmers are not perfect but neither are you or me. So till I improve I don't think I will try to run my neighbors business for him. But from what I see, there is still improvements to be made in everything we all do. Lets talk about the yards in town, the golf courses that are scattered through the country mainly used by the city folk, the cemeteries, the parks, and the sporting arenas, and all of the other recreational facilities that we all use and lets talk about how good of stewards we are if we are to use the definition you are using for stewardship.

Ezzy
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

Mountaineer
GDF Junkie
Posts: 1630
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2010 7:23 pm
Location: State?...The one where ruffed grouse were.

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by Mountaineer » Thu Mar 06, 2014 10:47 am

Bounty_Hunter wrote:
ezzy333 wrote:...never had a problem with a farmer if you treat them right.Ezzy
Well I do. There are dozens of them near our hunting land in rural PA that I don't consider good stewards of the land. They have jumped on the band wagon with the gas industry and are all driving new trucks and cars and smiling all the way to the bank. And we all know what fracking does to the purity of the land and water, don't we! And what about all the farmers that sell out to developers, are they the good stewards?
http://youtu.be/kGx94VPb8V8

There are indeed concerns and adjustments and improvements to be made as we all go forward in every venture....the obstructionists and ill-informed help no one take a step forward though.
I expect they are afraid to lose an imagined relevance.
More sad that.
Last edited by Mountaineer on Thu Mar 06, 2014 10:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
nikegundog
GDF Junkie
Posts: 1508
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:21 am
Location: SW Minnesota

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by nikegundog » Thu Mar 06, 2014 10:48 am

All I need to do to find a moldboard plowed field is to look out my window As for tiling its done 99% of the time for the sole purpose of increasing cropland.

User avatar
ezzy333
GDF Junkie
Posts: 16625
Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:14 pm
Location: Dixon IL

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by ezzy333 » Thu Mar 06, 2014 11:23 am

nikegundog wrote:All I need to do to find a moldboard plowed field is to look out my window As for tiling its done 99% of the time for the sole purpose of increasing cropland.
Not increasing, only God can do that. We are trying to improve it.

Ezzy
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

User avatar
nikegundog
GDF Junkie
Posts: 1508
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:21 am
Location: SW Minnesota

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by nikegundog » Thu Mar 06, 2014 11:29 am

ezzy333 wrote:
nikegundog wrote:All I need to do to find a moldboard plowed field is to look out my window As for tiling its done 99% of the time for the sole purpose of increasing cropland.
Not increasing, only God can do that. We are trying to improve it.

Ezzy
Increasing, as in making usable land that without tiling would be to wet to farm. Tiling out a slough, that for 50 years had been unable to produce field crops I would call increasing farm land, not improving. :roll:

User avatar
GmanHawaii
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2014 2:21 pm
Location: Poulsbo WA.

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by GmanHawaii » Thu Mar 06, 2014 12:34 pm

Public land or private, there is no such thing as "free hunting". This is why I like hunting the preserves here in WA and OR, by the time I drive to the public lands, pay for fuel, lodging, etc. and if I am lucky enough to bag my two day limit of 6 birds, they only cost me about 50 a bird.

My last trip to the preserves I shot 20 birds and only paid for 10. The owner only charges us for what he puts out, not for extras we find, lodging was included in the price of the birds. There was a group of about 8 of us, we all chip in for food so that keeps cost down. So basically a three day hunt cost me around 400 for everything, about 20 dollars a bird and my dog got to do a lot more hunting. Not to mention there is a sporting clays course to shoot between hunts.

Some people say that pen raised birds aren't the same as wild, maybe not exactly but we find wild birds on the preserve and they all seem to fly and die the same.
"If you can't stand behind our troops. feel free to stand in front of them"

Meller
Rank: 5X Champion
Posts: 1085
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:28 am
Location: Missouri

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by Meller » Fri Mar 07, 2014 7:38 am

Type in top farm subsidy recipient in(your County)on top of that then see what subsidy they get from the conservation programs; then tell me how bad the farmer has it. Then try to buy land while competing against free money.

User avatar
wems2371
GDF Junkie
Posts: 2430
Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:55 pm
Location: Eastern Iowa

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by wems2371 » Fri Mar 07, 2014 11:01 am

Meller wrote:Type in top farm subsidy recipient in(your County)on top of that then see what subsidy they get from the conservation programs; then tell me how bad the farmer has it. Then try to buy land while competing against free money.
http://farm.ewg.org/index.php

User avatar
roaniecowpony
Rank: 5X Champion
Posts: 817
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2012 10:05 am
Location: westcoast

Re: But wait ... what would you pay?

Post by roaniecowpony » Sun Mar 09, 2014 6:26 pm

Farmers/ranchers deserve to find their way to make the best living for their family that they can, just like the rest of us. Being a farmer/rancher doesn't come with a halo and wings. They are just people.

What would I pay? Scott, like you, I've been paying for hunt club birds, a few trespass fees and a lot of public land over the years. I pay what I can reasonably poach out of my budget. I'm lucky in that I make a good living, better than I would have guessed 30 yrs ago. I haven't paid $1000 for a day, maybe a 1/3rd of that though. And I don't have a hunt lease. But I'm working on one that'll be $1000/yr on a cattle ranch 14 hrs one way from my house. So, that's what I would pay. It's probably a big reason very few young people in the cities are hunters. And with more people moving to cities, hunting is fading just due to the economics of it.

It's really tough to justify what it costs me every year in travel, dogs, licenses, etc.. My wife added up just the dog costs. It was enough to scare me.

Post Reply