is $400 a day too much to hunt quail on S. Tx ranch?

A ranch with wild quail,, expecting to find 15-20 covies a day , if you knock down a bird, it counts toward your limit if you find it or not. You can hunt their 2 dogs if you dont have any, or need more. Is this a reasonable amt. to pay?

I paid $150 a day a few years ago on a great day lease. On the other hand I paid $3,500 for my last season lease and shot two birds. It's hypothetical until next season.

Way too much for me

Too Much for a Day Hunt!

If there were a bunch of wild birds and huntable cover that sounds reasonable for the times...you might want to work a $200 down and then settle up after you actually hunt the place in event there are no birds...but a down bird recovered or not should always count towards your limit...it's doubtful the bird will survive...quail hunting is an awesome sport...as sportsman we cannot forget that the resource must have brood stock in order to be renewed...

...otherwise you be paying the same or more for a kick and shoot...which is nothing compared to the real deal...I'd pay $400, can you PM me the info for next year?

Too high for me. I've also never heard of a downed bird going toward your limit. I don't think I'd go for that at all.

Are you saying $400 a day per person with dogs and guide? (other wise how would they know about the downed birds)I think that's about normal these days.
We have the same policy on our lease about downed birds plus a 10 bird limit. Trying to keep the population healthy.

Some places it would would be worth it, and others not.
It wouldn't be in my budget, but that doesn't mean its not a fair price.

There are two different issues here. It is on the low end for a guided hunt with their dogs. It's on the high end if you just day lease the pasture.

I paid $250 for a day hunt that included guide, dogs, big BBQ lunch, drinks, and quail, pheasant, and chukkar on a place just outside Denton two years ago. Plus they cleaned all the birds for me. $400 seems really high to me.

http://texasbirdhunt.com/upland-bird-hunting-priced-affordably-in-north-texas/

Pen Raised bird hunts are typically way cheaper than wild bird hunts. I'm assuming we are talking wild bird hunt here but I could be wrong.

2x

He wrote that it was wild bobwhite quail.

I think the Benefit Hunt sold for $3,500 to a couple who are on a $30,000 per year lease just south of Falfurrias. We only hunted until 11:30 and killed 10 birds. They emailed me a very nice thank you note.

I wouldn't pay more than about $150, but that is probably why I hunt public land.

I didn't realize that. I still would never pay $400 for a quail hunt, wild or pen raised.

I appreciate everyone's feedback ---------- I have come to the conclusion that is has to be at least 20 coveys a day to be worth that.

$400-$500 a man per day on the larger ranches in Stx has been the going rate this year.

Dune, good luck finding what you are looking for.

The day of day leases is almost a thing of the past. To many bucks chasing too little acreage

Fully guided hunt for less than 600 per day per person is going to be hard to find.

Rick Smith was at the Mariposa through yesterday. I couldn't get the link to open, but here you go anyway. You never know what next season will bring.

Prices - Mariposa Ranch



www.mariposaranch.net/prices.php

Our package hunts cover two full days of hunting, with a two or three night stay ... Custom tailored hunts are available as well. ... Bobwhite Quail Hunt, $3,200.00.

Just returned from a S. TX hunt and a dog handler, truck and 10 dogs is running around $750/day for a top handler. The biggest problem this year was finding one that was available. Most were booked solid and the guy I talked to had hunted 90+ days this year. I know guys that were paying standby rates for handlers & dogs so they could have them available when needed.

Hijack!

How was your hunt? Any pictures?

I'm not much of a picture taker but I have a few I'll post up tomorrow. We had 4 phenomenal hunts, even with the dryer windy conditions we moved a ton of birds. First afternoon 22 coveys, next morning and evening hunts, 43 coveys and the Sunday am hunt we moved 26 coveys. It was one of the better hunts I've ever been on as far as number of birds. We used outriders on Sat/Sun and that helped a ton this time of year.

It was kind of depressing, but Hwy 16 north-bound out of S. TX was a solid parade of every kind of hunting rig imaginable on Sunday afternoon!

Extend your season and come do pen raised quail hunts with us guided or unguided

Close to Dallas

Bill, how did they taste?

Always cracks me up when someone asks that "is it too much to pay" question. If you're willing to pay it for the experience, it's worth it. What someone else is willing to pay is completely irrelevant.

Rusty, Rusty, Rusty, its an expression. What they're really asking is, what is the going price?

William William William. I'm just pointing out that "what's the going price" is a different answer for everyone. As is evidenced in the responses.

The free market is a wonderful thing, price fixing isn't.

Let me just preface this somewhat. I, in no way, am a rich man. I make a decent living and get to enjoy my hobbies (quail hunting) as I see fit with all the dogs, tools and toys. I live for quail season. It is a downright passion of mine. It is what I do.

So to answer the OP's question...if you have the opportunity for a chance of 30-40 coveys a day, borrow the money to go if you don't have it. $400.00 would be chicken feed compared to the excitement and pleasure you would receive on such a hunt. Quail hunting is the greatest outdoor sport there is. 30 coveys a day in my mind would be just as comparable as the 15 lb. sharelunker bass or the B&C 180" Whitetail. You don't get these chances often, so take the 1 time advantage and go for it. You will be hooked! You will come back and probably better understand this post if you read it again. Everytime I turn the dogs loose at my ranch, I have the same aura around me as one would have walking the fairways of Augusta. At that moment, I am on the greatest place on the planet. The beauty, camaraderie, presence of our Lord and his work just abounds. Yes, It is and has been Spiritual.

SEE? It really is like walking into and out of a beautiful painting all day long.

Well said NorthTX!

North Tx.------------ ditto.

I thought trophy deer hunting was for high rollers

Some of the highest rollers are quail hunters.

Yep. Quail hunting is the most exclusive outdoors sport in Texas. Look at Sam Walton. or James A Baker.

No mention of Dick Cheney?

Formerly Antonin Scalia. T Boone one of the biggest high roller bird hunters.

I am not a high-roller at all and I still quail hunt. I don't see where it is as expensive as deer hunting. The difference in the OP's question and what is mentioned here is that most of the time a guided hunt is for the hunter that only quail hunts 1 or 2 days a season just for the experience. Guides certainly have carved a niche' for themselves operating based on this type clientele. Deer and Big Game hunters pay some pretty extravagant prices for leases, feed, gear, blinds, transportation, etc. While quail hunters pay a lot also with leases, year round dog care, some feeding costs, transportation, gear, etc., I feel that their costs no where are close to reaching the equivalency of deer hunting. Quail hunting is a huge commitment year round with the dogs involved as it is with the avid deer hunter and feeding programs. I just know from personal experience that it is more expensive to deer hunt.

I am not a high-roller at all and I still quail hunt. I don't see where it is as expensive as deer hunting. The difference in the OP's question and what is mentioned here is that most of the time a guided hunt is for the hunter that only quail hunts 1 or 2 days a season just for the experience. Guides certainly have carved a niche' for themselves operating based on this type clientele. Deer and Big Game hunters pay some pretty extravagant prices for leases, feed, gear, blinds, transportation, etc. While quail hunters pay a lot also with leases, year round dog care, some feeding costs, transportation, gear, etc., I feel that their costs no where are close to reaching the equivalency of deer hunting. Quail hunting is a huge commitment year round with the dogs involved as it is with the avid deer hunter and feeding programs. I just know from personal experience that it is more expensive to deer hunt especially on guided hunts.

I hunted with some friends a few years ago down South. Their quail hunting was more than deer hunting. They had a personal string of 30-40 dogs. Just the feed bill was $1,000 a month. The lease price was $9,000. That doesn't include travel expenses, or cost of building a hunting camp. I've heard of just a few deer hunting leases that would be that much. Only because you wouldn't take a trophy deer but every 3 or 4 years. But a guided hunt for a trophy deer would depend on the score of the trophy, so I guess it could be more expensive. I've done both of these, and prefer the quail hunting.

You can hunt deer, hogs, turkey, ducks, geese, and dove on 40 acres or less, but not quail. The people who spend big on game other than quail do it because they want to. That's what I call a high roller.

normal free range deer hunting dollars don't compare to even average quail land. If there were legitimately a good number of quail, you'd have to limit the number of hunters at 400 each if advertised properly