The margins on cattle aren’t good and farming (unless it’s for insurance) is just as bad. If it wasn’t for the deer and pig hunter as well as crp acres, I’d be sunk. In any case, my passion is bird hunting and bird dogs. I have some of the most scenic country in the rolling plains and I’m seriously considering a venture into a bird hunting preserve. My questions pertain to cost and interest because I’m 3.5 hours from DFW between Childress and turkey. My idea is to provide myself, my dogs, my hunters cabin and supper for $500 per hunter per day. 2 day minimum. That price would include 10 pheasant or 10 chukar, per hunter per day or a mix of both. Does this sound reasonable, and will people travel 3.5 hours to shoot preserve birds? I also offer WT, mule deer, hogs, turkeys, and rams so a hunt package for birds and big game could be possible. It’s 100% low fence fair chase on big game. Thanks for any insight.

That’s not a bad idea.
I was talking to a coworker yesterday that knows a guy that does this in Lee county, he thinks he charges $300/day I don’t think that includes lodging.
He said he does very well at it on about 700 acres.

Google what your competition is doing to get an idea what to charge. You should price it according to the quality and supply of birds, distance from major city, dogs, accommodations, type of cover, etc. I think hunting in Texas is going in this direction. It's hard to justify keeping dogs year-round only to have zero birds to hunt. I've had dogs in the past but hunting opportunities are not what they used to be. 3.5 hrs from DFW will put you at somewhat of a disadvantage. There are closer places. Offer something the others don't to compensate.

I'm three hours from you and that's a drive I'd make.

Best of luck with your venture if you make the leap...and be sure to advertise it on multiple threads here!

Mark

Thank you for the ideas. Logistically, I have the land, cover, access to birds, dogs, and plenty of other species besides upland to make it work. What is the best way to advertise or get the word out there on the bird hunting?

Need to identify first who your consumers is and what their alternatives are. As others have mentioned, knowing the competition is important too.

Are you looking to provide for the avid bird hunter, corporate hunters, new/learning hunters, etc? Each consumer type has different needs and wants from their hunt and what you provide needs to reflect that. I have found that jack of all trades, master of none type outfitters usually cannot provide the same experience as those who understand their consumer, match that to what they offer, and then deep dive into that specific subset.

I’ve never shot preserve chukar, but I much prefer quail to pheasant in this context. Otherwise, I find your plan and prices reasonable, and would be a potential customer. Accommodations and food are always a consideration, of course.

I drove from Houston to Kansas for fewer birds. I would hunt there.

That’s good to know. What other activities would guys like to see besides the bird hunting? I am looking at a sporting clays set up too.

I'm in KS. Our closest preserve is $120 per person for 3 hours unguided 9 quail or 5 chukar or 4 pheasant. 2 person minimum. Same $ for guided.

Full day guided is $300 per person 4 person min 16 quail or 10 chukar or 8 pheasant. No lodging included in either. Bird cleaning $2 per bird. Skinned, not plucked.

They do have clays throwers, but not a true sporting clays course. They also have a nice cabin you can hang out in and get warm.

Every year I gladly drive from Kansas to SD and ND for less birds.

Just to give you some honest feedback, the two day minimum and total cost of $1K per hunter would discourage me more than the drive. I usually work in preserve hunts as one day trips. I would like to spend more time, but other things drive the schedule.

Would you require a minimum number of hunters? That's another thing that limits some preserve hunts.

That’s a good point and I appreciate the feedback. I didn’t figure anyone would want to drive 3+ hours for a day hunt. I’m 2 hours from Amarillo, Lubbock, Wichita Falls, and Abilene…..so nothing is “close”.
I’m sure that’s what will hurt this endeavor more than anything, but also why I LOVE the area so much. This is still big country with ranches measured in TENS OF THOUSANDS of acres. I often drive a paved FM road for 30 miles between farms and never see another person or vehicle.

I wouldn’t make the drive for a single afternoon hunt; it’s just too much work. I also think you’ll need a minimum party size, but you’ll have to think that through carefully.

I would offer self-guided as an option. I'd give it a shot if so. I like to work my dogs on a preserve hunt or two during the season to give them some confidence (although those wild bird actions still make it tough on them).

I would definitely encourage BYOD! 😁
What would be a fair price to charge for birds if someone wanted to do that?

I've hunted preserves with birds that I could literally swat with my barrel and I've hunted some that the birds were just a step below wild. Roosters ran when a wild rooster would, busted wild and just sit and snuck out behind us. I've hunted preserves where the guide is saying I know there's a bird here somewhere and it ends up in the dogs mouth. So my suggestion is to pick your birds carefully. Personally, I like the smarter and tougher birds.

I'd also check on insurance costs. Not just liability insurance but insurance covering your birds, if your raising them and there is such a thing. Also, if your not raising them yourself lock in your supply and make sure you have a backup supplier. I'm no expert on raising birds but it seems to me the flyway birds that have minimal contact with humans do best.

I also think the weaker birds risk your dogs more than the stronger ones. Specially with inexperienced shooters.


Think about how you would arrange the property to support multiple groups. Your best money making will be when you contract guides to take groups. Also, decide if you are going to provide kennels for overnight guests.

Just some random ideas. I've driven way further to hunt a good preserve. Santa Anna is about 2 hours from my house so another hour isn't much.

That's pretty spendy and pretty far to drive for me to shoot pen raised birds but I admit I'm pretty cheap.
If you can create a really nice experience that closely mimics excellent wild bird hunting then I think your chances of success would improve. A big part of this would be having a nice property and really good birds which is an art.

You might want to check out this site on doing early releases which makes the birds a lot wilder.

If you think that’s spendy, I have some bad news! I was figuring things on this years prices. I spoke to the bird supplier in this area to contract for next year and he advised birds are going to just about double in price.

I hear you. This preserve is much closer to me and currently costs $335. I don't know what kind of accommodations he plans to offer but for the extra $ and drive I would expect a better a experience. Others may have a different point of view but I offered mine. I'm often wrong so take it for what it cost you.

I don't think you're too far off price-wise! I have a hunting preserve near me that's $300/hunt, which seems to be the going rate (minus lodging), but I'd gladly drive 3+ hours and pay $500 for an overnight hunt. Meaning, I'd be happy to drive that far on a Friday evening, stay at the lodge with dinner/drinks, and then hunt the next morning. Now, $1,000 is probably too much for me to go shoot preserve birds over two days, but that's just personal preference.

In my mind, the deciding factor would be quality of lodging. I've hunted some areas where the 'lodge' isn't a whole lot more than a double-wide and some recliners. I've also hunted places with lodges that cater a bit too much to the uptown Dallas crowd. In my mind, a great lodge has character, feels lived in, and is cozy. No need to be fancy, but should feel like a hunting lodge.

Not sure if this helps, but I'd definitely be tempted to take a drive out that way to hunt! It's not a bad drive, and that's beautiful country in my opinion.

Thanks everyone for the opinions and insight. I don’t think this venture will be worth the cost of admission…..especially with birds doubling in price.

I was sorry to see this thread end. If you ever reconsider, TexasUplander ...