Private Land Hunting
Private land hunting lease made available to hunters on an as needed basis is the core product of this Association. That is the simple view. The more complex composition is inclusive of the corporate farm.
Not All Private Land Hunting Is Equal
Corporate farms are of large acres. Typically, well in excess of the financial reach of most hunters. These corporate farms have value above that of the small acreage lease. That value is the corporate farm is a commodity farm. Meaning they grow a finite selection of grains. Have equipment sets and crews for that limited commodity. They do not diffuse effort or resource on accessory activities.
Compared to a small acreage lease the small farmer is more likely to be diverse in his acreage use. The difference is the small operator is likely to have cattle in the waste farm ground. Or, that we lease for its wildlife potential. The corporate farm that we work with is the grain farmer. We do not work with cattle ranch. The difference is to have good bird hunts we need to be within grain farming regions.
More Than Just Private Land Hunting
There is more to what we provide. The letter below illustrates this aspect well.
Our organization exists for a narrow band of hunters that are part of a larger range of hunter types. That narrow range of hunters are those that understand there is a greater value in the hunt than what is in the bag. Those that have the singular focus of bag limits will not get past the first 30 seconds of our initial telephone conversation. It is simply that bird hunter membership applications have the highest rejection rate of any hunter discipline within the Association. That rejection effort is focused entirely against those that have a limited view on the true value bird hunts and dogs provide.
We offer an illustration that may more effectively describe what we are working towards.
Within the pay to hunt industry there are day hunt operations and then there is the way we operate for season long hunts. Day hunt operations attract the incidental bird hunter with or without dogs. They generally seek one or few hunts per year. The quality of that hunt is expressed in the number of birds killed. Dog work is secondary. Our approach seeks those hunters that find the hunts true value in the dog work achieved and enjoyment of the day.
That dog work within this organization means that each bird hunter can hunt his own style. He may work his dogs as he sees fit. Do so over a variety of habitat and between or combined in a wild pheasant or quail hunt. Others who do not appreciate these values should hunt elsewhere.
How to be successful within this advantage of our approach is more simple than most initially believe.
The private land hunting access is secured by us and we, the Association staff, conduct all contracting, liability insurance and access control. The hunter simply hunts. To get that hunter in the field is easy.
All Association hunters long before leaving home will have talked to either John Wenzel or Jon Nee the partners that run the day to day and for that matter all operations of the organization. That talk by telephone will get each hunter to the region of the three states, Kansas, Iowa or Missouri, that has both the bird and habitat of preference. The hunter then using our local lodging listing or any yellow pages he may prefer, makes his own lodging reservations. At this point is where we cut that hunter lose.
The bird hunter then travels from his home using our provided maps to the leases, lets his dogs out and hunts. From this initial hunt the hunter then expands out to try different regions and habitat until finding that combination that most fits his dog power. From trip to trip or season to season that hunter returns to pick up where he left off continuing covering familiar ground. He also enjoys trying out new regions.
It is at this point the changes occur.
That initial change first develops after a hunt or two when the new members comes to relax with the knowledge he has more places to hunt than time. He then settles down to a far more leisurely approach to his hunts. He knows he is avoiding the public ground hunter mentality of beating the next guy.
Bird Hunter Feedback
Hi John,
After enduring the Iowa heat and winds...I headed out (minus my boys...due to sports) to [location deleted] for my last hunt of the year. Griz, my yellow lab and I hunted for 3 days...3 1/2hours each day...and took twelve nice roosters. The conditions were challenging as this area had received 2 inches of ice the week before…and some fresh snow while we were there (much appreciated). Temps ranged from a balmy 3 degrees to minus 17 degrees considering the wind chill. Griz really hunted awesome. You know how tough the ice is on these dog's pads and he endured for three days.
The best tip I can give is to find briar patches…any trees whatsoever…and old overgrown homesteads. Head right for those areas…they will hold lots of birds….the birds will all flush out wild (save the occasional hen)...but then you can pick up the single roosters in the CRP with good, slow methodical dog work, because the birds held great once flushed initially.
I will add that after shooting the 4th rooster on Day 3...seven more roosters busted from one little MAHA patch (75 yards wide)...all well within shooting range. Again, the MAHA property provided great late season habitat for a wonderful pheasant hunt.
Looking forward to spring gobblers.
Thanks again for all of your vectors and help!
Steve
Day 2 pics (snowing like crazy)…dog not very happy due to sore pads.
Day 3 pics...dog totally beat...not tired...just ice-whipped...and ready to go home.
Thanks Steve. It is always good to see another dog. Any bird hunter can relate to how hard your dog had worked.
The next change is the discovery of not having to hunt the same fields each time out. That along with the extra bit of adventure of discovering new farms motivates more to hunt. That discovery leads to the enjoyment of picking up on the nuances and subtleties of dog work that varies by bird and habitat.
While at this point in the reading it may seem unimportant that one day can be in tall grass, the next on brush filled draws and the next along crop edge wooded creek bottoms. Those that have read this article and have experienced such value will generally have agreement that habitat variety for bird hunts certainly contributes toward that special satisfaction of good dog on bird action. Those that have not yet felt this feeling are asked to give it a try before dismissing it.
Here is the bottom line. We lease only private land hunting for our exclusive use. No sharing with any other organization, group or club. We further have a simple access system of a one time a year payment. A live person telephone reservation system that separates hunters.
The advantage to our membership is of course simplified private land hunting of wild pheasant and Bobwhite Quail on natural habitat. A further advantage is a lot of the places to hunt. What we lease comes to us in large acreage blocks from corporations, investment groups and bank trusts. It is the Association's collective purchasing power, well covered insurance liability coverage and asset of being a business rather than a social club entity provides. This allows us to lease tens of thousands of acres.
The world of sportsmen has never been the same from one generation to another. Those that think it should always be the way they want the world to be rather than the way the world actually is are living a foolish life. This hunter hypocrisy is further evident by those that say that knock on door free access is being taken away by large leasing operations such as ourselves. That is not true as we seek the large operator for the more acreage per contract keeps our administrative overhead costs lower. This leaves the small acreage owner to the free access hunter. That complaining hunter that says private land hunting access is unavailable do to our actions simply has not knocked on enough doors. That same hunter that wants another's resource for free would probably argue that he would never give any of his own resources away for free. But he does have that expectation of others.
There is more about our Association and the controls we have installed to insure all have the hunt they expect. That expectation is non-competitive hunts, the right habitat with the region of the state that has a history of production. That is the private land hunting we offer and it does come at a price. That price when compared to other options is very fair. Compare fuel costs, hours and gifts that are paid for by free access hunters spent by knocking on doors. The choice is largely along the lines between those that want to spend their time in the field against those that must work many days to get that access.