Ok, first off, the ranch has incredible trophy potential. It backs up to alot of public land, probably about one million acres of it. THe ranch itself, including leases, is in the 150,000 acre range.

Second, I don' t see why people shouldn' t charge for land. Yeah wouldn' t it be a great world if we had unlimited places to hunt, but until everyone starts voting for more farm subsidies and less welfare and social programs that isn' t going to happen. The hunts would be guided by people on the ranch, people who hunt and know the land. People are paying enormous amounts, what is wrong with getting a little bit of it? Ranching and farming is the toughest way to make a living around, and if I can lure some computer desk jockey from Seattle down here to bag an elk, why can' t I charge him?

This is a much bigger issue than my land. We are all tired of decreased places to hunt, more development in places we hunt, and higher prices to participate. The only way to solve this is to (1) write current congressional leaders about the problem and (2) vote for me when I run after I graduate. Until then, I don' t see why I cannot charge people some money. I said I want to be fair about it, I don' t want to screw anybody, but is are the gun companies being fair about their prices? They are protected now by Tort reform, an item that I am strongly in favor of, because they cannot be sued for people misusing their product. So what is causing prices on the exact same rifles to rise $100 dollars per year? How about licensing agents? Clothing manufacturers? If anyone else has a distinct solution to this problem, I cannot see how anyone will be immune to it. Yeah, I could go on for hours about being a revolutionary, how I will let anyone hunt my land, and I would if I could. Fact is we are talking about a small fee, maybe $500-1000 dollars per party.

Now don' t get me wrong, I love this board and respect all of you. I just always here of people talking about how much they pay to hunt, and do not see why some have to be exempt from getting a piece of that fee. We will spend $500 dollars on a scent lock suit, $1,000 or more on a bow or gun, $40,000 on a pick-up, $1,500 dollars on a Cabela' s wall tent, but want to hunt PRIVATE land for free. And yes, the animals that happen to be on the land are the property of a higher being, but this is not a Communist society, and landowners land is THEIR land.