Question about paying for turkey hunts.
12-29-2011, 04:09 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Florence, SC
Posts: 102
Question about paying for turkey hunts.
After all the big turkeys I have seen on my farm I started thinking about an idea. I go to all these fancy hunting lodge websites that offer turkey hunting and look at their photo galleries. Most of my turkeys are bigger than anything those people were killing and they were paying b/t $500-$1000.
So I started thinking why cant I do that on my farm? Do you need a special license to run a guided hunt? I know when I did fishing trips I had to get my captain's license. Is it the same for hunting or can I just start advertising and see if I get any clients? I know where all my birds are and I have one of my dad's friends who can also help out thats been turkey hunting for 25+ years.
So I started thinking why cant I do that on my farm? Do you need a special license to run a guided hunt? I know when I did fishing trips I had to get my captain's license. Is it the same for hunting or can I just start advertising and see if I get any clients? I know where all my birds are and I have one of my dad's friends who can also help out thats been turkey hunting for 25+ years.
12-29-2011, 05:01 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Kansas
Posts: 339
After all the big turkeys I have seen on my farm I started thinking about an idea. I go to all these fancy hunting lodge websites that offer turkey hunting and look at their photo galleries. Most of my turkeys are bigger than anything those people were killing and they were paying b/t $500-$1000.
So I started thinking why cant I do that on my farm? Do you need a special license to run a guided hunt? I know when I did fishing trips I had to get my captain's license. Is it the same for hunting or can I just start advertising and see if I get any clients? I know where all my birds are and I have one of my dad's friends who can also help out thats been turkey hunting for 25+ years.
So I started thinking why cant I do that on my farm? Do you need a special license to run a guided hunt? I know when I did fishing trips I had to get my captain's license. Is it the same for hunting or can I just start advertising and see if I get any clients? I know where all my birds are and I have one of my dad's friends who can also help out thats been turkey hunting for 25+ years.
I'd charge 600, post pics of turkeys and come up with some room and board
12-29-2011, 09:25 AM
#3
Spike
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 87
Yeah, let er rip then receive a couple thousand $$ fine from DNR! Ran into a similar situation in Wyoming once. Don't know a thing about your state but I'd be willing to bet anything the gov. will require a license of some type so they can get their share. Seems to be the norm in most states that you at least have to be a licensed guide through the state.
12-30-2011, 05:13 AM
#7
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Alabama
Posts: 37
Tread carefully thomasmpg. I would call your state and local officials and make sure what you are planning is within the law. Not only could you be opening yourself up for criminal charges, but civil lawsuits as well. As long as you are legal, I wish you luck!
01-01-2012, 01:58 PM
#9
Typical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 696
I would suggest your focus is all wrong. Bigger turkeys???? what does that have to do with what turkey hunting is about. A 16lb gobbler with 1.5 inch hooks is more impressive to me than a 27lb 2 yr old but really even spurs aren't the issue either.
If you're going to "sell" your services (you said guided) then what you're selling is an experience. The value is not the weight of the birds for goodness sake.
I had a buddy book a "guide" in a new state he was hunting. That meant he was walked to a ground blind and told to sit there until a turkey walked by. BRUTAL! Even if some 30 lb, 2 inch spurred, 12 inch bearded monster walked in he would of been very dissapointed with the hunt.
Figure out what value you really have to offer before taking people's money.
If you're going to "sell" your services (you said guided) then what you're selling is an experience. The value is not the weight of the birds for goodness sake.
I had a buddy book a "guide" in a new state he was hunting. That meant he was walked to a ground blind and told to sit there until a turkey walked by. BRUTAL! Even if some 30 lb, 2 inch spurred, 12 inch bearded monster walked in he would of been very dissapointed with the hunt.
Figure out what value you really have to offer before taking people's money.
01-01-2012, 07:21 PM
#10
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Florence, SC
Posts: 102
I would suggest your focus is all wrong. Bigger turkeys???? what does that have to do with what turkey hunting is about. A 16lb gobbler with 1.5 inch hooks is more impressive to me than a 27lb 2 yr old but really even spurs aren't the issue either.
If you're going to "sell" your services (you said guided) then what you're selling is an experience. The value is not the weight of the birds for goodness sake.
I had a buddy book a "guide" in a new state he was hunting. That meant he was walked to a ground blind and told to sit there until a turkey walked by. BRUTAL! Even if some 30 lb, 2 inch spurred, 12 inch bearded monster walked in he would of been very dissapointed with the hunt.
Figure out what value you really have to offer before taking people's money.
If you're going to "sell" your services (you said guided) then what you're selling is an experience. The value is not the weight of the birds for goodness sake.
I had a buddy book a "guide" in a new state he was hunting. That meant he was walked to a ground blind and told to sit there until a turkey walked by. BRUTAL! Even if some 30 lb, 2 inch spurred, 12 inch bearded monster walked in he would of been very dissapointed with the hunt.
Figure out what value you really have to offer before taking people's money.
Think I see what you are trying to say. I remember going on a goose hunting trip in Maryland. The guide didnt even set out decoys just broke the ice on a nearby pond so they would have fresh water. He literally told us to wait for the birds to land then everyone pop up from the ground blind at once and mow them down. I looked up cause I could feel the wind off their wings and there had to have been at least 5,000 of them.
10 of us popped up out of the trench and emptied our guns, then we repeated it 3 more times. Freezer full of geese but it just didnt seem fair. I mean what fun is it when you have a bunch of people just blowing away birds at point blank range just standing there.