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Forums10
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Mar 29th, 2024
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,087 Likes: 1
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,087 Likes: 1 |
I recommend just start budgeting a certain amount every income period, and just stow some money away year round. I have a friend and colleague, a Brooks Institute educated photographer, who says that a man is entitled to a couple of vices. Some men, he says, smoke expensive cigars and some men drink expensive single malt scotch. If you don't, you're entitled to put that much money away for hunting and fishing. It might add up to quite a bit. We both had studio space in the same building and I would have the occasional bamboo fly rod or pair of Gokey boots shipped to the office because I didn't want them delivered to our front porch with no one home. We also would have Christmas parties together. One year after the Christmas party, my wife and I were driving home and she said, "Jack says you smoke a bit. What does he mean by that?"
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,136 Likes: 37
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,136 Likes: 37 |
Some years back, a bud & I concluded that it cost $2500 a weekend to hunt quail, if we were honest about the real costs involved w/good dogs, training, dog food, dog trailers, vet. bills, dog tags, micro chips [JIC one cut the wrong scent & made a bad decision] & dog related accoutrements ad infinum, leases that might or might not harbor movable numbers of coveys, guns chosen & bought exclusively to that purpose, clothing &c. Wot had motivated us to even wonder of such things? Dementia? We elected to leave our findings alone, being best disremembered and continue to hunt as long as we were able, which left all of those dogs spoken of to run out their years in bliss, cutting a bird scent when the opportunity arose, honoring one another much of the time, but not always, not buying replacements to be trained, but keeping a coupla working retrievers & constant companions at a minimum and ultimately subsequent disposal of trailers, kennels, Dogtra's and not renewing leases that held native birds no longer due to the changes w/crops & pesticides as much as anything, IMHO. It was regional, not a locally specific phenomena, but it certainly affected the areas we were leasing for a number of good years prior. I'd even lay some of it off to crop dusters which are highly non-selective to where their vapors land and one must remember that a quail's best & primary source of protein is bugs. Sounds dismal I know and it was and remains so for that particular area. Last season we hunted on the last lease kept in that area we took one dove. Excluding everything aside from the lease fees, we had $1200 apiece in that stupid bird! Prolly flew too close to a magnetic field of some sort and lost its built in compass settings as it was clearly lost. Not sure there was another within two counties that year and we never saw or moved the first quail on that place that year either. Hope springs eternal, eh?
On the positive, birds [quail] have undergone a remarkable recovery in parts of W. TX over the last couple of seasons and it was possible to move numbers of covey not seen in the previous twenty years last season, as some members here can attest. My main hunting pard these days & I hunt with friends and/or an outfitter who is also a friend out Joe & Mike's way. Wild birds were prolific last season and the need for flight-pen raised birds was honestly non-existent, but he can supply them as well, when/if needed or desired. Those hunts run roughly $300+ a bit/day [inclusive of tips] over rough terrain w/an opportunity to take a limit over good dogs. Usually limited to four guns alternating opportunities much of the time w/two handlers and from four to six bird dogs [two to three on the ground at any one time] and a retriever. Weather and temps rule how long the dog(s)need to be out hunting. Of course you have to get there, have a gun & ammo, cover hotel & per diem expenses &c. Me? I call it a bargain.. and should Joe be w/us he makes up for my misses w/ease, since Mike has truly trained him very well in the art of shooting guns w/inordinate amounts of drop, hammers & other obstacles that would cause some city slickers to kennel up!
I've yet to see either of them take a dove off a wire from a vehicle moving 50mph. One or both being somewhat disremebersome in the shell game sense of hand eye math & fizziks.. Joe's old truck never had an accurate speedometer to begin with.. and I'm not positive Mike's even has one. Thank 'god' I am a Canadian living in western Canada. Except for the almost discontinued pheasant release by the provincial government other upland continues to be strong in certain sectors of the province. I don't pay to play and my overall gross cost per bird really depends on the expense of the gun and how much I put into my dogs. I think it is far less than many of our comrades in the States.
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 683
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 683 |
Used to be wild quail around here, but between fire ants killing the birds who roost on the ground and coyotes, they don't exist any more.
I've never shot planted birds before. Is that fun?
I could go to South America and shoot doves if I want to kill a couple of hundred birds a day with two guns, but that doesn't move me, either. And I do have vises...bamboo fly rods and single malt Scotch.
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Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 107
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 107 |
I bird hunt a minimum of four days per week during our local seasons. I hunt a couple other states on a regular basis. Hunt Canada and Argentina a bit. Yes, it is expensive if you add it all up. But what are the options?
If you make bird hunting a priority in life it's surprising what a guy of modest means can do.
Dennis
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 13,149 Likes: 1147
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 13,149 Likes: 1147 |
Genelang,
I shot the sporting course at Etowah Valley last weekend. Nice place with some challenging presentations. It's a hard hour drive from you, I expect, but might be worth looking into for a clay venue. And I mean, lots of clay. Man, what some hills. Never hunted chukar, but this place ought to be good practice.
And, compared to properly planting and tending your own sunflower field, a trip to Argentina is a heckuva good deal.
SRH
Last edited by Stan; 08/17/16 07:11 AM.
May God bless America and those who defend her.
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Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,703 Likes: 103
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,703 Likes: 103 |
Genelang, forget wild quail. The point of my suggestion was the relationship with one dog you can rescue from the local pound. May be the truest friend you'll ever have.
It costs $50 to buy 10 flight conditioned bobwhite quail from a local supplier. You can make a morning in the woods with that many birds. Train with the put out birds and then enjoy a family dinner with the eight or so birds you and your dog will recover.
Is it the same as wild bird hunting? No it isn't, but is it fun and good for you? Sho is!...Geo
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,558 Likes: 22
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,558 Likes: 22 |
Genelang, forget wild quail. The point of my suggestion was the relationship with one dog you can rescue from the local pound. May be the truest friend you'll ever have.
It costs $50 to buy 10 flight conditioned bobwhite quail from a local supplier. You can make a morning in the woods with that many birds. Train with the put out birds and then enjoy a family dinner with the eight or so birds you and your dog will recover.
Is it the same as wild bird hunting? No it isn't, but is it fun and good for you? Sho is!...Geo I have a 19 month old bird dog. Dog needs birds to become a decent bird dog. Putting out ten quail and watching a dog lock up and do its thing makes it all worth it to me. Is it hard? Nope. Is it fun? Sorta. Does the dog really enjoy it? Absolutely. It is certainly not the real thing nor even close. It is a wonderful way to get out and take a walk carrying a decent gun and following a dog bred to do this sport. I miss the days of wild covies and grouse within an hour of me. They won't be back I'm sure. This is the best I can do given where I live and its not awful.
foxes rule
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 4,081 Likes: 472
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 4,081 Likes: 472 |
I second the recommendation of Geo. There are a couple of Brittany breeders within a couple of hours of where you live. You have lots of National Forest and WMA's a rock throw from The Classic City. These areas have dependable woodcock flights during the season. I've hunted my Brittanys in the first year of their birth and if you have good lines of dogs, they are just about plug and play on woodcock once you teach them to come to you on command and "whoa", the most important command in my book. That and "stop eating the bird."  Gil
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,814 Likes: 1
Sidelock
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Sidelock
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,814 Likes: 1 |
I am a VERY lucky man...Actually I planned it that way..
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 683
Sidelock
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OP
Sidelock
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 683 |
I wish I loved dogs enough to own one, but I don't. I like to watch people who DO love dogs, though. I don't have the real estate for caring for a dog. So my birds will be made of clay.
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