WOW, I Thought Big Game Hunts Are Expensive

[FDhunt1213]

1 hour ago, BothBarrels said:

Is a ribeye worth $70 over at Ruth Crist Steakhouse in Parsippany? Another $15 if you want some mashed potatoes or something with it?

It's all in the eye of the beholder. 

Love us some Ruth’s Chris !! 

[CJ3a]

I imagine managing the property to have a hunt-able population of wild quail is not cheap.   Add in the guides, housing, chef, lodging, dogs and horses you have 10k to make it worth while. 

[Remember November]

That’s alot for a few sparrows! 

[Raygubernat]

I have never done a southern birdhunt, and probably never will but,  As a horseback field trialer I do have a bit of an appreciation of the costs to provide such a hunt. 

A decent riding horse is about 5 grand to buy and costs about 1-2K per year to feed, medicate, float teeth and trim and shoe.  An that is if nothing goes wrong.  A plantation operation  needs a half dozen or more of these.   Most plantation hunts involve a horse or mule drawn wagon which means two horses or mules AND a driver, per wagon.  Many places have two wagons.

A plantation has to have a sizeable string of bird dogs.  I suspect ten or so dogs  fully trained and ready for hunting is typical.  That means another ten or so in various stages of training.  We are talking pallet loads of dogfood on a regular basis, wormer, tick preventative and  shots for each dog.  Oh and since most plantation dogs only point birds and do not retrieve, they need to have three or four solid retrievers  at the kennel.

Then there is the staff.  You need dog trainers and horse trainers, barn and kennel staff to clean and maintain the barn and kennels. and care for the birds.= both the ones in the pens and the ones out in the fields.     You need personnel to manage the property, plant and harvest crops, maintain cover, keep the roads and paths clear, cut timber and brush, trap varmints, etc.  To care for guests  you need cooks and housekeeping staff, a driver to pick up and drop off at airports, reservation staff, etc.

Lastly, many of these plantations are on the order of a thousand acres(or more) and even down South good land ain't cheap.  Maintaining top quality hunting cover is a year round, labor intensive expensive task.

Start adding all that up and you see why the prices for a high end hunt are what they are.   I agree that, for the most part, these hunts are for  corporate clients who can write them off as a business expense...but is that any different than the corporate ownership of luxury boxes at football and baseball stadiums, opera houses, racetracks or theaters? 

As a field trialer, I have been privileged to have been allowed to go to some of those awesome places and ride the grounds when participating in trials.   The folks that own some of those grounds are incredibly generous in allowing a regular, working stiff like me to enjoy their slice of paradise while running my dog, for no other reason  than the fact that  many of them have a deep love of bird dogs, and they want to support the tradition of field trials.  

RayG

 

 

 

Edited January 10 by Raygubernat