Joined Jul 2009
1,215 Posts | 0+
Deer Park, Alabama
Now that the hunting season is here I am wondering how the preserve bookings are going. The few that I have talked to are booked up.
Hunting Market
- Thread starter South Alabama Whitetails
- Start date
Was wondering the same thing,any info on shooter buck pricing? Better than last year? or too early to tell?
We or booked for the year on whitetails. Have few openings on the exotics.
Joe Headley
www.Alabamasfinest.co
Joe Headley
www.Alabamasfinest.co
Maybe PA should close their borders if it is working so well for others with theirs closed.......definitly would be less competition when selling shooters.
Now thats a good idea and we could still sell our stuff out of state too!!! Sounds like a win win situation for us bein we are the second largest deer breeding state. It wouldn't even make are breeding stock prices go up either cause we already have piles of good genetics here in PA to play with.
Market looks bad called several preserves to see if they were buying shooters half said no they half said only giving 750-1000 for 150 's
would rather keep them for that price,that wont pay the feed they ate! thats about same as last year...
Looks like us farmers are going to have to start selling them to the hunters are selves. I know one thing the prices for hunts hasn't changed.
Joined Apr 2009
1,562 Posts | 0+
cental Pennsylvania
I am very dissapointed for the prices that i have seen so far, i actually have a lot to sell this year. I guess there is not to much i can do about it though. when i bought my deer in 06 i remember that 150's were still bringing $2000 or close to it, now that i am starting to get established and finally have animals to sell, the price has went to an alltime low of around $750. I also remember that i used to pay only 7.50 a bag for feed, that is now over 12.00, it really has become impossible to make ANY money whatsoever with a deer under 200". At least in my area, I got to start advertising out of state,
I feel blessed that my farm can run without turning a profit because I love deer farming so much, but it really is a terrible business to be in from the financial standpoint. My wife keeps nudging me to sell things, and trust me, they are for sale! But getting generic does to move at any price is really difficult. I would be willing to give some to some needy families if they'd help out with the CWD testing costs. When will MO get it set up so that we can market our meat? I've thought about running through some loopholes, like free jerky with payment for the processing, free burger when you buy the hide, etc. If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably think twice!
I agree wth Virgil if you look at the hunt prices they arent getting any lower but our prices are. Instead of us the farmers trying to undercut each other on price so we can move our deer we need to stand together so we "all" can get a little more money.
Bruce said:
I agree, I know of ranches selling 150 class hunts for 2500.00.
6 years ago that same hunt would've brought 5k+
bad situation for all....
Joined Apr 2009
1,231 Posts | 0+
PA
Joined Apr 2009
1,485 Posts | 0+
Vaughn, MT 59487
But that hunt would have cost $2,500 to buy that hunt animal for the preserve six years ago. So how come we sell this buck for $750 to $1,000. as some of you have indicated they now sell for. We have always made about half of the hunt price, for sure not less than 40 % of the hunt price so why are we now being paid so much less? . What is going wrong with the industry?
Ok, So as a breeder and preserve I'll throw my 2cents in......
1. Hunting Market is off and dropping.... Dont care what anyone says, if theyre full its not all for top of the line deer. Also, full depends on what they set their market at for this year. I budgeted my preserve for 20 hunters this year when in the past its been 30. We normally do 80 free range hunts a year but cut that back to 50 this year in anticipation for an off year and we'll meet our goal as being full, but not to our normal standards. Bruce is right, the preserve market is becoming more like a car dealership every year, you take what you can get to move the product. Hunters that were shooting 170+ last year are booked to shoot 150"s this year just to go hunting.
Think about this too, as an outfitter, I will have spent 3 times the money this year in advertising to get 60% of hunters we would have in years past.
As a breeder, I'm cutting my herd to 20 breeding does and AIing only 10 this year to cut my feed bill and cost for next year. If the hunting market comes back quickly I can buy shooters but I dont need them dying of old age in there.....
2. My biggest concern I see in conversations on here that everybody blames the preserves on deer prices they will pay..... In truth, theres too many shooters out there, if there wasnt the preserves couldnt control the price.... its that simple, the market is flooded with shooters and most are too big, the bread and butter deer that actually draws in new hunters are the 150-170 class bucks. The only way a preserve will pay top dollar for a deer bigger than they need is if its at a good price and they believe they can sell it.
Very few hunters out there can afford a $20k deer yet theres 180-200" deer everywhere that arent breeders. Also most breeders want to hang on to those deer too long, either to see if they'll "blow up into a breeder" or if they can get a better price for ten more inches of horn. I love releasing 3 yr olds, if they get shot good, if not they have a great chance at staying alive.
3. I think the downturn is going to fix problem 2. A lot of people cant afford to sit on their deer but cant afford to keep selling them at the prices they are yet those deer arent good enough to bring a decent $ as breeders. The best genetics are going to stay and unfortunately a lot of small farms will fall to the wayside, then the prices will come back up if the hunting market comes back up which depends on the economy etc... There's a lot of things going against small breeders with the financial state this country is in with the economy, financial lending and our supposed Agricultural and small business status.
Dont mean to burst anyones bubble but this seems to be the way the market is heading right now. Hopefuly the people that think otherwise havent fallen victim to the BS program coming out of our capital. This is just my opinion and the feeling I'm getting.....
1. Hunting Market is off and dropping.... Dont care what anyone says, if theyre full its not all for top of the line deer. Also, full depends on what they set their market at for this year. I budgeted my preserve for 20 hunters this year when in the past its been 30. We normally do 80 free range hunts a year but cut that back to 50 this year in anticipation for an off year and we'll meet our goal as being full, but not to our normal standards. Bruce is right, the preserve market is becoming more like a car dealership every year, you take what you can get to move the product. Hunters that were shooting 170+ last year are booked to shoot 150"s this year just to go hunting.
Think about this too, as an outfitter, I will have spent 3 times the money this year in advertising to get 60% of hunters we would have in years past.
As a breeder, I'm cutting my herd to 20 breeding does and AIing only 10 this year to cut my feed bill and cost for next year. If the hunting market comes back quickly I can buy shooters but I dont need them dying of old age in there.....
2. My biggest concern I see in conversations on here that everybody blames the preserves on deer prices they will pay..... In truth, theres too many shooters out there, if there wasnt the preserves couldnt control the price.... its that simple, the market is flooded with shooters and most are too big, the bread and butter deer that actually draws in new hunters are the 150-170 class bucks. The only way a preserve will pay top dollar for a deer bigger than they need is if its at a good price and they believe they can sell it.
Very few hunters out there can afford a $20k deer yet theres 180-200" deer everywhere that arent breeders. Also most breeders want to hang on to those deer too long, either to see if they'll "blow up into a breeder" or if they can get a better price for ten more inches of horn. I love releasing 3 yr olds, if they get shot good, if not they have a great chance at staying alive.
3. I think the downturn is going to fix problem 2. A lot of people cant afford to sit on their deer but cant afford to keep selling them at the prices they are yet those deer arent good enough to bring a decent $ as breeders. The best genetics are going to stay and unfortunately a lot of small farms will fall to the wayside, then the prices will come back up if the hunting market comes back up which depends on the economy etc... There's a lot of things going against small breeders with the financial state this country is in with the economy, financial lending and our supposed Agricultural and small business status.
Dont mean to burst anyones bubble but this seems to be the way the market is heading right now. Hopefuly the people that think otherwise havent fallen victim to the BS program coming out of our capital. This is just my opinion and the feeling I'm getting.....
Joined Oct 2009
3,165 Posts | 1+
upstate ny
Yup a new guy would be foolish to think they are goin to buy some deer to raise and make a living.I love deer,I bought some great deer and spent some good money but you can bet the farm i will be at work tommorow and if i dont make a penny on these deer i will have a good time with them.
All I can say is remember that it costs between $1000 - $1200 to raise a buck for 3 years, at least that is what it costs us, and that doesn't include the price of the doe, advertising, or breeding her. Just food, medication, and testing.
At this rate I don't know how anyone can pay $10,000 for a higher end doe anymore. Which we have done in the past, and which is not uncommon. IF she has 2 buck fawns, IF they both live for 3 years, If they both grow to 200", If they both have big frames, and IF you can get $6100 per buck (not likely the way I hear it), you would only break even on the price of the doe, feed, medication, and testing.
I LOVE raising deer, but I'm just a normal guy, I work and don't have a bunch of money. If the deer farm can't be self sustaining, it's going to be real hard to justify it, I can't just keep investing money in it with no return. I know I'm never getting rich off of this, and that was never a consideration when we started, but it has to at least pay for itself.
If this trend keeps going, I see breeder prices dropping off just as the shooters have. As everyone knows, the shooter market drives the breeder market, and if the shooters drop way off, I can't see how the breeder market won't.
Not preaching doom and gloom, just some facts. I hope I'm wrong and the prices rebound. We have some higher end does and the fawns out of them also need to help supplement the expenses, but as of right now from what I'm hearing, this year doesn't look real good, and if that happens it will make it ever harder.
As I said, I'm not calling anyone out, rippin on the shooting preserves, or trying to start an argument, just stating some facts, and hoping I'm wrong because I want to do this well into my retirement. There is nothing as cool as raising whitetail deer. I'm not getting out until it puts me in the poor house, which I hope doesn't happen.
At this rate I don't know how anyone can pay $10,000 for a higher end doe anymore. Which we have done in the past, and which is not uncommon. IF she has 2 buck fawns, IF they both live for 3 years, If they both grow to 200", If they both have big frames, and IF you can get $6100 per buck (not likely the way I hear it), you would only break even on the price of the doe, feed, medication, and testing.
I LOVE raising deer, but I'm just a normal guy, I work and don't have a bunch of money. If the deer farm can't be self sustaining, it's going to be real hard to justify it, I can't just keep investing money in it with no return. I know I'm never getting rich off of this, and that was never a consideration when we started, but it has to at least pay for itself.
If this trend keeps going, I see breeder prices dropping off just as the shooters have. As everyone knows, the shooter market drives the breeder market, and if the shooters drop way off, I can't see how the breeder market won't.
Not preaching doom and gloom, just some facts. I hope I'm wrong and the prices rebound. We have some higher end does and the fawns out of them also need to help supplement the expenses, but as of right now from what I'm hearing, this year doesn't look real good, and if that happens it will make it ever harder.
As I said, I'm not calling anyone out, rippin on the shooting preserves, or trying to start an argument, just stating some facts, and hoping I'm wrong because I want to do this well into my retirement. There is nothing as cool as raising whitetail deer. I'm not getting out until it puts me in the poor house, which I hope doesn't happen.