I think this is were the industries focus needs to be before it is to late. Many people have already stated the truth on this matter with out a stronger end market the breeder market will die.So how about some ideas on what we can do to help. Just going to auctions and meeting people is not going to help.
I don't have all the answers but going to make some suggestions. I am open minded to any suggestions or comments.
The end market is when the hunting preserves send their hunters home with a trophy and a great time.
To get there we breed deer, some make breeders, however most fall into the shooter category. At that point the breeder takes the goods to market. The more efficient the farmer the more profit (net income) they make. This means producing a quality product at a minimum cost. The hunting ranches buy the shooter bucks to stock the preserves.
The more hunters the more shooter bucks are bought. The supply of shooter bucks gets low and the higher the cost per buck.
We have to address this problem at the hunter level...deerfarming and new hunting preserves are growing faster than the number of hunters...
So we have to figure out a way to pull new hunters into hunting game preserves. Once they come they are not leaving as long as they can afford it ...
The end market is when the hunting preserves send their hunters home with a trophy and a great time.
To get there we breed deer, some make breeders, however most fall into the shooter category. At that point the breeder takes the goods to market. The more efficient the farmer the more profit (net income) they make. This means producing a quality product at a minimum cost. The hunting ranches buy the shooter bucks to stock the preserves.
The more hunters the more shooter bucks are bought. The supply of shooter bucks gets low and the higher the cost per buck.
We have to address this problem at the hunter level...deerfarming and new hunting preserves are growing faster than the number of hunters...
So we have to figure out a way to pull new hunters into hunting game preserves. Once they come they are not leaving as long as they can afford it ...
We need to focus on getting more hunters to hunt behind a fence. The only way we are going to do that is through public awareness that high fenced hunting is not this evil thing that people for some reason think it is. I think when it comes down to it though the reason alot of people don't like high fenced hunting is they believe in a way its cheating they are paying money to shoot an animal and its guaranteed. They think there is no sport in it. So how do we solve the issue??? This is just my opinion but we are obviously going to have to hold ourselves to higher standards than the rest of the hunting industry. We're also going to have to police ourselves and make proactive stances on how hunting operations are going to be run. We could possibly create an organization that hunting preserves can join but must meet certain requirements and follow rules of conduct. We have to show the general public that hunting preserves are not bad places to hunt and they provide excellent opportunites for the sportsman. Right now our best Public Relations campaign is Keith Warren. His show is giving hunts a glimpse into the hunting preserve market. We need to do more stuff like that in order to increase public acceptance. So far the industry has kind of hid back in the shadows hoping not to be noticed so hopefully trouble wouldn't find them. I understand that stance completely. But the industry is large enough now that if we can get the majority of us to stand together and promote the industry we don't need to do that anymore. We can be come a respected industry just like any other livestock industry. So lets hear some thoughts on what we can do to help the industry!
Reed, i am not arguing with you but what are you talking about when you say the production price has tripled? price for genetics, feed, medicine? just wondering what you are referring to ?
acutting said:
very good points and i think you are on the right track. I think we need recruit more hunting celebrities to show what high fence hunting is all about. Possibly approach one of the top five celebrities and make him a sponsorship that he can't turn down.. They would all love to hunt inside a high fence but their sponsorships won't allow that to happen. Next we go after some of the top sponsors like real tree, mossy oak, biologic, ect...... THis is going to take quite a bit of money so we need to get to work .....
"The end market is when the hunting preserves send their hunters home with a trophy and a great time."
Instead of this being the end, why not make this a revolving circle that get bigger. I'm not going to list a bunch of promotional ideas, but these hunters have friends and family back home.
Instead of this being the end, why not make this a revolving circle that get bigger. I'm not going to list a bunch of promotional ideas, but these hunters have friends and family back home.
Jerry,you are right... i didn't exactly mean that everything ends when they go home... that is where all my work begins.. I have to find more and more hunters to keep my preserve growing ... you are right in that promotion is the next step... We have to find more hunters ...Now how about some solutions?
I believe we are making headway. A friend of mine is working with a new hunting show called Tagged Out TV.
http://www.taggedouttv.com/
He mentioned that roughly 30% of the adult bucks shot in the USA are behind high fence. This is according to TV surveys and as such the producers want to have several high fence hunts filmed every year for this show. I believe the public will come around.
Alot of the problem is the price tag that comes with a preserve hunt. With the economy as it is the only way to drastically increase the number of hunters is two lower the price of the hunts. I understand we are all in this to make money as well as do something we love. I also understand it's going to be hard to lower the price of the shooter bucks on the farm. That really only leaves lowering the price at the hunting preserves. This also is hard as they have alot of overhead,( lodge, insurance, employees, lost to fighting, permits, inspections..ect.) but perhaps there is a way to fence in an area and have cheap flat rate hunts...mostly 100-140 class animals with minimum work and overhead..no lodge..no guide.. ect.. Just a way to get more people to experience the excitement of high fence hunts. any feedback...?
http://www.taggedouttv.com/
He mentioned that roughly 30% of the adult bucks shot in the USA are behind high fence. This is according to TV surveys and as such the producers want to have several high fence hunts filmed every year for this show. I believe the public will come around.
Alot of the problem is the price tag that comes with a preserve hunt. With the economy as it is the only way to drastically increase the number of hunters is two lower the price of the hunts. I understand we are all in this to make money as well as do something we love. I also understand it's going to be hard to lower the price of the shooter bucks on the farm. That really only leaves lowering the price at the hunting preserves. This also is hard as they have alot of overhead,( lodge, insurance, employees, lost to fighting, permits, inspections..ect.) but perhaps there is a way to fence in an area and have cheap flat rate hunts...mostly 100-140 class animals with minimum work and overhead..no lodge..no guide.. ect.. Just a way to get more people to experience the excitement of high fence hunts. any feedback...?
Fars, go to wisdom's home page. His jamboree sounds like what your looking for. or close anyway. Looks like a really fun idea to me. Kind of like going to the casino and trying to hit the jackpot.
Joined Apr 2009
624 Posts | 0+
*******, PA
Fars i dont think making a seperate budget hunt would work bc you are trying to show them how great it is at the perserve not how easy and plain jane. I think what the perserves should do is have discounts for referels and group hunts. Ok you got bob already coming to your place to hunt every year you tell bob to bring his buddys and he will get a discount of say 10% per friend he brings Bob say hell i come anyhow might as well make it cheaper so he brings john, jeff, steve and frank. so now you have 5 guys there instead of just bob and bob got his hunt for 40% off. But you also added 4 guys to your books this year. You give each of them the same deal and if they just bring on average one person with them the next year you just doubled your clients. Every body loves stuff on sale. Worst case you have to give one hunt away but if I was a perserve owner i would love that bc that means i got ten new hunters just from one old hunter. By doing this you have just made everyone of your hunters outside salesmen for you.
Great idea Jared thats the kinda stuff its gonna take to bring in more hunters.This gives the ordinary guy insentive to go out and advertise to people he knows that may have never looked at hunting preserves before.
I have seen lots of shows on the Outdoor Channel that they take deer with shaved patches on the backs of the bucks from TB testing. Can't miss the "behind the shoulder , top of back straight sided , shaved areas" and they never say they are hunting anything other than wild deer. Yes ,somehow a buck could scrape its back but seeing it over and over and the deer industry is responsible for the great deer harvested but gets no credit. There is no way every year that these people can shoot huge bucks in the wild and for multiple shows a season......please , give us , the deer farmers , the credit for your hunting show success. Jim
Joined Apr 2009
2,617 Posts | 0+
Edgar, WI
As someone who is partnered in a hunting place I can assure you the idea of discounting a hunt for someone who brings a friend/friends has been done for years. Great idea, but not new.
I can tell you the feedback we get from guys that are coming to our place for their first ever high fence hunt is this.
In no particular order,
Tired of the lack of hunting land access.
Tired of hunting for year after year and never seeing a really nice buck in the wild.
Wanted to finally get that one buck of a lifetime.
We have also had parents bring their children but this is very rare unless the parent already hunts at high fence places. We have had a couple of guys bring their wife for their first hunt as well.
More than anything it seems cost is what holds most people back from trying high fence hunting. Short of giving away hunts which is not a good business plan there isn't much more we can do other than a national campaign to move high fence hunting towards the mainstream. As it becomes more mainstream hunters will start to develop their own threshold for spending. As they start to raise that threshold for spending more will give high fences a try.
I can tell you the feedback we get from guys that are coming to our place for their first ever high fence hunt is this.
In no particular order,
Tired of the lack of hunting land access.
Tired of hunting for year after year and never seeing a really nice buck in the wild.
Wanted to finally get that one buck of a lifetime.
We have also had parents bring their children but this is very rare unless the parent already hunts at high fence places. We have had a couple of guys bring their wife for their first hunt as well.
More than anything it seems cost is what holds most people back from trying high fence hunting. Short of giving away hunts which is not a good business plan there isn't much more we can do other than a national campaign to move high fence hunting towards the mainstream. As it becomes more mainstream hunters will start to develop their own threshold for spending. As they start to raise that threshold for spending more will give high fences a try.
There are tons of guys in the south that pay big money year after year on leased land that they never kill a nice buck on.. We have to get them to realize that they can kill a nice deer every year for about the same or less money.. The answer i usually get is that they use the lease land for their familys to hunt on and can hunt more than three days...
Joined May 2009
2,369 Posts | 0+
Chillicothe, Missouri
Well said Roger, What if we could target the kids in school like ag classes or at our high school they have a hunting and fishing club, could you have a drawing ,a compition,raffle for a hunt on a preseve and paid for thru or associations,local deerfarmers ? I don't know but i think in your post Roger that its rare for parents to bring thier kids and that is sad but a harsh fact of life! Thats why i think maybe we should target the kids as well as the general public.The kids i feel are over looked but they are in the long run going to be our future. Everyone targets our youth for recycling, seatbelts,the enviorment, and everything else i just wonder if some of our focus should go thier as well.My wife and i are working on giving a annual shcolarship(probably $500. not alot but a start) to our local school to anyone who is going into an alternative ag field to try and get them to think outside the box and we have had great response to our local ag teacher and his class coming out to the farm and visiting and learning about the deer industry.It amazes me how many people young or old don't have a clue about deerfarms and thier existance. Being vocal and getting on thier radar could it make a difference?
I have guys that just can't spend the time away from their busness, leave in the mid morning to fly to canada hunt three days and fly out in the evening, they love to hunt but being gone for a week or ten days could be catistrophic for their busness
Joined Apr 2009
2,617 Posts | 0+
Edgar, WI
Wayne, you are correct. The young people are who we need to target for the long run return. It will benefit the industry long term but it also gives some of these young people exposure to new things they would not otherwise get. The PETA groups target the youth because they know that is where they can make the most impact. Convince the kids who become the adults and voters in a few years.
Wayne,roger both good ideas. What about a organization that we educate youngsters,promote the idea of high fence hunting to others. I am ready
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