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Hunting = Rich mans sport?

Rutin

Senior Member
2,029
0
Ina Duck Blind
Has hunting become a rich mans sport? It seems like every sec I turn around theres more and more land leased to outfitters and out of staters. Considering this used to be an american past time sport is sure has turned into a competitive/whored out sport. Its becoming harder and hard for the average person to knock on a door and get permission without the owner saying "for how much"? I truely think this is killing our sport and everntually it will hurt us all! Its gonna come to a point where you either own the land, pay up, or hunt public.... its amazing how competitive deer hunting has become and how much media hype has changed the sport.
 

Hoytmania

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
11,518
167
Gods Country
I think you hit the nail on the head in the last sentence. It is all media driven. People see the big tv guys leasing land and killing big bucks so they think that is what they have to do. Either that or people with deep pockets that just want to have all the land to themselves and not be.bothersd by other hunters.
 

Huckleberry Finn

Senior Member
15,973
135
Has hunting become a rich mans sport? It seems like every sec I turn around theres more and more land leased to outfitters and out of staters. Considering this used to be an american past time sport is sure has turned into a competitive/whored out sport. Its becoming harder and hard for the average person to knock on a door and get permission without the owner saying "for how much"? I truely think this is killing our sport and everntually it will hurt us all! Its gonna come to a point where you either own the land, pay up, or hunt public.... its amazing how competitive deer hunting has become and how much media hype has changed the sport.

I disagree. Baseball is America's pasttime and within the last hundred years you could make an argument that football is.

Hunting used to be much more important than a pasttime - more like a way to put food on the table and clothes on the children! Since we've gotten away from that and it's become a pasttime, it has gone "downhill" in terms of becoming commercialized (in the last two decades) but then again, what hasn't?
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
I think it can be a rich mans sport depending on what you put into it.

I spend a ton of money, time, effort on my on farm. Planting food plots, herbicides, running saws, gasoline, etc. I do this all to help benefit the wildlife around my farm, and if I was broke I would not be able to do half as much. I too enjoy some of the commercialization of deer hunting when it is done right. I think QDMA and Drury brothers do a fairly good job at showing good hunting without all the bs. I think that some shows on the outdoor channel are full of crap, and just want you to buy some product they say makes you invisible or whatever.

Hunting is becoming just like anything else in this country/world. You can spend as much as you have, if you wanna buy a million dollars worth of reese cups in this country it is perfectly legal. Well if you want to take that million bucks and buy up land just to hunt on it is perfectly legal. All the bitching in the world about leasing wont stop it, although the government might make it harder for people to lease if they make them carry insurance and other liabilities protection.

I did not really take a full stand one way or another just more so shared some of my ideas about things I have personally read or noticed.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
It's a flaw inherent in the system. If you want to conserve and animal for future existence put a price on killing it. Money is part of the system. Hunting can be done far cheaper than we allow ourselves to do.. Do we need 1,000 dollar bows, 1,000 dollars in trail cameras, 250 dollar stands, 200 dollar sticks, 300 dollars in camo.. Nope. All of those are want's. Not "Needs".. So in an essence our want's have allowed OUR hunting to become expensive..

Now on to the land question.. There again the problem lies with hunters themselves.. Once upon a time the tide was turned and you would very rarely get a "No" when asking to hunt, VS today where you very rarely get a "yes".. I think this problem is two fold. One being individual families have gotten away from hunting. The vast majority of the populace is not raised around it anymore. They never had that interaction with a family member that hunts. Back when we grew up the elders hunted.. In each generation since then hunting has dwindled.. Less dads hunt than grandfathers did, and now less sons than dads. This brings about an problem with educating the public. They didn;t have that first hand experience, so they formulate a misinformed opinion of hunting.. Naturally they only hear the bad news.. "Hunter killed in fall from stand" "Hunter shot on public land" "Homeowners dog shot" etc etc.. Throw Hollywood in the Mix and the public forms a bad opinion of hunters based on ignorance..

The 2nd part of the problem also lies with hunters themselves.. For every NO you get when asking to hunt.. Follow up with this question "I understand and respect that, but if you don't mind me asking can i inquire as to why" I will tell you that 95% of the time their answer will start as follows.. ""Well, we did allow hunting but"... And they will procede to tell you a story about a hunter who Shot too close to the house, shot livestock, cut a fence, rutted up a field, left trash, argued with other hunters and involved the landowner. It is for these reasons I believe the majority of NO land is unavailable.. But money talks, and money is once again opening those doors.. It is in this regard I don't look at leasing as a bad thing.. And now the hunters will have an investment in the property. Maybe now through leasing we can begin to repair those relationships with landowners.. IMO don't blame "the rich man", because "the poor man" did it to himself.
 
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hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,720
248
Ohio
There is a lot of truth in what Jackalope said. I don't think it is necessarily a rich man's game, but a little extra discretionary income makes the hunting better. If you have the opportunity to purchase land, buy better equipment, or lease land, then it certainly favors the "rich man". Then again, you can buy a used bow for $100-150 and have a good relationship with the right land owners and do just as well as the "rich man".
 

Rutin

Senior Member
2,029
0
Ina Duck Blind
I dont know if i'd say blaming the poor man is correct either.... Ive asked alot of people who reply "no", why? And majority start off as you stated.... but alot more are replying bc I let a guy lease it who brought a different person each week on my land bc he was leasing it out to them for a week at a time. When money wasnt involved it was based on a pure trust system where the farmer and hunter knew each other on a first name basis and now its about who can make the most money. I inquired on a property last week and when turned down I found out that Base Camp Leasing was leasing it and the farmer got tired of his property getting abused by every customer they could sell a hunt to!
I will agree that the newer generation has far less appreciation for the land in itself bc all they know is what the tv, internet, or magizines tell them. Not to many people offer assistance to the farmers anymore or help bail hay, ect.... Its been solved by... well how much do you want? Just bc your wallet is fatter than mine doesnt make you a better hunter, and once you do something to piss the farmer off its all downhill for every hunter. This is def a touchy topic but I like to see where everyone stand on it.....
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
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I dont know if i'd say blaming the poor man is correct either.... Ive asked alot of people who reply "no", why? And majority start off as you stated.... but alot more are replying bc I let a guy lease it who brought a different person each week on my land bc he was leasing it out to them for a week at a time. When money wasnt involved it was based on a pure trust system where the farmer and hunter knew each other on a first name basis and now its about who can make the most money. I inquired on a property last week and when turned down I found out that Base Camp Leasing was leasing it and the farmer got tired of his property getting abused by every customer they could sell a hunt to!
I will agree that the newer generation has far less appreciation for the land in itself bc all they know is what the tv, internet, or magizines tell them. Not to many people offer assistance to the farmers anymore or help bail hay, ect.... Its been solved by... well how much do you want? Just bc your wallet is fatter than mine doesnt make you a better hunter, and once you do something to piss the farmer off its all downhill for every hunter. This is def a touchy topic but I like to see where everyone stand on it.....

Then your issue isn't with leasing.. It's with outfitting... Outfitting nor leasing is going to stop as long as Ohio continues to gain a reputation for bucks while also being one of the cheapest states in the nation to hunt for a Non resident. Ohio isn't a "Good Deal" It's the fuggin "Goodwill" it's so cheap.. As a NR It will cost you more to go to Kentucky and shoot a turkey than it will to deer hunt ohio..

Ask that farmer if he let people hunt before he leased it.. I bet the majority of the time the answer is no.
 

dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
157
Crawford county
Be interseting to see what happens if the herd continues to decline like it has the last couple years. Would you spend money on a lease, year after year, if you had a tough time seeing any deer? I think I would go spend my money somewhere else.
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
Be interseting to see what happens if the herd continues to decline like it has the last couple years. Would you spend money on a lease, year after year, if you had a tough time seeing any deer? I think I would go spend my money somewhere else.

Very true! I think this wil drastically hurt Ohio, many guys who lease are from out of state or Cleveland. Are they going to be driving hours on hours in a car to not even get to see a button buck? I think not. I have my own property, and have several places to hunt that I know I will see deer, and the places that I do not see as many deer just become null and void to me. I think all of Ohio may sufferer in that way.
 

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,855
260
SW Ohio
Hunting IMO, has became more of a business rather than a hobby these days with the outfitters popping up everywhere. With the recession and farmers and landowners families falling on hard times the leasing has become prevalent. It's true it's gonna cost money for alot of hunters for the privilege we once had for free. Finding and keeping hunting land will get harder and more costly in the future. If you can afford to buy some land then do it because it's the only way you'll be guaranteed a place to hunt. Myself,my bro and some buddies started leasing for the first time last year. We just hope they don't start raising the price but you know eventually someone with a buttload of money can bump us off. That's where the rich man discussion begins. Lol
 

JD Boyd

*Supporting Member*
3,173
0
Urbana
If the day ever comes that I would have to pay to hunt then all my hunting stuff will be for sale...
 
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at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
If the day ever comes that I would have to pay to hunt all my hunting stuff will be for sale...

can I ask why? do you own your own land? Do you have family farms to hunt? Do you have great relationships with landowners? Do you hunt public?

I just think it all depends on situation, I think a bigger problem is HOW people hunt and WHY people hunt then if they pay to lease or buy a piecce of property.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
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Hunting may be a rich man's sport some day. Of course that depends on what "rich" is. For the price of a tag a person can hunt huge areas of the west for free. It will remain that way as long as our country is in existance. Here in Ohio we hunt small parcels and people guard them like a cemetary plot. Sorta like a fish guarding a nest... swim in circles making sure no one crosses the line. We just have too many fish in this pond. Guard your nest at the expense of just being able to enjoy being there.