Farmers work tirelessly in an effort to achieve a steady and sustainable farm income. The socially and politically changing landscape of the world combines with the nature of commodities in general, and the result is the creation of legitimate concern for anyone making their livelihood in farming. The nature of the work many farmers do requires long days during busy seasons of the year. During these seasons the absolute last thing any farmer wants to incur is an interruption. It should go without saying that several interruptions, or several weeks of constant interruptions, drastically impacts the amount of work accomplished. Bearing this in mind, it is easy to understand why many farmers and ranchers simply find it easier to not allow hunting of any kind on their property. This is a travesty, as many farmers have in place everything they need to create sustainable income solely through the control of their farm or ranch land as it relates to hunting.
When examining sustainable farm income, income from all sources must be examined. In addition, the current use of resources on the farm must be compared against their alternate uses in order to accurately determine which use will provide the maximum sustainable income. For example, if one is growing five acres of corn, one must examine the final cost of the corn when sold at market and compare it to other crops that might be grown and their final cost at market. If the difference between what is being grown and what could be grown is positive, it is likely the best choice has been made. Conversely, if the result is negative, perhaps a change is in order. Similarly, if a farmer has 500 acres with regular wildlife and does not hunt the property, a fair question for the farmer to ask is "how much might I make if I allow hunting on my land?" This question has many answers.
Providing private land to hunt can be a lucrative source of sustainable income for farmers and ranchers. The types of animals that can be found on the property as well as the frequency with which those species can be hunted often provides the first indication as to what kind of sustainable income might be generated by allowing hunts. For example, if there is good potential a hunter could harvest a trophy elk, the land will generate more income than if there is only a chance cow elk licenses can be filled. Similarly, if a small section of a stream that never freezes is abundant with waterfowl, the price per day, per gun for allowing hunting can be commanding compared to a similar property without such a water feature.
Simply having property ideally suited for hunting and determining that hunting will be allowed only goes half the distance required to realize an increased, steady and sustainable farm income. Marketing the property to hunters is the second half of the equation. To this end, one of the primary reasons farmers and ranchers do not allow hunting is due to the constant interruptions they encounter during hunting season. Marketing your land to hunters on your own might seem cost effective initially, but during the busy seasons, this can create a situation where interruptions are constant and the work required on the farm or ranch suffers or is only completed with increasingly long days. There exists no practical advantage to allowing hunting and creating a situation previously avoided by not allowing hunting.
There are many services geared to get hunters onto private land, ostensibly operating to help the landowner and the hunter find common ground. Taking time to find the most appropriate service is worth any landowner's time as this is the key in developing a sustainable income. The fine print in many service agreements often prohibits the landowner from using their land as they see fit, any agreements should be entered with caution. Many outfitters gain the rights to hunt private land then collect thousands of dollars from out of town or out of state hunters by allowing them to hunt the property. In exchange, the landowner often times gets little more than a bottle of scotch and a thank you. There is not anything wrong with free scotch, the point here is the landowner could often fair far better simply by enlisting the help of a company whose purpose is to legitimately serve hunters and landowners.
When selecting a company, landowners should consider many things. First, whether or not there is a cost associated with enrollment. This should be a red flag to any farmer or rancher. An enrollment fee is akin to an Internet scheme where you are told you won the lottery but have to pay the processing costs up front. Do not do it, keep shopping. Another consideration is with regard to the exposure their land will get. Many services limit the exposure of the land to "members" or collect an annual subscription fee from hunters before they are allowed to look at available properties. This too is ridiculous. Imagine you are in the market to buy a car so you go to the dealership and are told for $19.95 you can have all the test drives you want for a week. You would find another dealership, so should you also find another company. Another red flag should be noted if a company guarantees your land will be hunted, and more importantly, that you will realize instant revenues from hunting. The nature of the industry is such that any guarantee should be very closely examined. Odds are you will find a ponzi scheme in somewhere in the guarantee.
Building a steady and sustainable source of income simply for allowing activities such as hunting on your farm or ranch is easier than you might think. If you could use extra money, weigh the pros and cons of allowing hunting. Take time to find a company or service that can help you realize your goals while simultaneously requiring as little of your time as possible. Make sure you read the fine print associated with any agreements before you enter into them. And finally, be realistic in your expectations. Do not expect a flood of well-funded hunters to over bid for the privilege of hunting your land simply because it is now available. Focus on the long-term outcome and a steady, sustainable income will be realized.
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