You are right. I meant to imply they 'think' they are. A turkey is a turkey to me.

Sorry for the bad word

pm returned highlonesome1

I like this discussion. I love to turkey hunt and I love Texas hunting! I believe you get what you pay for. If you can't afford the price for a particular service that is being offered then other options should be considered. I, for one, am married to a guide and professional sportsman and I know it's hard work. Not as hard as sitting at a desk 9 to 5 every day since we live our lives virtually "Outside," but still the way we make our living. Where there's a will there's a way and hunting/fishing guides seem to be like "significant others" ... There's someone for everyone.

Re: Looking for a turkey hunt

Spring Turkey hunting is on an upswing here in Texas and I feel that it will be the White Tail Deer of the 21st. century.

With the limits we have here in Texas on Rio Grandes and the sheer numbers of birds, I feel more people are going to start offering some form of hunt yearly.

As with any other Guide/Outfitter/Landowner ran operation, there will be the good the bad and the ugly when it comes to the hunts offered and what is charged.

The one aspect that I wish most folks would try and modify is the "You Get What You Pay For" attitude.

Just because a hunt is pricy, does not mean it is a great hunt.

The whole picture has to be looked at, not just the price tag.

Along with that, what type of hunt an individual hunter wants or expects also has to be looked at.

For someone wanting first class accommodations and gourmet meals, expect to P.O.T.A..

For someone just wanting a place to pitch a tent and cook their own meals, I believe you are going to find those places starting to disappear.

It won't be an overnite type situation, but because not everyone toting a bow or a gun is as ethical and sporting as members of the THF, landowners are beginning to move away from just letting people loose on their properties without some supervision.

Landowners get tired of having hunters on their property, that claim not to have seen or shot anything, only to go out in the pastures a few days after the hunt and find evidence of game killed and partially processed or wounded and lost. JMO.

The thing everyone needs to remember about the guides/outfitters that post their hunts on this site, is that while maybe none of the regular active members may be interested in booking a hunt, the lurkers and casual users may be.

Offering a discount to fellow members is just something done out of courtesey.

Having members come on and bash or bad mouth a fellow members services when they have never been on one of the offered hunts or have no intentions of ever doing so, serves no purpose what so ever.

Each guide/outfitter/landowner has their own reasons for offering what they do in a hunt package and they also have their reasons for charging the prices they do.

Unless a person has actually hunted with an operation, bad mouthing that operation makes the person doing the bash look like a fool, and is totally out of line. AJMO.

We have an outfitter who needs to sell 4 hunts quickly to pay lease. 4 day, 2 bird, lodging included 4 spots on 1500 private acres, $500 per hunter. Throckmorton, TX. Call toll free 1-877-647-9926 or email me at [Email]sjadventures@cableone.net.[/Email]

hello all.....just wanted to post about what Highlonesome had to say about his place. Anyone reading this should know that he is not kidding. Tons of birds doesnt even touch the tip of the ice berg for his place. I was lucky enough to get visit High Lonesome ranch a few weeks ago. We drove the ranch for about 2 hours and saw approximately 200 turkeys. It sounds like an exageration, but it isnt. His pricing and accomodation are killer and like none other that you will find with 1939 rock ranch mansion. If you really wanna get some Spring turkey hunting for 2008, this is your guy! i did an interview with High Lonesome Hunts on my YHF Blog Talk Radio show and we discussed the visit. If you wanna hear it goto www.yourhuntfinder.com and scroll to the bottom of the page. Click on the radio show button and it will play the last show. This guy has it going on for turkey.

If you would like a multi-day Spring Turkey hunt for 2-3 guns, let me know. I have a 337 acre ranch in Menard. Prime habitat. Game managed, water, feeders, RV hookups. You'll see a nice group of birds from 2/08 on one of my game camera pics.

www.hunt-texas-hillcountry.com

I had no idea turkey hunts could cost this much. I guess if we fill our tags this year our lease more than pays for it in turkey alone.

Scott, my rates are posted on my website at

www.hunt-texas-hillcountry.com

You won't find more reasonable rates. If you do, please post them.

if i shoot all three of these at 400 a bird I paid for my year round lease.

Scott, again, if you can show me more reasonable rates, do it.
What? Are you competing with me in some way. Spell it out. Be transparent.

no just happy since deer season was a bust that at least the lease is still paying for itself with turkeys.

Ok, I'm happy for you. I'm not a lease holder. I'm a land owner. I have costs to bear as well, but I think my rates are beyond reasonable in comparison to what is out there.

It may help to clarify what some of these pricings include to understand why hunts cost what they do. I will agree that some outfitters have high prices, but many times the experience is worth the money. Here are some things to consider when looking at pricing for hunts. This is not just for Turkey, but for any hunt.
1. Land - they aren't making anymore of it and from the looks of it, us humans are beginning to take up more and more of the globe. This is simply supply and demand. The lack of supply will drive up the price. Many of you may remember what it cost to lease property 20 years ago. Compared to now, these prices have sky rocketed. Thus up goes the price of available hunts. Is this greedy land owners or simple economic inflation? Compare prices for hunting from 20 years ago to real estate from the era? Now look at today......not so far off after all is it?
2. Quality of Experience: Many times outfitters have put enormous amounts of time and energy into getting a property ready to hunt. This preperation is to ensure that the hunter has a topnotch experience. this is what I call the "behind the scenes" work. Who do you think fills those feeders, repairs those blinds, marks those paths, cleans up after your visit, cooks, puts the hunter on the animal of their choice or at the very least tries his heart out? There are cheaper routes to go than to spend $500-$1000 for a three day hunt. It is called, do it yourself. There is nothing wrong with that method, but so many of us have become so busy with our family, work and friends that we simply do not have the time to manage our hunting areas. Outfitters manage these things for the hunter.
3. Today's hunts have begun to use the word "All Inclusive" as if we are going on a cruise or something. However, yesterdays hunts aren't as popular anymore. Many guys want to hunt all day and have a nice place to relax, hang with their hunting buddies and tell stories next to camp fire. In other words, it isn't just about the hunt. The overall experience comes into play. The atomosphere of the lodge or camp, the food that is prepared, the service and personality of the guide. It has turned into a mini-vacation for many hunters. Ask yourself, "How much would it cost me to stay in a bed and breakfast for 3 days and 2 nights?" and kill a nice buck or trophy gobbler.
4. Commericalization: It seems that no hobby or sport is safe from it anymore. We are breeding bigger deer, putting up high fences and even feeding the animals a scientifically developed diet. It all cost money. Then we advertise our animals to hunters, which the population of the sport is continuing to grow. More cost.....more demand....less supply! There you have it.....my soap box for the day.
I hope this sheds some light on why hunting has increased in price. These are by no means all of the factors, but these are major points. Cheap leases can still be found, but hunters have to search high and low to find those hidden gems and more often than not a good thing ends sooner than we would like due to people figuring out what they have.
So what does the hunter do with prices for hunting where they are? He plans his hunts, budgets for his hunting and researches the possibilities. Sounds just like what we have all ways done as hunters that don't own our land and manage it for hunting.
Happy hunting everyone! These tidbits of information are not meant to offend anyone. They are simply stated to point out the difference between yesterday and today.

After that long explanation or pricing and hunting, I would like to say that I know of two places here in Texas offer a fantastic experience and killer Spring Turkeys for very reasonable prices ranging from $550.00-$850.00/gun. Both are "All Inclusive" 3 day 2 night hunts. One of which I know includes 2 gobblers and free range of the property. Let me know if anyone is interested and I'll be happy to fill you in on the details. My email is info@yourhuntfinder.com.

12. We consider guides and outfitters an asset to the site. If you don't agree with the use of guides or outfitters, keep that information to yourself. If a guide or outfitter is just posting their service, inviting you to check out their web site, let them do so. Hopefully down the road they will offer a few pointers. Guides and outfitters offer a wealth of information and we want them visiting the site on a regular basis.

Folks, you all need to calm down.

There are more than enough hunters to go around, and getting into this over who has the best hunt or is offering the best price, needs to stop, before the moderators stop it.

This is total nonsense guys, that is not a single one of us on here that could book everyone that might want to hunt with us in one season, and you damn well know. You need to calm down before the mods step in and lock down the thread. JMO.