I apologize if this is the wrong place to post this.

One of the items in my 5 year plan is to put together a Waterfowl hunting club with enough members to acquire hunting rights in multiple places across North Texas. I haven't done much research, but I have read about a few groups doing this and having great success. I'm not sure how much it would cost per member, but I would want to try to keep the dues low as possible, but high enough to lease on the flyway. Leaders would be elected to keep the club going in the direction of the majority. Plus, I don't want to be the King and ultimate ruler. Democracy keeps everyone on an even status and also gives everyone a chance to collaborate on future plans and goals.

Another idea would be to find the right group of hunters and forming an LLC. With that, we would purchase 500-2000 acres near the Red River to create some wetlands and flood some timber every season. We could lease to farmers during the off-season to help with the taxes and bring in a little cash flow to cover some of the costs of maintaining the property. I know this would be difficult, but totally doable. It would also give us the chance to build a lodge, if we choose to go that direction, and make the changes we want to the property.

Has anyone done something like this? I know it can happen, but would it be worth it? All comments, insults, ideas and opinions are welcome. It won't hurt my feelings as I see brutal honesty as a show of respect. I won't get butt-hurt. Thanks in advance.

I've got a boat slip on Grapevine that I've done the same thing just on a smaller scale. This is the third year I've had the slip, have about 14 members, all pay their share of the lease. We keep a lock box for gear and lights for night fishing and lay structure every January (Christmas Trees).

I know it's not on the scale you are talking about but I like the idea and would be interested in hearing about any progress you make on this and possibly participating.

Land too expensive now.
Southern oklahoma runs $2000 an acre

I think that this is a great idea. You either have to know someone or pay a small fortune to Duck Hunt in North Texas.

My grandfather helped start one down in port Arthur. Its still around today. My father is on it and will pass it to me.

I dont know if it could be done now with land prices so high in north Texas (like Beaver said) but maybe leasing might work

Streater, the concept of a duck hunting club is not new, get some guys together to split cost on duck hunting and you can call it a club. The critical success factor is like minded members, that all agree to the price and rules. You got that, you got success.

Price per huntable land is key.

If your member price is high enough per member that there are plenty of places to hunt, all-you-can-eat business model should be smooth sailing, it would not be a hard club to manage.

If on the other hand, you want to run a low budget club, you have to "manage" the properties so they do not get over hunted (you got some members that want to hunt every day others want to hunt once a week) then you need rules, and everyone needs to agree to the rules, etc..

So high budget club should be easy, low budget club need rules and with that leaders spend more time on the rules and managing the rules, and if you think you want to profit from the club for your efforts of managing it, well that will open another can of worms.....

I have been on a duck hunting club, it was low budget ($1,000 per member), a guide was running it (red flag), not enough places to hunt given then number of members (worse than public), so not good business model for the one club I was on. I have a couple leases to myself now, but I would join a club if it looked liked a good deal (fair priced and appropriately managed).

Maybe $2000 for a 1 acre pond.... And that isn't horrible if it produces consistently

One of the items in my 5 year plan is to consider developing a 5 year plan.

Doing something like this can be pretty simple or can get pretty complex.

It needs to be treated like a business transaction from the very start. I am involved in owning part of a duck property, a deer property, and have numerous other business partnerships.

Biggest thing is to get everything hashed out and in writing from the start. Key-its easier to agree when everybody is getting along.

3 of us bought a 100 acre property with a 50 acre soil lake 9 years ago. We set up an LLC and set bylaws from the start. We also established buyout and seperation clauses. At the time we were all buying it for a recreational property to keep and not as an investment. We established that if at anypoint inside 30 years that an owner wanted to sell out,they had to sell to the other two owners at original purchase price. Good thing we did this-we payed $1400 an acre for this and now its appraised at $3800 an acre. Last year one of the partners decided he needed some cash. He had quit hunting 5 years ago and "just didnt need the property anymore". He tried to stick it to the other two owners and wanted full price. We reminded him of the original contract he and signed and it saved the two of us from having to find a way to absorb the market increase.

Set rules-very few properties in this area will handle more than 2 days a week. Most LLC will have an annual meeting where rules can be modified-our original rules stated one guest per person/per week. Well-now both of us have two boys so we changed this and we also opened up sunday hunting so that we can use it. Our priorities have changed from maximizing the # of ducks/ hunt to getting use it more with our kids.

I have run a deer lease for 16 years-One guaranteed is that the more people that are involved the more difficult it is. When we had 5 members,we rarely had issues. When the economy turned down in 08 we went to 10members to drop the per person costs. Now -somebody is always complaining or upset. Worse than a bunch of women.

Pintail farms is for sale and already has a lodge, and is close to the river. I think it's about a thousand acres. Buy it and your good to go.

Here's my #1 piece of advise on partnering in any of these type projects.

Only do it with people that can afford it! Get financial statements to establish enough assets and free cash to be able to execute your vision. When a project stresses people financially it doesn't bring out their best side.

Sooo true

$2600000
Why they selling it anyway? I thought it was a profitable operation?

Thanks for your advice, Gentlemen. I think I'm leaning towards getting a few guys together and leasing. I'll eventually invest in some land by myself, but that's a few years away.

So, how much $$$ would it take to make it worthwhile for a group of 5-8 hunters on 2-3 different properties? Also, how much land/water would be necessary to accomplish this and still have good hunting? I've done some research, but have never leased land to duck hunt. I've always hunted lakes and my families place in SW Louisiana. Just wondering if this is doable or a waste of time and $$$.

If you dont mind spending some $ i would hunt ten times a year with 5 different outfitters depending on weather, water, food and other conditions. That way you have access to over a 100 properties and your odds should be with you.

Cost about $1750 to $2000 per hunter per year.

Who said golf was more expensive?

Sounds like a great idea to me for the area.

You will hate me for this, but I just signed up for 10 guided duck/goose hunts here in Nebraska for $500 total. This group of kids that are going to college here guide for $70/trip. They are good and have the best equipment money can buy. They have more private spots than they know what to do with. If they birds are not around, they will call you and re-schedule. I work with their fathers, so they cut me the deal.

This is just to show the difference between low populated areas and areas like Dallas.

I actually though about doing the same thing when I was living there last year, but with forming a club with hunters that each had their own access to good areas. Never got it going since I had several private spots and had a few friends with private spots. I guess in a way, it was like having a club.

That's a good idea if all you care about is pulling the trigger on birds and talking bs with a guide. Not my cup of tea.

If you plan to hunt 2-3 times a week then you'll need at least 6-7 good places. That's allowing you to hunt a spot and let it rest for about two weeks before you hunt it again. With 8 guys, about $2500-$3000 a person would be a good start in my opinion.

Choose your guides wisely.

I d rather go solo or with a buddy

I have kinda had a different experience Rooster...a few years back I found a hole on public and all you needed was a few decoys and birds would just drop in with no hesitation. We would get out there 15 minutes before legal to set up and not hear another shot all morning. This last season all that changed, not one has found the "honey hole" but there is shooting 360 degrees all around us, and that has caused our birds to be sketchy and not wanting to work at all. At that same time I had several private spots and getting a bird to work on those smaller holes was like pulling teeth. Hunting in SE texas there is a ton of pressure and it has made things difficult.

to be fair I had a place that was a small stock tank and it was lights out, they were coming no matter what.

my point is its all about location and pressure...experience will change your outlook

Thanks for the insight troll

you deleted your post, not fair...troll

Yeah, I felt like my reply lacked experience.

I have had the same thought myself. I love the challenge of hunting public land, the scouting, success (or failure) with working my own decoys, calls, calling my shots, training and using my own dog, etc., being able to hunt a different place or habitat every time if I choose, and the reward that comes with it all. I will always do this.

But the expense of buying property or a lease, the hours of work, expense of maintaining the habitat, being stuck to hunting one place that could still be a fail due to area pressure, weather, poachers, etc. resulting in a place you pay for and may still have to pay for someplace else or hunt public on the fail years. Or dealing with the occasional investor/hunter in the group that is unhappy or financially broken. The final result then working out to costing several hours and dollars per bird shot is not my cup of tea either.

But I have considered Beaver's idea for one year to spoil myself, perhaps after I retire from the fire department (possibly soon). I think it might be cool just once to do a hunt or two with a carefully chosen outfitter or guide each week of a season. Preferably choosing a different guide, area of the state or neighboring states. Hunts would be varied each time be it marsh, pond, lake, river, field, etc. By choosing guides and lodging carefully within a price range and that will allow me to bring my own dog, I bet it could be done cheaper than my current on my own traveling public hunting, with just as much actual hunting time, with more birds shot per dollar and hour spent, more time spent with more friends, and for sure at a fraction of the cost of a typical waterfowl club lease.

Yes. And unfortunately in Texas the quality of public and private land is slightly going downhill due to the increased amount of master planned communities , gas drilling , cotton crops instead of peanuts and corn due to the lack of water especially west of fort worth all the way to amarillo.