I'm doing the math and it doesn't seem like a lot of these places could be profitable. Once you end up paying for the game animals you almost would have to hope for some people to miss! How do they do it?
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What kind of ranch are you talking about?
Whitetail or exotics?
Set fee before you hunt or daily fee with trophy fees? -
show me a bowhunting "ranch" with a high sucess rate and I will show you a canned hunt.
Very high sucess rates and bow hunting just dont go together on a day type hunt.
If everyone took an animal they wouldnt be in business very long.
I dont know what I would call the magic number though- 60-75% probably. If higher than some where around there, then something aint right!
JMOH!!!!Comment
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I'm talking about a place like Bar E in Hondo. It looks fantastic and they have a great set-up from what I can tell. People love going there and it seems like fun. I just can't figure out how they make any money. I mean, bringing in red stags and bison, plus all the land costs have to be really expensive.Comment
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Have you seen some of the prices people want to take an animal these days? I don't see how they couldn't be proffitable! But once you take into account all the feed and equipment, land payments, water, electricity, fencing and fence upkeep, so on and so on, It really would be hard to be very proffitable until the land is paid off. That is really the only payment there that stops at some point.Comment
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depends on how long that hunting operation has been goin on, i mean maybe the land is payed for it might of gotten passed down through family. if so then maybe some of the animals were already on the place, then that would mean that the ranch equipment would of already been there and wouldnt have to buy any, so all in all, they might just be payin bills, and upkeep.
But just startin out is a BIG difference, its a LONG TERM INVESTMENT and a high risk one at that.Comment
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I knew a guy who used to have an exotic game ranch but he got out of the business. I'm not sure why except I am positive he would have stayed in it if it was low-stress income.Comment
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Yeah, I don't know, either.
I can't even afford a taxidermist!Comment
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I would be willing to bet that the success rate of hunters is less than 50%. Everyone pays the money and less than 50% make the shot. There is big money in hunting that is for sureComment
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I think that's even a little high, JT. They DEPEND on hunters not being successful. The Bar E is a perfect example. I've been there 4 times, each time with 7 other hunters that all paid for the exotic package.Originally posted by Howard View Post
So, 4 x 7 x $400 = $11,200
I'm not saying it's the norm, but none of the hunters in my groups have ever killed an exotic (axis, fallow, sika, or aoudad). We put the hurtin' on the sheep, but those MIGHT be $100 each. There were trips also where some people came home with nothing.
For arguments sake, lets say every trip, every hunter took a ram after they paid for an exotic.
So, 4 x 7 x $100 = $2,800
Our hunt costs of $11,200 - cost of 28 rams $2,800 = $8,400 gross for 4 weekends of hunting. Occasionally, someone will take an exotic, and dip into the profit a little.
Now, the "trophy fee" ranches operate just like any other retail establishment. They charge you a daily fee, that will hopefully cover operating costs, and then a trophy fee on any animal you shoot. The smaller ranches buy the animals at an auction and turn them loose in the ranch and sell them to the hunter at a marked up price to make a profit. The larger ranches may actually have a self replenishing herd of animals and not have to buy any from an auction. The YO is a good example of a self sustaining animal population.Comment
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On bowhunting ranches, the key thing is getting you in the door - the money is made on the daily rate, which is usually higher than a rifle daily rate while the trophy fees are significantly (aften as much as 2/3) lower than rifle hunters. Because the success expectations are much different - you won't get many rifle hunters in the door unless you're up around 100% for them. Keep in mind that on a ranch with self sustaining populations & trophy fees, the "Value" of an animal is only defined by the ability to harvest them - they have no value without clients or other means of harvest.
Ranches with self sustaining populations of the common exotics (axis, fallow, sika, blackbuck) are going to turn a higher profit & they're the "attracters" - But the meat & potatoes are made on the cheaper animals like rams, catalinas, hogs, & does - those get you in the door, and if you have to buy stock to replentish, they're alot cheaper - a 22-24 inch corsican ram will go for significantly less than $100 at auction, and some bruisers can be picked up for $150-300 - you just have to hit the right shows & be patient. Also, sheep with good genetics can reach 24 inches in their second year, and 30 by their third - versus an animal like an axis or fallow that takes 5-6 years to mature.
If you're buying shooter exotics, I don't see how you can turn a profit - shooter axis, fallow, sika, blackbuck, aoudad will all run 850+ (if you're lucky) and will often run in the $1500 range.
Some super exotics like red stags, elk, and bison are surprisingly 'cheap' - I was just at an auction that had several 350 class elk and some very impressive red stags, and not a single one went for more than $2k. Dink bulls (like most of what are shot on "package" bowhunts) were around $600-800
Anyway, that's my $.02 - and one of the reasons I prefer trophy fee systems. At least then the outfit really has a need for you to get an animal, and is a little more likely to pay better attention to the client & the setups.Comment
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