Need thoughts on new idea.

[Byron South]

I just had an idea, and thought I'd run it buy ya'll. As most of you know I do some guided hunts. I don't charge a kill fee, just a daily rate. I was thinking of still not charging a kill fee, but charging for animals called in but not shot at, or for animals shot at but not hit. I would not charge for those that come and don't offer a shot. Those that come in plain sight for over 200 yards to less than 35 and get away their should be a charge if they leave . The idea is to call them in, and get them dead. if you let them leave alive there will be a penalty.

What do you guy's think ?

Good Hunting

Byron ;D

[TexasDoc]

Hey Byron,I charge a fee when I guide if I put you on a Animal and the shot is a safe and good one,and you fail to take it you get charged 200.00 of that.Like you I do some guiding for Deer and other Exotics and if I get a animal that fits the bill,and you say you want it its yours. So I would say yes to charging a fee for critters called in and not Shot or Missed.


That is my opinon,I also charge a wounded Animal Fee that is half the cost of the animal of if not recovered the full price.

Hope this helps.

TexasDoc

[Bobcat]

Sorry, Byron......

As much as we would like to at times, I don't think you can charge folks for being bad shots, nervous, or for not shooting at coyotes, foxes, or bobcats. Big game or exotic hunting where trophy fees are involved is a whole different ball game. Even with those animals, charging someone for a missed shot? Shoot, I would be rich just off of the blackbuck hunts I have guided off of missed shots. With big game and trophy fees you usually pay all or a big part of the trophy fee for a wounded and lost animal. It just won't happen with varmints.....IMHO.

It sounds like you are just frustrated right now....maybe?

Good Hunting,

Bob

[onecoyote]

Byron, I guided for a time and I never charged for animals taken, only for the hunt itself. If I was wanting to pay someone to predator hunt, I'd look for a guy that just charged for the hunt. That's what I'd do but I'm not everybody, maybe you should give it a try and see what happens, Good Luck

[captkb]

We just charge a flat rate for predator hunts. Our hog hunts have a kill fee and if you wound a hog then the kill fee still applies. I not real sure how something like you described would go over. Trial and error.

[BozoWise]

I'd stick with the hunt fee. You might just need to raise that rate for first timers. Or offer discounts for others.

[Byron South]

Thanks guys. I was just kicking the idea around. We educated a lot of coyotes last week and it kinda make it tough to go back to those areas for a while. I'll stick with what I've been doing all along. I used to take my rifle along and would play clean up, but for the last couple of years I've been taking my camera. I may just trade my camera for my gun. Not really, I enjoy filming almost as much as shooting. I said almost .

Happy Holidays and Good Hunting

Byron ;D

[Bobcat]

Hey Byron,

One thing is for sure.......

.....we sure enjoy your camera!!

Good Hunting,

Bob

[captkb]

Kick your rates up just a little but in turn offer discounts for head shots - $5.00 a head shot or something like that to help motivate the shooter to shoot and to make a good shot. Just a thought.

[skinner21]

byron

I am glad to see that the pictures came out ok that I took of you outside my shop, I had my doubts because I had no idea what I was doing with that fancy camera of yours. I am interested in getting a camera like that can you tell me what the specs are and price range and where did you get it. If you ever upgrade let me know, if I havent already gotten one I would be interested in yours.

Fred Skinner

[Byron South]

Thanks for taking the pictures Fred. That was my video camera. It also takes digital still pictures. I think it cost between 2500 and 3000. I got some extra stuff with it when I bought it. They are expensive but for filming TV quality video they are the bare minimum. It is a Sony VX-2000. I think I got it through Broadway Video. You can do a search on the web and probably find them.

Happy Holidays and Good Hunting

Byron ;D

[cojay]

Hey Byron whens the next video coming out? I have a suggestion. Seems lots of people are shooting coyotes and bobcats on film but thats mainly it I'm sure you guys occasionaly call in a fox or coon or stinky old skunk. I really enjoyed your last video but I think adding a couple diffrent critters killed on video would be a welcome site. Is it possible? Thanks j

[Byron South]

Thanks cojay,

We have a few fox in the areas I hunt but mostly coyotes and bobcats. I'll see what I can do.

Vol.II should be ready around May.

Good Hunting

Byron ;D

[Predator Spanker]

My older brother used to own an outfitter business in northern Ontario Canada, offering Bear, Moose Deer and winter time Wolf/Coyote hunts. I would spend 6 weeks in the spring and another 6 weeks in the fall guiding for him, then I would return to help with his registered trap line and predator hunts for another month. I met tons of hunters that were good men but fell apart when the pressure was on. I watched a lot of hunters blow easy shots as well as wound animals. Had one guy miss a bull Moose at 45 yards. The Bear, Moose and Deer hunts are a slower pace hunt. The Wolf/Coyote hunts could rattle a guys cage quick. No less than a third of the easy kills were missed another third of the opportunities were blown. Basically 65% of the time our hunters screwed up. This is the nature of the beast. Most guys are not efficient at harvesting game. The old adage 20% of the hunters harvest 80% of the game. I think those numbers are a little exaggerating, but comes close, especially with predator hunters.
This is how we resolved it. If you wound a big game animal and it is not recovered, your hunt is over or you pay for an additional hunt at a reduced rate. If you miss a Bear on a bait, you finish out the day on that bait then you are moved to a different bait. If a Bear or Deer is missed or an opportunity is blown while we are on the go hunts, we put that hunter on a bait or on stand.
(depends on the situation). Miss a Moose we try to get another opportunity at that animal.
We went out of our way not to add additional pressure to our hunters, and when we would change a bait because of a miss or we put a hunter on a bait or in a stand, we did not make it appear that we were how you would say punishing them. We would approach it with the idea this is the best way to handle it. The one thing that would bother me is not recovering game. We had a lot of poorly hit bear and several gut shot Deer and a moose shot in the front legs. More times than not those animals die but are not recovered.
Predator hunts, we up the rate by 40% for the day.
If you offer a good hunt the guys will pay it. We also reserved the right to harvest the predator if our hunter could not see the animal, blew his opportunity or missed the animal. I was getting sick of educated predators.
The harvested predator was given to the hunter. Had one guy so shook up that he asked me to do all the shooting. Wish you the best. Charging additional for misses or blown opportunities will be construed as be punished and create hard feelings.
Wish you the best.
Wayne

[ChileRojo]

I always charged a flat daily fee, contingent upon whether or not I was feeding and putting up the client, or picking him up at the motel and heading out from town. You got to remember Byron, there will be times you don't call any or d**ned few for a client. I assume you'd be taken aback if the client asked for money back for a bad day? It's called hunting, not killing, the best you can do is take a client to a good area, that holds predators and hope they see some action. Hands down, the best policy is a flat daily rate, filled with promise, but no guarentees.