Hunting private land

nicolaleon

How much would I charge someone to hunt on my private land? I have 90 acres of woodland that is inhabited by sika deer. A hunting lodge would be at their disposal. Also can I rent it on a weekly basis instead of yearly?

alex90

Depends on the number and quality of animals. What part of the country is it? In hunting terms 90 acres isn't a huge plot, so heavy hunting pressure would move animals nocturnal and or out of the area, meaning weekly lets would be tricky. An outfitter may be your best option

Birdnuts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122963837#Comment_122963837

Yep - especially if its wall to wall Sitka spruce, most of it will be sterile and offer little to game. Native woodland on the other hand would be much more valuable in terms of potential game populations

Rescueme0007

I believe alex90 is right on the money, if the Sika (or any deer for that matter) are put under significant pressure they'll merely relocate to a less disrupted area. So you might have productive stalking for a very limited period. Best of luck with managing it.

Feidhlim Dignan

You could just be sound and let lads hunt it for nothing. Anyone paying to hunt private land is mad, just drive into the yard and ask. 9 out of 10 will tell you work away, only happy to have them thinned out.

I personally will never pay for hunting. We'll end up like the UK is that starts

TheEngineer1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123067424#Comment_123067424

100%. Hunters and Landowners have a symbiotic relationship. The landowner gives the hunter access to their ground and the hunter protects the landowners grass, forestry, crops etc. If a landowner started asking me for money I'd walk away.

Grizzly 45

That's very, if not too small for a deer let that is to support a ,hopefully,regular influx of hunters. As said put too much pressure on the beasts and they will move lock stock and barrel to quieter pastures.

The idea of a lodge sounds appealing.However you would need to run it professionally and what condition is the lodge in?How many bedrooms ,amenities,etc,in house services are you providing?IOW how many people do you expect to be able to cater to in this lodge, catering,or self catering?

As the above comments say,you wont really get the Irish hunter to pay for shooting,[although some pay to Coilte for shooting…buts that's another story]So your market will be outside Ireland,who will pay alright ,BUT will want to shoot somthing worthwhile.IOW have you got pics and certified documentation for animals already taken on this let?Like Intl trophy comission medals or the like. You can claim that you have monster stags in the let,but people will want to see something of proof of your claims before paying down their cash.Have you got or intend to guide yourself the hunters? Will you sort out their Irish gun and hunting permits? Can you offer any other type of shooting or fishing in the off season to cover costs? This and a thousand more questions is something you have to ask and do before you can even think of making this,IF DONE RIGHT into a possible nice earner. But its a very hard row to hoe here in Ireland,due to our history,our legislation,farming and hunting culture,not to mind now ever increasing busisness overheads.

alex90

Like others have added, theres enough hunting out there that I wouldn't be paying landowners. I'll gladly give packets of venison and a bottle of something tasty at Christmas to maintain a good relationship but if money was brought into it I'd be expecting diesel money for managing numbers not the other way round.