Pacific Northwest duck club fees?

[Rogue Ram]

I was curious if anyone had an idea what private duck clubs are getting per gun per year in NW Oregon or SW Washington.  If anyone has rough ideas please post.

My sweetheart deal is looking like its history after 10 years. I won't be hunting public land out here EVER again, too many drunks and too many skybusters.  If costs of a private club are too high, I'll be hanging it up.

Thanks,

RR

[Dave H20 Fowl]

I just moved away from where I used to hunt ducks and looked into clubs in the area(WA).  Lincoln Creek hunting club in Centralia WA runs $1750 a season.  I found a few others running up to about $4000.  It really depends on the size, quality of the land, and services and ammenities offered.  I'm sure you know some clubs are basicly a leased field or fields that a group of hunters lease together and develop an equitable way of sharing the usage, others involve guides/employees/owners, club houses, shooting ranges, cabins, and more.  I can't afford a club, so I can spend $30 bucks in gas and 6 hours in my truck to go duck hunting for a day, or stay home.  I 'm probably just going to pass this year.  Sounds like you were leasing a piece of land before, another spot could be a good option if you can find the right friends and land at the right price.  Knocking on a farmer's doors just doesn't work for me like it used to.  I'd hate to give up duck hunting for good, but private land is expensive and public land is limited, crowded, and has the potential to be full of morons.  Best of luck, I'd be curious to hear what you find.

[Rogue Ram]

I have a friend who has a big piece of land that used to be a dynamite club up to about 1980. They shut it because of massive poaching and the hunters all got older. He and I have been working on it since about 1998, throwing money at it to get it back to where it can be planted and hunted. With improvements and planting its at $1000 a piece and bringing a third party into it; he's still subsidizing some of the cost even at that amount. I expect this to go up to $1200 next year. 98-2000 we seriously killed some birds! But, with the weather and other things, we are lucky to see 30-40 per year a piece out of 10 hunt days. At this price each guy pitches in with work, no guests, etc.  The good news is there are NO morons, poachers, etc (well, that last poacher I caught went to jail in the back of my truck  ).

Some other things have happened that are giving me second thoughts on it all. I'll do some homework and post back. Check back once and awhile and I'll do the same!

Good luck and thanks,

RR

[lewdogg21]

I have a friend who has a big piece of land that used to be a dynamite club up to about 1980. They shut it because of massive poaching and the hunters all got older. He and I have been working on it since about 1998, throwing money at it to get it back to where it can be planted and hunted. With improvements and planting its at $1000 a piece and bringing a third party into it; he's still subsidizing some of the cost even at that amount. I expect this to go up to $1200 next year. 98-2000 we seriously killed some birds! But, with the weather and other things, we are lucky to see 30-40 per year a piece out of 10 hunt days. At this price each guy pitches in with work, no guests, etc.  The good news is there are NO morons, poachers, etc (well, that last poacher I caught went to jail in the back of my truck  ).

Some other things have happened that are giving me second thoughts on it all. I'll do some homework and post back. Check back once and awhile and I'll do the same!

Good luck and thanks,

RR

You need to look into enrolling it in CRP (conservation reserve program) or a similar government program for waterfowl/wildlife enhancement.  My duck club of 889 acres has been using these programs to pay for habitat enhancement for a number of years now.