He Sells Hunting Rights On The Internet

He Sells Hunting Rights On The Internet CORN PICKERS Corn Pickers (11D) 29-1-6 Dave Coonrod is using eBay.com to showcase and sell hunting leases in Texas. The Lubbock, Texas outfitter spends most of his time guiding hunters and fishermen or leasing hunting rights out to local and regional hunters. He finds that eBay pays off the best. "If I lease land out to a local hunter, I lose all access to it," says Coonrod. "It's more lucrative to lease land over eBay and then run guided hunts on it. I may lease out a portion of a ranch or lease by time periods." Coonrod is actually subleasing hunting rights, which he initially leased from local farmers and ranchers. He then works with the owner to manage the land for wildlife and manage the hunting. He encourages them to leave crops for quail and other wildlife. "Ranchers know everything about cattle and crops, but they may not know a lot about wildlife," he says. "Their biggest phobias are getting sued or having it overhunted. Now they are making more money off of hunting with none of the worries." Coonrod carries a $2 million insurance policy to cover his hunting business and the leased land. He has one lodge that sleeps 8 and is in the process of remodeling an old farmhouse for a second lodge. He advertises locally but adding eBay has attracted hunters from across the U.S. "It is a low cost way to advertise, and it gives people a chance to see pictures of the area, dates of hunts, success rates and such," says Coonrod. "It doesn't hurt to get the exposure, and it only costs $6 to 12 per week based on the number of photos. You can even link to a web page. If 1,200 people look at the ad, and 100 go to my web page, that's 100 more than I would have had." Putting an ad on eBay doesn't mean selling at your regular price, warns Coonrod. "People want a deal, but you can't give it away either," he adds. He offers several hunting options. With a full guided hunt, he is with the hunters all day. In a semi-guided hunt, he shows them property lines, deer stands, feeding areas and which way the deer move and where other hunters are likely to be. For the lowest cost, he takes a hunter out to the lease, drops him off at a stand, and leaves. "A guided hunt sold on eBay generally goes for $1,500 to $1,750 and includes all lodging, food and guiding," explains Coonrod. Regardless of type of hunt, hunters pay extra for trophy status deer, wild boar and turkey. Depending on the Boone & Crocket rating (official scoring method), a hunter may pay from $1,000 to $1,500 for a guided deer hunt and another $1,000 to $2,000 for the deer based on Boone & Crocket points. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Texas Trophy Guide, c/o David Coonrod, 6908 Hope Ave., Lubbock, Texas 79424 (ph 806 778-7632; website: www.texas trophyguide.com).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.