Need help with hog control pricing, professional opinions wanted.

[levibarcus]

Ok, so the dairy farmer next to my place has chopped for sileage the corn I have been hunting. He called me and said that I had saved him a lot of money because there was not nearly the corn destroyed that there was last year. He took me to some hay fields that are getting hit bad along some creeks and asked me if I would hunt them. I of course said yes. Now he wants to pay me for the corn that I saved him and wants to know what it is worth. I don't have a clue, but I'm sure that some of ya'll that have been hunting a lot longer than me have some experience with this. I hunted three fields totaling about 300 acres for about a month. I usually hunted a couple times a week. How do you figure a price? Is it by the acre, number of hogs caught, hours hunted, days hunted, etc? I would like to hear what those of you who have done this charge. I don't want to be greedy, I told him I would hunt whether he paid me or not, but it sure would help to maybe be able to get a finished dog to run my pups with. I've been lucky and the pups have produced some hogs, but I don't have any dogs that had been hunted before I got them. They are just going on the natural instincts they were born with. Anyway, if you have experience please speak up!

[craig]

i would take a favor every once in a while but if you start getting payed there will be some dude come along and offer to do it for free.

thats the way it works in oklahoma ,but you might get paid in your area.

[graydog]

been doing this 20 yrs. never had a farmer offer to pay me. have had feed bought for my dogs a few times and one farmer even gave me $400.00 to help buy a new dog when one got killed, but never actually got paid for hunting for a farmer and that is mostly what I do. I do it because i love it, but a little moolah would be OK.

[levibarcus]

I would never ask for pay but since he offered........

[johnf]

i agree with the favor.just say maybe someday u can do something for me.just wait and smething will come along u need from him.

[cward]

I agree just hold out!!I had a guy tell me one time to put my dog feed on his bill at the feed store!!
I never did!!
He told someone else a month later I sure do like that boy and what he had offered me and  that I never  took his offer!!
Me and him are still friends to this day and he lost the grazeing rights to that place for a sudvision!!

[Mike]

Just remember, once you start getting paid it becomes work... when it becomes job, it's not fun anymore.

[grittydog]

If you get Paid, then it turns into a job with different expectations.

[matt_aggie04]

I haven't been doing this as long as some but I agree with everyone that has spoke already that the best thing that man could ever give you is a positive referral to more land.  I have had a man offer to pay for a dog that I had that got killed while doing some removal work and I turned it down and I would do it again.  Money comes and goes but integretity and honesty and someones positive image of you are things that are much more valuable and will take you farther than any amount of money.

[USHOG]

 a

[ETHHunters]

I remove hogs for a living and I would not hunt a place with out pay unless a friend invites me along. I charge for small places $200 a night plus fuel and expenses. As for the crops I protect  I charge a percentage of the yield. This way if its a bad yield or by some chance that the hogs do do damage it comes out of my money. I covered 285,000 acres of rice, corn, milo this year and when you work for 12 hours a night 7 nights a week for 5 months I doubt you would do it for free. That is around 2,000 hours. as much as most people work in a year, but this is not a hobby for me or my crew.

Totally different situation. Im with the rest of the guys. Just let him know you appreciate him letting you hunt. If he insists on paying let him buy you a couple sacks of dog food.

[Tusk Hog]

   Hunt lots of country, never take money just ask for access to their place when hunting other places in their area. Funny thing is I have nearly always ended up with neighboring places also.

[levibarcus]

Great advice ya'll, I definitely want to maintain the good reputation that I have in the community and with this farmer far more than a few dollars. I told him it was just something that I like to do and he said that he knew that but wanted to show his appreciation. I think I'll tell him I'm not worried about it. If he chooses to give me something that will be up to him.

[Bump]

Technically there is only one person that could answer this from a professional opinion....and he is no longer a member of this crappy board.   

[dub]

I would just put it back on them. Tell them you do not have to get paid but he can give you whatever he thinks it is worth to him and you will put the money to caring for the dogs. But make sure he knows that he does not have to pay. I know some people that if you refuse their money they will feel insulted. If you help someone make an extra $50,000 and they want to give you some of it great. If I could find enough people that would pay I would be real happy.

My dad has a service company. Remember what has been said if you are getting paid for a service then you have to do it. If you are just given a gift for doing what you want then it is different. You decide what relationship you want.

[Txhoghunter]

I get paid by the hour at the ranch....on a deal like yours I think I'd stick to what Craig said...someone else would be more than happy to do it for free.

[cs_tiedhog]

I hunt for money in March and April when hogs are getting the seed corn before it takes germ. I hunt for $100 to $150 per field per night depending on distance. Their is such demand at this time of year that they pay to insure I am hunting their fields. 

[M Bennet]

i charge farmers 75 a month and i hunt there place 3 times a month . i charge 100 a month for traps

[BarrNinja]

This thread has been covered pretty well but I have another option that has paid off for me pretty well over the years. The times that I was offered payment for my hog hunting I traded out instead for some fishing in their tanks! I have caught some monsters out of those payment ponds!

[DoGgONit]

maybe ask for a truck bed full of corn for the deer feeders !! doesnt take much from them and can save you a couple bills !!!