Last week I sent in my annual dues for the Golden Ram Sportsmen’s Club.  It seems like every year catches me barely prepared for this relatively sizeable outlay, and every year I question the value of the “investment”.  So far, I’m still glad I bought in, but sometimes it’s a push.  More on this later.

At the same time, over the last few days I’ve received emails from CA hunters interested in finding places to hunt, and considering joining GOlden Ram or a similar organization.  They ask me about pros and cons, as well as about tips for hunting the properties.  I’ve got lots of opinions and a few facts, so I thought I’d bring the topic to the Hog Blog.

Folks in other places may not realize this, but there’s some terrific hunting in California.  It’s the only state in the nation where it’s possible to hunt all three North American elk: Roosevelt, Rocky MOuntain, and Tule.  There are bighorn sheep in the Sierra and in the desert.  Black bear numbers are growing exponentially.  We have mule deer, blacktail, and the hybrid California Mule Deer.  There’s a wide variety of upland birds, small game, furbearers, predators,and varmints.  Waterfowl hunting in CA is some of the best that U.S. hunters can ask for, on par in a good year with some Canadian hunting and with a variety of birds I don’t think you can get in any other flyway.  And, of course, there are hogs.

The other thing that people don’t realize, even some CA residents, is that much of this hunting is available to any hunter willing to do the research, drive a bit, and burn some boot leather.  There are millions of acres of public land in California with a diversity of habitat and terrain that’s pretty well unmatched in any other state.  We’ve got it pretty good here (let’s just not get into the political climate, OK?). 

You might wonder, and reasonably, “if there is all this public land, why would anyone pay to hunt private land, either in a club or guided?” 

Click to enlarge this image.

Good question. 

The easiest answer is that success rates are generally higher on private land, especially for species like hogs and deer.  There are a lot of reasons for this, but the key is reduced hunting pressure and the quality of the habitat.  A lot of people don’t have the time or inclination to research and scout public land options, so paying to go private is the simplest choice. 

Sometimes, it’s just more economical to hunt private as well.  I know, maybe this sounds counter-intuitive, but give it a thought, using hog hunting as the example.  (Be aware that the cost of a guided deer hunt is substantially higher than a hog hunt and presents a different situation.)

A fully outfitted, guided hog hunt in CA, right now, will run you between $500 and $1000.  So let’s stick in the middle and figure $750 (figure an addition 10% or so to tip the guide).  For that money, you have very high odds of success.  All you need is transportation to and from the hunting location, a weekend, and your weapon and ammo of choice.  You should be in and out for a shade under a grand. 

To hunt unguided on private land, when you can find a place that allows it, you can figure on a weekend cost of around $450.  Odds of success are lower than a guided hunt, but you still have a good chance at a shot opportunity.  Again, you’ll need transportation and weapons.  You’ll probably also need to plan on a couple hundred bucks for food and lodging unless you’re at a place like Tejon Ranch that allows camping.  Even on the high side, you could probably do this entire hunt inside of $750.

Hunting public land costs nothing, right?  Well, not really.

To begin with, you’ll probably drive two or three hours (seems to be an average from people I’ve asked).  Unless you’re driving an economy vehicle, that means you’re spending around $100 on fuel on each trip.  Driving that far makes a day-trip unlikely, so plan to make a weekend of it.  Most folks I know are camping when they go, but you still have to provision the camp.  That’s still pretty economical. If that were all there was to it, this would be a slam-dunk proposition.  A weekend hunt on public land for under $300 vs. $750 or more for the private land hunt. 

So here’s the catch.  For that $300, you probably had a great time in some beautiful country.  You probably saw some hog sign.  But the odds are stacked pretty high against your actually taking a hog, or even against having a shot opportunity. 

This means that, if your goal is to kill a hog, you have to come back.  In fact, for the vast majority of public land hunters there will be many, many return visits before you have success… if ever.  Hog hunting success rates on public land are abysmal.

So it really comes down to a question of quantity vs quality. 

If you’re like some hunters, just getting out there and trying is all you really need.  Taking an animal is a bonus, as long as there’s a slight possibility of success.  The more times you can get out there, the better, regardless of whether you ever kill anything.  For you, public land is the perfect option.  Read no further. 

Arguably though, most hunters want some success sooner than later, especially if they don’t have the luxury of being able to keep going back weekend after weekend to achieve it.  For these guys, the most bang for the buck comes from paying it all at once, and getting out on that private land hunt.  Two or three guided hunts per year, with success most of the time, can be a lot cheaper than dozens of fruitless trips to public land.

Hunting clubs like Golden Ram and Wilderness Unlimited sort of fall into a niche between these two extremes.  The way these organizations work, for those who don’t know, is that they lease ranches and hunting property around the state.  Members then have access to these properties, creating a semi-private environment.  You still share the land with strangers, but there is a limited number and they’re subject to a set of rules that is usually a little stricter than DFG regulations.  So, for the cost of annual dues, you can hunt these properties as much as you want. 

The quality of the properties varies. I can only speak first hand to three or four of the Golden Ram properties, and on those I’ve only hunted deer and hogs. The habitat is good, and the opportunities for success are reasonable (not exceptional, but way better than public land).  I haven’t visited or hunted any of the waterfowl or pheasant properties. and really couldn’t say if they’re good or bad.  I’ve heard lots of things, but I don’t want to sit here and pass along secondhand info.

Costwise, I’d say an average, single membership will run a little shy of $1000 per year.  You can, and should, ask about deals, specials, etc., because you can save yourself some money.  Both Golden Ram and Wilderness Unlimited offer different levels of membership with associated cost differences.  I’d suggest speaking to a couple of members before discussing membership with a sales representative from either organization. 

In order to realize the value of joining a club, you have to determine how often you plan to utilize it.  For someone who may only get out once or twice a season, it will probably be more economical to just plan on going on guided hunts.  But if, like me, you get out fairly often, the ratio gets a lot better.  SO do your odds of success.

Before you decide to join a club, take a real close look at your motivation.  What are you looking to get out of it? 

If you want a place to yourself, without pressure or aggravation from other hunters, I can tell you that a club is only slightly better than public land.  On the best properties, there will be other hunters most of the time… and a few of them are real jerks.  To get completely away from this, you’ll need to go guided, or look into a private lease. 

Likewise, if you want 100% success on almost every outing, then a guided hunt is the best call.  Just because there’s good habitat doesn’t mean an animal is going to be standing behind every rock and oak tree.  Most club hunters come home empty-handed, even on the premium properties.  

And here’s where things get real subjective…

The main reason I joined Golden Ram was to have a good hog hunting spot.  Personally, I feel like there is some awesome deer hunting on California’s public land for anyone who has the gumption to get out and find it.  I also think public land waterfowl hunting, while it has its drawbacks, is as good as you’ll find anywhere… especially if you’ll take the time to learn an area.  With that in mind, if I only wanted to hunt ducks or deer, I’d have stuck with public land hunting.  But hog hunting public land has been a true exercise in frustration, and this is primarily what brought me to the club.

The thing is, even with my membership I still do a trip or two every year to Tejon Ranch for the unguided hunts there.  I also hunt public land a few times a year, not only for deer, but for hogs and turkeys.  All of my waterfowl hunting is on public land, even though I could leverage my Golden Ram membership to access some of the club’s properties.  To me it’s all worth it, but some folks question my priorities, and I expect that a financial advisor would scold me soundly if we ever did the numbers.  But in all,it’s absolutely worth it to me.  Your mileage may vary.

Related Posts