Fee Hunting in the Texas Trans Pecos Area: A Descriptive and Economic Analysis

Abstract

Previous studies of fee hunting have focused only on fee-hunting ranches with little consideration given to ranches that choose not to operate fee-hunting enterprises. Our study compares feed-hunting with non-fee-hunting ranches. The most important reasons given for engaging in fee hunting were increased income, trespass control, and prevention of nuisance requests for free hunts. The most important reason offered for choosing not to have fee hunting was to keep the ranch available for hunting by family and friends. The potential exists for a large expansion of private land fee hunting by current non-fee-hunting ranches. Ranchers with fee hunting were more likely to manage the grazing resources, wildlife population, and wildlife habitat than non-fee-hunting ranchers. The typical hunting enterprise in the Texas Trans Pecos ares provided a total annual net revenue of about $7,900. Average annual net grazing returns per livestock animal unit were smaller on fee-hunting ranches but fee-hunting revenue offset the difference. The fee-hunting enterprises also reduced risk by providing a second source of cash returns.