Who doesn’t love to hit up a farm with family and friends? We definitely do and always look forward to the adventures and life-long memories made. A farm generally has so much to offer. Hunting season is much looked forward to by a lot of people all over the country. For many, hunting is almost like a yearly tradition. The sport brings friends and family together and gives one an opportunity to enjoy all that Mother Nature has to offer.
However, for those new in the game hunting scene, one may not be all that familiar with hunting farms. These local businesses house the best native game habitat in the area and offer customers the chance to track and hunt them at a certain price. And because they’re an established business, they have all the licenses required to operate so hunting farms are safe and ethical.
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Children Activities
Depending on the type of farm that you will be visiting with your family, most will have access to a river or at the minimum a small pond, if so then you can certainly keep your children occupied with radio-controlled submarines. These are just so much fun and it offers a great opportunity for your loved one to learn how to navigate a fairly complex toy. If the farm simply does not have access to water, then above ground remote controlled cars are ridiculously addictive, these can keep adults and children busy for hours! This guide would not be complete if we didn’t at least mention outdoor sports at least once, outdoor basketball is a different beast and as such, requires specialized shoes. Last but not least, there are other countless sports that you can enjoy as a family, such as playing soccer, flag football, frisbee, and badminton!
Fishing
Most hunting farms are situated near bodies of water, so they are usually offering fishing activities too. This is great for people who prefer a more relaxed and quiet activity. The type of fish these farms offer depend on the area and the season.
Shooting Practice
Hunting farms also offer newbie hunters a chance to practice their skills. Whether it’s a hunting rifle or a bow and arrow, one will be able to hone their shooting skills without worrying about disturbing or harming anyone or anything. Shooting ranges are great places to practice in before going for the real thing.
For those looking for more of a challenge, some hunting farms also offer shooting at sporting clays thrown high in the air. This activity is great training for shooting at fast moving targets which birds typically are.
Hunting Dog Training
If one does have a dog, but it has yet to be trained to track and hunt, hunting farms are probably the ideal place to train one’s dog. The environment is perfect for the dog to familiarize itself and the dog will have to hone its sense of smell to be able to track the game. Moreover, especially for dog breeds that were bred to hunt and track, this type of training will be very fun and exciting for the pup.
Club House
Generally, hunting farms have these small buildings where one’s hunting party can unwind after a day’s hunt. Some farms even offer overnight lodging so one’s friends or family will have the entire day to themselves without worrying about the long drive home.
Hunting
There are plenty of reasons why families and close friends make visiting hunting farms an annual tradition. One doesn’t just get to hunt a particular game. There are other types of activities too. To give one an idea, here is a short list of all that one can do at a hunting farm. Of course, the most common activity one can do on a hunting farm is hunting. Most of these types of farms have a specific type of game on their land, the most common being pheasants and chukars. Some farms also cater to a bigger game like deer and sheep but, typically, birds are the more popular game because they’re easily bred and maintained. Hunting farms make it a point to feed their game quality protein so that the birds will be fast and agile to make for fun hunts.
Generally, hunting farms offer different “hunt packages” which vary in price according to the number of game you catch. One can choose to hunt only one bird or pay for a certain package deal.
In most cases, customers are given a choice to either pay for the services of the hunting farm’s guide dogs or bring their own hunting dogs with them. For those that don’t have dogs of their own, the guided hunts come with seasoned hunting dogs that one can definitely rely on.
There’s also a different type of hunting called tower hunts which is when the farm releases birds from a high tower for customers to try and shoot. They usually throw the birds one at a time, spreading out for all participants to have the chance. Typically, participants can shoot for several birds at one session so even if they miss it the first time, they’ll have more chances later on.
Pros and Cons of Hunting
Much like with every activity or sport, hunting game has its share of pros and cons. If you have young children, this is of course discouraged and should be avoided, unless you are able to keep your children busy outside of the hunting zone! Before one decides to visit a hunting farm for the weekend, one should be aware of a few things about the sport of hunting and even hiking.
Wildlife
Pros: Hunting controls the population of certain species, especially the ones that breed rapidly. Nature has always had its own way of balancing the population of a certain ecosystem but, as man evolved, certain animals are no longer being hunted and controlled. This leads to overpopulation of a certain animal which could result in rapid depletion of natural resources. Any type of imbalance in the ecosystem has disastrous results, so hunting plays a vital role in wildlife control.
Cons: However, there’s also the risk of reducing the number of animals in the wild. Underpopulation is as bad as overpopulation. If there’s an imbalance of predators than prey in a certain ecosystem, this will pose a huge problem.
Economy
Pros: There’s a stable revenue coming from the sport of hunting. Not only to businesses selling hunting tools and equipment but also to the local government. Hunting licenses are required for anyone who wants to engage in the sport and the money from these licenses go to wilderness conservation and research.
Cons: Of course, since money is involved, there are always opportunistic individuals that would resort to abusive practices to make a quick buck.
Environmental Awareness
Pros: Hunting is more than just knowing how to shoot. It also requires an understanding and respect for Mother Nature. Hunting can foster a good relationship between man and nature. This could lead to people being more aware of environmental concerns.
Cons: However, hunting also has ethical issues such as killing animals for sport. Some groups still consider this animal cruelty.
Automotive Accidents
Pros: There have been a number of vehicular accidents caused by animals that run across the road. Hunting has been known to reduce these accidents.
Cons: But hunting could also bring suffering to animals, especially if the hunter doesn’t get a clean kill. A wounded or grazed animal could end up suffering for days until it finally succumbs to its wounds.