Hunting accommodation hypothetical......

[robtattoo]

This is probably going to seem utterly random, but I have a serious question for a friend.

I have a really good friend who owns a ranch in western Wyoming. Just outside of Pinedale in elk unit 92, antelope unit 88. It's right slap between the Wyoming range & the Wind Rivers. It's been a private fishing/leisure ranch, primarily, for 20+ years. It has pasture, cattle & hay.

The main thing it has, is two bunkhouses, 18 individual rooms total & had always catered to incredibly wealthy fly fishermen. Consequently, the accommodation is NOT lacking......there is a huge communal lounge, WiFi, cable tv etc.

The new owner is looking for ideas.
She'd like to know:
A: Would people be interested in using it as a plush hunting base?
Her idea is to provide accommodation, laundry, home cooked meals (she is a genuinely talented chef, used to catering for billionaires...) 2 days free fishing on a Blue Ribbon trout stream (Cutts, Browns & Rainbow, stocked at 18"minimum. I can absolutely attest to the quality of the fishing!) & possibly corralling of guest's horses/stock (that would be extra)

&

B: What would the consensus be in a realistic price people would be willing to pay? I suggested she structure her pricing as 3 & 5 night stays, simply because that seems common in the hunting world.
What would be a reasonable nightly rate for livestock?

She asked me purely because I'm the only person she knows from 'back east' that hunts the west as a tourist. My experience has been either camping, or staying with friends & I have LITERALLY no idea what to suggest. I figured that y'all more localler locals would have a far better idea than me!

 

[robtattoo]

She's not really interested in this being a super duper high end, exclusive thing by the way. She wants it 'average Joe' accessible.

 

[Billy Goat]

Look at what cabin rentals go for. Might get a little more, maybe a little less. Depends on the travel time to the hunting areas. I have stayed a few places and driven to hunt. I like the comforts. With a group of guys a lot of times it breaks down to being pretty cheap. Like $25 a night per person.

 

[robtattoo]

That seems really, really low. No offence intended, but private room in a multi million dollar ranch, free trout fishing & free food for $25/night????
I gotta come hunt with you!

 

[AKBorn]

Your best bet might be to search online for Western hunting ranches and get a ballpark idea of what other competitors provide, at what price point. Then she might be able to see where she could find a niche that works for her and offers Average Joes a good hunting opportunity.

 

[bmf0713]

If she rents it out for $25/night per room that’d be 450/night. Seems a little low to me for 2 bunkhouses with 18 rooms. We’ve rented big houses on the beach and cabins that house 20+ people for about $1000 a night so around $40-$50/person. If there is 2 bunkhouses at 9 rooms each $350-500/night per bunkhouse sounds reasonable. That’d make it roughly $50 a person a night if all rooms were booked. I’d pay that. Or if 4 people went in on a bunkhouse for $100/night I’d do that do. Might be easier to book the 4-5 people groups than 18-36 people.

 

[manitou1]

I think you are discounting the meals. That is worth quite a bit.
I would think at least $120.00-$140.00 per day per person would be a bargain.
I rent a rustic 12x16 ft cabin with no running water. Apt frig, one burner hot plate, window air and heater (Eastern WY). I shower about 70 yds away in the ranchers shop. The place sells out during hunt season and does not include anything near fancy, no meals and not even very pretty surroundings other than a view of the mountains. Price is $88.00 per night. Can fit two in there if you REALLY like your partner. Wife and I stay there on our summer fly fishing and scouting trips some.
Start at 120-130 and adjust. If demand is high, raise the price. If demand is low, adjust. I really can't see her not booking up if in a decent area and she provides a friendly atmosphere. I have friends that want to be treated like royalty when hunting. Don't want to get wet, cold or hungry... and they pay a bucket load of money. I myself enjoy challenges, a little suffering to make it feel like I earned it.
Heck, we have spent 130.00 a night to stay in a rustic lodge cabins and eat at the lodge one meal a day before when fly fishing the high country. (My parents were with us)
Hospitality goes a long ways for repeat customers.
If she makes it a fun and secure atmosphere she should do fine IMO.
If the lodge is really nice and has a lounging area where folks can gather, eat snacks, watch a game, play pool and have a nightcap, I wager she will get more.

 

[bmf0713]

Yeah. I got to thinking about the meals after I added my post. I’d say with the meals it’d be worth more. But if she’s not going for high class the meals don’t need to be too extravagant. I’ve never stayed at a hunting lodge but I’ve done a few all inclusive resort vacations and the food is ok. Just need some filler when hunting or fishing. As long as the beer is cold!...If the guys are hunting they don’t have time for a 3 course breakfast. Lunch will mostly be done in the field maybe?... so pork chops, chicken and potatoes can be delicious and cheap. Depending on how the bunkhouses are set up for privacy still might have a problem booking 9 beds. I’ll go hunting/fishing with 3-5 buddies but I’m not sharing a big 1 room bunkhouse and 1 bathroom with 4-5 other strangers for $100+/night each.

 

[manitou1]

It all depends on the setup. Sounds like individual rooms to me. Although initially apprehensive, some of our best experiences have been when lodging, dining with others. Sounds like it is a fairly nice place from the description. Do as much advertising the first year or two. Post flyers in meat locker plants, area restaurants, grocery store bulletin boards, newspapers. Post it on VRBO. We have found some of our cabins on VRBO.
Can always start a little lower and increase rates as demand increases.

 

[bmf0713]

Individual rooms would be nice. I’m always up for meeting new people too. Does your friend have a website or Facebook page? I’d definitely be interested in a place like that in the future. We did an antelope hunt and trout fishing week last year in Wyoming and it was probably the best trip of my life.

 

[robtattoo]

Individual rooms would be nice. I’m always up for meeting new people too. Does your friend have a website or Facebook page? I’d definitely be interested in a place like that in the future. We did an antelope hunt and trout fishing week last year in Wyoming and it was probably the best trip of my life.

Not yet, no. She's literally just taken over the place in the last 6 months. She was ranch manager before that for 4 years & her Dad was manager for over 20 years before that. I know this year's out so she's kinda looking at next year. I'll be staying up there for a week or two this October/November, so I'll bump this thread up with some good pictures of the accommodations & facilities.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[AKBorn]

If the guys are hunting they don’t have time for a 3 course breakfast. Lunch will mostly be done in the field maybe?... so pork chops, chicken and potatoes can be delicious and cheap.

I think a lot of us would relish having pork chops, chicken, and potatoes at the end of a days hunt, beats the heck out of freeze dried or cold food.

 

[BadDogPSD]

I've stayed at a working ranch that also has a lodge that caters to hunters here in NV. Nice, but not high end. Private rooms with bath, 2-3 beds per room. I think there is a total of 8 rooms. It's around $125-150 per night. Meals are extra. I want to say breakfast & lunch were $10 per person per day. They would make you a sack lunch to take with you if you wanted. Dinners were $20-25. Meals were served family style at a large table with the other guests, owners, and the ranch hands.
While it was nice, I wouldn't want to do it all the time.

 

[johnsd16]

To me, with meals this sounds like closer to $200/night if it is high end. Most hotels are in the $120 range if they include breakfast, this sounds way nicer. If you include drinks $200 easy maybe $250 or more depending on the food/drinks.

 

[Billy Goat]

That seems really, really low. No offence intended, but private room in a multi million dollar ranch, free trout fishing & free food for $25/night????
I gotta come hunt with you!

What I'm referring to is renting a cabin/time share. There is no cooking being done for us, but it has a full kitchen. Been doing it a few years. It's been working out to being pretty cheap. Generally rent for 10 days. 5-6 guys in a place. Normally one person ends up on a couch or a cot. But otherwise everyone has a bed. Late August early September is down time for a lot of ski resorts. Call them directly and see what they may have available. I was simply giving you an idea of what my costs have been in staying somewhere. I might not be the kind and of client she is looking for.

Also the fishing would add zero value to me.

 

[IdahoElk]

You need to guide there and keep going after the high end crowd,ranches are $$$$ to maintain.

 

[Poser]

For something like that, you’re well into the $200 a night range per person. Food costs for those types of meals served by someone with catering experience will run about $20 a person. If you intend to profit off of serving food, you’d need to charge $30-$40 a Head just for the meal. You also have to consider laundry service, housekeeping, plumbing (imagine what 18Texans due to your shitter), water bill for 36 showers a day etc. you’re also offering the convenience and luxury of a “ranch” setting with a communal room, a mud room, being able to leave your gear in your vehicle and meals catted to a hunting schedule. If you’re on a $50 a night budget, you’re camping. Period. A hunter rating in a hotel will likely be spending $120-$200 a night anyway, plus eating out two meals a day at $20 a pop. The described ranch offers a “total hunting experience” and while $250 a night might be pricey for an “average joe”, what’s to say they aren’t spending $5000, $7,500 or $10,000 for their hunting trip anyway, in which case, $1000-$1500 for ranch accommodations vs. $750 for a Motel Six and Denny’s that probably requires more driving and more hassle.

I hope some of you guys never plan to go into business for your selves. This is a boutique business serving a specialty client for a very short season. A private room in a hostel these days tends to run north of $70 a night with drab bunkhouses running $35-$40 a night with no services, towel fees etc. if she actually intends to make some money off this venture and expects to make more than minimum wage for taking care of a bunch of fat dudes who over eat, over shit and tell the same stories over and over again, $200 a night minimum and that likely doesn’t include meals or extra accommodations. For $40 a night, well let you pitch a tent and shit in a compost toilet.

 

[icebreaker12]

Your pool of hunters willing to stay will be relatively small. 55 NR buck antelope hunters. 600 total NR deer hunters (spread over 13 hunt areas). Gen elk is probably most realistic to cater toward, and that’s a two week season. Hunters probably aren’t going to want to base out of an area with 17 other hunters. Just my take, could be totally off as it’s not for me anyway.

 

[Okhotnik]

With fishing access and meals min $200 a night

Be tough to cover costs because book maybe 2 weeks a year

Should hire a local fly fishing guide and could book fly fishermen all summer for more than $200 a day

 

[Mattt]

What poser said. If I were her I would go to the three top end outfitters in the area and pitch the idea. Then she only deals with handling money from one or two people and someone else handles all the booking.