Jim and Peggy Wills
Pequot Lakes, Minnesota
Phone: 218-568-8445
Fax: 218-568-8450
Email: peg@huntspointclub.com
Web site: http://www.huntspointclub.com
 
By Dan Burden, content specialist, AgMRC, Iowa State University.
 
Completed November 2007.
 
 
Operation

Hunts Point Sportsman’s Club is located about 20 miles north of Brainerd, Minnesota, in the picturesque Brainerd Lakes area. The club has food, lodging and a small but exclusive real-estate development. The operation has sustaining yearly memberships and also is open to the public by reservation and the purchase of a day-use membership. The club has a clay-target sporting clays range for shotgun-sport enthusiasts; a wetland for waterfowl hunting is being created, and a limited number of housing estates is being developed on parcels adjacent to and overlooking the wetland. Facilities and activities include the clay-target shooting areas and a 50-target sporting clays course, a corporate retreat center and dog-training activities are available year-around. The upland-game-bird hunting experience may include pheasant, quail or chukar partridge or combinations of these species. In-season hunting for wild grouse and migratory waterfowl is available by arrangement. The upland-game-bird hunting operation runs from September 1 through March 30.

Hunts Point Sportsman’s Club was opened by owners-managers Jim and Peggy Wills in 2001. The main goal of the operation is to providing guests with a true hunting experience and exciting, unique shooting opportunities. Hunts Point has more than 600 acres of mixed habitat. Instead of releasing pheasants in a small field for hunters, the managers developed a “small farm” concept with large fields and meadows, more consistent with traditional Midwestern bird hunts.
 
Centered on the property is a challenging sporting clays course and a grove of trees used for European Tower Shoots. European Tower Shoots are a unique clay-target shooting experience, and one in which many shotgun sports enthusiasts have never participated. Most shooters who try it find it highly enjoyable and want to return to try their hand at it again in the future. Part of the Wills’ goal of providing an exciting and unique outdoor experience incorporates their passion for the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. These diminutive, very lovable dogs are a rare and unusual breed. The Wills wanted their club to offer the finest facilities for dog training and field events, and somewhat inadvertently it has become a destination for sporting writers, videographers and bird-hunting and dog enthusiasts interested in a chance to profile or hunt behind this unique little retriever.
 
For-fee Hunting Operations: A Short History

During the early part of the last century, for-fee hunting operations evolved as a convenient outlet for wealthier individuals interested in a private day in the "sporting field" but not willing to invest the time and expense to train and maintain hunting dogs, gain access to private land, etc. Over time, this changed to where the operations were primarily oriented to the needs of individuals, usually men having yearly memberships, who were competitive pointing-dog field-trial competitors, breeders or handlers.

Today, the hunt club serves the role of alleviating the strain of population pressure on public hunting grounds by offering extended seasons and days in the field where no other hunting parties will be encountered. These operations also are playing an important role in the transitioning of young and first-timer hunters, increasingly women, in a somewhat more controlled environment than would be present on public land during the regular hunting season. In many states, hunting clubs are regular centers for Youth in the Outdoors, Becoming an Outdoor Woman, American Wilderness Leadership School programs for grade-school teachers and similar outdoor-education and outdoor-experience programs.
 
The American hunting tradition traces its roots to the historic "long-hunter" explorer frontiersman. Americans born and bred in the last century with traditional open access to most public and private lands associate a “wild freedom" with a day in the field. Although the thought of hunting on a "preserve" or a "game farm" is anathema to many hunters, who are traditionally unwilling to pay to access the sport, this attitude is changing. Private land is increasingly difficult to access, partly due to liability issues, and public land is increasingly congested due to population pressure, burgeoning urban encroachment and rural housing development.
 
Unlike North America, Europe and most of the rest of the world has always had some sort of managed hunting, and it is a respected part of their cultural traditions. Only available to the elite for centuries, hunting was on private estates where game managers policed the grounds, managed habitat and supplemented game populations with reared animals. Hunts were (and still are) conducted under the control of a gillie, JaegerMeister "hunt-master" or similar professional guide. In most parts of the world, access by individuals for hunting (or fishing) is only available on a for-fee, by-arrangement basis and is on private property.
 
For-fee hunting operations primarily are oriented to the needs of individuals who purchase sustaining yearly memberships, many of which belong to competitive pointing-dog field-trial competitors, breeders or handlers who pay the yearly membership fee to work their dogs over live birds. Usually, several different one-half or full-day packages are available to non-members. These include a set number of birds. Although there is no set bag limit, usually a given number of birds are planted per hunter before the hunt to ensure a bird presence within that day's active area of the club's grounds. Bird cleaning and packaging is available for a small fee.
 
Business Development

Hunts Point Sportsman’s Club is well represented on their Web site. A particularly thoughtful feature of the site is a page that includes a map and detailed driving instructions to find the operation. The Wills promote an inclusive attitude toward clients and visitors, and on their Web site, openly invite people to visit their operation and consider the sporting experience.

When Jim and Peggy Wills started the business in 2000, one of their immediate objectives was to renovate an old barn into the clubhouse and lodge where most of the guests could stay. This was a massive construction project and involved pouring new concrete floors, making major structural improvements, designing guest rooms and creating a spacious downstairs area. This area is used for banquets, regularly scheduled dog-training classes and other functions. There also is an additional guest suite in a nearby farmhouse.
 
With respect to bird hunting, the club offers several pricing options and special packages. These include a number of options:

• One option is a “European Shoot.” In this package, the price varies depending on type and number of birds released. Usually, 10 to 25 birds are released per gun, dogs and handlers are provided, as is lunch, bird cleaning, and an afternoon “scratch hunt” to pick any birds missed in the morning. The birds typically released are pheasants and chukars.
• A “Bird Hunt Special” package is based on a per-person price but requires a group of four individuals. This includes two half-day bird hunts with ten birds (6 chukars, 4 pheasants), bird cleaning, one night’s lodging and includes the daily membership fee for non-members.
• A “Weekday Bird Hunt Special” is a per-person option and is limited to Monday through Friday hunts only. This package includes five birds per person (3 chukars, 2 pheasants), and the daily membership fee is required for non-members 17 and older.
• A “Weekend Bird Hunt Special” is a per-person hunt option and is limited to Saturdays and Sundays. This includes five birds per person (3 chukars, 2 pheasants), and the daily membership fee is required for non-members 17 years of age and older. In those months when state fish and game regulations close upland-game-bird species to hunting, pigeons can be released, an attractive option to dog trainers wishing to extend their training season. 

A 24-hour notice is required for reservations. For individuals or hunting parties who do not have their own dog, the services of professional handlers and their dogs are available by arrangement. An interesting aspect of the operation is its resident kennel of Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers. This is a rare, small-statured and very friendly hunting dog. The perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hunt behind one is, in itself, a unique and special experience for many clients.
 
An ongoing project is the ecological conversion of close to 200 acres of club property into wetland. This project adds to the club’s natural-resource diversity as well as creates some potential new options for clients. Most hunt clubs focus only on upland birds; wet-land waterfowling is a very different proposition since it involves federally managed migratory waterfowl, and the available hunting season is rather limited. The Wills recognize this but see the wetland as a means by which to develop other hunting- or dog-related and lifestyle-option profit centers for their business.
 
One of these is an associated real-estate project. This project resulted out of the immediate need to circumvent a highly obtrusive project planned by a developer on adjoining land. Hunts Point purchased the property and created a new project. Directed toward wildlife and nature enthusiasts, Hunts Point Wildlife Estates is a planned “common-interest community” with hidden streets, walking trails and a commitment to share in appreciation of the habitat and wildlife. The three- to ten-acre lots ($44,900-$93,900) include beautiful views overlooking the wetlands, and hidden approaches and home sites within a climax-growth large oak and maple forest. Carefully drafted covenants are in place to preserve personal privacy and the natural environment. Included in any purchase is a five-year membership to Hunt's Point Sportsman's Club, which is immediately accessible by private cart path.
 
Another aspect of the wetland portion of the business model is support for the Marsh and Meadows Hunting Retriever Club. This operation is geared toward waterfowl hunters, their retrievers, and retriever training and is associated with the North American Natural Hunting Retriever Club (HRC). At weekly training sessions, members work their dogs out of duck blinds and field blinds in realistic hunting conditions. Training sessions help to perfect the dog’s natural retrieving ability and is a pleasurable outdoor experience for dog owners, friends and family. The club’s motto is “Our hunting season never ends; this is where you and your dog can hunt all year long.” Of course, this aspect of the business fits in perfectly with Jim and Peggy’s love for Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers.
 
Many club members enjoy competing in nationally recognized retriever tests. Hosted by the club, these tests offer members the opportunity to test and officially score their dog’s abilities. HRC testing differs from standard field trials: dogs are judged against written performance standards rather than against one another. Dogs accumulate points toward various titles, which describe their ability; this can be extremely important to breeders and enthusiasts working with specific blood lines or who are active field trial competitors. However, there is an important difference between these field trial events and those of other associations. By judging the dogs against defined standards rather than one another, it means that there are many dogs that “win” at each of the specific events. This decreases the intensity of competition among handlers and promotes a friendly, social atmosphere that results in an activity enjoyed by a wide range of participants. This of course has a very positive impact on the perception of the club as a center for social and family recreation; additionally, it showcases the facilities, resources and personnel of the hunt club. Related events include hosting the Northern Minnesota Springer Spaniel Field Trials and similar trial events for other flushing-retrieving and pointing-dog breeds.
 
The varied bird habitat of the club holds a large number of released birds from previous hunts and prior seasons, as well as natural-reproduction wild pheasants, grouse and waterfowl. From a sporting perspective, although this is a private preserve, the upland-bird-hunting experience differs little from the wild bird hunting typical of most of the Midwestern plains states, particularly those states that augment their wild populations with pen-reared flight-ready birds prior to the opening of the regular hunting season. Encounters with "wild flushing, experienced birds,” well-versed in escape and evasion, is as common a part of the experience as is hunting in most regular-season field situations. On especially warm or windy days, the experience can be every bit as challenging as those encountered on any wild bird hunt.
 
Hunts Point Sportsman’s Club is committed to providing their members with outstanding facilities and hunting experiences. Within the past two years, the club has added an additional 155 acres to their hunting areas. Management of this land for optimal habitat resulted in an $85,000 pond, tree establishment and prairie restoration contract to a noted prairie-restoration company. The Wills’ commitment to continually improve the habitat for pheasants and other wildlife, through plant succession and similar ecological design, has necessitated a dynamic and evolving habitat-management plan that is an integral component of their business plan.
 
Another profit center encompasses the various dog-related obedience classes and advance dog-work master-class workshops. These are frequently conducted by nationally recognized professionals. Prices range from $100 or so for one-day per week, six-week obedience classes, to around $1,000 for specialty “live-in,” continuous four-day master classes. Hunts Point’s regular instructors include: Audrey Peterson, ranked 7th in 2006, in AKC Top Dogs Obedience Competition for all AKC-recognized breeds; and George Hickox, George Hickox Bird Dogs, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s top pointer and retriever trainers and well-known outdoor writer. Hunt’s Point has its own resident expert in co-owner Peggy Wills, who regularly runs affordable and regularly scheduled classes and coordinates other training and special events.
 
Barriers to Success and Unexpected Problems

Hunts Point Sportsman’s Club is a second career choice for Jim Wills, the co-owner-manager of the operation. Wills, a corporate attorney from Minneapolis, decided to develop a business that was enjoyable for him and his wife and was something that could be a source of enjoyment for the public as well. When asked about the “biggest hassle” during the development of the Hunts Point Sportsman’s Club business, Jim’s answer was immediate and straightforward: permits. These included conditional use permits for everything from aspects of the hunting operation to the building renovations. The amount of time and frustration involved in finding out about required permits, contacting local and state agencies, and applying for and processing the applications were absolutely necessary but very little fun.

As it turned out, all of these hassles and hurdles were negotiated in due time, but the overall process resulted in no small amount of head scratching. Jim suggests that someone else developing this sort of business may not have the advantage of his prior experience. “I had the advantage of being an attorney with 35 years of experience in dealing with planning and zoning. It is just a matter of knowing ahead of time what the governmental agency with jurisdiction over your area will expect.”
 
A second source of frustration involved the typical challenges posed by renovating old farm buildings into modern lodging and meeting facilities for the operation’s over-night guests and visitors. Whether attempted by a homeowner or a business start-up, the situation is similar. It can involve any number of meetings with designers, architects and contractors; various permit applications and inspections; and numerous cost overruns and schedule delays. Jim suggests that this can best be handled by careful prior planning. “To deal with the renovations, you need to sit down and plan what you hope to create from your renovations. You also need to plan the steps on how you are going to get there. More importantly, you must have someone to help and support you through the project. One person would have a hard time keeping up their enthusiasm through the many times the end seems impossible or too far away.”
 
What about partnering with other groups and organizations? Is that something of value; are there problems with donations? “We regularly donate items to Ducks Unlimited, Pheasant Forever and Ruffed Grouse Society. We had some bad experiences when we donated pheasant hunts to different causes; we found that not everyone appreciated what they had received. Some folks were rude and not particularly good sportsman while hunting at our club. As a result, we now usually donate rounds of sporting clays to worthy causes. We also have youth events here for the local chapters of Ducks Unlimited and the Minnesota Deerhunter’s Association.”
 
A very successful recent business promotion involved Hunts Point hosting the first-ever Governor’s Deer Hunting Opener, November 6 to 8, 2006. (Minnesota counted about 500,000 licensed deer hunters in 2006). Governor Tim Pawlenty, Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer and more than 100 media and special guests took part in the event, which was intended to highlight deer hunting’s very positive impact on the state’s economy, its role in Minnesota’s heritage and its traditional emphasis on the values of conservation, stewardship and camaraderie. The event was entirely funded by sponsors. The two-day event began at a nearby cooperating business, Cragun’s Conference and Golf Resort’s Big Buck Community Dinner. The next day, the governor hunted on nearby private land, while about 100 members of the media and special guests participated in hands-on activities at Hunts Point Sportsman’s Club. These activities included presentations by Department of Natural Resources officials, air rifle and bow ranges, a black-powder shooting display and demonstration, tree-stand safety talks and a habitat management tour.
 
In summary, for farmers or ranchers interested in diversifying their agricultural operation to incorporate a game-farm or hunt-club type of operation, it is important to consider several things. First of all, develop a realistic business plan that outlines the phased development of the new venture. This would outline realistic goals for the operation at one year, two years, five years, etc. An integral component of any outdoor-oriented tourism business plan is to develop a comprehensive habitat management plan. It is extremely important to concentrate on developing a quality experience for participants; this must include procedures for dealing with clients, client relations and any necessary employee training. This type of business also requires a thorough understanding of all applicable permit, lease, insurance and liability law requirements and issues.

Links

Doc's Hunt Club , Adel, Iowa, 800-993-3711; docshuntclub@aol.com 

The Game Bird and Conservationist’s Gazette - Magazine used extensively for marketing of game birds and eggs.
 
For Whom the Dog Tolls, Gun Dog magazine, October/November 2007 - About Jim and Peggy Wills’ Hunts Point Sportsman’s Club and the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Intermedia Outdoors Inc., contact publisher: 570-374-5757; back-issue ordering: 800-767-4868.
 
Hunt Club Directory - Directory of hunting clubs and preserves from About.com.
 
Hunts Point Sportsman’s Club, Pequot Lakes, Minnesota - Jim and Peggy Wills’ Hunts Point Sportsman’s Club, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and Hunts Point Wildlife Estates. Phone or e-mail for training, testing and meeting schedules, reservations and current rates; 218-568-8445; peg@huntspointclub.com.
 
Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers, Sustainable Ag Research and Education (SARE), USDA, 2004 - This tip sheet offers a variety of methods to consider in direct marketing, niche marketing or in value-added processing.
 
North American Gamebird Association - On-line forums and state-by-state directories related to gamebird suppliers, buyers, production, marketing and related industry products.
 
Sporting Clays magazine, National Sporting Clays Association, San Antonio, Texas - Official publication of NSCA offers directories for facilities and tournaments and shoots, shotgun enthusiast expert advice, industry updates, product previews, test reports, tips, conservation and legislation trends and results. 800-877-5338.
 
WomenHunters, Kershaw, South Carolina - A tax-exempt group that promotes the active participation of women in all outdoor and hunting sports. While other organizations do promote women in outdoor and hunting sports, WomenHunters fills its own unique niche with its Internet presence, WomenHunters Club, Bulletin Board and other features. The site lists hunt-club and outdoor educational events for women.