Inland Hunting Properties - opinions on business

[Wapiti]

Hi all,
After an opinion from anyone who's used these guys, or has heard anything about their service, how they respond to enquiries from users and any other consumer issues?
All opinions, even if only what you've heard from others.

They just seem to be very distant and not at all good at responding to enquiries, or maybe it's just me?
If customers have issues, how do you find the ease of being able to speak with them?
It's just that - their site is full of self-praise, fair enough, but what are they like in reality?

[mchughcb]

I used them twice in the last 26 years. The first place was nsw and the second in vic.

Both places were in drought and had been absolutely bombed. People are driving around several days back to back with the next 20 bookings spotlighting are going to ensure every animal that isn't dead is running at 1000m the minute they hear a car. Having said that I managed to shoot one rabbit over a burrow at dusk with my hmr.

[Wapiti]

Geeze mate that's not a glowing report. Seems there is a lot of shooters pressure on properties that are available = shot out, probably should be given a rest.
Definitely not fair charging money if the expectation is there for reasonable hunting experience.

My issue - I've tried to contact them, seems all their "mailboxes" are full, never emptied - not very good for a business reputation. Am I being unfair? Particularly as their site is full of glowing reports of themselves, great communication, last-minute help for people stuck in a town with nowhere to hunt etc.
No return calls, answers to emails in my experience over the last week.
I'm sort if wondering, are they still an operating business?

[GQshayne]

Unfortunately, I think the reports are too common to be incorrect. Too many un-answered enquiries mentioned by people. In my case I did not have that problem when I rang them. However, there was some BS told to me about the property, and how often people went there etc. It did not add up. And the accomm was poor. I had to raid the dump to make two beds able to be slept on, and make a platform for a 180cm person to able to touch the floor on the dunny! LOL Gas leak in the kitchen. Two fridges, one with a sign that said it didn't work, so we used the other one to find it didnlt work. Turns out the one with the sign on it only had a freezer that supposedly didnt work.

And it was shot out. Only time in my life I have been away for a week and not got a pig.

[Fester]

Thought about it, but more negative feedback than positive.
Now they have about a $1,000 minimum so I just found my own privately advertised place.
For about $100 more, I got high-quality accom, self-guided, but saw bucks with the owner doing the buggy tour.
It was too easy, as his feed field wasn't fenced well enough, but he was a hard good worker and would have fixed that within months.
I suspect that I fluked it really.

I heard blokes turning up and the farmer had no idea they were expected.
The usual shot out stuff.

Another bloke said they had a good productive property, but only hunters that had been before were accepted.

[Wapiti]

Thanks for that feedback, you blokes.
Personally I don't think it's very ethical from the landowners side to keep allowing access for people to hunt, for a fee, and know that there wasn't much about anymore. They would absolutely notice this, well I would.
I guess that the business they're using for the bookings, IHP, in their defence not knowing any better, might not know about that.
But again, I read on their site that they ask for feedback from "customers" so that hunters get some value for money. At least a reasonable chance of having some hunting success, whatever that is for them.
I have found that people have completely different ideas what hunting means to them, some want to have an opportunity to just have a go where there is a chance that, if they do try, have a chance for a stalk and a result. Maybe fire only one or two shots, at a place they have to themselves. All they want is to be able to have a real hunt.
Others will expect being able fire off hundreds of cartridges in a week, and would feel gypped if they didn't. Not me and my mindset, but some are like that.

If it's true that there are way more hunters wanting a go than places they go to, if this isn't kept fair and managed as hunting opportunity, the only person benefiting will be the farmer, and that will get around and it won't last.

Me, I'm unsure how the heck anyone gets anything from them at all, because it's two weeks now and still nothing back to me, after 4 calls and 2 emails.
I did see in a google search trying to find other places, that IHP also called themselves "Western Hunting". I think.

Does anyone know of other places that might be doing the same thing?

[bigpete]

Used them in 2006 to hunt a station near Bourke. Lucky the farmer was a good sort,we drove from Adelaide and arrived at his house and they hadn't even.told him we were coming for a week! Also,we found out when we got there he actually didn't want us shooting goats,which we were not made aware of and there wasn't much else there. There was also a pro roo shooter operating there while we were there which made things interesting. This was after having booked it 6 months prior. We did manage a few goats and foxes though. Like I say,lucky the farmer was a good sort,he could have turned us away at the beginning

[Wapiti]

Goats are a tough call mate, with farmers getting completely screwed over with stock and produce prices, a goat getting even only $4/kg can get $60-100 each (before transport costs) to round up and sell. Even today, with reduced $/kg (goes wildly up and down with goats), a farmer struggling to pay the repayments on a few new headers of whatever, will see every dollar important especially seeing as every feral animal eating fodder costs him in feeding other stock.
So spraying a mob with bullets is in fact complete stupidity when that's a consideration.

However, goats in rugged country, public land say, is where hunters should be used. Rounding up goats from these areas is not cost effective, and would provide hunters with more opportunity. I hope people can see the distinction here I'm trying to make.
Yeah I know some people see it only as "shooting" where a number is important to them for whatever reason, but to hunters, they would love those extra challenging opportunities.

[tuknal]

Used them in 2006 to hunt a station near Bourke. Lucky the farmer was a good sort,we drove from Adelaide and arrived at his house and they hadn't even.told him we were coming for a week! Also,we found out when we got there he actually didn't want us shooting goats,which we were not made aware of and there wasn't much else there. There was also a pro roo shooter operating there while we were there which made things interesting. This was after having booked it 6 months prior. We did manage a few goats and foxes though. Like I say,lucky the farmer was a good sort,he could have turned us away at the beginning

this is common from the rumours ive heard about IHP ,,ive never used them tho

so did the farmer allow you to shoot these goats that you shot ,or was it a sorry mate,, we shot a few we werent told it was not to be done, kind of situation

[tuknal]

Goats are a tough call mate, with farmers getting completely screwed over with stock and produce prices, a goat getting even only $4/kg can get $60-100 each (before transport costs) to round up and sell. Even today, with reduced $/kg (goes wildly up and down with goats), a farmer struggling to pay the repayments on a few new headers of whatever, will see every dollar important especially seeing as every feral animal eating fodder costs him in feeding other stock.
So spraying a mob with bullets is in fact complete stupidity when that's a consideration.

However, goats in rugged country, public land say, is where hunters should be used. Rounding up goats from these areas is not cost effective, and would provide hunters with more opportunity. I hope people can see the distinction here I'm trying to make.
Yeah I know some people see it only as "shooting" where a number is important to them for whatever reason, but to hunters, they would love those extra challenging opportunities.

shooting goats is like shooting sheep ,, whats the point ,,its not a challenge,,

farmers only want goats when they are worth something
ive been asked to shoot the lot,in times when their worth nothing and its dry ,,i said im not really into it unless i can take them in ,at the time i couldnt ,,they were worth nothing live trade too
then i turned out 2 mth later we could take them in ,so i asked 2 farmers if it was still ok ,,but as soon as i could make something from them it was ,,oh na mate we might be able to do something with them so no ,,even though i offered half the profit to them for no imput
sorry i dont symathise with the farmers here at all
goats have been over $4/kg for a long time now their about $6.50/7kg atm so none wants them shot,,that over the hook some are paying around$5 live
for a 50kg billy its not bad
ive seen good mobs of 100/150 plus eating what come up of crops and feed paddocks after recent rain and the farmers are like ,,yeah we know ,might get around to getting them when we get a chance ,,they are in no rush to get them cos they know they get a return ,,but if its a mob of 30 roos oh god the worlds going to blow up and must get there asap because there going to eat everything when will you be here to shoot ,,if not well have have a roo drive,
goats in thick country can be quite worth it if the numbers are there ,but they have to be there,youll get them out with choppers,, but like i said its got to be worth it ,,national parks put out tenders for it in western nsw

if a farmer has bought 2 new headers @ around $750,000 im sure they have the collateral to be able to borrow this kind of money, and im sure there not too small hence the need for 2 ,,and im sure theyve plan for it financially cos you dont just wake up one day and go buy 2 ,,not to meation the area im in there coming off the back of 4/5 decent years

mate i know we dont agree on these matters but i can only go off what ive seen over the last 15yrs
i dont wish hard times on farmers ,but when they have them were told poor farmers blah blah ,,but when others in the comunnity have a rough trott we hear nothing ,,so all im say is there just another bussiness going through life ,we dont all need to bow or throw money in the hat for them ,they do it better than most

[GQshayne]

It also depends on the individuals, as some of them are not experienced, not good hunters, and then complain. So you have to have a qualified opinion for it to be valid. In my case, I went on my first hunting trip when I was 12. On my second trip I got my first pig just before my 13th birthday. That was in 1983. I reckon I go alright. And I saw a lot of old sign too, so there had been pigs there in the past.

If you are going to receive money for hunting access, I think it is reasonable to be upfront and honest about current conditions.

[mchughcb]

It also depends on the individuals, as some of them are not experienced, not good hunters, and then complain. So you have to have a qualified opinion for it to be valid. In my case, I went on my first hunting trip when I was 12. On my second trip I got my first pig just before my 13th birthday. That was in 1983. I reckon I go alright. And I saw a lot of old sign too, so there had been pigs there in the past.

If you are going to receive money for hunting access, I think it is reasonable to be upfront and honest about current conditions.

IHP act as a broker. You don't get to meet the landowner until you arrive. In NSW, the poor blokes wife had died. He was living by himself we have rotten mattresses in an out house. He said he saw a pig 6 weeks ago and there wasn't much on the 40,000 acres. Checking all the dams for sign he was right. We left after one night and drove to Jindabyne and spent the night up in the snowys.

[Wapiti]

shooting goats is like shooting sheep ,, whats the point ,,its not a challenge,,

farmers only want goats when they are worth something

if a farmer has bought 2 new headers @ around $750,000 im sure they have the collateral to be able to borrow this kind of money, and im sure there not too small hence the need for 2 ,,and im sure theyve plan for it financially cos you dont just wake up one day and go buy 2 ,,not to meation the area im in there coming off the back of 4/5 decent years

mate i know we dont agree on these matters but i can only go off what ive seen over the last 15yrs
i dont wish hard times on farmers ,but when they have them were told poor farmers blah blah ,,but when others in the comunnity have a rough trott we hear nothing ,,so all im say is there just another bussiness going through life ,we dont all need to bow or throw money in the hat for them ,they do it better than most

All I'll say to that is, unless you have run a business where investment vs return is YOUR gamble and winning or losing is your arse, then I haven't the slightest care what others think that don't make those decisions, yet are real fast to judge... especially from looking over the fence.

"farmers only want goats when they are worth something" Absolutely, and this kind of opinion, whether it's about goats, sheep, baboons or someone in their backyard making stuff from scrap and selling it for weed money, is relevant to whatever situation anyone is in. Not the one criticising.

"mate i know we dont agree on these matters but i can only go off what ive seen over the last 15yrs"
Hey, you do you, I don't hold it against you mate. You don't have to explain yourself.

Myself however, I've only been in the farming game for 21 years after construction and engineering, but what I stated earlier is not from what I've "seen", but what's been done by both me and people with skin in the game. And screw stuff up daily. But I'm having a go. We tend to form opinions from experience either winning, or losing.
They're the only people I give credibility to, those that actually do it, not form opinions from looking at others doing it wrong.

[Wapiti]

It also depends on the individuals, as some of them are not experienced, not good hunters, and then complain. So you have to have a qualified opinion for it to be valid. In my case, I went on my first hunting trip when I was 12. On my second trip I got my first pig just before my 13th birthday. That was in 1983. I reckon I go alright. And I saw a lot of old sign too, so there had been pigs there in the past.

If you are going to receive money for hunting access, I think it is reasonable to be upfront and honest about current conditions.

I absolutely agree with you, I do not think any other way of operating is ethical.
I have the dead-set opposite problem.

I've done a fair bit of research in the last few weeks and what I've seen, and the prices being paid, make me quite sad. For the hunters paying for mediocrity, I mean. Is that the state of hunting here in Aus?
And the garbage and incredibly ignorant opinions I see too, wow.
The jealousy and bitterness on social media, it's really a bad reflection on the people doing it. So self-destructive, and just feed into the anti's looking on, just helping give them some avenues to attack.

Still haven't got any return contact from IHP. Disappointing.

[mchughcb]

Still haven't got any return contact from IHP. Disappointing.

Sorry I'm a bit slow. You want to contact IHP to put your property on there?
I have no idea who runs IHP but they were probably hopeless a decade or so ago. I mean I certainly don't run my business like that. If somebody calls I'm getting back to them when I got a minute. I just don't ghost people looking for business.

[Fester]

I can't work out the full story about the goats.
A few years ago, it was don't shoot the goats, or just 1 or 2.

Now you hear things like it's open season, as they ain't worth their while, just chute em.
I don't know anyone, so no idea on the real story.

I remember the hunting club blokes were winging as they had a great property, why I joined, then paid a few hundred bucks for their hunter ed course to qualify.
Then find normal members had Buckley's chance of ever even getting a midweek, or any booking.
Apart from the member who worked in the big gun shop, seems that the inner boys club were hunting there heaps.

Anyway, it seems the farmer was saying nothing to some hunters, but telling the old club regulars not to shoot the goats.
I laughed and thought he was likely just a good bloke, and giving newer hunters a go.
The ones he was telling were likely the blokes that harvested lots, as well as shooting bigger billies; good on him.

I paid for a good few years, but the culture was pretty bad; even the bow and rifle hunters had pretty much separated.
Seemed more like beginners just sucking up to the hunting stars and fighting off each other.
They are huge, and have a huge bank balance but I heard nothing of them fighting the govt or helping with public land access like they did in the past.
I just didn't bother with renewing this year as no benefits for me.
I joined the ADA as I could see we needed to fight a few years back.
Later got the info on their property to hunt, will do the ballot meeting and see.

If they appear to have no real stake in the NSW fight, I will also dump them; if we end up like WA, it's me x hundreds of other like-minded hunters so they also lose in the long game.
During one of their info podcasts, they met with the relevant minister, and I suspect he just pulled the wool over their eyes, stating it's not even likely that the govt would allow wind turbine farms to take over state forest that we hunt.
Just watch it happen, lol

[bigpete]

Used them in 2006 to hunt a station near Bourke. Lucky the farmer was a good sort,we drove from Adelaide and arrived at his house and they hadn't even.told him we were coming for a week! Also,we found out when we got there he actually didn't want us shooting goats,which we were not made aware of and there wasn't much else there. There was also a pro roo shooter operating there while we were there which made things interesting. This was after having booked it 6 months prior. We did manage a few goats and foxes though. Like I say,lucky the farmer was a good sort,he could have turned us away at the beginning

this is common from the rumours ive heard about IHP ,,ive never used them tho

so did the farmer allow you to shoot these goats that you shot ,or was it a sorry mate,, we shot a few we werent told it was not to be done, kind of situation

He let us take a few,I think we shot about 6 for meat. Even just letting us stay was a pretty big deal as IHP didn't let him know we were coming till 2 days AFTER we arrived !

[Damo300]

Two days after you arrived.
Wow.
Way to make the paying client feel welcomed.
Like anything in this country now.
Pay a premium for sub par service.

I'm happy to help farmers clear their land, if they want it, but there is no way I'd pay them $100 a night, sometimes more, to stay on their land and clear out their ferals that they have an obligation to control.

Humble farmer that wants a hand.
No worries.
Money hungry, greedy grumpy old carrnts that don't want you there but have to tolerate your presence, just drive away.