Penny Auction For Wild Boar Hunt

The first of its kind. Will it also be the last?

Boar hunting is enjoying an ever increasing popularity. In California for example it is poised to replace deer hunting as the most popular big game hunt.
Growth rates would be even higher were it not for the fact that almost all wild pigs occur on privately owned land. Though landowners bewail the damage the boar inflict on their properties, they strictly control access to their ranches by charging hefty access fees. The worst examples of that kind are found in Texas where millions of wild pigs devastate ranches. Yet boar hunts on private properties still cost anywhere from 400 to 800 dollars or more.

Is it therefore a wonder that enterprising minds put two and two together and created a first of its kind: A penny auction for a two day boar hunt for two at a private ranch.

In mid-August 2011 Outdoor Sportsman Auctions, a Georgia limited liability company, announced with great fanfare the first ever penny auction for a two day boar hunt for two. Outdoor Sportsman Auctions is also the first penny auction company that “caters exclusively to the outdoor sports enthusiast, people who enjoy camping, fishing and hunting.” Their product palette includes "brand-new, high-quality rifle scopes, range finders, tree stands and ground blinds, camping gear, fishing tackle, and now hunting trips."

The auction features a bare bones guided two day boar hunt on a well known, traditional private big game ranch  on 27,000 acres within 5 miles of the historic Stephen C. Foster State Park, which is also the primary entrance to the famed Okefenokee Swamp. Transportation to the ranch and food are not included. Hunting license fees, game processing and lodging beyond the two hunting days are extra charges. Cooler space is free.
Each hunter can take two boar per day.

The boar hunt is the fanciest product offered by Outdoor Sportsman Auctions. It is a truly groundbreaking experiment with an outcome that is far from certain. Participation in this auction makes only sense to hunters who live relatively close to the ranch on which the hunt will take place. Otherwise the cost for transportation to and from the property could easily exceed  the price for a low cost hunt, say, in California – even if the hunter won the actual hunt at auction for one penny.
 
The list price for a two day hunt at the hunting lodge is about 800 dollars. For example, if a Californian hunter won the penny auction hunt for half that price, he could go instead on a local unguided or semi-guided hunt for less.

Consequently, for hunters in California this auction is pretty much a non-starter. Let us first watch how this first penny auction for a boar hunt in Georgia goes and hope, if successful, that it is soon followed by a corresponding auction for a wild boar hunt in California.

But is it a good idea to wager money on a penny auction? That depends on how much risk a person is willing to accept and on the integrity of the company that is staging the auction.
Participants in penny auctions place bids on desirable, usually high priced items in small fixed increments, usually one penny or so. To do so bidders must buy bid packages from the auction company. The minimum bid package varies from company to company. It can range from $ 20.00 to 75 dollars or more. High value bid packages are more common.

While participants in penny auctions can control the maximum amount they are willing to bid, they cannot safeguard the funds invested in the purchase of bid packages. Unscrupulous operators have in the past folded their businesses and left potential bidders holding the bag … uuhh the now worthless bid packages.
There are other potential pitfalls. But this is not an article on the pro and the con of penny auctions.

This penny auction wild hog hunt is a 2-day hunt (gun or bow) for two people with overnight lodging accommodations provided. It is scheduled to take place at the Bear Run Lodge in Council, Georgia.

Outdoor Sportsman Auctions started in 2010 as purveyor of outdoor gear to enthusiasts of the great outdoors. Boar hunts are their latest addition to their range of products. The auction for the current two day boar hunt is an open auction for 30 days. As of today there is one bid shown. Most of the bids in penny auctions are placed towards the end of the auction. There are 27 days left.

Asked how long Outdoor Sportsman Auctions has offered penny auctions for outdoor gear Robert Ford, CEO of OutdoorSportsmanAuctions.com, told us:
“About 4 months and we are in the top 40 Penny auction sites and there are thousands of them.”
PJJ