Gift for Rancher ???

[bawana bowman]

All the suggestions have been good. Like the idea of a special piece showing respect for his property.
Kip mentions wine club, along the same line I have had steaks, and smoked meats shipped to property owners after hunting. Have also done this for no apparent reason as a surprise during the year. Lets them know your thinking of them and keeps you high on their list.
I also have had an entire thanksgiving dinner delivered to one family after hearing they were having some hard times. They were extremely grateful! When they called to thank me I told them it was a  return gift for their hospitality, They never knew I heard about their financial troubles, and I saw no reason to tell them.

[kirkwhitehead]

The guys a TEXAN, therefore anything TEXAN. Some very cool books have been put together about the history of cattle in Texas, brands, and the land in general. Items with the lone star are also good gifts.

kirk

[acolobowhunter]

Thanks guys.  I have started a list of all your good suggestions.  This has been interesting as I have run into this same situation in the past.  You were all a lot of help.
Also during this post, I received a note from a long ago friend that I had lost touch with.  
I really appreciate you all.  If you have any more suggestions, please continue.

[Mark Baker]

Primal Dreams DVD.....shows your dedication and enjoyable to both hunters and non-hunters.  Also a subscription to good outdoors magazine.   I give one rancher  a Montana Outdoors, and it's arrival in the mail reminds him every time who it's from.  I've also given bows, both custom and not to appropriate ones, and I make sure kids and grandkids get set up with gear.

[Mark Baker]

I should add, gifts need'nt be "expensive", just thoughtful.  Also, make sure the "missus" gets  something too.

[OkKeith]

Gene,

BMN hit it on the head! I have hunted several ranches over the years, and have given framed aerial photos as gifts many times. It is a nice gesture and actually very useful to a rancher/farmer. I generally give 16X20s. Go to the local NRCS field office. You can get them free in a digital format (be sure and bring your own disk and request a high quality format). Then take the disk to a shop that digitally enlarges photos and have it done on high quality paper. They even have a new medium that looks like canvas and makes a really neat looking print. Might cost a hundred bucks or so all done and framed nice, but I think you said you were splitting it 4 ways.

It is good of you to do this for your landowner. If it wasn't for the farmers and ranchers of this great nation not only would a lot of the world be hungry, there would be dang few places to hunt.

OkKeith

[amicus]

You said he was a rancher. Most ranchers buy feed and or supplys from a local feed store or ranch store. Find out where he buys all his equiptment or feed from and talk to the manager of that place and set up an account with a credit. Or pay down part of his account if he already has one. That way the next time he goes in for something he will get a nice surprise. You can do the same for the Mrs. Really, IMO most hard working honest people will appreciate any thoughful gift.

Good luck

Gilbert

[Steve H.]

"A framed aerial photo of his ranch."

Exactly what I was going to suggest.

[Steve H.]

The ranch signs lazer etched in natural stone like Wary Buck mentioned are also really cool and personal.  I know Landmark Stone in Hot Spruings, SD is one place that does them.  Don't know if they have a website or not.

[Barry Wensel]

As mentioned above we've also give framed aerial photos of the family ranch/farm. Similar to what Bryce said, we also had a log cut with the ranch name or family name cut through the log. One guy hung it over his ranch/drive entrance. Another suspended it between two big boulders in his drive. We also had a guy carve out another rancher's brand into a giant slice of a tree. Actually that one the guy burned in, rather than carved it. One of my favorite ideas, believe it or not, is to have fresh, LIVE lobsters flown in from Maine. Most ranchers/farmers don't get much of a chance to eat lobsters. That way the Mrs. gets to eat too and cooking is nothing more than boiling the water. Additionally, eating a lobster dinner at home is a great social event for the entire family. Very few people don't like lobster. Just make sure someone will be home the day they are going to be delivered. Another good one is a company called Bittersweet Herb Farm. They have a website. I've often ordered the gift pack of their dipping sauces that come packaged in a little wooden crate. My favorites are the Wasabi/Ginger and the Maple/Chipolte. Absolutely great stuff to dip your venison into before each bite. Take it from a fat guy! BW

[Soilarch]

I think BW wins the *cool* ideas award!  

[madness522]

I think something you or your crew hand made would mean more than a gift card.

[Walt Francis]

Like others, I have given framed aerial photographs, but that gift is only good once for each land owner.  Most of the ranchers and farmers where I hunt are annually given baskets full of freshly baked goodies; cookies, various breads, fudges, and venison, elk, or bison, salami and hunter sticks.  Often, in the basket is a gift certificate to a nice stake house or other type of restaurant they, especially the wife, likes.  I once had a farmer who really, really, really, liked his Jim Bean, so several of bottles mysteriously appeared in his barn each year the week before Christmas (you might want to be careful with the alcohol if his wife doesn’t approve of drinking).  You said that he once hunted with you in your home state, invite him on another hunt.  I hunted a ranch for a couple of years before discovering the owner, a native bowhunting Montanan, had never been in or hunted, any of the wilderness areas in Montana.  The next fall I took my brothers and my horses and guided him on a three day (he wouldn’t leave his ranch any longer than that) wilderness bowhunt for elk and mule deer.  He actually converted to shooting a longbow from a compound after that trip and is still a close friend even though the ranch sold several years back.  Not quite as nice as Barry’s Lobster (thanks for the idea Barry), but a couple of times we have given landowners fresh salmon from Alaska.  Like Mark, a couple of them have received a selfbow built by me.  Each land owner I know has different things they like; what these things are best learned through personal relationships developed throughout the year, not just during hunting season.  Not knowing your landowner it is hard to determine a personal gift, which is the type gift I have found they appreciate the most.  Like you, I am continually looking for thing they might like throughout the entire year.  

All said and done, most land owners I know are satisfied to know you respect their land, their lifestyle, and their family, anything beyond that is like icing on the cake, deeply appreciated but not always mandatory.

[Paul WA]

Get him an ACS-cx or a BW...PR

[leatherneck]

How about a hunt of some sorts. We take the guy who we lease off of on a pheasant hunt every year.

[zilla]

How about a good Kings rope?

[leatherneck]

Barry,

You can come hunt my farm whenever you want. But make sure the lobster is fresh!    

Mike

[Deff]

My family has always allowed the public to hunt on our ranch and have received many gifts over the years from appreciative hunters. One year a party of hunters discovered that the inflow pipe was broken off on one of our stock tanks and they did a nice job of repairing it for us. Although I appreciate the thought when a hunter gives me a bottle of whiskey, one big problem is -- you could be perceived as "one of those half soused slob hunters".  One of the more appreciated gifts that I have received was a wire gate closer from a farm supply store. Everybody dislikes wrestling with wire gates, but these gadgets seem somewhat extravagant to buy for most ranchers, but if given one, it will quickly be installed on one of the "mulier" gates that is regularly traveled through. Gifts that are somewhat reflective of you will help you to be remembered.  Jars of  honey from a guy whose family kept bees or a cheese basket from a dairyman from Wisconsin are good examples.  I have a virtual parade of people knocking on my door during hunting season and it is much easier to remember the person and the gift if it connects in some way to their occupation or interests.  
I am much better at remembering faces than names, Often --if I remember someone's name it is because they caused trouble.  So  -- when you return, don't be bashful about reintroducing  yourself and asking if the honey was good or the gate opener worked ok etc. That gives the landowner a chance to "place you" and remember that you were one of the good guys.
One of the greatest gifts, is to simply report anything that appears amiss to the owner. Gates left open, dead, sick or injured livestock, damaged fences or crops, dry stock tanks etc. One time a hunter stopped to tell me that he wasn't able to close a series of gates where a ranch trail meanders through neighboring pastures. Even though he didn't have permission to be driving through there, I appreciated his character in informing me and I was saved many hours of hard riding by getting those gates closed before all the cattle got mixed together.