Hunters can bag bargains in US

The recreation that rich people go for during their spare time can be quite economical sometimes, even if it involves something less seen in China, such as hunting.

Of course there are more extravagant ways, too, when it comes to hunting. For example, Jack Ma, founder and chairman of China e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings, spent about 370,000 yuan for one week of hunting, together with 11 of his friends, at a small village in Scotland. Four helicopters were brought in for the hunting. What's more, it aimed high in "controlling the wild animal population," with a prey of 17 stags.

But most of the time, the cost can be largely lowered if the purpose is pure fun. To this end, Minnesota in the northern part of the United States is an ideal choice, because there are plenty of choices for hunting and the relatively lower cost of living in the state makes everything seem cheaper.

Hu Jin, 43, owns a trading company in Shanghai that imports baby products from the United States into the Chinese market. Every November, he takes a trip to Minnesota if he has the time, and the purpose is simply to hunt.

Because Hu does not have a firearms license, the hunting ground first gives him three days of training.

To him, it is already great fun and exercise at the same time.

The training he is given is shooting clay pigeons with a shotgun. For several dollars, he can buy more than enough ammunition. In one round, he will shoot at 20 clay pigeons; this will continue for two or three rounds.

Once the training is completed, he is ready to call it a day, because shooting clay pigeons itself is quite energy-consuming, Hu said.

Once he completes the training, he will be allowed to go into the hunting ground with some companions. The group will be led by a local guide with a golden retriever dog that will prove greatly useful during the hunting.

"The dog will rush into the forest all of a sudden and a bunch of pheasants will be driven out by it. Then we can shoot the pheasants we have aimed at, one by one.

"It is quite easy to get your prey there. Every time we finish hunting, we can have more than a dozen pheasants. Most of the time, we will send them as a gift to the people living in the neighborhood. There are too many," he said.

Hunting pheasants in Minnesota is for the beginners. People interested in hunting bigger game can go to the grounds with special licenses and have more fun, Hu said.

"It is quite cheap to go hunting in Minnesota. For hunting itself, it will cost no more than $500 for one week of hunting. The hotel there is not that expensive. Something above 1,000 yuan a night, and you can stay in a quite nice hotel.

"Maybe the most expensive thing is the first-class return air tickets from Minnesota to Shanghai," he said.

As a huge fan of golf, Hu plays almost once a week when in Shanghai. Naturally, he will not miss the chance to test his skills in Minnesota.

Compared with golf courses in China, he likes the overseas ones better because everything looks more natural, even with no caddies to carry his bag. But still, Hu said he likes hunting better because it brings him even closer to nature.

"Of course golf courses provide great scenery," he said.

"But they are man-made. However, when you go to the hunting ground in Minnesota, you will find everything so natural. It is like going back to the good old days when people would go into the forest to hunt their own food with the help of their beloved dog. I have never felt so close to great Mother Nature."

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