Land recreation & adventure
Books and taxes for hunting preserves and lodges.
Annual memberships, day hunts, bird releases, and overnight lodge stays, all paid different ways at different times of year. Gus sorts it as it lands, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
December came in at $16,200. Most of the member dues you collected in January already got counted earlier in the year, so this month is mostly day hunts and lodge stays.
- Day hunt fees, walk-insDay hunt income
- Lodge room bookingsLodging income
- MacFarlane Pheasants orderBird stock
- Lodge staff payrollStaff wages
- Propane delivery, lodge heatLodge utilities
Why your books are different
Preserve and lodge books go wrong where dues meet daily hunts.
A member pays once a year, a walk-in pays once a visit, and a bird release costs money whether anyone hunts that week or not. A generalist treats it all as one deposit stream. Your books need to separate the year-round membership from the day the client actually showed up.
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1
A January membership fee is not January income
A member pays $3,000 in January for a full year of access. Booked as January income, the rest of the year looks like it earns nothing from that member even though he hunts here in October.
What we doSpreads membership dues across the months of access they cover, so each month shows what it actually earned. -
2
Bird releases are a cost of the week, not the year
A weekly pheasant or chukar release costs real money whether five hunters show up or fifteen. Lump it with general supplies and you cannot tell if a slow week still covered its own birds.
What we doKeeps bird stock costs on their own line, tied to the season, so you can see releases against the hunts they served. -
3
Lodge stays and hunt fees blur together
A package that includes a hunt, a meal, and a room gets deposited as one lump sum, which hides whether the lodging side of the business is worth running or just breaking even.
What we doSplits day hunt fees from lodging income even when a client pays for both in one charge. -
4
Land and pond upkeep gets mixed into general repairs
Mowing fields, maintaining ponds, and keeping cover crops for birds is a real, recurring cost that is different from fixing a lodge roof, and mixing them hides what the land itself costs to keep huntable.
What we doKeeps land and habitat upkeep separate from lodge building repairs.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a hunting preserve and lodge.
Set up once for how members pay and what the land and lodge cost. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Membership duesAnnual or seasonal dues, recognized across the months of access.
- Day hunt incomeWalk-in hunts paid per visit, per bird, or per package.
- Lodging incomeOvernight rooms and cabin stays.
- Meal and event packagesGroup dinners, corporate outings, and add-on meals.
- Retail and gear salesAmmo, hats, and gear sold at the lodge counter.
Money out
- Bird stockPheasant, chukar, or quail purchased for weekly releases.
- Land and habitat upkeepMowing, cover crops, and pond maintenance.
- Lodge staff wagesFront desk, kitchen, and housekeeping payroll.
- Guide payDay rates for guides working member and day hunts.
- Lodge utilities and repairsPropane, electric, and building upkeep.
- Liability insuranceCoverage for hunting, lodging, and events on the property.
- Kitchen and food suppliesGroceries and beverage stock for meals and events.
- Marketing and membership renewal mailingsAds and the yearly push to renew members.
What we watch for you
- Membership renewal rate
How many members renew each year, since that money funds the off season.
- Deferred dues balance
How much membership money is still owed in access, so it does not get spent before it is earned.
- Bird cost per hunt
What stock costs against day hunt income, so pricing keeps pace with bird prices.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked all year, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things preserve and lodge owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
That is so each month shows what it really earned from him, instead of dumping the whole year into January. He gets the same access either way.
It will show as a bigger bird stock cost this week, tied to that booking, so the report explains it instead of just looking off.
Part-time kitchen staff on a set schedule are almost always employees. I will flag it, but the setup is above my pay grade and the accountant should confirm before you pay the next shift.
The tax side
The tax side of a hunting preserve and lodge.
Most of what trips up a preserve is timing and mixing lodging with hunting. Membership dues counted too early, bird costs buried in supplies, and lodge staff paid off the books.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Membership dues are earned over timeAnnual dues collected up front are deferred income, recognized across the months of access rather than the month collected.
- Lodge buildings and land improvementsA new lodge wing, pond work, or permanent blinds are capital improvements, typically written off over time rather than expensed all at once.
- Employee or contractor for lodge staffKitchen, housekeeping, and front desk staff on a set schedule are usually employees, even if paid seasonally.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, which comes out right when the books track it accurately all year.
Deductions hunting preserves and lodges miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Bird stock purchases
- Land and pond upkeep
- Lodge propane and utilities
- Guide day rates
- Liability insurance
- Kitchen and food supplies
- Housekeeping supplies
- Membership renewal mailings
- Radios and field gear
- Truck and ATV fuel
- Uniforms for guides and staff
- Fencing and property signage
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A preserve and lodge year, kept every month.
Membership dues, day hunts, and lodge stays all run on different clocks. Your team keeps you ahead of every one of them. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, membership renewals are underway, and a monthly set-aside is planned so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while the spring habitat and pond work gets planned.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand before the fall season, and whether summer maintenance changed the number.
- October
Before the season opens
Bird orders, equipment needs, and moves worth making before the peak hunting months and December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for hunting preserves and lodges. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions preserve and lodge owners ask first.
We take membership dues, day hunt fees, and lodge charges all through one point of sale. Can Gus split them?
Yes. He sorts each charge into the right category from your deposit records, and asks once when a charge type is not clear.
Our bird orders come in big batches before the season starts. Will that wreck a month's numbers?
No. Gus flags a large bird order as a season cost and explains it in the monthly number, rather than letting it make one month look bad.
Can Gus tell me if our lodge rooms are actually worth running?
He keeps lodging income and costs separate from hunting income, so you can see what the lodge side earns on its own.
We comp meals for repeat members. Does that need special handling?
Comped meals are a cost, not income, and Gus tracks them that way so your food costs reflect what actually went out.
Our season runs September through January. Does the year still work for us?
Yes. Your books close every month, including the busy ones. July lands before your season starts and October lands right as it opens, so the planning happens ahead of the rush, not after it.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever