Why Bruce's Country Kitchen is for Pie, Not Spreadsheets

You've just finished a brutal morning push through a 160-acre section of CRP north of Hanston. Your boots are coated in that fine Hodgeman County dust, your dog is finally quiet in the crate, and your vest is significantly heavier with a few long-tailed roosters.

You roll into Hanston, park the trucks in front of Bruce's Country Kitchen, and slide into a booth. The smell of chicken fried steak hits you, and for a moment, life is perfect. Then, the "Lead Dog"—the one who spent six months coordinating this mess—pulls out a legal pad or tries to open a cracked-screen iPhone with a spreadsheet.

The vibe dies instantly.

The Hidden Costs of a Kansas Pheasant Hunt

Planning a trip to Western Kansas isn't just about gas and beer. It's a logistical puzzle of high-stakes expenses that a standard spreadsheet simply isn't built to handle:

The Lodge Deposit: You likely dropped a $1,500 deposit back in April to secure the bunkhouse. Tracking who has paid you back—and who still owes their share—is a headache that shouldn't follow you into the field.

Bird Cleaning & Processing: Whether you're paying $5 a bird or pooling a flat fee, the "Social Split" is tricky. Does the guy who shot his limit pay more than the guy who went 0-for-4? Field & Tally lets you decide.

The "Bruce's" Tab & Grocery Runs: Someone always "covers the table" at lunch or stops at the Hanston co-op to restock the cooler with ice and Gatorade. Without a real-time log, these $40 and $80 hits disappear into the void.

Guide & Handler Tips: If you're hunting with an outfitter, the 15-20% tip is a major group expense. It needs to be split perfectly, right there at the tailgate.

Land Access Fees: Between private leases and daily gun fees, the "cost to walk" varies wildly.

Why Spreadsheets Fail at the Tailgate

No Cell Service, No Sync: You can't update a cloud-based spreadsheet when you're deep in the CRP north of Highway 156.

The "Venmo Friction": Even if you get the math right, the Lead Dog has to spend the next week nagging five guys to "settle up."

Rental Car & Fuel Confusion: Splitting the suburban rental and the diesel across three trucks with different passenger counts is an algebra problem nobody wants to solve after walking ten miles.

Enter Field & Tally: Log it and Forget it

We built Field & Tally specifically to solve the "Hanston Huddle" at Bruce's. Instead of a messy legal pad, you use the Tally:

Quick-Input Expenses: As soon as the waitress drops the check or you pay the bird cleaner, open the app, input the total, and assign the split. It takes ten seconds.

Smart Packing Lists: Use our upland-specific templates to ensure the crew actually brings the blaze orange, the brush pants, and the extra shells.

One-Tap Settle Up: When the trip ends, the app calculates exactly who owes who. No more "I'll get you next time." One-tap links for Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle handle the rest.

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The Bottom Line: Next time you're sitting in Hanston, leave the legal pad in the truck. Spend your time at Bruce's talking about the rooster that doubled back over the dogs, not the $14.50 difference in a fuel bill.

Plan the trip. Hit the field. Split the tab. Start your Kansas hunt for free on Field & Tally.