I am considering leasing hunting land with 3 or 4 other hunters next year and am really interested in hearing your all thoughts on leasing land and anything I should take into consideration before doing so. I've always been of the mindset, if I'm going to pay money out of pocket to lease land I just need to buy land of my own as an investment and be done with it. I am not sure the latter is as realistic of an option as I would like it to be. I could afford 30 acres of my own and maybe build a house on the land - something to that effect or lease land for approx. $400 to $700 per person per 12 months. Obviously, leasing is much more affordable - I just feel as if after the 12 months your kind of out of a hunting spot and someone can come in and out bid you on a place you've been hunting. In other words, I feel like it really takes you a couple seasons to learn how the deer move and how to hunt a property. Sure you can luck into killing something - but to really understand the lay of the land, that takes considerable time IMO and I am really apprehensive about leasing. Thanks in advance
Why lease? Just go knock on some doors and get permission the old fashion way. I personally am tired of seeing hunting land go to the highest bidder.
Well that is a great question that I am trying to get answered. You don't think I haven't asked folks here in Indiana? I have hunting land that I hunt - with permission from a land owner, 55 acres and I get to manage it. That's all fine and good, I see a lot of deer. But I've hunted the land for 3 years (hard and smart) and it hasn't resulted in me seeing a lot of "shooter" bucks which I have on the property because I run cams that tell me I have "shooters" on the property. After 3 years I've concluded that it's a difficult property to hunt big bucks on. Don't have a lot of big timber and have a lot of different terrain features that make finding these bucks pretty difficult really. Also not considered an urban area but several houses in the area make unintended human pressure an issue. So those are reasons "why lease" - I don't want to lease, but I continue to ask folks for permission and continue to run into dead ends. People just seem really reluctant to grant permission to hunt on their land. I'm a pretty shaddy looking individual for sure...
When we leased ours we had it set up in a multi-year deal. Granted, we are friends with the land owners and didn't even HAVE to lease it, but some of the other guys were just plain stupid, and made the hunting difficult for us.
Hunting mature bucks in any kind of pressured areas is never easy. Each property presents its own set of challenges and honestly I've always been told by guys I know are more mature hunters than I that it isn't until year 3 or 4 that you truly start learning how to properly hunt a place and make it successful consistently. Our Swamp Property is a totally different style of property and have and will continue to use totally new tactics and approaches on it to harvest more mature bucks (this year's buck was a good one, but there is potential for better ones). If you don't like your 55 acre spot...where is it and when can I hunt it?
I would say that once you find a piece of land you want to lease and a price you believe is reasonable, you need to have a first right of refusal written into the lease contract. That way, nobody can lease it out from under you without you having an opportunity to match the offer. Obviously if you could get a multi-year price guarantee that would be the best, but I would guess that might be hard to do. Especially on prime hunting land. I say go ahead and find a lease, but always keep your eye open for that piece of property that fits your needs. The right 40 acres can be better than the wrong 400 anyway.
If you go about leasing be prepared when approaching land owners. Have what you can afford as a group, descriptions of the type of hunters you are, prepared liability release forms filled out, the recommended DNR private land permission form filled out and the potential lease for them to read through and digest. Coming off professional is the biggest asset I feel without seeming like a slick rick or whatever. Also if all the guys would be willing state you will only use bows, decrease liability worries of the owner....but make it clear you want full hunting season rights tho...not just bow season.
Haha thanks. I don't want to give up my spot - I hunted to wrong stand Sunday morning a month ago and missed out on this guy I can still get on some big deer. I just feel like hunting the same 3 stands on 55 acres every single weekend plus vacation time I'm really limiting myself on seeing big bucks.
Make sure your friends have the same thing in mind for the hunting land. Many a friendship has been ruined over a hunting lease. There are very few people I would go in a lease with.
I would agree with this. Everyone has to have the same goals and play by the same rules. The rules have to written and clearly stated.
Good thoughts above shared by all. Def. something I would want to make sure is clearly stated ahead of time - rules are good!!
I personally would never lease land. I just think that it is crazy to spend money to lease land when you could put that money towards your own land. If you can afford 30 acres now, go for it. Or you could continue to hunt the land you have permission to hunt on now for a few more years and save up to buy a bigger plot. JMO
Don't lose hope, up until basically last year nearly 90% of my hunting occurred on the same 10-12 acres....in that dozen years or so I put down two barely shy of 140 inch bucks (still swear the one was scored wrong), one 120s, two 110s and a 90 or so mistake. In that time frame my pops also took a 100incher, a 117incher and a busted up "8 pointer" which was an older deer. It's highly possible to find production...all but three of those deer were shot in a 30 yard radius, one of the other two about 50 yards away and only one on the other side of the property. It's all in the approach and hunting of the property. No clue what the make up of your property is, pressure received, hunting styles and ancestrial runs on it....but stick to it, you're just now hitting the time frame when you begin to see the subtle mistakes we all make when learning a property.
Couldn't Resist could you?? And how close do you live to Porter Ridge?? Lol closer than me... Facts haha all in good fun.
You want to know how to lease ground that produces big bucks? Then be ready to spend $1000 a year and be ready to invest in it for several years. Get some friends that have the same goals and go for it.. If your serious drop me a note.. I'll do my best to help you get started...