I've never had to lease property before. I hunt my 40 acres and have had pretty solid luck, but I feel like I need to expand my opportunities so I am going to lease some land to hunt this year. Since this will be my first time, I'm just looking for some pointers or tips from more experienced leasee's. What do I need to look out for, what do I need to make sure is in the lease and what is not? Just don't want to make a rookie mistake and get taken.
First you need to decide what it is you are looking for in a lease, and what you are willing to pay for it. A lease is a contract, so don't settle for something that isn't what you want. Also...try to lease long term if possible. The money invested goes a lot further that way when you start considering expenses for food plots, stands, cameras etc. I have been leasing for 10 years across 4 states. There is an art and science to finding great hunting at a reasonable price. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I just don't get about leasing land to hunt. a big fat jip. never leased land. I'm not sure if you have to file taxes for leasing land to hunt.
As usual here you are with a completely useless post. No one gives a **** if you don't get why someone leases. It was plain and simple he asked for helpful tips not what you think about it!
I know some guys have leased bow hunting rights and the land owners gun hunted. I have heard where it works ok but more than not it is a problem. If you pass young deer and they shoot them during gun season it doesn't help your plan. Are you just looking for Missouri?
Get taken? Your leasing hunting property, no guarantee's when hunting. What I will say is this, get sole possession of hunting rights if possible and tell the farmer you want the least amount of intrusion as possible from him during the hunting season. Many MO contracts give the farmer/landowner the right to do what they want with/on the property at any time they wish. For example, a customer of mine rented a great piece in Worth County MO. Hung stands, did a food plot, mineral licks and put out a bunch of cameras on his 240 acre lease. Came back in sept to find his stands on the ground and most all the trees clear cut. The farmer never said a thing, and on the contract, he was allowed to enter and harvest trees, crop, hay at his will. $3,000 down the drain. Make sure its what you want before you sign. And even if it is what you want, it can mean nothing. Missouri is full of crooks, and crooked attorneys. So be aware, just saying! With all that being said, We lease out hunting rights on 2 farms in Missouri now. Both hunting groups have been good. Handshake agreements. They have the hunting rights year round. Bow, Gun, Turkey and deer. Pay up front for the year in Jan. Has been great so far! Good Luck!
Like the others have said, I would make sure you or your group is the only people hunting the property. During my research some properties were looking to lease there land but either the landowner or family members were still able to access the land. Also make sure you have permission for food plots and any other work you would want to do for hunting purposes. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Yeah, just looking for something close to home. As you know I hunt my land quite a bit but there have been rumblings that someone is trying to lease the property to the east of me. If that happens, I have a feeling it's going to really impact my hunting because that property has been a sanctuary for a long time. They travel through my property while heading to bed down on that place a lot. I'm just hedging my bet, if that happens I want to have a backup plan in place.
That's exactly what I'm talking about when I say get taken. I just went and looked at a property last night. Looked good on the aerial view but when I got there, I found they had harvested a bunch of timber out of the draws. So they were very then and would not hold deer. There was plenty of deer sign in the ag fields and there was a nice block of timber across the dirt road, but the lease wasn't going to hold bucks. They guy leasing it probably wasn't even aware it had been logged over the winter.
I would love to. Hell, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. The owner is an absentee owner. He's the same owner that used to own my 40 acres and another 60 acres just to the south of me. He lost those two pieces due to bankruptcy but was able to keep that 40 acres. It has been leased out to a local cattle farmer that used to run cattle on the whole 80 acres before we purchase our 40. He only occasionally runs cows on it and usually only for a very short period of time when he does. I don't think he's even ran them on it for 2 or 3 years now. He does hay a portion of it every year. It's worked out pretty good in the past. I'm not sure if he is still leasing it or not though. The guy that mentioned leasing said his sister is dating the owner, so that kinda complicates things now.
I hunted my whole life on public and private land, it seems like private land is hard to come by these days unless you know someone who knows someone who doesn't care who hunts. Within the last few years I have commited to bowhunting very seriously and I couldn't sit in the stand anymore and have other hunters walk thru. Therefore I leased 80 acres and I haven't been happier. Have 8 cams running year round, you really get to know the deer. It makes the hope in a hunter a little stronger when you know that the deer herd isn't pressured at all. The landowners are very nice and we've became quite good friends. I have full permission to do what ever I want there.. plant plots, build permanent blinds, shoot guns, etc. Just have to be patient and strike quickly once you find a property and scout it.
I have only leased hunting land in one situation about 20 years ago. It was a fellow from church who purchased 40 acres in an area of mid-Michigan to gun hunt and found out the adjoining 80 was being pounded by a group that was leasing on a yearly basis. So he approached the owner of the 80 in the off-season and upped the leasing price offer. The first year he just let it go so things would settle down and the next year he offered me the bowhunting rights. Some of the best hunting I have had to be honest and I really enjoyed it for three years. Then the daughter of this fellow got married to a bowhunter and the next year I was booted......8^( There was a recent thread on AT where a fellow leased through a hunting land agent and discovered that the property was sold. The new owner was already prepping to hunt it and things got tense. The conversation turned to law suits and who breached contracts and such, which would run me off in a heartbeat. I hunt deer to enjoy the woods and get away from human drama as much as possible....not have it draw me into the middle of such. With that said, I would make sure the wording of a lease had topics such as logging the property, sale of the property, exclusive hunting access, etc. all spelled out. I've heard of a lease situation where the landowner "forgot to mention" that he allowed his nephew and some buddies to hunt the property and figured it would be no big deal to the fellow who was paying to lease the ground to "share" it a bit.
