I am not sure why there isn't more discussion around hunting leases. Are leases you are participating in annual or seasonal leases? Seasonal lease example would be Sep.1 - Dec 31. How does /should seasonal leases effect pricing compared to a annual lease? Is it common for the land owner and/ or immediate family to retain hunting rights? Is there anything typically within the agreement that prevents the landowner from doing non-agriculture related activities such as horseback riding / riding 4 wheelers, target shooting? When there is a high ratio of crops to timber (huntable ground) is it common to base the lease off less acreage? What are the standard terms you look for in every lease?
I am kinda glad I found this post, I would be very interested in learning more about what people consider standard terms on average compromises for leases. I'm still an underdog when it comes to this end of the field, so basically the way I look at it, the more info I know ahead of time, the better prepared I can be for the conversation with the land owner
Always for a 12 month period. I want to scout ALL year...... I ALWAYS get it in writing. You don't want to enter a "gentleman's" agreement only for the landlord to decide on Oct 20th that HE IS GOING TO ALSO LET SOMEONE ELSE HUNT THE SAME PROPERTY.I have a standard contract that I drafted myself, which basically states that for a specified amount of time and price I will not hold the landlord liable for any injury to myself or guests while hunting and/or scouting on his property. I also think it is important to include in the contract that I agree not to do any damage and will not leave trash under any circumstance. His part states that for the specified time and price he will allow free and unrestricted access and that at no time will he allow entry by other parties for any reason during the terms of the lease. This next part has sealed the deal for me more than anything."............I also agree to extend my homeowner's coverage to leased recreational property in the amount of $1,000,000 as public liability. This sounds like a big deal and a lot of money, but as a rider on a homeowner's policy it costs nearly nothing! Let's face it. Everyone is afraid of getting sued these days. A contract protects the landlord and you! Even with people I know, I insist on written agreements. So far, They have appreciated it. Lastly, pay your lease for the year in one lump some. Harder for a farmer to turn down. One more "last thing". If possible, lock down the price renewable for 5 years. This ensures the work you put into the property won't be for nothing because you could not get a renewal. Hope this helps. This is how I got the 300 acres in central ILL. for less that a 5 day hunt with an outfitter in Illinois costs......and I have it for shed hunting and turkey season!
Well thats a good start! I would like everyone that has leased or is leasing to add their thoughts. I just don't think most people that haven't leased before have the right expectations. A 2011 surkey in KS indicated that the average lease rate was $6.25 /acre. I laughed.... I haven't seen this yet...
Thats some good info Shooter, you actually aren't far from me I am just right over in Peoria! Hows your pre-season scouting been going? I appreciate the info!
Haha!!! Me either, not even close! I looked into a 160 acre lease in greenwood county, KS for some out of state buddies and the guy leasing wanted 3500$ for the year. It sounded like a sweet piece of ag fields and creek bottom timber, but it didn't work out. It seems like a lot of money, but I've looked at plenty of outfitters websites in the big buck states and you're lucky to find a 5 day bowhunt for 3,500$. At least with a year lease you get some turkey and shed hunting in, proper scouting, and more than 5 days to try and tag a buck. You could always buy hunting ground, but even that's getting ridiculous down here in southeast Kansas. A lot of the 80 and 160 acre pieces are going over 2k an acre at auction. It's almost unaffordable for the average hunter! Good thing I married into a large land owning family down here, I've got more ground than I could physically hunt over the next 20 bow seasons. Anyone looking for a lease, I'll give you a great deal haha!
My lease was simple. A man owed me $600. I told him I would forget any and all debts if I could leave my bowfishing boat in his barn and have sole hunting rights for 2 years. 2 nice mature bucks, a dry boat, and year 3 later...our arrangement is still going strong. Being on a personal level with the landowner is important to me
Our lease was easy. Four friends 550 acres 500$ a person. Got the contract set up to were we have a five year option after the first year.
Surprisingly well! Got a couple of giants on video and camera. Fawn crop seems ok also! sure need some rain though....
Great info straight shooter. Where I hunt in VA and NC it is all about leasing land. Most all of the leases I have seen have been annual or 3 year. Price per acre has doubled & tripled in some areas over the past 10 years. Where you used to see $4-$7 acre now you are seeing $10-$16 in some areas. Prices get driven up every time contracts get renewed especially with private landowners not so much with the timber companies. It's not uncommon for people to almost harass landowners(timber companies, conservation groups, private) trying to secure the lease before and when it comes up for renewal. They offer more money, try to make the current lease holders appear troublesome, and all kinds of other shady tactics. It's not quite as "cut-throat" as it sounds but it's pretty bad. It does suck when you lose a piece you've been hunting for years and have mapped out well. The flip side to that is it is pretty exciting getting new land every now and then as well. It is not terribly uncommon for private landowners to still allow some family to hunt the land. They still own the land and I have definitely seen some horseback riding, 4 wheelers, fornicating, random farm equipment(trucks/tractors) while hunting. If it's good enough land you just learn to deal with it because if you raise a stink you can bet someone else will happily take the lease. Timber companies, conservation groups, etc. generally have better rules and guidelines that must be followed and you are basically the landowner. As long as we provide keys to the timber company we can install gates(if they are not already there), post the land, and don't have to worry about the landowners 3rd cousin showing up in your honey hole during the rut with a "single shot rifle and a one eyed dog". The key here is in numbers. Join a hunt club. For example my club has 55 members, dues are $350 a year + plus we do raffles & fundraisers so we have additional funds for meals during organized hunts, cookouts, maintenance, etc. That is a good amount of revenue, much more than I could come up with annually, which gives me access to several different farms and a couple other tracts of land totaling roughly 3000 acres for hunting and fishing. Now I know 55 sounds like a lot of members but in reality the number of guys that hunt hard is quite small(maybe 10) and even less when you consider the primitive weapons season. Most of the members are older guys who are retired and like to socialize and do a little hunting as well. My dues are actually below average considering most clubs in the area go anywhere from $500 to $1100 a season per member. That said many of those clubs have more land and better facilities. I have found over the years that more land doesn't mean much to me, I need more time. So having access to 10 or 20,000 acres is pointless since I couldn't thoroughly hunt anywhere near that much land in several seasons.
Another tip on leased lands, hunt Tuesday thru Thursday and the place is yours. Rarely to I see that many folks mid week except for guys hunting evening stands after work. I use many vacation days mid-week. Works on public land as well. Also, hunt in the rain if you can stand it.
I have 300 acres on a 3800 acre family owned working cattle/farm land.. We pay $10 per acre. That is for deer only.. That is all we hunt. There is a 4 bedroom fully furnished house on property we can stay in any time of the year when we go up to work on the hunting property and set cameras/feeders.. Several ponds we can fish anytime.. Go up anytime and stay as long as you want. During hunting season, we take the 5th wheel up and park it on a 12 acre pond at the base of the hill. It has a concrete bathouse with showers/kitchen/toilets. Electric is $15 a month and free water while parked there. I have had the lease for 9 years and aint leaving anytime soon !!!! Got lucky I guess.. Landowner said he would rather charge less per acre and have responsible hunters that mesh great with the family than charge more and deal with the headaches of leasors not taking care of his property or causing to much drauma ( like he has had in the past )...
The last lease inquiry I made in NE Kansas was as follows: Lease Term : Annual (Deer / Turkey present) Acres: 300 - 70 % crops ( 50% beans / 50% corn) Number of Hunters Allowed: 2 Price / Acre: $12 (Intially $15) Total: $3600 Quality of habitat: 3.5/5 Terms: Landowner & immediate family would retain hunting rights Notes: Landowner & immediate family use land for agriculture & recreational purposes (horse back riding). Overall I just got a bad vibe. $1800 was to rich for me!
I've been leasing ground for about 8 years now. So far it's worked out pretty well. Some places better than others, but all in all I've had a lot of really good hunts and shot some nice deer. Here's my experiences. Every lease I've ever had has been annual, and covered all open seasons. The only exception was one where we went through a broker and leased bowhunting rights only, and someone else had the gun rights. Typically, we'll do a one-year lease for the first year to see if we like the property, the landowner, etc. If it all works out, then we'll try to sign a multi-year lease just for some peace of mind. I've heard of people doing this, but never had any experience with it myself. Personally, I'm not sure I would lease a piece of ground that someone else was hunting on who wasn't a part of the lease. Just seems like it could cause some problems. I think the only exception would be if the landowner wanted to still gun hunt - which we don't do. Again, not on any of the leases I've been a part of. However, we've never had a problem with those things. Landowners are usually pretty respectful of your hunting time. IMO they want your money and want you to be happy to you come back year after year. All depends on the landowner. Typically we've paid a per-acre fee for the lease as a whole, with those leases that have more tillable ground and less timber going for slightly less per acre, which drops the overall price. Every piece of ground is different, and accordingly has a different value. The key is to try and work with the landowner to come up with a price that's fair for everyone. - Identify the legal boundaries for the property on a map - Lease term (dates) - What activities are included in the lease - hunting, fishing, ATV access, etc. - Who is permitted to be on the lease - is it just you, or can you bring guests? - Insurance. Most landowners require you to have a liability policy - Treestands - are screw-in steps okay, or only ladder stands/climbing sticks? - Food Plots. Can you plant them? If so, where? - Right of First Refusal. If you can get them to agree to this, you're doing good. This gives you the ability to renew the lease first before they just sell it out from under you. Very handy if you're in an area dealing with outfitters. Of course there's a bunch of other legalease in there as well, but those are the major sticking points that most people are concerned with.
I have leased out a couple properties myself, it all varies on the owner of the property, on how much it’s going to cost, the rights, and so on.... for instance me and a buddy leased out a 150 acre plot for $800 a year, and then this year I found a guy with 600 acres he is letting me and my girlfriend lease for $2000 I have all year rights and is willing to let me do food plots in the crop fields next year wherever I would like. The only down side is come opener of gun I can’t hunt until he and his dad shoot three deer between them to fill their freezer, but he told me with me leasing it he will shoot does only which by all means is alright by me. As far as trying to find property u can check all the web sites you want but they are always going to be more pricy and from what I found nothing was available. I have also spent countless amounts of hours driving around going from farmer to farmer knocking on doors asking for permission, and always throwing out the willing to help out with work and what not. Just keep in mind you might knock on a 100 doors but that 101 might b the one you never know. Hunting land is hard to come across now days between other people leasing out everything or they hunt them self the woods to field ratio has not affected the price as far as i have noticed really a 100 acres is a 100 acres and there usually going to charge u for all of that even though you may only really be hunting 50acres of it. Hope this helps out, good luck to ya
Great thread guys as it really is helping me. I've never leased before so the more info I can take in the better. It is just slim pickin's in my next of the woods so people are really trying to get a premium. Upwards of $20 per acre and it is tough to accept.
anybody know where you can find the information to get a decent estimate of what the property is worht per acre?
There's no tools that I know of for estimating lease value of a property. IMO it's all subjective based on the area you're in and what the property looks like. Seeing that you're in Peoria I'm assuming you're looking at land in your neck of the woods, which is going to be pricey I'm sure. Lots of outfitters down that way driving up prices. For a good piece of ground that's at least 50% timber I'd expect to pay at the very least $20-$25/acre if not all the way up to $40/acre.
