tknuts103
Well-Known Member
Too bad you can't just shoot two bucks and no does but I doubt he would let that fly for management purposes.
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Deer Lease questions for a newb
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baldhunter
Well-Known Member
I think deer hunting in Texas has gone a bit too expensive.I guess it really depends on how much you want to pay for recreation.Years ago I was on a lease with my family and friends.We paid a $150 each for a year round lease on 750acres,6 hunters.It was a fun get away.It had a nice 7acre lake so it fun to just go camping and fishing in the off season.It had a lot of deer on the place but they were small bodied and small racked.We lost that lease because the owners decided to high fence all their property and do game management with protein feeding to grow bigger bucks.We leased several other properties after that.None were as good and the areas were way over hunted for the amount of acres per hunter.After that I just started hunting does and cull bucks on managed lands.I got to hunt on some great hunting ranches,killed more deer and had a lot of fun for a lot less money than what a lease would have cost me.I got a part-time job as a guide on one of the ranches I was hunting on.That was fun,I got to guide for a bunch of kids killing their first deer which is a real rewarding thing and I made enough that paid for my hunting expenses too.I had to give that up the last few years because my wife has been ill and I have to stay close to home these days because I have to take care of her.I was lucky to find a ranch near by that has exotics,mainly red deer.It's a 1000 acres of brushy land and we hunt from blinds just like deer hunting.I can shoot a cull red stag for less than what it would cost me to shoot a 100" whitetail buck and take home bigger antlers and I get 140-185lbs of boned out meat for the freezer that's a lot better eating than a whitetail.It would have to have an oppurtunity to kill some really big bucks on the place before I'd pay 3k,but that just me.You can easily double that cost when you add in feeding and travel.I'd also look at other hunting options and don't overlook doing hunts for exotics.
59FLH
Well-Known Member
Yeah, most land owners aren't taking a day off work for that, so the GW's were slow or no to respond. It not trespassing as I originally stated its hunting without written permission is a game violation, the land owner need not get involved with enforcement. The other piece of that is written permission absolves the land owner of liability for accidents while in the act of hunting. Paid lease contracts could be different.
cavin_and
Member
I lease my ranch 2 hrs NE of Dallas for comparable rates. That close means you will get a lot of use. Go for it and next year talk to the owner about setting bag limits based on management practices. If there are pigs. And I can't imagine that there aren't you can do a lot of hunting.
Lease it. Use it. Go to the local restaurant where there is always a gathering and listen. Might find another place for next year.
I would ask the lessor if you could put up a couple of cell cameras for a couple of weeks. Bucks have bone showing by now and you can get an idea of the population and B/D ratio.
I would want to speak with the president if the club next door. If they are a trophy club and have strict standards for harvest, behavior, and a small membership, I would be interested. You could also see if they have any openings.
I would want to walk the property line to look for sign of encroachment. I would also look for signs of stands along the property line. What is the shape of the property? If there's only a small portion that butts up to the neighboring club, you might be ok. If it's long and skinny, with little depth along the border with the club, then you likley won't be able to get away from the pressure. Either way, 150ac doesn't get a lot of seclusion.
The big picture is, if 6k doesn't crimp the family budget, lease it for one year and reassess after the season.
I would want to speak with the president if the club next door. If they are a trophy club and have strict standards for harvest, behavior, and a small membership, I would be interested. You could also see if they have any openings.
I would want to walk the property line to look for sign of encroachment. I would also look for signs of stands along the property line. What is the shape of the property? If there's only a small portion that butts up to the neighboring club, you might be ok. If it's long and skinny, with little depth along the border with the club, then you likley won't be able to get away from the pressure. Either way, 150ac doesn't get a lot of seclusion.
The big picture is, if 6k doesn't crimp the family budget, lease it for one year and reassess after the season.
TXWinBrown
Well-Known Member
Plenty of cover and water retention then. Deer will go where there's food. Also, in our great state of Texas we're allowed to "bait" deer, corn, protein, wheat middlings are great too. Deer will feed from the feeders year round, the winter months are critical for food. Protein grows the deer, corn just keeps them around. Dove season is 2 months away now. I've hunted in Reagan county for over 20 years now and we always keep the feeders full, plus 2 winter wheat fields. If you build it, they will come.
TLDR it all but, the first page ...
I don't know your financial position so, $3k could be really expensive or reasonable for access close to home.
The land in Oklahoma has rents like that or a whole lot less. "Corporate" hunt lease operators charge rates like you are talking about and some of these actually 'actively manage' the property but, many don't.
My land in Oklahoma is mixed farm fields and open or wooded pastures. North of OKC you won't see many, or any, feral hogs. If you want to hog 'plink', you need to stay South of OKC.
Deer in general have a lot of hunting pressure for many varied reasons so, while a lot of deer are taken each year, the vast majority are not trophy animals and offer modest meat yields. Two quarters (~320 acres) will generally lease <$1,000 a year but, I know some are above $3K a year.
Quail are essentially extinct in practical terms. Central OK doesn't see many doves either.
I don't hunt my land because personally, I don't find it worth the effort due to urban sprawl (mini-ranchettes of 5 acres or less in rural areas) and cities pushing out into farm country pretty hard. Then add 'no hunt' areas and it really becomes a mixed bag at best for game animals and hunters.
If you can take the time off for travel, personally I would take my ~$3K and go to Wyoming or surrounding areas that are out of state friendly to hunters and hunt Pronghorn! I worked with a guy that went every year with 3 other friends and they usually came back with 3 to 6 pronghorn each year depending on which section they got to hunt (state draws) based on what they tagged last year. Seemed to be a really good hunt for them for the several years we worked together.
I don't know your financial position so, $3k could be really expensive or reasonable for access close to home.
The land in Oklahoma has rents like that or a whole lot less. "Corporate" hunt lease operators charge rates like you are talking about and some of these actually 'actively manage' the property but, many don't.
My land in Oklahoma is mixed farm fields and open or wooded pastures. North of OKC you won't see many, or any, feral hogs. If you want to hog 'plink', you need to stay South of OKC.
Deer in general have a lot of hunting pressure for many varied reasons so, while a lot of deer are taken each year, the vast majority are not trophy animals and offer modest meat yields. Two quarters (~320 acres) will generally lease <$1,000 a year but, I know some are above $3K a year.
Quail are essentially extinct in practical terms. Central OK doesn't see many doves either.
I don't hunt my land because personally, I don't find it worth the effort due to urban sprawl (mini-ranchettes of 5 acres or less in rural areas) and cities pushing out into farm country pretty hard. Then add 'no hunt' areas and it really becomes a mixed bag at best for game animals and hunters.
If you can take the time off for travel, personally I would take my ~$3K and go to Wyoming or surrounding areas that are out of state friendly to hunters and hunt Pronghorn! I worked with a guy that went every year with 3 other friends and they usually came back with 3 to 6 pronghorn each year depending on which section they got to hunt (state draws) based on what they tagged last year. Seemed to be a really good hunt for them for the several years we worked together.
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In the area an hour west of DFW metro the state sets the deer limits. This area is usually 2 bucks one ear wide or better and one spike or spike or fork one side spike on the other along with two does. Pigs are in the area. Most leases you provide your own feeder and stand. On small acreage like the 150 it's best to stand hunt due to the fact of safety and to not run the deer off the area your hunting. If it has a stock tank with fish then that's where the premium comes in.
On my property I lease 300 for two hunters a little over half of what your looking at paying. But it's paid hunters only. So in my opinion your paying for your children but they are hunting off your tags which is not really allowed in Texas but is done. Also if there is sleeping accommodations then that adds to the lease fees. My properties are 1.5 hours west of metro in Erath. Look at the state hunting manual for this years rules and regulations.
On my property I lease 300 for two hunters a little over half of what your looking at paying. But it's paid hunters only. So in my opinion your paying for your children but they are hunting off your tags which is not really allowed in Texas but is done. Also if there is sleeping accommodations then that adds to the lease fees. My properties are 1.5 hours west of metro in Erath. Look at the state hunting manual for this years rules and regulations.
A lot of people say "hunting off your tags" but what they really means is hunting off your allocation for the lease. Kid's hunting licenses are cheap and they should go through hunter education any way so….
Regardless the more I think about this situation the less I would recommend it. Sure someone will pay it but 2 deer for $3k doesn't make sense to me. Also it makes you wonder why it's still available. Usually places that close to DFW are gone within minutes of posting an ad. People will generally take them sight unseen.
billflangjr813
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 21, 2014
- Messages
- 226
That's what we call P-Whipped!!
Ive hunted in Texas since I was 12.
I also leased a farm in Illinois for 10 years.
Currently Im on a lease in Texas down on the Pecos river with 17 other hunters, year round lease, 22,000 acres.....hogs, predators, whitetail, turkey, dove, quail, mule deer, blackbuck, audoud sheep hogs, javelina etc.
We'd all be broke and homeless if we were paying 20 to 30 dollars per acre.......
On the other hand in the midwest in farm land w crops, ravines, streams and creeks, $20 dollars an acre is good. And you dont need more than 150 acres. Deer density there is high....
West of Ft Worth, say Aledo, and Weatherford, that's very high unless its farm land w crops and water.
Then it is maybe worth $20 per acre total, not per hunter.
If you get out by Ozona, Sonora, Junction, San Angelo, and use a ranch broker to locate something, you'll likely find better deals.
The best time to get a lease is after an oil bust.....All these oil and service companies fire everyone and let their leases go. Worst time is now with 100 dollar oil.
It all boils down to deer density and whether deer stay on your 150 acres, or just pass through occassionally. What sign is there?
Tracks, rubs, sightings at dusk and dawn. Is there food and water there to keep them inside the fence?
150 acres is not much land.
1 hunter walking the property will run all the deer off over the fence in 10 min.
The only way 1 or 2 hunters can hunt 150 acres is w stands and getting into them before daylight.
Youll need different stands fir different wind directions and getting into them in different winds.
A deer can smell you 600 yards away w wind. If you walk around on 150 acres all you will see is white tails going over fences 400 yards out.
Id look for at least 1000 to 2000 acres out southwest, if you want to have 2 or 3 hunters, especially walking or stalking. 3000 per hunter for 150 acres unless it is really high corn or soybeans mixed w good forest or ravines and water
w thick cover is way expensive and wont work.
Flat land w some mesquite is really no good for 150 acres at that kind of money.
Terrain gets better south of Abilene and Merkel. Rougher, more cedar and live oak mixed in w big ridges.
Hope you find something good.
Search for a good deer lease broker
and get some references.
Get a bigger group together, say 5 or 6 guys at least. You can get a much better place.
That's no way to post a response and your interpretation must be how your relationship is.
That's what you call P-Whipped.
Happy Wife Happy Life!
You missed out on what I said about the Africa Trip, which could trump any lease for a one year deer season.
I would be willing to bet that Jill has more firearms than you and she bought me more firearms and we went on more hunting trips together than you have done.
As someone who transitioned from land ownership to lease hunting then back to land ownership, I must say that leasing, at least in Texas, can be a can of worms. Between eccentric owners and/or land managers and camp egos when hunting with previously unknown hunters, I wish you luck...but it ain't easy.
To your question, I would suggest $3,000 a gun without any infrastructure (established camp, cabin, electric, water, septic, feeders, stands) is high for 150 acres. The game limits don't bother me quite as much because they are not that far out of line with what a biologist would most likely recommend for the acreage and land carrying capacity. (NOTE: It gets real dry, real fast as you go west of Fort Worth.
Before you commit, definitely tour the property, look for sign and habitat that could support a healthy deer population. If the land manager cannot make a good case for why the property is worth what he's asking, it's probably best to take your time and continue looking. I would suspect, with the current economic conditions, we're in a Buyer's market for hunting leases.
The last lease I was on was 6 hours from my house, near Comstock, TX. Great lease: good guys, good (not great) buck genetics, 10,000 acres, 10 guns, year-round protein feeding program included, most blinds and feeders included..... but it was that 6-hour drive. We paid $1,200 a gun in 2018 to give you a point of reference.
There are some on-line resources to search for leases. That is how I found the above mentioned lease. DeerTexas.com, LeaseHunter.com and HuntingLocator.com are just a few. Unfortunately, there are far more crappy leases out there than good ones. When you find a good one, never give it up. That's why good ones are hard to find. Best of luck!,
To your question, I would suggest $3,000 a gun without any infrastructure (established camp, cabin, electric, water, septic, feeders, stands) is high for 150 acres. The game limits don't bother me quite as much because they are not that far out of line with what a biologist would most likely recommend for the acreage and land carrying capacity. (NOTE: It gets real dry, real fast as you go west of Fort Worth.
Before you commit, definitely tour the property, look for sign and habitat that could support a healthy deer population. If the land manager cannot make a good case for why the property is worth what he's asking, it's probably best to take your time and continue looking. I would suspect, with the current economic conditions, we're in a Buyer's market for hunting leases.
The last lease I was on was 6 hours from my house, near Comstock, TX. Great lease: good guys, good (not great) buck genetics, 10,000 acres, 10 guns, year-round protein feeding program included, most blinds and feeders included..... but it was that 6-hour drive. We paid $1,200 a gun in 2018 to give you a point of reference.
There are some on-line resources to search for leases. That is how I found the above mentioned lease. DeerTexas.com, LeaseHunter.com and HuntingLocator.com are just a few. Unfortunately, there are far more crappy leases out there than good ones. When you find a good one, never give it up. That's why good ones are hard to find. Best of luck!,
