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How much should land lease for?
- Thread starter Hridge
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BSK
Well-Known Member
For the guys who buy and manage land for their family to use, interest in hunting by the kids is usually not what the father has. The kids primarily want to use the property for riding 4-wheelers around.
In the club situations, there are kids eat-up with hunting, but it is not all the kids. Let's say a club has 20 members. Maybe the kids of 7 or 8 of the 20 members are seriously into it.
I am looking for a lease in West Tn, and am expecting to pay $10-$15 an acre, with a possible stretch to $20 if the deer populations and herd health is good. We leased 1400 acres in East Texas for $1800 per person (7 people). if you do that math it comes to $9 an acre per member. We each had 200 acres to ourselves to hunt as we saw fit. 130s were standard, 140s at least once per year, even had a 150+ come off after 4 years of management. This lease will never achieve the 175+ that can be common in some areas of Texas (high fenced, managed areas), but we were on the state program, hunted on state tags and were required to take 10 does, and 8 bucks per year to keep in the program. We set our management program like this, Trophy Buck was 8 points or better, 4.5 yrs old or older, a Cull was 7 points or more at 3.5 yrs or older. Get in early and hammer the does, then hunt.
West, TN lease prices are about as high as anywhere else (or more). One thing I haven't seen is with the "quality" of deer hunting going down due to CWD (less deer, especially bucks), the price hasn't gone down. Probably won't either but just wishful thinking on my part. But just wondering as the quality does down and the prices stay the same or go up, how many people will call it quits as a result.
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
I personally have not seen any data supporting your cwd claim. Bsk? Interesting if it's true because it's moving to us.
I'm not sure which claim you are referring to. If its regarding quality of bucks or number of deer sightings, you probably don't hunt in Fayette Co near CWD ground zero.
Until the government takes the PUBLIC land from you .Rich men and all of Europe, can all go straight to hell. As long as there is public ground, and there is more than enough here in Tn, us peasants will always be able to keep our freezers full.
I do have a legit question….. can't you just make someone that leases your land sign some formal contract stating you are not libel for them getting hurt in anyway and they are libel for any damages done on your property or off with their bullets?
Last edited:
Soft Talker
Well-Known Member
I will allow this government to take NOTHING from me.
ImThere
Well-Known Member
If you own the land, as much as you can get!
If leasing, as little as you can pay!
Super helpful? Lol. Bad part is it's exactly how it works. Hopefully you can work out a deal that works for both parties.
If leasing, as little as you can pay!
Super helpful? Lol. Bad part is it's exactly how it works. Hopefully you can work out a deal that works for both parties.
I haven't seen any data on it either but just yesterday was discussing this with a very close friend who has been on a lease for over 20 years in Hardeman county, right in the center of CWD country.
This year they had fewer deer killed overall, fewer bucks ever and said they heard fewer shots the first two weeks of season. This is following last year where they had their prior lowest harvest ever.
So two years in a row of record low deer kills.
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
I don't that's why I would like to know its legit or just part of the crazy drought or did ehd hit all of that. Like I said above it moving to us.
Its interesting to note that areas where I live and hunt had pretty high deer density's before CWD and were all part of Unit L for years. I'm going to guess that those areas with lower density's won't see the impact on deer from CWD that we've seen. Just a guess on my part.
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
We have higher deer density as well it's just a couple counties away from us is why I'm so curious about it.
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Look what happened in Illinois.
30years ago you could get an hour south of Chicago city limits and knock on doors.
Now that leases $30,$40, and more per acre.
I could never afford that and don't like deer hunting that much.
As the older guys die off or get priced out, prices will come down.
If I had land that I didn't hunt, I'd rather get $10 and acre than $0 an acre.
30years ago you could get an hour south of Chicago city limits and knock on doors.
Now that leases $30,$40, and more per acre.
I could never afford that and don't like deer hunting that much.
As the older guys die off or get priced out, prices will come down.
If I had land that I didn't hunt, I'd rather get $10 and acre than $0 an acre.
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
Prices will never come down imo. Land is getting developed at an crazy rate so less land out there. So it'll either get sold and won't be there or will be leased for probably more.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Disagree.
It's all about the supply, and the demand.
There will be change, only time will tell to what extent.
The number of hunters wanting to lease land for deer hunting is rapidly plummeting in Tennessee (and many other states). So despite much land being developed, more acres "available" PER DEER HUNTER WANTING TO LEASE IT is also simultaneously happening.
High lease prices were a big factor in driving many deer hunters out of the sport, albeit only one of many. But definitely high hunting lease prices have been the icing on the "just going to quit deer hunting" cake for many. Keep in mind most deer hunters in TN have never leased deer hunting land, nor been in a hunting club.
Meanwhile, deer are becoming a nuisance to many landowners who are now inviting people they trust to come kill deer (begging them rather than charging them). And as the number of deer hunters continues to decline, public hunting lands generally become more attractive (less crowded) for those who still hunt.
While the actual number of deer hunters may not "appear" to be rapidly declining, the real issue is more about how many days or hours they are annually hunting. A growing number are buying (or have) a license to deer hunt, yet they didn't go a single time in the past year or two, and will not be hunting much in the future.
Keep in mind I'm talking about deer hunting in TN.
Much I've just said may be just the opposite for waterfowl hunting in TN.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
I wish I could take back in time some of you younger hunters (under 30) to just spend the month of November hunting in TN, say circa 1970. In West TN, quail hunters greatly outnumbered deer hunters.
Even squirrel hunting received more annual hunting hours from more hunters than deer, and that was statewide.
But then, back then, archery deer season ended on Halloween, and there was no muzzleloader deer season segment, so we had 2 or 3 weeks in November exclusively dedicated to small game, like rabbits, quail, ducks, dove and squirrels.
I believe the then more diverse interests in general hunting, not just deer hunting, contributed greatly to making many of us lifetime hunters. Then many of us just transitioned more from small game to big game over time, with almost none of us actually becoming avid hunters via deer hunting.
Today's young hunters might particularly be shocked with all the then interest in the opening days of squirrel, then rabbit & quail. Most avid hunters didn't even deer hunt then, or did it only a weekend or two annually. But wait, have we come full circle in that most of today's licensed deer hunters are now only deer hunting a weekend or two annually, if even that?
I'm afraid what happened to the squirrel hunters is happening to the deer hunters.
They lost interest, and these squirrel hunters have been dying out faster than new squirrel hunters have been recruited to replace them.
And what happened to the quail hunters may be happening to the turkey hunters.
When there became too few quail to hunt, those hunters had nothing to hunt, and just quit.
Seems every other house in West TN used to have a "bird" dog.
My fear is whatever happened to bobwhite quail is also happening to our wild turkey.
Even squirrel hunting received more annual hunting hours from more hunters than deer, and that was statewide.
But then, back then, archery deer season ended on Halloween, and there was no muzzleloader deer season segment, so we had 2 or 3 weeks in November exclusively dedicated to small game, like rabbits, quail, ducks, dove and squirrels.
I believe the then more diverse interests in general hunting, not just deer hunting, contributed greatly to making many of us lifetime hunters. Then many of us just transitioned more from small game to big game over time, with almost none of us actually becoming avid hunters via deer hunting.
Today's young hunters might particularly be shocked with all the then interest in the opening days of squirrel, then rabbit & quail. Most avid hunters didn't even deer hunt then, or did it only a weekend or two annually. But wait, have we come full circle in that most of today's licensed deer hunters are now only deer hunting a weekend or two annually, if even that?
I'm afraid what happened to the squirrel hunters is happening to the deer hunters.
They lost interest, and these squirrel hunters have been dying out faster than new squirrel hunters have been recruited to replace them.
And what happened to the quail hunters may be happening to the turkey hunters.
When there became too few quail to hunt, those hunters had nothing to hunt, and just quit.
Seems every other house in West TN used to have a "bird" dog.
My fear is whatever happened to bobwhite quail is also happening to our wild turkey.
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
They turn it into another subdivision
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
High lease prices will drive a landowner , particularly one that does not farm himself, to overlook deer damage on crops. To a lot of them, the deer are the farmer's problem and the lease price is totally passive income that requires no effort on their part to collect
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
In middle tn there are bidding wars going on for leases. For deer for farming all of it. Most landowners aren't the farmers anymore they aren't worried about deer numbers. That's the farmers problem. The difference between Qual and turkeys more people truly care about turkeys then they did back in the day eith Qual. There is legitimate money for the state for turkeys how much were they making for Qual? Little to none I would assume. Supply and demand is exactly why it will not go down. Not mention how many farms won't let you hunt anyway. Land is to valuable and is only getting more valuable. Not to mention politians are going after public land more and more it's a matter of time before more and more of that is lost. I will say unless it's a complete financial crash and as soon as it comes back it'll go sky high again.
