Lease Question

Ski said:
I say get it logged and then lease it. The logging will create trails for ATVs. The logging will only make the hunting better by providing more food. Being small and no plan for doing anything with it, perhaps allow the leaser to do habitat work, plots, etc. They can't really hurt it much if at all but can potentially enhance it. By allowing the leaser ability to do habitat work it encourages them to lease long term. Nobody wants to put in work if they can't continue hunting in the future.
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Yea, I'm thinking this may be best option right now.
 
rsimms said:
I'm just putting out feelers here... I have 25 acres on the Cumberland Plateau... a county/area with an ample number of deer. I walked it earlier this week, jumped three deer and there were areas that looked like a cow pasture with droppings. The property is all mature forest (hardwoods), except for a 150-foot-wide (about 3.7 acres) TVA powerline right-of-way that bisects the tract. It is a perfect rectangle, 1,500 feet by 750 feet.

I am considering selling the timber off of it (select cut). But before I make that decision, I am just curious if you think I might be able to lease it for deer hunting, or is it too small?

It is rural and is surrounded entirely by other wooded acres and/or pasture or agriculture. There is no ATV access trails on it. It would be walk-in access only from the one road the borders the eastern edge.

If you think I could, what would be a reasonable amount I should expect to get for an annual deer lease on it?
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Just my two cents but if you log it, doesn't this make it just like the ag/pasture it's surrounded by? The deer are gone after the first bit of pressure then. Keeping the hardwoods may be the only way to keep at an attractive deer lease. Not sure the economics of that makes it profitable for you even at say $25/acre, but I'd think it's worth less than $25/acre without the hardwoods. Then the leasee would need to invest in some habitat mgmt to provide cover for anything feeding on the surrounding ag/pasture. It just seems to me that it's highest deer lease value would be keeping it as is- but again, not sure if that's more lucrative than logging it and not knowing exactly where it is. Putting some food source and occasional corn (when legal of course) could make it at least a good little "pass through" travel artery that somebody would definitely lease. Good luck to you sir! Pray on it- your answer will come.
 
rsimms said:
I'd rather not say exactly where it is yet because I really am just brainstorming now. But I'm saving this thread and if I should decide to lease it, I'll reach out to everyone who expressed any interest. Right now I just feel the need to glean some revenue off of it, even if it's minimal. We're considering selling it outright, or keeping it and selling the timber off of it, or a deer lease arrangement or doing nothing. It's in Greenbelt so the taxes I have to pay on it are next to nothing. All options to-be-determined.
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If you decide to sell please let me know. I may be interested and if not me, my brother may want it.
 
I would ask all of my adjoining neighbors if they wanted to lease it first. I have a small tract but i wouldn't consider leasing it for hunting because it would be a headache. I do let two neighbors use it for mainly taking strolls and they are responsible about things. Something you really have to consider these days.
 
Kirk said:
I have been on several leases over the years. The smallest being around 800 acres. The largest was in the 3000 acre range. For 25 acres I would say that $20 to $25 an acre is fair. You might get lucky and find someone that would give you a lot more. Keep in mind that if you find the right person to lease it the experience will be positive. If you find the wrong person you will get trash left lying around, poaching, baiting, trespassing and lots of headaches.
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Spot on...

$20 to $25 per acre for a small tract that size is fair to both lessor and lessee
 
rsimms said:
I'd rather not say exactly where it is yet because I really am just brainstorming now. But I'm saving this thread and if I should decide to lease it, I'll reach out to everyone who expressed any interest. Right now I just feel the need to glean some revenue off of it, even if it's minimal. We're considering selling it outright, or keeping it and selling the timber off of it, or a deer lease arrangement or doing nothing. It's in Greenbelt so the taxes I have to pay on it are next to nothing. All options to-be-determined.
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Why not lease it especially to someone on this site. As most are trustworthy. And then if that works out to your satisfaction then continue on. If not cut the timber for some revenue. Then sell it if you want to. You hold the cards for sure. And there's no reason why you can't make money in one way or another.
 
rsimms said:
Yea, I'm thinking this may be best option right now.
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That's a great option to get cover. You could hire a forrester to mark trees to make an oak savanna. On our farm we did a savanna of 20 acres with a fire break around the perimeter and one down the middle. Each year we can burn one side or the other. This gives us great access around the farm plus some oaks to hang stands on and you can maintain the density of the cover with fire. Just a thought.
 
I don't know what county this is but I have 24 acres herd in Ham. Co. And it's on the Greenbelt under Forestry/Wildlife & we can't cut timber off of ours & 24 acres is good size for about 2-3 hunters depending deer / turkey population . I'd be interested depending on price & county
 
PickettSFHunter said:
City people will lease about anything right now and pay quite well. Even if the hunting was no good at all, you could still find a new sucker every year. I see a guy here do it every year, his land is zero good for hunting but he tricks a new city slicker every year. One city slicker will give up after a year and another is lined up right behind that one. From the landowner perspective, you would need to charge a lot per acre to make 25 acres worth it to you.
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Very true words. I see this same thing with duck hunting in the Missouri Bootheel. Absolutely terrible fields going for $5000-8000. Hunters from middle and east Tn as well as KY and AL pay it too. They find out how bad it is and quit it after 1-2 years. Then 10 other groups are lined up and ready to pay it to the farmer. Those fields are available for a reason.
 

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