fairchaser
Well-Known Member
You're right, they don't. But, I have no interest in going Lone Ranger. It's not for me, but more power to those who can.
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Turkey hunting leases
- Thread starter fairchaser
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If you got turkeys on that lease it's definitely well worth it! I'm hunting the entire season on public land and there's times I wish I had a lease!
Bgoodman30
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It's the old if it flys, floats or …. It's always cheaper to rent arguments.
Some like to DIY others like to show up and be waited on. I'm the latter I can rarely get myself to hire a guide for anything…
Different strokes
Some like to DIY others like to show up and be waited on. I'm the latter I can rarely get myself to hire a guide for anything…
Different strokes
fairchaser
Well-Known Member
There's are cost regardless. You just have different costs. Sometimes it's the cost of travel and lodging or dealing with locals. Extra time off work. There's a convenience factor too. I can hunt in the morning and still be at work before lunch or leave at 3:00 and hunt till dark. Having 16k acres 40 minutes away is a plus for sure. I've killed a bird every year. Sometimes 2 and occasionally 3 when the limit was 3.
If I pull up and there's two trucks parked I just drive around to my backup spot. You can do that on public too but usually you have to deal with other people who can booger your bird. In 6 years on this lease, it's only happened once. I guess I pay for a lot of conveniences.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Checked cams today....
My local lease is 900 ac with 10 members for $1000 annually for all access. 1 buck, 1 doe, 3 turkeys per year. 15 min from my door. But of the other 9 members, only 1 is hardcore turkey like me, so we basically have the whole place to ourselves for turkeys, so that's nice.
This happens fairly regularly... birds move in during deer season due to the corn feeders run by other members until Feb 14th, then feeders get pulled and birds shift away to others running bait during turkey season. In the 5 years we've had it leased, we have only killed 2 turkeys.
But this is the most toms we've had this time of the year... surely 1 or 2 will stick around (fingers crossed!)
My local lease is 900 ac with 10 members for $1000 annually for all access. 1 buck, 1 doe, 3 turkeys per year. 15 min from my door. But of the other 9 members, only 1 is hardcore turkey like me, so we basically have the whole place to ourselves for turkeys, so that's nice.
This happens fairly regularly... birds move in during deer season due to the corn feeders run by other members until Feb 14th, then feeders get pulled and birds shift away to others running bait during turkey season. In the 5 years we've had it leased, we have only killed 2 turkeys.
But this is the most toms we've had this time of the year... surely 1 or 2 will stick around (fingers crossed!)
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Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
Question: How much would you pay ($/acre) for access to a pretty big tract that was slam full o'birds?
All I could afford !!!
Gobble4me757
Well-Known Member
Going back to the money thing…my time is worth more than that 1500 a year and going out of state. I hit multiple states a year as well on weekends from bama to Missouri this year. I'd pay the 1500$ here in a heartbeat yearly to be able to hunt the am and be at work in the afternoon or play with my 9mo old son. So for me, paying the money for Turkey rights nearby is totally worth it for the midweek/short hunts throughout the season.
Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
I totally get this…100%. Guide fees, airfare, lodging, meals, fuel, non resi tags, rental…no brainer.
fairchaser
Well-Known Member
Good question BW. It also has to be big enough that the turkeys can't easily walk off to another property. Turkeys have very large ranges. Multiple flocks is also a plus. The other consideration is the number of hunters or acres per hunter. I'm paying about $3/acre of exclusive hunting rights or .10/acre for total access shared with 29 other hunters.
Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
The other thread about privatization of hunting land got me wondering. My guess is what most would be willing to pay vs. what landowners would be willing to accept as lease cost are nowhere near aligning.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
The way I figure it...
Easterns are now worth around $400-500 per bird; Merriams are $500; Rios are $750, and Osceolas broke $1000 per bird a few years ago. Thats what outfitters will pay landowners to bring folks on their properties to shoot a turkey. So thats what the birds are 'worth' on the open market. Then figure those numbers on how many birds you, your kids, and other lease holders actually expect to kill that season. Multiply number of birds by subspecies killed, then total number of acres and that's what the property is 'worth'. Add or subtract fudge factors such as remoteness, limited tags in that state/ unit, experience of the property itself, etc and you come up with a value. There is significant 'value' as well in hunting a property that you hear birds and at least have a chance of killing one.... esp compared to hunting a property that has zero birds on it or around it that day with zero chance for a kill. You are still turkey 'hunting' on either property, but the experience just isn't the same turkey hunting where there are no turkeys. Sort of like speckled trout fishing in a freshwater swimming pool.
At least thats the way I look at it.
kaizen leader
Well-Known Member
Good luck.
Boll Weevil
Well-Known Member
Agree. Several years ago I priced rio hunts in TX…$700/day unguided on a few hundred acres. No thanks.
How the hell has it came to this? What a birds worth
, not picking on you by any means mega, just an in general holy 
! The new age of all this is why oeople are sitting at the house ir on the golf courseLike I said earlier, if you are going out of your area to hunt it's going cost you. The advantage to an outfitter is they know where the birds are and it's to good for their hunters to have a high success rate for future reference when future customers call. I don't like it with the guide goes with me ( seems to be the norm lately),as I do them telling me where to hunt only.
I've also done it on my own. It's doable, but it's going take longer ( so you can expect longer stays and expenses, plus you usually encounter other hunters) the success is still on you. I read some states are discussing not allowing out of state hunters access to license if they don't go through an outfitter. Expect that's the future. In any case you need to be lucky or have deep pockets.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
newsflash... it's going to get worse as populations continue to decline nationwide.How the hell has it came to this? What a birds worth
putting a 'worth' on the birds started with the Osceolas. The demand for them for folks wanting the slam opened everyone's eyes, especially the cattle ranchers in south Florida. All the cattle ranchers talk, and once outfitters started paying the ranchers per bird, the horse was out of the gates. Hard to find an 'outfitted' private land osceola hunt any longer for less than $2500 without lodging/ meals other than sack lunch..... $1000 goes to the landowner, outfitter keeps $1000 for himself for booking you, going to trade shows to find paying clients, etc. Actual 'guide' gets $500 for the 3 day hunt. When I was down there hunting for free on private land as a guest, I got the inside scoop from the locals. Some of the guys I met actually supplemented their annual income in the spring by working for the outfitters as guides.
Same thing started to happen in TX for Rios and out west for Merriams a few years back, but it's really getting bad.
And it's just starting to happen with Easterns.
All supply and demand.
kaizen leader
Well-Known Member
Sad part about that is only those that can afford it will have good hunts. Elderly on low fixed income and young people starting out won't be able to find a place to have a good hunt.
I don't think that is accurate. I would guess the majority of TN hunters hunt leased land, so there must be plenty of landowners and hunters agreeing on price.
So much property in TN is being bought up by out of state people who are anti hunting or don't want the locals coming around.
Unfortunately money is the name of the game in or out of state.
Growing up I had access to any farm in my community for free.
Later I leased hunting rights by paying the property taxes. As property here in East Tennessee became more desirable that option has become fewer as subdivisions and vacation homes are being built.
Unfortunately money is the name of the game in or out of state.
Growing up I had access to any farm in my community for free.
Later I leased hunting rights by paying the property taxes. As property here in East Tennessee became more desirable that option has become fewer as subdivisions and vacation homes are being built.
