It was one of the toughest checks I’ve ever had to write. Not long ago, I was one of those hunters who said, “I’ll never pay a dime to access deer hunting ground.” I’m fortunate to live in the country, and many of my neighbors are farmers who let me hunt for nothing more than a firm handshake, a Christmas card and the occasional plate of baked goods.
Yet there I was, signing a check that constituted my share of a sizable chunk of money… to deer hunt. For one season. In the interest of full disclosure — and because I doubt she’ll read this — I never told my wife about that first payment. Heck, I was in denial about it myself until the season was nearly over. My hobby was expensive enough just buying the basics, so why would I shell out money for access I could get elsewhere for free?
I’ll tell you why: Because I couldn’t hunt the property without paying, and I knew it was good. But there were other benefits, too. I’d be part of a group of like-minded guys; men who wanted the chance to install and maintain food plots, do habitat work and manage a deer herd, all without having to try and pay for real estate we couldn’t afford to own.
So we paid the money and, despite some hiccups and challenges, enjoyed the heck out of ourselves. When the sun set on the final day of season that year, I knew I’d spent money on a lot more foolish things than that lease fee. So I've joined the ever-increasing number of hunters who pay to access deer ground, and I’ve done so in each of the many seasons since. Leasing is not only a standard-practice, long-lived tradition in many areas, it’s a growing trend nationwide. If you’re about to join the fraternity, follow this step-by-step guide to getting started.
LEASING BENEFITS
Well, everyone involved benefits. The landowner — in my area usually a hard-working farmer — realizes some monetary gain from an activity he’s given away for years. Also, many landowners view deer — and the woodlands they primarily inhabit — as net-loss freeloaders on otherwise valuable property, and leasing converts deer to assets. And of course, deer can wreak havoc on agricultural crops, and lease fees help farmers recoup them.
The leasing hunter enjoys even more. Primarily, leasing guarantees an exclusivity impossible to find on all public tracts and most private ground accessed only by handshake agreement. Second, leasing often allows hunters the ability to manage whitetail numbers and age classes that’s difficult to enjoy without buying property. Third, some lease agreements afford the hunter a chance to tweak habitat, plant food plots and enjoy other benefits of ownership at a fraction of the cost of actually paying for ground. And, finally, there are some properties — often very good ones — that you will access no other way. Should it come down to paying or staying at home, most hunters find a little extra money and make leasing work.
ASSEMBLING A GROUP
Unless you’re fairly well-heeled, paying for even a modest lease will require one or more partners. Take your time choosing them. Remember, every lease member will be equal parts hunting buddy, co-worker and business partner; and one individual lacking in any category can make for a long and frustrating experience. Here are some guidelines:
1. Select a core group. Three to six members is a good, manageable starting point and, as noted, they should be folks whom you know well and trust. It’s easier to add people if you need or want to expand your group (for example, if you need more money for lease fees) than it is to get rid of a bad egg.
2. Decide on finances. Members should agree on a per-man cap on costs. This will help as you shop for ground and decide how to budget for projects such as food plot seed and equipment such as stands/blinds, implements and tools.
3. Establish goals. Are you leasing simply to secure access and enjoy the hunt? Just wanting a place to take your kids? Or do your dreams include habitat/food plot work, and managing for trophies? Deciding ahead of time will not only establish harmony among members, it can narrow down the size and location of the property you seek.
4. Set By-Laws. Discuss and decide on rules that will govern how your group will function. This can seem like a kill-joy activity to a group of guys simply eager to hunt, but it aids in communication and makes things fair to everyone. Some possible topics include:
• Establishing work days for scouting, hanging stands, planting food plots, establishing trails and other activities.
• A guest policy. Will non-paying members be allowed to hunt? How often? For how long? Do they enjoy the same privileges as members?
• Distribution of hunting effort. Some members may have oodles of hunting time, others only a weekend or two. Some will want to bow-hunt only, but others will opt for firearms hunting. Who goes when? And where?
FINDING GROUND
If you already live in good deer country, the best lease is often the one that’s closest to home. Why? For starters, you won’t waste precious hunting time on travel. But scheduling other activities — scouting, food plot work, stand hanging, even inviting the family for an outing — also becomes easier if your lease is in your neighborhood. Finally, monitoring your property — and this includes everything from food plot maintenance to patrolling for trespassers — is much easier. If your group is anything like ours, you’ll fall in love with your lease and want to spend more time there.
When it’s easily accessible, visiting becomes a snap. Here are some tactics for securing ground near home.
1. Obtain a plat book. This atlas of landowners and property sizes — available from the recorder’s office in the county you wish to lease — will help you identify potential properties by size and location.
2. Create a hit-list. Write a menu with the most-desirable acreages on top, complete with first names, addresses and phone numbers.
3. Make personal visits. Nothing beats a face-to-face meeting, but an introductory phone call can save time and, in the case of absentee owners, might be your only option.
4. Advertise. While you’re doing your legwork, a classified ad in the local paper can make some property owners come hunting for you. Neatly written posters in stores, restaurants and the local post office can have the same effect.
5. Network. Biologists, foresters and employees of agriculture-related businesses and agencies can be great resources. They’re not only familiar with the best deer properties in the area, but the landowners most amenable to hunters. I learned about our lease from a friend who works for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a division of the Dept. of Agriculture. My buddy simply acted as a matchmaker, putting me in touch with a receptive landowner.
Leasing property in other states and regions can take some ingenuity if you don’t have the time to visit the area and chat with prospective landowners. Again, I’ve had friends access great ground by simply running a classified ad in a newspaper from the area. Simply state that you’re an ethical, respectful hunter seeking access and are willing to pay. Note specific seasons — gun, bow, muzzleloader — you’d like to hunt and the size of your group and wait for the phone to ring.
The internet offers the same service, but presented in a more streamlined, efficient manner. Sites like High Tech Redneck (hightechredneck.com) list properties for lease by state, species, weapons type and cost. Simply type in your preferred area (Kentucky) for the game you want to hunt (whitetails) and bingo, you’ve got a list of possibilities to sort through. For an annual fee ($39.95) you can find other leases in your area, research spots in other states, and receive detailed info on properties without ever leaving your home. It’s the leasing hunter’s version of online dating and, as you might suspect, there are other sites out there, too.
DO YOUR PAPER WORK
A lease is a business deal and, as such, is incomplete without a formal agreement signed by your hunting party and the landowner. Again, this might seem an unnecessary — and uncomfortable — step in the honeymoon phase of the relationship between your club and the property’s deed holder, but it will prove invaluable if you encounter problems. Trust me on this; the first property owner my friend and I leased from turned out to be a disreputable sort who reneged on virtually every promise he made by handshake. The relationship turned sour, and lawyers were eventually involved. The only people who win in situations like this are the men who’ve passed the bar exam. Fortunately, there’s no need for reinventing the wheel on a lease agreement. Templates are widely available on the internet. (A good sample was developed by the Agricultural Studies Department at Kansas State University and can found at agmanager.com). Our group married elements of several samples to draft a document we were most comfortable with. Every lease agreement should contain these basics:
1. Monetary mechanics. Explicitly state how much money the landowner will receive and when he should expect payment(s).
2. Legal language. The landowner should be absolved of liability should a club member (or guest) get hurt while on the property.
3. Code of Conduct. Most landowners will want to establish rules for acceptable behavior by all club members and guests on his property; where you can or can’t drive, areas off-limits to hunting and shooting, and placement of stands and blinds.
4. Exclusivity. Your hunting party should not only enjoy sole access to the property for hunting but other activities that might coincide with the season. In some cases, the landowner might want to reserve some rights for limited hunting or recreation, such as horseback or ATV riding. If so, make sure the specifics of who/what/where/when are spelled out clearly.
5. Trespasser protocol. Will the landowner patrol the property and prosecute interlopers, or will your group perform that function? Sometimes state laws will dictate who gets to play sheriff.
6. Land use agreements. If the landowner agrees to food plots, habitat work and trail creation, indicate clearly where these activities can occur and the proper protocol for planning them.
Finally, consider a lease agreement a living document. After you create a template, sit down with the landowner and edit the document. Then make a final draft, have everyone — including all club members and any coowners of the property — sign it. The hunt club stores one copy, the landowner another, and if you’re really dotting your i’s, stick another in a bank vault.
Finally, obtaining some sort of hunt-club insurance is worth investigating. Although most liability concerns focus on the landowner, don’t put it past an aggressive lawyer to come after the club itself should an accident occur. The Quality Deer Management Association offers a strong and thorough (underwritten by Lloyd’s Of London) hunt club insurance policy that covers all activities associated with deer hunting, includes guests, and sports, no deductible. For information, contact qdma.com.
WHAT’S IT WORTH?
Like any real estate, lease fees are across the map and influenced by a variety of factors: property size, habitat condition, hunting history, even the neighborhood (fees in a trophy hotspot such as Buffalo County, Wis., might double what landowners are asking just three counties away in the same state). And of course, demand is a powerful driver of price. If hunting opportunity is scarce in an area, expect to pay more than in a region chock-full of whitetail ground.
What’s this mean in cold cash? The lowest fees I’ve heard of recently were a shade less than $2 per acre, and the highest more than $40 for the same. But these numbers can be deceptive. For example, it might take 1,200 acres in Oklahoma to grow enough bucks to keep three men hunting all season, but 120 acres in Illinois could easily entertain the same group. If the Prairie State parcel commands $30 per acre and the Sooner plot only $3, which is the better deal? Only you can answer that, and your decision will be based on non-monetary issues, such as travel, management goals and other factors.
STRIVE FOR LONG TERM
Recently, a friend was approached by a landowner who wanted him to “lease” his property. “I turned him down after talking for five minutes,” Dan said. “He only wanted to lease it to me for one year and then talk again next summer. Paying for one season isn’t a lease, it’s a trespass fee. And I’m not interested in that.”
I’ve heard that complaint from many hunters who’ve tried to lease ground, and I didn’t understand their hesitation until I was a leasee myself. Think about it: You spend hours planting food plots, improving habitat, hanging stands and all the labor-intensive activities associated with managing a property, so you want to start over again on a new place the next fall? I don’t, and I don’t appreciate another group enjoying the fruits of my hard work, either. Most happy leasees I know have worked out long-term agreements with the landowner, and three years is a typical minimum. Many property owners balk at multi-year contracts, but I’m convinced their hesitation has more to do with money than the commitment. The cost of living rises as sharply for farmers as it does the rest of us, and their concern that your fee won’t keep up with inflation is legitimate. Craft an agreement with a small-percentage increase for each successive season, and everyone will be happy.
