cost of deer lease
Whitetail Deer
Contributors to this thread:
Our lease on Marylands Eastern Shore is going up to about $34 per acre. Seems like a lot for ok (not good) whitetail and sika hunting. What is everyone else paying/
Depends on the number of acres.
I would say that's avg for a deer lease but have seen Illinois pay upwards of 40.per acre and most of it is open farm ground
WOW!!! We pay $8 per acre in woods county OK. That is 640 acres about 2 miles from the Kansas line. Very good ground with a good chance at a 150 class deer. After seeing what some others cost I'll quit complaining.
Why on earth would anybody pay $5120 for a chance at a 150" deer?
Because they could not get it for 4000.00
Maybe because they want to, Thorton.
Why in the world would anyone pay $45,000 for a pick-up when mine's worth $1,500 and does everything just fine?
Why in the world would anyone pay a guide for mule deer in another state when they have bigger ones in their home state, or they could do it on their own? :-)
Nobody said they were paying that much money for a crack at a 150 inch deer. Maybe he is maybe he isn't but most people lease land to have a spot to hunt all season and not have to worry about being messed with by other hunters. If it were all about the bone you can pay an outfitter to put you on a deer like that. It isn't that much money if you do it with a group of guys and is much more feasible than buying land for most of us. I don't understand all the hate toward those of us that make deer hunting a top priority and fork out the money to lease land... Hunt in a state like Michigan for a while where you can go your whole life without seeing a 150 inch deer and you might understand. So many people that have good hunting ground take it for granted and it makes me sick
Writer- I got that mule deer hunt for a good price. I've known that outfitter since before he was one and his family for years and consider them friends. As for bigger ones, I doubt that. He has guided the governors tag recipient for 2 years on public land and got him a 198" and a 211" mule deer. The third season this year, they shot 2 more that scored that much and one of them was shot in the same burn that my wife got hers in. I might add that western Colorado's scenery is a heck of a lot better than western Ks. I'm just saying, for 5K, you could buy hunts for much bigger animals like trophy mule deer, and elk.
Every year I seem to lose permission to hunt on ground. If its not the owner passing away its the sell it or renting it out.
I made a mistake one year of not buying a piece of ground that I had already shot 2 good bucks off of.
I will be looking for a lease for the upcoming year. From what I have seen rates can vary greatly. But $25 an acre isn't out of the norm.
There are 3 of us that split that lease. I get to hunt from Oct 1 to Jan 15th, Then turkey in the spring and predators year around. A good deal as far as i am concerned. Someone ask a question and I answered it. What's it to you what I pays for a lease?
I own my land, 57 acres but don't hunt it. I hunt the huge timberlands up here. My only problem with leases is that hunting is becoming a rich man's sport. With less and less opportunities for the average person, I fear that we will see support die as a younger generation, shut out by the cost, votes with the anti-hunting crowd. Fortunately for us up on the border, we don't lack for places to hunt as we have several hundred thousand acres available. The feds are currently pushing a huge landgrab, so that could change in time, but we are very good at getting around the fed leeches. They are hated, and the fed warden does not stray too far from his pickup and radio.
"I'm just saying, for 5K, you could buy hunts for much bigger animals like trophy mule deer, and elk."
For what, like a 5 or 6 day hunt? I would rather pay $5K for a chance at a 150" deer and be able to hunt it on my own and through the whole season. Then come back in the spring and hunt turkeys, mushrooms, sheds, and just enjoy the property the year round. I could take friends, family, kids....much better value to me than a guided trophy where I'm just the shooter.
I am with Midwest on this one. To each there own. If one guy wants to spend 5K on a lease and the next guy wants to spend it on a outfitted hunt that is freedom to do what you want.
I get more out of the planning, scouting and strategy of the hunt then the shot itself. The harvest of the animal is just the icing on the cake.
True, but I have leased before and found the landowners want you there as little as possible especially if they are running a cattle operation. I have listened to several landowners complain about their lessors and how they act like they own the place. On top of that, most will let their friends and family hunt while you are not there. Not that I know, but I used to lease 6,000 acres.
Guys, his lease is in Maryland.... I'll take a stab in the dark and say Id bet there isn't exactly a surplus of available and huntable land out there no matter what kind of deer they hold.... If that's all I had nearby, I'd pay it...
Writer, lol.
Nick is on the money. Plus it has sika deer. That's a heck of a bonus in my book.
As far as the $5120 lease goes..... that's for a square mile so there could easily be 5 guys on there, with their wife or kid, and they can ALL shoot deer for that. Plus the other game. Pretty good deal if you ask me.
Not only cheaper than an outfitted hunt but you only have a week at most of enjoyment on the paid hunt. With the lease he gets a season of memories. So there! lol
I think you should just keep your mouth shut and be happy Rockup. Their's someone not to far off who would pay $36 an acre for that lease and then you'd be F'ed.
Well said midwest. That is why I lease. No cattle on this place which is a added bonus. The best times are just spending time with family and friends around the campfire after a day of hunting.
You make a good point, Thornton. Both parties need to be in complete agreement with what is expected from each other and it should be written in the lease agreement.
Some of you guys might not understand what a lease is. They come in all shapes and sizes.
My current lease is 400 acres @ $2,500. Has a small house on it that we can all use. Has 4 ponds with hybrid stripers, blue gill to 3 pounds, bass, etc. We can shoot 6 deer, 2 turkeys, squirrels, ducks, etc.
The landowner plants foodplots all over the property. he's a retired biologist and loves his land.
I can hunt and fish 24/7 with my kids. All an hour from my house.
I have had an amazing time this year with my kids and watched my boy shoot his first deer.
I go on plenty of guided hunts but this was a blast.
Guy I know recently leased his ground for $10 an acre.
Leased to a young guy with two teenage boys, likes them so much, he told me next year if they didn't have money, he'd let them hunt for free :)
Bake
I'm calling BS on the 3# bluegils.
Bake that's pretty darn cool. There are still some good people out there right.
Writer,
You hit a sore spot with that bragging on your truck's value. I knew mine was worth far less. I called and checked. They said 750. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then found that was cost to haul it off. :)
Oh well..it started again today. :)
3# Bluegills? I'm not buying that one either. 15 of us lease 1350 acres for $7.50/acre part of it from a timber company and part from a wealthy investor, in North Florida. No monster bucks, but a great place to hunt. No place to fish but its ours and ours alone all year long.
All fishermen are liars except you and me.....and I ain't so sure about you. ;-)
I read a lot of the topics on this site. There is always someone that has very little to say about the original topic. However they always find a way to call someone a liar. That has turned a lot of us away from sharing on this site. Really a shame , theres a lot to learn and a lot to enjoy within our brotherhood of Bowhunting. Sad that some ruin the enjoyment with flagrant contradictions.
To those who have leased....did you go through a third party?
Writer, Richard,
My truck has 211K and is so old I only put in half a tank of gas at one time! Blue Book says 'or best offer'!
Come on Guys anything is possible.
Off subject but Matt got look at the Maryland state record gill of 3pound 7 ounce. Makes yours look a runt.
It can be a matter of having that kind of money to spend on hunting or not. In many cases an expensive lease eliminates the possibility to hunt at all and thats the rub to us po'e fok's. Im 60 yrs old and while I do have that kind of money to spend if I wanted to it doesnt sit right with me. Guys my age never paid to hunt unless we went out West or Ontario maybe. I understand that it is what it is nowdays but Ill go to my grave shaking my head that it ever got that way.
Has anyone used Hunting Lease network? I've looked at their available leases quite a bit and they seem over priced. But.....it does not seem easy to find a quality lease without a broker.
I drove around and contacted the landowners directly. I have found the paperwork to be lengthy and the prices significantly higher if you go through a third party.
Some deer tenderloin, a bottle of wine, and keeping trespassers out. Works for him, works for me. Hunted this land (60 acres, 15 minutes from my door) for 25 years or so. Guy sold the land, I quit hunting (health ) about the same time. Great run !!!!
John, I think we both have more milage than that. Mine is about 230k and iirc, writer was over 250.
We lease thru the landowner
Typically, 8 to 10 an acre in Virginia. Some may be more.
I have leases thru clubs.
If I had a shot at Sika Deer ( Miniature Elk ) all to myself, 34 an acre would seem reasonable.
I prefer hunting on leased land where I only share the area with hunters I know. Plus I can put up stands and leave them without them getting stolen. It costs a lot and pushes my willingness to pay, but I respectfully disagree with the common view that it will become a rich man's sport because of leasing, and people will quit hunting. I don't like to hunt public because it is too crowded. Prices are up due to competition. Maybe too many people like to hunt!
Also, I like to see the feds buy up land. That makes for more hunting land, and spreads the crowd. Fed= public, no?
Just my 2 cents.
Ok, He said up to 3# Bluegills. Not hard to believe if they are Coppernose Bluegills and feed trained. I have a friend with such a pond and 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 are very common with an occasional 3# or even 4#. Heck we catch 2 pounders all the time in the lake I live on and we don't have feeders. Here is a small shellcracker the wife caught.
Now for one my son caught. A Bluegill.