layin on the smackdown Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 I was just watching a show on the outdoor channel, and its all about this Hunting Lease Network....I decided to check out the website and register to see what some going rates were for a 12 month lease in southern IL...bad idea...:hammer1::jaw: This thing has taken off pretty good, and honestly, i think the sport of hunting is coming up on its last leg for the people who don't own land, arent related to land owners, or arent good long time friends of land owners... in case you are wondering, and don't feel like clicking on the link, leases are going from $1,400 to $12,000 a year!!! http://www.nationalhuntingleases.com/hflListings/searchlistings.asp?TerritoryName=21&pagesize=10 This is exactly what the hunting industry does not need...A group of guys leached onto the National Farming something and figured that they would asses the land for hunting value and approach the landowners with a dollar amount that they could have by leasing hunting rights...It wont be long before your spots are eatin up, mark my words... Anyone hear of this, and or what are your thoughts??? Opposed!!!! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92xj Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 for how many acres? in SC our 1200 acre lease is around $15000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layin on the smackdown Posted June 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 the biggest lease on there was for 860 acres which the starting bid was at $12,000...there was a lease for 160 acres that was running in the $4,500 range...all of these leases were astronomical...some of them only had a few tree lines, and they were asking $3300...for 12 months!!! seriously, this is beginning to get way out of hand...doesnt look good for us middle class people who are use to asking and gaining permission...once again the "big buck" phenomena has taken another step backwards. I'm not a land owner so i don't have any right to bad mouth this agency, but because i am not a land owner makes me fear the obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion_70 Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 It's no different than timber companies leasing land to hunt on that's been happening for a while. In the south, timber companies hold the vast majority of large tracts of land. In the midwest, I would assume it's held by farmers. In my opinion, when leasing started heavily in the early 80's where I grew up and hunted, hunting went south..... Unless you were in a lease or owned land/friend of landowner, there were few places to hunt. The public lands (WMA's) were filled with a bunch of idiots. I joined a lease here in Fl. this year to have a place to hunt. 2 wks a year just wasn't cutting it anymore. At least I have year round access to a few thousand acres now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Guys, post your lease rates in this thread. Not to be nosey, just curious what ranges you're paying. Our 1,500 acre lease is about 8 bucks and acre (i'm not counting insurance). It is a bit cheaper than most acreage just because of a close relationship with the landowner who owns about 50,000 acres in MS/AL. Most land in this area is in the $12 and under range. Get over into some prime land I occasionally hunt in AL as a guest and the price is around $24/acre, too rich for my blood. I can remember about 20 years ago some of this timer land was being sold for $100/acre in the poor red clay hills. Those days are gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion_70 Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 It's $10-12 an acre here for so so hunting land.. It goes way up from there......and there aren't a lot of big deer around here by any means Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion_70 Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 I can remember about 20 years ago some of this timer land was being sold for $100/acre in the poor red clay hills. Those days are gone. I can remember the same in the Piney red clay hills of North La. Guys, this is nothing more than a new business model for hunting and really, it isn't new. It's the same model an outfitter provides. They approach a landowner, lease the hunting rights on that land, and charge a enough fees for someone else to hunt it, kill game, and make a profit...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan_Til_I_Die Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 I lease one ranch that is 7000 contiguous acres with another 1200+ acres that is about 20 miles away for $25,000. We split that among 10 hunters and we maintain exclusive control of the hunting rights. We also do a lot of supplemental feeding (usually 7 to 8 tons of protein pellets per year) and plant about 600 acres of food plots. This year we're trying to add a couple hundred more acres of food plots since we now have a lot of new land opened up by the wind turbine construction that occurred last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NS whitetail Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 no such thing as leasing land to hunt here in Nova Scotia, there is lots and lots of crownland (government owned )to hunt, and private land isn't too bad, all ya gotta do is ask for the most part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhunter39 Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 smackdown , have you ever hunted the shawnee natl. forest which is 26,000 acres ??? or a site called basecampleasing . com ??? i hunt 2 family farms in illinois and after i kick up the 1 pheasant i turn to a hunt club for pen raised birds , but joining this club which is about 125 acres with woods and a couple small ponds , the pheasants are the only thing that is pen raised , and this club runs me $650.00 a year for my family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirkV Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Between the outfitters and this kind of thing Illinois is doomed:bat: It can go absolutely noplace but down from here. This has been slowly occuring over the past 10 years but it has gotten crazy lately. I have hunted the same ground for 7 years and shot some dandy's but that gorund is being sold. Now I have to face the cold hard truth of this era. It is very hard for a local hunter to find prime ground anymore. And sorry I refuse to pay tp hunt in my own state! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 I agree Kirk. I remember when I was in high school in the early 90's, and everybody we asked premission from gave it to us. Not so nowadays. The only reason I have any private ground to hunt is because I've known the owners since I was a kid. One piece is very small, and the other is overhunted, but it's better than nothing. If they would ever sell I would be sol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redkneck Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Just the cold hard facts in a market economy. I remember that old 68 Z28 rust bucket i sold for $1,000. Barret Jackson has the market to where i could have got 10,000 for it on ebay, lol.... Mostly in my neck of the woods, the LA hunters have driven up the market. But I dont fault them, the land goes to the highest bidder, whether we like it or not. Signs up all around here from Mossy Oak Realty. And most of that land aint worth squat, but they'll get top dollar for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layin on the smackdown Posted June 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Between the outfitters and this kind of thing Illinois is doomed:bat: It can go absolutely noplace but down from here. This has been slowly occuring over the past 10 years but it has gotten crazy lately. I have hunted the same ground for 7 years and shot some dandy's but that gorund is being sold. Now I have to face the cold hard truth of this era. It is very hard for a local hunter to find prime ground anymore. And sorry I refuse to pay tp hunt in my own state! Couldn't have said it better myself Kirk...Thats why i made this thread...Right after i saw that show, i about crapped myself, and instantly saw a grim future for my hunting career (unless i win the lottery of course). It just kinda sucks for those of us who have such a passion, but not the resources to continue doing what we love...All is good for now i guess, so we'll just have to see how the cards fall.:48: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungry hunter Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 Gave up my private lease, 10 of us 1500 a year. I was in a tree stand during ML when the agent that was selling it drove by me with a couple of perspective buyers they waved, I cursed. Now I pay 475.00 year for state recreational area 18,000 acres and only 200 permits. If ya get caught in there without a permit the fine is 545.00. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkoholic Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Here in Lincoln County there is close to two million acres of public land to hunt with little hunting pressure. Just get away from the roads and you can hunt all day and not see another soul. Not everyone is so lucky to live in an area like this, nor are there enough jobs to support even the people who do live here. I feel that those of you who live in areas where good public hunting opportunities are nearly nonexistent, are only going to find that eventually you may well be priced out of hunting. This is driven by the individuals who hunt to make a living. By drawing attention to the sport and driving the "big buck" craze. Yes, we all like to see them take the big bucks, but the prime land they hunt is beyond the reach of the average hunter who can little afford a guided hunt every year. Unless you are on a first name basis with Lee and Tiffany and their compatriots or have the bucks to chase the bucks you may well find yourself on the outside looking in. We surely need to get the youth involved in hunting, but that will do us no good if they can not afford the gear or price of a hunting spot. It may well be time to get the game departments involved. Here in Montana the wildlife is held in trust by the government for the people of the state, making all wildlife a public resource. Access to that public resource should not limited by lease agreements that go to the highest bidder, nor should that resource be restrained from leaving a specific property. Basically, no individual should be able to sell the rights to harvest a wild animal that they do not own. The Milk River is a prime example of too much publicity driving the leasing of private land to outfitters at high prices which are passed on to the hunters. Making a living off a public resource. No matter how you look at it, the future of hunting for the common man is not looking so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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