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hunting lease

F

Fordfarmer

Well-known Member
Any of you have experience leasing your farms for hunting? It's still kinda uncommon around here, but a few guys do it.
A few years ago, I was approached about leasing my farm for deer hunting, for both bow and gun seasons. We never got around to
talking dollar amounts, as I have a fairly large group of extended family (as well as my kids and myself) who hunt
here...leasing for the gun season wasn't going to fly.
Last week, I was offered $1500 for leasing my farm (550 acres; about 230 crop acres, balance is woods, swamp, creek bottom, and
building site) to three guys (I know 2 of them - good, trust-worthy types) for bow season only. I had to say no, at least for
this year, as a few of the "regulars" have already gotten permission for this fall. My wife thought that for that kind of money,
I should go ahead for this year, but I'm not going to renege on giving the other guys permission to hunt.
The down side, as I see it, is getting the guys who have hunted here for years upset, and limiting the number of deer taken.
(I'm feeding WAY too many) But $1500 cash, and not having to DO anything to get it, seems like a pretty good up side to me. My
Dad's land (80 acres abutting my farm to the west, minus the building site, and 60 acres abutting my farm to the south) would
still be available to the other hunters.
Your thoughts?
If it works well, a bear hunting lease might be an option, too.
 
I agree with David. Money talks.

During this hunting season, try to find time to talk with your friends and tell them about your offer. I'm fairly certain they will understand. Doesn't mean they'll like it, but they'll understand. ...They may even make an offer of their own!
 
Fordfarmer, I don?t know where you are located but that?s a low ball offer to lease your land, here in south Alabama your property would easily lease for $5000+ and I?m not pulling your leg, I?ve been a hunting club president for thirty one consecutive years overseeing 4 clubs in that time and deal with timber companies and private landowners year round. Don?t take that offer, if your family and friends enjoy the property then keep it just for them, if you do decide to lease it out then multiply the offer by at least three....
 
The only thing I would add is talk to your insurance guy as you may well need a rider on your farm policy to be covered.
 
North-west WI... within 20 miles of state forest, and 30 miles of the Chequamegon National Forest, so no shortage of public land. Even most private land can be hunted, if the landowner doesn't hunt... just taking the time to ask will get you in most farms.
a277320.jpg
 
You are right about feeding too many deer, it will only get worse under lease. The people leasing only want to harvest 160 point plus deer. They are not interested in harvesting smooth heads, until the last moment. So what you end up with is a haven for the does and young bucks. As the hunting pressure builds around the lease hold the deer will move to your land, and they may stay for next springs all you can eat gourmet buffet. jmho gobble
 
that is Alabama not many places pull that kind of money . your hunting clubs are a joke a bunch of rich guys that think they are sportsman
 
Sounds like you have a great hunting property,it'd be worth far more than $1500 here in Central Va.As far as friends and family goes for hunting that is fine but where are they when tax
time comes? Would you just give part of your grain harvest away to them? The hunting rights are just another commodity your farm produces and its costing you in crop loses to have the deer there.So I'd say they can ante up or you should lease the property,unless you're independently wealthy and money doesn't matter.Or maybe split the season, lease it for the first part and then
the ones that don't want to pay can hunt the last part.Plus you'll reach your goal of reducing the number of deer by having two groups there.
 
I should have added that my crew only hunts during the gun season. One uncle may take up bow hunting again, now that he's retired, but that is a big maybe...and he has his 50 acres and my Dad's 140. One cousin and his wife bow hunt, but they live an hour and a half away, have permission to hunt where they live, and both work... so driving that far for bow hunting isn't likely to happen.
 
Actually that is reasonable, try leasing land in Northern and central VA to deer,bear and turkey hunt.I know one club that leases land and to join for a year its $2000.
 
Nope. Bear and coons can be hunted with hounds, but that's about it. Not deer. Birds with dogs too, of course.
 
fordfarmer are you under a baiting ban here in Price county we can bait but from what I here that will probably end soon that will make your crops even more attractive. Hunting sure isn't what it use to be I have hunted for 60 years it was all ways with a big gang now its my wife and I some times my son and grand son I miss the old times. Randy
 
It won't bring that much here... too much public land and private land that can be hunted. We aren't exactly crowded here... Ladysmith is the county seat, population 3600 +/-, Rusk county population 8500 +/-. We are starting to get a reputation for nice bucks though - Rusk co. was mentioned in at least one hunting magazine last fall as one of the best counties in WI for big bucks.
 
Not sure on the baiting ban. I think we are...but I never thought much of it, as the deer have so much to eat here. Northern Rusk county (north of U.S. 8) is different... baiting can make a big difference there, but lots of ag here. Bear baiting is common and legal.
We used to hunt with a big group and do big drives, too. Guys are aging, work limits time for some, and we mostly sit now. See and shoot fewer deer, but nearly all one shot kills and little tracking now.
 
That is my biggest fear - even more deer. And yes, they are looking for 160+ class bucks, although one of them has a fairly large, young family to feed, and he DOES fill doe tags. But bow hunters have been taking 6-8 deer a year off my farm. This would effectively cut that to half or less. Not a big reduction, but some.
 
We already have that, though not as bad as 5-10 years ago. But in this case, I think the lease would help... only 3 guys, and they would want to limit anything that might spook the deer.
 
Check with your Farm Bureau, Michigan has a model lease and it covers some things you might not think of like putting spikes into trees, not leaving "garbage" (spent shells, lost arrows, etc. not just drink cups and other containers), removal of stands after the season,and others. If your relatives enjoy using YOUR property they shouldn't mind kicking in some money yearly. For liability you will want to talk with your farm policy to make sure your liability umbrella will cover you if you are charging for hunting. They all say the "I'd never sue you!", and I tell them "I know YOU wouldn't, but your grieving widow and orphans MIGHT!"
 
I'd make a list of pros and cons given your own situation,$1500 on one side and what that money will do for you and what your giving up on the other side to make it happen. The points on increasing the population on your land alone might make the $1500 look like its not worth it?
 
I'm trying to understand your thinking.
If the members of a hunt club hunt safely, legally and ethically, dont leave trash, don't spike trees or otherwise run roughshod over the land why does it matter how much money they have?
Do you put down people who can afford season tickets to their NFL or MLB team? Or season tickets to the theater or symphony?
Do you denigrate guys who spend big $ on a pulling tractor or on a stock car?
How about a membership to a golf course?
Some friends of mine take a cruise almost every year. They are not rich. I'll bet it costs as much for a cruise as it does for a share of a hunting lease.
Why are hunt club members less of a hunter or sportsman because they can afford more than you or me?
 
Marloweg, there is nothing about being a joke in anything I?m involved in, you must have had a bad experience with some of the good ole boys that saw a sucker coming and took his money. My current club started solely by me 18 years ago is on the up and up and I have a waiting list to get in, usually about a three year wait, law enforcement officers are members and no riff raff is tolerated, and no rich folks are members, all hourly wage members that work together and have great deer, turkey, duck and small game hunting as well as fishing, so don?t throw off on Alabama just because you have a bad taste in your mouth, if you came to my lease one time you would be slobbering all over yourself to become a member.....
 
Yeah, he was a nice one. Around 200# field dressed, and I think they said 18 1/4" inside spread. Took my uncle a couple weeks to wipe that grin off his face. :) Our crew has gotten a few other nice ones, but I don't seem to have those pictures loaded on the computer.
I haven't seen them yet, but neighbors are telling me about two bucks on my land that should rival this one.
 
Some interesting post on this subject. Alabama has lots of public lands as do other states but hunting and land management is big business here. Dollars to be made just in planting green fields. More for managing large tracts of land for trophy animals and quanity of small game. Thought that was everywhere.
 
Two other bucks from my farm. The skull mount is from 8-10 years ago. The other is the one my cousin shot opening morning last year.
a277372.jpg

a277374.jpg
 
Laws vary state to state. Check the laws regarding liability if you lease the land. IIRC a few years ago MN was set up so that if you gave permission for someone to hunt for free they could not sue for say falling out of a tree stand but if you leased it they could. Was all about trying to get people to open up land for hunting.



Jerry, spot on! Far too many people bashing folks just because they made life decisions that earned them a better life style.


Rick
 
My brother in law leases some of his ground. He's getting 1500 for 200 acres of the same property you describe in central lower Michigan.
 
Could so something creative, like have to shoot a doe or 2 before they can bag a buck. Kind of hard to enforce, but if you know them and they're trustworthy, might work.
 
Actually it's kind of the opposite. If you have lease agreement you can add the line the lessee is responsible for their own damages and may be held liable for any claims arising from their use of the
property (they have friend that gets hurt). With the exchange of cash, services and signed paperwork you are many times ahead of the game in defending against a lawsuit. If you verbally allow someone to hunt
you got nothing to fall back on.
 
I think you missed Oldtanker's point.
The State of Minnesota passed a law that if you have a casual agreement to let someone hunt on your property they can't sue you for their own stupidity ie, falling out of a tree, etc.
This does not apply to a lease agreement but as you suggest, you could certainly spell that out in a lease.
The law was passed to remove any? Most? of the liability to landowners and hopefully get them to allow hunting on their property.
It is similar to the Good Samaritan laws that were passed in many states where if you came upon an accident and in good faith rendered aid to the victims you can't be sued for giving the aid.
 
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