Ok here is the story. About 5yrs ago I got lucky and meet this older farmer through a guyI worked with. Well we got talking and eventually we agreed on a hunting lease for $500 a yr. This place was a hunters nightmare. Only crops he grew was hay. The people down the road made dirtbike/quad race trakes through the woods. Back side of the property was starting to be used as a dump. They also slaughtered the deer on and around the property. This gentlemen actually though $500 was to much money for me to pay but I was happy with it after all it was 217 acreas which I honestly felt with some hard work had great petental.
First I posted up the whole propert literly every tree along the border. I cut down trees to block of the entrances of all the Bike trails from the other properties. The I payed for a LARGE dumpster and spent 3 weeks cleaning up the back part of property. Took some plastic cable boxes cut a hole into the front tapped a baby food jar into the hole and black tapped it all up making it look like a camra and mounted them to trees all along back of property with signs saying this property is under video survalance and all trespassers/dumpers will be prosicuted to the full extent of the law. The the following yr and every yr after I planted 4 food plots about 10 acres each. The property really did incredable in a matter of yrs. the last 3 yrs I been seeing some really nice bruisers and missed a buck I swear went into the 180 class. This whole time I also became very good freinds with the landowner he really is a great older man who has a very hard time running his farm. So I normally spent at least a day or 2 every week over helping him out. Mending fences, feeding cows, bailing hay and anything esle he needed help with down to chopping firewood. Has I have already said I really think alot of him and his wife and invite them to all parties and over for holidays and really consider them to be some of my best freinds. Well last week I went over to pay my yearly lease I normally wait till the end of July when I get my bonus from work but I happen to have the money a couple week early this yr. Well when I arrived he informed me that he was offered $5000 a yr to lease it to a another group of people and he really needed the money since his wife has been sick and the medical bills are adding up. He told me he was sorry at least a dozen times and begging me to still be his freind and he wished he could of done this another way. Well I am a working class stiff and can't afford to compete with $5000 a yr since I got a family to support. I understand the fact and the reason he really needed the money and I really like him but how can I stand to go over there and be reminded of all the hard work and time I spent making the property what it is just to lose it. I didn't say anythign to him I just went and pulled my stands out of the woods and left. Any opionions on how I can handle this situation becuase I really hate losing a great freind but I also feel very hurt by losing my hunting area.

2nd queston: anyone know any good ideas on how to go about finding another lease. The web-sites I found either don't have anythign in my area or they are so expensive I could never afford them. I posted ads around the local feed stores, stores, and resterants that got bullentin boards but haven't got any calls. I welcome any suggestions

Trytan