I pay to hunt on a nice lease of farm land with my hunt club. I own a smallfarm. I hunt private lands. All of these things provide me with more oppurtunities to do what I love. I don't mind paying $350 dollars a year to hunt with my club, I love it. It is a great group of guys a great piece of land and we are very fortunate to have it leased through farmers. The friends and memories made throughout the seasons are my main motivation. I have no problem paying these farmers forrights, they are barely surviving as it is. Timber companies and otherleasing companies are a little different, they just want the land to earn them some money while it is sitting there so they are definitely effected by"market value" and the rateson these land will continue to gradually increase. Such is life, increase your club dues, take on new members, or hold a fund raiser to help offset the pricesor................don't.

I don't have to lease, I choose to lease. There is no other way I could have access to some areas to hunt and people to hunt with. Yes I still have my farm, yes I still have public land and military bases but I want morechoices, more oppurtunities, something different. Club hunting is a good change of pace. It's the comradery of our club, the deer camp "feeling"(that I think we need more of), it's having aplace where I can take my boys and they can learn about hunting but also have other kids back at camp to bond with andgrow up hunting with,it's the stories of the big buck missedorsomeones first buck killed, it's good food cooking and a big fire burning outside, this list could go on and on and I'll pay for thatanyday!

For those who hate leasing, I guessI understand to a point. But I think it has more to do with you perspective on it and your own local leasing situation. Leasing land in VA is nothing like leasing land in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Texas,etc.Thatis the main reason I don't understand big, broad sweeping statements about leasing beingbad for hunters. How could you possibly assume thatone hunterssituation where leases are through the roofis anything like another hunters situation 1000 miles away where leasing is cheap and mutually beneficial to the landowner and hunters.Sometimes paying for things sucksecspecially if you are dealing with others who will pay anything and drive prices through the roof but what do you recommend? No leases, free-roam hunting like in the "days of old". Yeah right.

Seriously though,lease haters,what do you recommend? We know you don't like it and it's making hunting a "rich man's game" and you lost your favorite piece of land to some guy who had the nerve to offer the landowner some money forhunting rights,but whatare your thoughts for a better system on hunting land/access?

Would it be impossible to find some hunting buddies to throw in on some land or are you so dead set against leasing that is not even an option you would consider. And if you don't have any money to spare you should probably get your internet cut off and sell that computer to get some extra cash.

I stated before that I pay $350 dollars a year ( x 40 members) that means my club pays somewhere between 10k and 14k a year for our leases. Sounds like a lot but I also like to keep things in perspective. I payed $400 last month so I could keepour two vehicles full of gas.Like a lot of people online I live from payday to payday andif I can pay$400 a month in B.S. gas prices I certainly can save that much ina year topay my part of the lease which ensures Ihave a nice place to hunt.

Sorry for the rambling I guess I don't understand the logic behind lease hating. Hunting another persons land should be free?? Is anything free anymore?