If you hunt smart there's no reaosn to lease unless you live somewhere like Texas or Alabama where leasing ad hunt clubs have all but locked out regular guys without state land to fall back on. I hunted public land for years successfully by simply hunting smarter and a little harder than the next guy. I've secured land access for free, many times from hosts who weren't even willing at first, by trading something they wanted such as varmint control or simple labor. Leasing is not and never will be necessary for someone who wants to hunt badly enough, I've never "paid to play" and never will.