This is a very touchy subject for me,I' am in the agricultural buisness.I know farming and ranching don' t make what it used to,with inflation and cost of production.
The farmer and rancher have the right to lease their land,you are right the own it.They should only have the right lease out for domestic heards or farming,I and every other Sportman that hunts has already paid for their right to hunt the animals on the land.
If they donot allow public hunting I think a luxery tax should be imposed,just like timber and oil.Why cuase we pay for them and Fish and Game agencies to monitor them.
If the eastener,or the out of stater that wan' ts to hunt and not have crowds,he should buy the land and pay the taxes himself,that way he can look me in the eye and tell me how much he charges for a trespass fee and I will show him what I think.
This is my own opion and donot force my veiws on anyone else.BBJ

BigBore,

Sounds like you have a nice place.

Are the leases from other private landowners or are they from the state?

To answer your first question about paying treespas fees I would in certain circumstances. I however would have to make a trip and actually see the area.

I usually do not go looking for a place where I have to pay. There are many public lands in CO, NM and UT the states that I hunt.

But I understand the landowner issue. If I had a tract of land that large that had elk and deer on it, yes I would charge a treespas fee and would setup to offer guide services and the whole bit. Also depending upon the area the fees would be representative quantity/quality of animals on the place.

It is a great free nation that we live in. If we could just change the mindset of the left it could be even better.

Thats what I am saying, what are we going to do about the left? Obviously I am not a liberal by any means. First off, because of their stance on business and agriculture, and second because of most of their stances on hunting and gun rights, not to mention taxes, families, " world integration" etc... All I was asking was about the fees and such I did not mean to start anything big. I respect all of you on this board, I really do, and I value your opinions. Please understand that. I guess no matter how much we all have in common, there will always be " gray areas."

i am not sure now what the point is,
a. you want to lease your land for hunting.. ok but alot different than setting up an outfiting bussiness
b. the land is your that you hold deed to.. if you lease an public land is there a clause in your lease that says you control the wildlife be cause the american people hold deed to that.
c. are you going to control the access to the land that you say is on your border, public land i mean, are there existing roads youare going to want closed?

d. are you going to run a high fence along the pulic ground border so thatno public game comes into your domain?

e. i could go on and on, big bore you have the right to do with your deeded land as you see fit and i will stand up for that right against all parties with you as my for fathers did with yours, that is your right as a landowner in the usa . i just think that if you had come out and said the outfitter thing right i would have responded differently, lay out all the thoughts/facts and i can respond better..


if you have not gathered this is a touchy subject for me and the reason may be the lenghth of time my family has been land owners in the states, but as i said before i will stand beside you... on the use of your deeded property as you.. as you see fit

BigBore

I have looked over the years at places in NW colorado that have a few ranches that they lease per season, the cheapest is 1000 a season, and your drove around the lease the day before and told good luck. They always fill all there spots too.

Maybe if you let me come and hunt your property for free I can give a good review of the land on this board and you can fill some spots easy

Flatheader: that boat don' t float??? Do you know how much hunting land each year is being turned into developments each year. Have you every tried to make a living ranching? Fewer and fewer can make it these days and the day of the small rancher is almost gone. I say anything a landowner can do to earn extra money and fend off thoughts of millions he could make selling the land is OK.

I personally know of many landowners in the Texas hill country that would have already had to sell out if it was not for hunting leases.

Big Bore,
From now you probaly know my stance on the hunting/lease issue,and I apologize for my rash behavior.It just seems anymore today when you ask to go hunting you get the $ for what or what are you going to do for me.I don' t mind pounding posts for a few miles or helping with the harvest,haying or what ever is needed.A good dead rewarded with generosity.

I would like it be where the working man can afford it,I as a father of 4 would like to take them hunting someday,and would like to call up a land owner and ask to hunt,not hear the " Chiching" of the cash register.

If you would do a favor for me,check with you Fish and Game and see if they offer a hunter/pay thing or a Block Mangement,like here in Montana.If you would like more info on this sort of deal let me know.

Us as a group are undivided,apart we are conqerd.

Bareback: Good points all. I personally do a compromise position on my own ranch in Texas. We lease 3 spots to paid leasors. All of that money goes to my widowed mother. I then take friends/guests/swap hunters. I took 5 kids less than 18 yrs. other than my kids last year. So you can see that I believe there is some middle ground.

tx i am aware now that what is called a lease in one part of the contry may not mean the same in another, and if you would like to think that i don' t understand the hardships of making it on family ground ok, but when you explain things to me so i know what you are saying you would find we are probly on the same page.. i have stated my apology to bigbore for venting sideways, on the land use issuein texas i just havent walked in your shoes yet i guess , i think it admirable to help keep the sport alive by taking kids, i hope that you continue to do that and my hat is off to you for the respect and honor that you have for your mother

BIGBORE, just returned from near Craig Colorado, didn' t get drawn anywhere so for the first time had to pay a tresspass fee to recieve a deer voucher and hunt. it cost $1200 for the voucher and 5 day' s of hunting and I must say I was pleasantly surprised, 12 hunter' s on 18000 acre' s and lot' s of deer, got a nice 4x4 and never felt crowded, count me in if you decide to let folk' s hunt your property. I could go into a long diatribe about how forest service is selling us down the river but I won' t, my point is that the folk' s who live in area' s of vast public land don' t realize how quickly their land is dissapearing, someday we will be like the indian' s where the only place left for us to hunt is worthless and barren ground and the government will tell us how lucky we are,