What is the alternative to leasing? Don't say public land because the closest public land to me is 2 hours away and I have a public job, therefore a 2 hour drive to be able to hunt 2 -3 hours, then a 2 hours drive is not feasible.

Buying the land? Well if I had the money I would have already bought it.

What is the alternative?

Quite the opposite here. I had to lease land to start up my organization. How am I bringing hunting to an end by leasing land to teach kids how to hunt?

Hold on there dude, I am looking for a lease, butI am not a rich man. I am looking to ink a deal in Ohio in Dec. I sacrifice many things to get this lease. You paint a pretty broad stroke with your "Trophy Hunter" comment.
I did not make the rules, I just go with the flo. Looks like leasing is going to stay. Can you blame the land owner/Farmer? They need to eat also

Agreed! I knocked on a few doors a couple of years ago and everyone either starts talking money or they hunt it themselves. I wont pay for the mere principal of it (plus I'm a cheap wad). But it's a 175 mile round trip where I hunt that equates to about $350 for the year. A $300 lease for a small plot close to home will make sense.

I'm not even hunting this year because I can't swing it with tags, gas and processing the deer. A lease would simply be out of the question, which is what it is coming to around here as well. I just started hunting in 2000, I don't like the way it's going to be honest. I may be hanging it up before long, or take up small game or bird hunting.

Then to top it off the local gun club wants $200 a year to join that. It is a nice club though.

Maybe I should take up fishing, there are like a zillion lakes in Michigan. Too bad I don't like fish.

I don't agree with the point about leasing land to be farmed being the same as hunting it. When someone farms your land they make a profit off from it. Not really the case when someone hunts it.

I guess it will just become like it used to be, a sport for rich people. But hey, that's what America is about, making a buck.

Paul

90% or more of all the hunters I know detest leasing. To put it bluntly I hate leasing! But even I have one particular spot that I would lease in a heartbeat if it came down to it. I hunt private land by permission or public land, but I no longer have land by permission to myself any longer and those that I have to share with have virtually ruined a few properties by practicing terrible stand placement(within bedding areas), riding their ATV's, and using their trailcams. I can understand in some areas or states why leasing is so prominent.............if you don't follow you could be left out.

So far I am holding out on leasing, besides I really can't afford it. I do know one thing........wish I had been smarter many years ago and bought land when I could have.

I have to agree that I don't like hunting leases. Here in eastern Illinois the problem has been guys from out of state just coming here to kill a big trophy to brag about despite the fact that most of them have awsome hunting right in their backyard. Three different places I have hunted over the years are now being leased out, and I or anyone for that matter isn't allowed in there anymore because of it. The problem I have with this is that these people could just go and get a plat book and call the landowner like everyone else and more often than not they would let them hunt it like everyone else. Evidently that isn't good enough and these people seem to think they need the land all to themselves. Last year we had a guy lease up over 60,000 acres in the county I live in and he then sub-leased it out to people from out of state, thankfully this got him in trouble and it's not as much a problem this year. So many people including myself(gun season) last year didn't hunt because they didn't have anywhere to hunt. Money doesn't grow on trees for the mass population so owning or leasing your own land isn't always possible. For me and most people I know and hunt with they too rely on permission from the landowner, if the trend continues where everybody from out of state is leasing up the land then where are we(the locals) going to have to hunt and to take and teach our kids to hunt. It's hurting our heritage and taking away something that is passed down from genereation to generation. If that isn't reason enough to be against leasing then I don't know what is!

Leasing land makes me sick to my stomache. Where i live deer are so over populated it is easy to find property to hunt. I hope that i never have to pay for hunting property...

Your already behind the 8 ball. All your fears of the future are hear and then some. The some came in the form of anti hunters are already leasing land from under hunters. Heard about it last year in Maine, but hey Germ, the land owners got to eat also.[:@]

It all started because someone didn't want to share the land with others and they throw the land owner a bone. Bones aren't cutting it anymore.

I don't foresee me or mine having any problems finding happy hunting grounds though. Just need to be better hunters and neighbors. After all that's what were all about anyways.

Leasing is an EXTREMELY sensative subject to me!!!! I am 20 years old and have been hunting the same private farm land since I was 12. My grandfather owned the insurance agency that my father now owns, and he landed the property for us. This property holds some ofmy best memories.Every since me and my grandfather started hunting the owner told us of theone other hunter who had permission to be out there. Well a few years afterI started hunting my grandfather hadheart problems and had to quit hunting.SoI talked to the landowner and kept hunting it by myself. Well about this time the otherindividual who hunted the land decided to lease it. In this lease it stated that although he leased the land and had complete control over it I still had permission to hunt reguardless. Well since then I get a call from the landowner about once a year because ofcomplaints from the man who leases it. Everything from "He said youhave been poaching deer off the property","He said you have been bringing people on the property", to "He said you are hunting outtahis stand". I am sorry but I may not be a perfect individual butI knowright from wrong. AndI have morals and I know thata man is only as good ashis word. Straight up, thatsjust how I have been raised. I may not be old and as wise as some but I'm not stupid. I am very aware thatpoaching deer is illegal. I am very aware that I am not allowed tp bring people on the property. Why would I do these things and risk getting kicked off an AMAZING property? And hunting outta his stand?He is one of the most ignorant hunters I know. I used tosee between 5-20 deer a day.And on top of his lies to the landowner he wouldn't even confront me about it. You think a 40 year old man would have the courage to confront a 20 year old kid about an issue instead of lying to the landowner in hopes to get me kicked off.I also watched him SHOOT at another hunter last year who was walkin the property edge. The other man was at like 400 yards but stillthat is no way to handle a situation. Well as far as I wasconcerned whenI talked to the land owner before season I still had permission to be on the property. Well the ONEsingle morning I saw the guy leasing the property, hedrove up the lane AFTER day break andkicked 5 deer towards me on the way to his stand. I left my stand at 10 and came back to a note on my window that stated "Matt, you no longer have permission to be out here. You're stands must be out of here todaybecause I have relatives coming out this weekend." Talk about a a55hole!!!! I have never been so mad in my life.DO NOT get me wrong, I have no problem with leasing property!!! I plan on leasing some next year, but IDO havea problem withpeople who handle it wrong and are cowards!!!! He couldn't just be a man and have a little respect for another hunter!!!! Pisses me off!!!!!