I live in NW PA and leasing is becoming the rage here too. We have a bunch of open public land but, of course, the best hunting is on private land and it's getting tuff to locate places that aren't being leased. I think it's a shame that those who "have" take advantage of those who "don't" by using it to take away property that used to be open to anybody. I have a business aquaintence who refuses to ask permission to hunt anywhere. He just finds a place that others are hunting and ask's what it would take to have exclusive rights to hunt there. We're quickly creating a hunting society that will only be available to those who have money.

It's the way of the new world! Pay for hunting, don't spank your kids, don'tspeak the word of God inschool. It's harvest Day not Thanksgiving, Happy Holidays not Merry Christmas, and to top it all offI now habla espanol!! The new political world makes me sick! I am more often than not disgustedd with what I run across in society today. Believe me I see it all.

NH, Amen!!! I may not be thatold and I may not have seen it all, but I do know that todays world is changing for the worse and is sickening to anyone with morals and values that one should have.

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?

Thank you NEW61375
very well put!!

NH, I spank my kids (if they need it), think prayer should be in schools, to our family it is Christmas, Thanksgiving Day, and don't forget about Easter (Resurrection Day), but I do lease land.

We have a large family that loves to hunt together. Our whole family, brothers, parents and a nephew go together to lease a 450 acre tract. We are definately NOT rich. I have a 7 year old and a 10 year old that love to hunt. I like to know that when we go out, all of our family that is hunting know which stand we are in and we know where they are. How many posts have we seen here complaining that many people have permission to hunt a piece of property and someone walks past their stand or puts anothe stand nearby. With leasing, we have not had that happen. We can food plot however we want. We feel safer about taking the kids out (as well as ourselves) in knowing that there is not some drunk idiot just out of site. We shoot alot of does and have no interest in being a trophy hunter, getting a sponsor/endorsement, or ending up on a video. If we see a deer that we want to shoot and have a tag for it, we shoot it. Since we can't afford to own a larger tract like that, we lease. Someday, we may go together and buy a tract of land, but until then, this is our best option.

We have private tracts that we have permission, but so does many others. My son and I had a close call last turkey season, because we didn't know another hunter was on the same bird.

You can stereotype people if you like, but you might want to look at it from some other angles.

Would never pay $$ for a lease!

My brother and myself own a 196 deer hunting property, we also hunt an adjoining 400 acres section of a 1000 acre propertythat a cattle rancher owns. A year ago therancher calledus and informed us that he had been approached about leasing the 400 acres for $1500 for a week of gun hunting, the only week we hunt the property. He wanted too know what we thought about the situation.

Well we cant stop you from leasing that land if you choose too.... and we wont pay you $1500 for the right too hunt it. But you do graze your cattle on our land and the adjoining 400 acres frommay too august every year,,, and most of that time they are grazing our fields and are not in your cedar swamp..Thenyou hay your ungrazed land for winter feed...

The deal we had,, is weallow you too graze our land throughout the summer and we hunt that 400 acre section every year. If you lease that 400 acre section,,, your going too have too find another area too graze your animals and fence off our section of land.whats 4 months of feed or grazing rights cost for your 80 cows im thinking alot more than $1500? Will he ever lease it? possibly,, but he knows where we stand on the matter!

That really sounds like lease, payment is grazing rights. Sounds like a fair deal to me.

I agree, in theory it is a lease. But I also said I would never pay $$$$ for a lease. In reality ifour property were to be fenced off,,, our land would get some really thick grassy areas that would support many more deer than it does now. But when the snow flies,, that cedar swamp is the place to be, everything pours into itfrom miles around.

I would do the same thing, good luck to you!!