RE: LAND LEASES BAD FOR HUNTERS?
 

Sounds nothing like most leases and very much like neighbors helping each other out, face to face. Most leasees never meet the land owner, they just pay to play to a rep. The rep cuts all the deals. You don't have to ever speak to the guy who owns the land. I've hunted in 2 clubs in Va. just this way.The people I knowin Va. don't care for it, but they haveno choice. Wonder what kind of attitude caused that to happen. Va. also is not Ohio in many ways.Hunted in one recently in Va.. I have never hunted in a place with so much pressure. It was one of the $350 a year clubs.

It is just as I explained how things work in the country. Shrewd people.:DSmart people.

RE: LAND LEASES BAD FOR HUNTERS?
 

We are not comparing apples to apples when talking about individuals leasing their properties to individuals vs corporations hunting large chunks of land to very few people.

I am ok with leasing small portions of land by private owners. Its the corporations, mine, timber, land management companies that I have a problem with. These companies hold access to hundreds of thousands of forest acres in WV. I know one hunting club that leases 10,000 acres to 50 hunters. That is 200 acres/hunter for one hunting club. This is nothing more than greed.

The land that is being leased is a mixture of hard and soft timber that holds many species of game and could be hunted effectively with 50 acres/hunter or less. But thanks to the privelaged and their entitlement attitudes they can afford to lease up all these acres and keep the 2nd class citizens for messing up their hunting grounds.

How do leases like this hurt us as hunters? It discourages hunters to the point of quitting because they cannot afford to go anywhere else and it discourges these hunters to carry on the tradition of hunting to the future generation of hunters. I have heard a repeated message on these boards that hunters are growing smaller in number. I would say land leasing as I mentioned above is one reason why.

Some hunters in this particular hunting party do take pitty with the locals that they have banned. Once the members of this particular hunting part has killed a deer, they will drive around till they find someone to take it. This way they do not have to check in the deer and can continue hunting. I think that is one nice thing that they do. (Insert sarcasm here)

How do we fix the problem? I think corporations should be limited in the amount of property they can lease privatley, then make the remaining portion of their land available to the public for a small fee. ($ 25.00) This way the privelaged are entitled to control and hunt their portion of the land they hunt and the plebians can run amock as well.

RE: LAND LEASES BAD FOR HUNTERS?
 

When my neighbors house burned down he put his trailer on my land. I mowed his grass the for the year it took to rebuild house. I never charge him a dime, or ask for anything in return. My question is if they did not hunt his land would they let his cattle graze for free and help his neighbor out? They have a deal works out for the both of them, but it is a business deal IMO.

Nodog and are are just going back and fourth because of the MI OH game is this week. If he was from MI I would agree with him![8D]

RE: LAND LEASES BAD FOR HUNTERS?
 

After reading this thread I am very thankfull for what I've got. I am hunting 69 acres that belongs to a friend from high schools dad. He thinks that the fleas and ticks from the deer is what killed his goats, so he wanted the deer herd thinned out.My friend,my neighbor, and I usually shoot two or three deereach every year.The land owner tells us to shoot more, so I usually lie and tack a couple on to the total every year to keep him happy. Right now I am looking at property in OH and WV, but I want to actually live on the property. The main reason I want atleast tenacres is to hunt, but I also don't want to have neighbors close by. I don't think I could ever pay to hunt somewhere, but I'm not saying that those who do are wrong.

RE: LAND LEASES BAD FOR HUNTERS?
 

This is one of those topics where no one can be right or wrong. It is a way to opinionated topic. We live in a pretty big country where the cost of living differs greatly. How can any one judge another persons choice to lease or not to lease? For some this is the ONLY way they can hunt. Now I can't sit here and say that 100% of people who lease land are true hunters who are doing it for good reasons. I also cant sit here and say that they arent going to use it for good reasons. What we really need to keep from happening is letting these big companies, like these miners and such in WV, from getting ahold of our land. But in my opinion,leasing from a Farmer in a small town can only benifit both parties. In todays world, these farmers need all the help that they can get, so why not help them out a bit while getting some property to hunt in the process?

-Craig

RE: LAND LEASES BAD FOR HUNTERS?
 

If I was the cattle guy I would mention all the time the grass guy would have to take to manage the land and then there's the potential for fire...and how I have a deer problem:D. The grass guy is doing just fine in his approach.:D

Mich. huh. I thought I smelled something funny.:D

You mowed his grass. Sounds like you meet someone who could help you out later, not that that was your intention.Would that be business or an opportunity. You aint dead yet. Life has a way about it. I helped a guy out 20 years ago. He now lives on a nice piece of property. As a bunch of us talked one day in a local lumber yard I was given permission to hunt there.Now, if I would have just done business with him most likely nothing would have come about. He's not doing me a favor because he has too. He wants too.

RE: LAND LEASES BAD FOR HUNTERS?
 

I didn't go through this entire thread and read every response, but my response to the intial post is:

I guess I could always have a buddy go hide my 3-d buck target in my yard somewhere. It would also save me money on broadheads, camo, scent suppression, quiet hunting clothes, treestands, game cameras, broadhead tuning, etc.... Also, I wouldn't have to worry about blood trailing, ya know its tough seeing that stuff anyway when you're colorblind.

Seriously, leasing forme is only bad on my wallet. I hate that it cost so much, but I love to hunt and spend time with my friends & family in that type of atmosphere. My current lease that I found, has a campsite with water, electricty, and I handpicked all the members.We have a great time all the time! That is what I'm paying for. I'm not paying to kill deer. I have notkilled one in over 3 years, butoverthose 3+ years I've had an absolute BLAST with my friends.

Maybe one day I'll be able to afford my own 2000 acres of hunting land and andI won't have to lease it from someone else. OH, but who's gonna pay the taxes on that 2000 acres? I guess I'll have to, but then that would be like leasing from the state.

I think you're right,......I'll just quit!

Maybe I will just hunt those 3-D deer that are so challenging.

RE: LAND LEASES BAD FOR HUNTERS?
 

What you smell is Tressel craping his pants, becasue the boys are coming to town[8D]

Good luck NoDog, I have to call a guy about a lease, LOL

RE: LAND LEASES BAD FOR HUNTERS?
 

BDC, I don't think you actually realize how little 50 acres is, when we're talking about timber company land. Try to understand that a lot of that acreage will be clear-cut, or young saplings, or 4-5 year old trees that have briars so thick around them a snake can't slither through it. How is someone suppose to hunt in that thick stuff? I personally don't like hunting so close to other hunters that I can see them while I'm sitting in my tree. I would love to have 200 acres per hunter, if it's timber co. land we're talking about.

RE: LAND LEASES BAD FOR HUNTERS?
 

Currently I hunt a mixture of public and no-pay private land. I plan to buy land in a couple of years, but before I doI will probably lease some property. Why? Control. I like to hunt how I want, when I want, and from whatever stand I choose. I want to be able to bring my father, and our hunting friends and know they will have a good time. I've had too many experiences with other hunters to not want to be in control of the property I hunt.

My advice to those who feel they can't afford to lease land. Should your situation be such that leasing is neccesary, start a small hunt club, or an association with a few other guys. It's probably better to hunt a small to medium size lease with 10 guys who are all on the same page than to hunt WMAs with lots of others, many who could be, well... Even worse would be not hunting.