hardcorehunter

LEASING IS RUINING HUNTING IMO, and here is why.
I am a nonleaser that will never lease, looking in at you leasers' lives. Like a friend of mine stated, "Once money is exchanged on a property to hunt, it will always be expected." Eventually it will be to the highest bidder and it may not be you. The retired farmer sitting in the cafe with his buddies and one of them states that he is leasing his land for hunting and the word spreads like wildfire. If one is doing it, then the others want in on the action. It is human nature. Once leasing is started, it won't ever go back to theknock on the doorsystem. You have taken that land away from the knock on the door, do you need any help on your farm, here is a gift certificate to take your wife out for dinner, thanks for letting me hunt; I appreciate your kind gesture. I had three farms that I could hunt anytime and had sole permission on them because of my actions toward the landowner and him making the decision for it to be that way. Not me demanding sole hunting rights by getting my checkbook out. I cut firewood, build fence, plow their driveways,etc. to show my appreciation. BTW, grain prices are at an all time high and subsidy payments hit the farmers mailbox so don't tell me the farmer needs the extra cash to pay his taxes. The subsidy payments are by taxpayers so you are already leasing his land in actuality. I know this statement maytick off a few farmers, but it is the truth with no sugar coating. Farmers aren't hurting and your lease payment isn't keeping the wolves away from his door. Leasing doesn't affect me and never will as I see it in my lifetime. I can come to IA anytime I want to hunt and hunt for free on all of my farms as I have a relationship with landowners and my family owns land. I have 23 million acres of public land to hunt in NM and I have already secured several private ranches to hunt in NM on with my wifes' connection as a banker. She mentioned that we like to bowhunt and the ranchers told her that we are welcome anytime. Hunters' numbers are down 10% according to the US Fish and Game over the last 10 years so you can't tell me that leasing is necessary because of the high number of hunters. Leasing didn't occur until about 10 years ago for the most part and now is running rampant. It is the greed of hunters wanting trophies and to have more, more, more, andI will buy my way into what I want. My Grandpa, my Dad, and myself were brought up in an era where everybody hunted; yet no leasing occured.Go ahead and lease all you want, but I believe you are cutting your own throats in the long run. It is a no win, greed for ground situation, that can have no positive outcome on huntingIMO. Your input on this troubling subject please.

GeneRagulsky

I can't disagree with you completely on this....

However, when you are unable to gain premission from a knock and talk you do what you have to too hunt.

Here is how I equate it: If you owned some appartments and someone came to your door and asked if they could stay for free, I believe your answer would be no. You would probably have some type of "lease" you would agree too. There would probably be some agreement on payment to "lease" this appartment.

Now you probably have some type of income already, so it is not that you really need their money, but it is just not good business to let people stay in one of your appartments for free...

Schultzy

First thing, your avatar rocks!!! The leasing part of it, I totally 100% agree with you. This is almost a rich mans sport now a days, soon to be a rich mans sport! Thats pretty sad if you ask me! When is enough? Where will it end? Sad thing is it won't![:@]

buttonbuckmaster

I think I saw this post somewhere else recently.

Lanse couche couche

Obviously, a landowner has the right to lease his land and it is not really anyone else's business. Having said that, i i agree that the leasing trend has its drawbacks for the longterm future of hunting. However, some landowners should keep in mind that if they lease to folks who are only interested in taking the occasional big buck and are not keeping the does and young bucks thinned out there can be problems. The last that I checked, corn is now about 5 bucks a bushel, with wheat and soymeans worth much more. Having too many deer spending all spring and summer eating your corn is probably gonna cost you a lot more in crop damage than the 20 bucks an acre you are getting for the lease.

wallhangr

Fortunately, not all farmers are like this. On a recent trip back to my hometown in IL, I talked with a farming /hunting family that is fed up with the outfitters as well. They own a ton of river bottom ground, but everywhere around them has leased out to outfitters.

I agree with Hardcore on this, especially where the farmers are being subsidized by the gov't and collecting lease payments as well.

GR8atta2d

Yeah and it went bad quick there..wonder where it's headed here??

hardcorehunter

One thing I will bet; it is the guys east of the mississippi river that think leasing is cool. Edit; TX will be huge with this as 99% of land is privately owned.

Germ

New Mexico does not have public ground?

BTW Mr. Geographically challenge, Texas is West of the Miss and it's where leasing started

kickin_buck

This coming deer season will be my 5th year leasing ground. I grew on a farm in Indiana and always had a place to hunt. Back then, bow hunting was not as big as it is now, so it was very easy to find ground to bow hunt. When I moved to Illinois, I knocked on few doors and gained permission to hunt. I exchanged work for hunting rights. It was great until one day I was told (after a long summer of working for the land owner) that he had leased the hunting rights, so I was out. I knocked on a bunch of doors and not able to get permission to hunt private ground. I hunted public ground (which is aweful in Illinois due to high number of out-of-staters that come here) and was determined to find private ground for the next season. I found my private ground, at the cost of $1500 (very cheap my today's standards). The fact is, leasing is here and a farmer would be nuts to turn it down. Would you ever expect a farmer to not plant a crop? No, and that is what hunting is to the local farmer, another crop. I cannot blame him, nor can I blame the guy that cannot find a private ground to hunt without leasing it. It is great for you that you have ground "locked" up, but not everyone has that. I don't see how you can blame a guy for doing whatever he can to get a place to hunt. You state you have three farms in IA to hunt. Can you hunt all three at the same time? Why not give two up so some other guy can knock on the door and get permission to hunt for free. I would not expect you to do that, and I don't expectyou to get upset when I, or anyone else has to lease.