Lease Scenario from Land Owner
 

OK, I finally get a crack at a lease in a good area. 97 acres for $2400 which is OK. The landowner calls me back after another group backed out and didn't show up to check out the property. We talk and he seems like a really nice guy and lives on the property, he asks if I want Turkey and Deer Hunting rights and I say "Yes", not sure how much turkey I will do in the spring but in the Fall I will get a tag and this way it keeps conflicts with other hunters having turkey rights out. So I ask him if this is an exclusive lease and no one else will hunt the property and he says yes only you and your group. Then he proceeds to tell me he will hunt it a little but he is only a "meat hunter". Boom red flag goes off in my head "Yeah Right" if a nice buck walks by I am sure he will want that meat and bone too.
Besides him "Meat Hunting" I really don't want anyone in there scenting up the area and spooking deer. I thought the purpose of leasing was for exclusive rights and not to hunt along with the landowner. It takes a lot of time and money to find a lease and procure it, I am frustrated to say the least. Is my perspective bad or would you expect to be the only one hunting if you were paying $2400 for a yearly lease?

I just went thru the same thing with the guy I lease from and I had the same concerns as you. I put my foot down telling him politely, ' NO FRIGGIN' WAY ' , knowing it might cost me the lease. Thankfully, he backed down and agreed to give us exclusive rights.

I feel even if I say that to him, which is not hard for me, how do I really know he is not in there when I am not there. After all I live 5 hours away. I just don't know if I want the aggrevation now knowing he will want to hunt it even if he backs down.

Frankly, you won't know. You just got to read him and decide if he's trustworthy enough to take him at his word. The way I put it to my landowner was this, 'man, we're paying a premium for this land and in return we want to be assured that we have exclusive rights to the land'.

Another angle you might consider... you said he's a meat hunter, then offer to give him a doe or two. I know I gave our guy a doe I killed, I dressed it out and drove the 25 miles out of my way to his house to deliver it to him. Not sure he appreciated it, but at least I did my part.

For $25/acre, it should be a given that it is exclusive.

I have no problem giving deer meat to people that help me get spots or a land owner. I usually give them Loin, sausage, pepperoni and breakfast sausage. I don't think it's the meat with this guy I think he wants to hunt.

Wow....
 

Wow... thats alot of $$ per acre! Like Steve said, almost $25/acre!
But on the other side, the guy does own the land and he want to hunt it, who are you to tell him he cant? Of course that is, unless you have it in a written contract....

That is exactly right, I am in no position to tell the guy he can't hunt his land. But I am in a position to not give him any money and that is what i have decided to do. I am not up for a $2400 experiment to see how things work out. I am glad he was honest to tell me he would hunt the land as well. I wish him well and hope he kills a big buck and gets his meat.

$25 per acre is pretty common even in NC around here where the hunting is less than stellar. I just won't pay it in NC. The Midwest is a different story.

Glad that you walked on the deal.
WHere abouts in NC are you. I'm in Va right Emporia area and our lease is just a bit over $5 an acre.