How much is too much?
 

In my reply to " A question for baiters" I started thinking about a question for everyone.
Now I know not everyone out there has to pay to hunt. I would like to ask every one this one question.

How much is too much for you? I am talking about the cost of hunting. How much would it take you to say " Thats it!" I cant pay that. I am not talking about gear, gas, ect. I am talking about a lease to hunt on.
Rick

RE: How much is too much?
 

Our club dues are $1200 per year and the Alabama out of state license is $252. That plus the gas, etc, is about my limit.

RE: How much is too much?
 

I would have no problem paying twice what I currently do for a hunting license. From what I am told Pennsylvania is still relatively inexpensive in this regard. I really cannot comment on the lease issue as I have never been a part of one. I have joined a few " hunting clubs" where I had to pay $100 a year to hunt the land but I was not actually on a " lease" .

RE: How much is too much?
 

One cent.

RE: How much is too much?
 

JRW: You are lucky you don' t live in a state like Texas where a friend' s place or a lease is about the only option. The average lease I hear of in my neck of the woods is from $750-1500/year. If I wasn' t lucky enough to have a family ranch, I would probably not want to pay over $1000. Sounds like a lot, but when you consider you can hunt 3 months and take 4 deer, 4 turkeys, etc. it isn' t so bad. I now pay close to $1000 for a 5-6 day elk hunt in Colorado unguided and no lease fee.

On my own ranch we lease to 3 hunters for $950/season, however, I also took 10 nonpaying guests who all got a deer. I like to think that we have a good balance between creating a little income and taking friends/swap hunters.

RE: How much is too much?
 

The guy that hunts next door to us used to pay a lease but after years of paying he ended up buying the swamp land. I am not sure what he paid.

I heard that Texas was 3% public land. MN has tons of public hunting land. Not much leasing up here.

RE: How much is too much?
 

txhunter58,

I often hear how Illinois is turning into " Texas" with regard to land leasing. In some parts of this state, hunters are paying in excess of $50.00 per acre for one year leases...and that' s not just for the timber. If a farmer' s got 200 acres of cut cornfield, and 40 acres of woods, you lease the entire 240.

We' re also ranked either 47th or 48th (depending on the source) in the country for public land per capita. Yes, in some areas you can still knock on a door and stand a decent chance of access. where I live though, you have to wait in line just to ask...then break out the checkbook.

Public land? Up here? Small acrage and tons of hunters. Most places have hunter limits which are maxed out before first legal light.

I don' t begrudge people who lease. That' s their right to do. Unfortunately, as hunters outbid each other the leases get more and more expensive every year. I could afford a small lease if I felt inclined, but I don' t. To me, it' s just the principal of the thing. I don' t feel like paying a landowner more money to kick someone else out, only to have it done to me next year. It just doesn' t sit well.

Truth be told, I hunt private land in Wisconsin, and mostly public land here in Illinois.

Believe me, In NE IL you either have to know someone (REALLY well), break out the checkbook, or crowd on to public land.

RE: How much is too much?
 

I pay $300 for club dues, $180 for out of state license and tags, plus the cost of 6 hours drive round trip every weekend all fall, to hunt a neighboring state. I could stay here in NJ for about $50, so I guess I' m willing to pay quite a bit.
Other than family, hunting is my number 1 priority, by a long shot.

RE: How much is too much?
 

being a college student i think $40 a tag is about all i could spend. i like hunting but i wouldnt pay non-resident fees even though they arent too bad here in indiana

RE: How much is too much?
 

I grew up in Wisconsin, which has lots of public land, and now I live in Colorado which is also rich in public land. I have never had to pay for a club or lease. I hunt 2 to 3 states every year (CO, WY, WI) and would say I pay less than some of those leases I see above. I' m a camp out and pay as little as possible kind of guy. I won' t even pay a $50 tresspass fee when I' m in Wyoming when I can see there are nice animals on the property.

I would never make it in a state like Texas with 3% public land. 2 years ago I was driving in the mountains to go fishing with my girlfriend (she is from Germany) and I was explaining to her that we were on public land, and she couldn' t get over that there was such a thing as public land for the people to enjoy. Made me realize how lucky I have been my whole life for living where I have.