MEMBER DIED- ONE OPENING CONCHO COUNTY LEASE – MLD3, $2,200 plus expenses. Nearest town is Paint Rock Tx the county seat.
One of our long term lease members died unexpected last week and I told our ranch owner at the funeral yesterday that I would post on here to try and help him fill the spot.
Details are as follows:

1. There are 4 guns total on our 950 acres which is one portion of a co-op of three ranches totaling 7,500 acres that is in the 4th year of MLP type 3. All ranches are low fence. Our cost is $2,200 season plus utilities & protein (average expenses have run about $550 over the last 5 years. Last year expenses were high at $722 but we fed about twice the protein as usual due to drought. We lease from and deal directly with the rancher who we all consider a friend.
2. Our lease runs June thru Dec. Rancher leases Quail and spring turkey separate.
3. Deer, turkey, dove some varmints (bob cat and fox are all that I have seen). There are no hogs on any of the ranches yet and we hope it stays that way. No exotics (few blackbuck occasionally seen but we don’t shoot them).
4. Great accommodations – 3 bedroom 2 bath mobile home ( newest member gets smallest bedroom) our most senior member uses his big 5th wheel RV so we have never had a space problem., cleaning rack, walk in cooler. Nice barn area where our rancher hosts a couple group get togethers each season.
5. Protein fed year round. Ranchers grown son is MLP game manager and takes care of protein feeders.
6. Each member is required to have at least one blind and corn feeder. We currently have 7 enclosed blinds with feeders and several tripods & feeders. Blinds are open to all members however you will always have first choice over your blinds. Our member that died had a couple of real nice tower blinds and we hope to talk to his widow pretty soon and buy him out - the new member may be able to buy in to one of his blinds and not have to set up anything. We will be trying to work this out with her over the next few weeks.
7. Guest privileges are very limited and must be approved each time in advance by our rancher. In the past has always been limited to spouse, child, grandchild hunting in the same blind with member (also must sign liability waiver).
8. Deer to be harvested each season will be based on game biologist’s recommendations. Typically 1 cull/management buck, 1 trophy buck, 1 or 2 does. No trophy bucks to be shot in October - only culls/management/does. All our hunters are very management minded and very seldom has any of us taken our maximum allowed. Our goal is to grow 5 ½+ year old bucks and you cannot do this if you shoot every 3 ½ - 4 ½ year old with a decent rack. The new member will be expected to have the same mindset. Good example is this past season – the drought hit us pretty hard – still saw plenty of deer but few young fawns and the rut was almost non existent, would have shot several bucks that would have been culls in previous years but gave them the benefit of doubt, held off and our harvest log was less than half of previous years. Our most senior member did kill a buck that won the Ballinger big buck contest this season. His biggest ever- B&C was 150+ unofficial.

I apologize for the lengthy post but just trying to answer any questions a person may have and not waste your time if you don't agree with our requirements. I have feeder pictures from 2008 to current and several pictures of bucks taken if interested please pm me and I will try to email. Thanks Ken

Is this in Concho or Runnels county? The Ballinger big buck contest is in Runnels. How long have yall had this lease? Looks like a pretty good deal for a single hunter looking for a place.

You lease from Justin W?

Pretty sure I know the property and the folks that run it. Great group and Justin is a stand up guy. Good deer in the area and with the management program in place, the possibilty for nice deer is there. I hunt about a mile south of this place.

Sorry to hear about the loss and prayers up for the family and friends involved.

Good luck and let me know if I can help

Lease is in Concho county, in fact the concho river borders our NW side. We buy our corn at the Shopping Basket in Ballinger - they run the contest.
I got on the lease 5 years ago due to the death of another member, the other guys have been on around 10-12 years, I think maybe longer.

Txshntr, We actually lease from Justin's father Gary, Justin manages the MLD. They are great folks, could not ask for better. If you hunt only a mile away you need to come over to one of our cook outs and meet everyone.
Thanks for your prayers, his death was a real shock to us all.

I have been over there a few times for the cool outs and one long night of poker. Gary and Justin are great people an all the hunters I have met were pretty great too. Very good chance I have met you before

If you played poker you probably know Keith for sure, he is our hunter that won the big buck contest this season and loves the poker. We probably have met.

I am looking for a lease where I can share my tag with my 14 year old son. I have been on the same lease in Llano for the past
43 years since I was 9 years old. I am interested in a season lease that we can stay for several seasons if not the rest of my seasons. I have only shot 4 bucks in about 15 years but my son is
young and I would like for him to be able to shoot management deer as outlined by you while waiting on a big one. If you are agreeable could you send some pictures to give me a feel for your lease?
Thanks,

pm sent

ttt

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Could you send me some pictures too? I am a management minded hunter, and love to help out with any work that needs to be done, and would love more information on this property. Could you email me pictures and any other information to justin6359@msn.com.

Thanks for posting this and sorry to hear about your member passing away. Thoughts and prayers sent.

PM sent

Looks like a great deal!

Just got better - we just made a deal with the widow to buy out his blinds, the new member will be able to buy in for $500 and get a fiberglass octagon shaped blind on a 10 ft high steel platform with steel staircase and railing plus winch up 55 gal feeder with solar timer. Also included will be a 12 ft tripod with feeder also (55 gal but I don't remember it being a crank up but pretty sure it is solar). One stipulation will be that we can buy back for $500 if the new member ever decides to leave. A great opportunity for someone that doesn't have his own equipment and doesn't want to have to set everything up on a new lease.

THAT is a deal! I can't believe this is still available. I have a lease, but surely somebody will jump on this soon.

I am surprised too.

Post some of the pics, maybe that will help

txshntr, that's a good idea, I'm going to give it a shot. I'll post a few and more if I can get it to work - a challenge for some of us old folks!

Nice pics. Still can't believe no one has taken you up on this lease. Good folks, good owner/manager...maybe it is tough to find one hunter

As far as pics go, all the deer in my sig came from right down the road from this place.

Good luck

Hey, I think I figured this picture thing out, here are a few more showing some of the facilities and deer taken.
[img]http:[IMG]http://i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff463/kenjohnson1/100_1084.jpg[/img]//i1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff463/kenjohnson1/100_1136.jpg[/IMG]

I wish I was looking, I'm needing to finish buying some more toys first.

I'm surprised that this place is still available too, but am very interested. My story is similar to a couple of the posters above. I hunted near Brady for several years before losing the lease because I believe the rancher wanted to save it for his grandkids who were reaching hunting age. I have a 15 year old daughter and 19 year old son who I would occasionally like to take (one at a time) to sit in the stand with me and hunt off my quota. I'm too busy to come often and have no desire to kill a lot of deer and am very experienced at holding off the developing bucks with potential. Please let me know if the spot is still open.

Here is a link to a lot more general pictures of the lease and facilities http://s1237.photobucket.com/albums/ff463/kenjohnson1/?action=view&current=100_1133-1.jpg