I currently have a lease in Central Texas. We are paying $14.50/acre and land owner wants to increase price per acre ~30%. Lease is 3000 acres so that equates to a few $1000. I have no idea what the fair market is for leases, this is the only one I've been on for several years. Any feedback on price per acre will be appreciated

Several factors will play into cost/acre, quality of deer, other game, location, lodging, number of hunter, etc. I would be happy visit with you more about it we stay very current on lease prices and manage thousands of acres in central Texas.

Depends on things like management history, deer quality, lodging, who pays for feed, number of hunters on that 3K, etc. If you can provide more details you will probably get better info.

^^^ what they said

What game?

The price of hunting pleasure just keeps going up. If 10 guys formed a corporation and bought a place to hunt would this be cheaper than a lease? Just thinking out loud.

12 guns on the lease. We get one trophy and one cull buck with does. It's year round lease with Turkey and hogs. It has live water, hunting cabin with water electric etc. We maintain and provide blinds and feeders and corn and protein. Trophy has averaged in the 135 range with a 150 about as big as we've seen

Sounds like it's pushing the high side with the increase. What county?

Mason

Nice area and with the accommodations, that makes it more attractive. Especially if you have year round access and can go out in the summer to camp or fish or just a place to get away to. But looks like it's pushing $4K per hunter now.

We had a place that was similar to yours that we dropped after it got over 3K per hunter, but the difference was we had really limited access except during hunting season. And I mean REALLY limited where it was hard to be able to even do work, put up stands and fill feeders, much less kill hogs, fish or do anything else outside of deer season. I miss it, but we made the right decision based on what we paid and what we got out of it IMO.

I have no idea if that's out of line in Mason, but y'all just have to decide if it's worth it to you or not. Thing is if you let it go, you have to find something else. And someone else will probably end up paying it.

fair market is nearly irrelevant any more,,, is it worth it to you to pay the money?? Nearly any land can be leased for any price ------------ on this forum I have seen people willing to pay $1000 to lease 40 acres. Near Uvalde most of the land that I have hunted on leases for around $25 an acre.

Y'all are at 250 acres/man, with quality deer (for Mason Co), what sounds like nice lodging, and live water on the ranch in a real pretty part of TX. That would definitely bring a premium price per acre in that country as many other leases are 100 acres/man or even less with slim chance at a 150. I would expect that place to easily command ~$15 to $18 per acre in today's market.

That said, y'all will be at ~$19 per acre with the price increase. That is getting up there. If I'm doing that math right that will put you at something like $4,700 per man. That is very high for the area, and getting into S. TX pricing. Pretty steep IMO. (We are just down the road in Western Llano Co.)

But, here's the deal: Y'all can give it up, but chances are that landowner will lease it at close to that price with little effort to a different group. Then, as said above you have to find something to replace it with. Supply and Demand is not in the lease hunters favor.

If you like the place, and your group is happy there, I would try to negotiate the price increase down considerably and stay.

River frontage too if this is the same thread as on the green screen... it would lease in minutes of going up for that price imo

"green screen"?

He has some else offering that or he's smoking dope, lot of $ for that area

Had a landowner contact me after finding out I had some interest in the Mason area. Nice place, minimal hunting, river view and basic cabin with water and electric.. my offer of $16 per acre quickly ended our conversation as he was looking for a lot more..

For that price you should be on by far the best lease in Mason country.

There is no set "Fair price". It depends on what there is to hunt. You can pay a small price and never see anything or go up from there accordingly. I have an 18 acre LF place. I took a couple of Axis off it this year. A Doe and a 2 year old buck. Also one WT Doe. I put out the camera on the last couple of days of the season. I had pictures of Axis and at least 4 different WT bucks and numerous Does. I could easily get $100 per acre to lease it. $1800 and all the game that is there would be a bargain if you look at what others are getting for the same money. No I do not want to lease it for any amount. I am just trying to show you. There is no set price. Look at the property. See what is there to hunt. Do not go by someones word. See for yourself. Then decide what you would pay and what hunting there is worth to you.

wow,,, 5 animals off of 18 acres !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you weren't hunting the fence line !!!

You obviously don't understand there are many areas in Tx with high population numbers and several with severe over population problem.

No, 3 animals. 2 Axis and one WT. And no I do not hunt fence lines. And actually more should have been taken. When you can sit in a blind on 18 acres and see upwards of 10 deer at a time you know there are too many. Last year I saw 25 Axis in a herd at one time.

Yeah, I have 37 acres that sits in a 2000 acre subdivision and there is 1 deer per 3 acres.

I could shoot 50 deer and it wouldn't be enough because the neighbors don't hunt.

Seems too much money to me. It is hard to believe you are not being taken advantage of, but then we don't have to hunt.

Ha! Yep Don, you right. Many parts of the Hill Co have too many deer for the habitat, especially does. That contributes to the reputation for the area having little deer. But, get the numbers down and watch the weights come up. We are routinely taking does now that are ~105 lb LW and I expect that to continue to increase.