We leased from a rancher that had UT land leased and he had no problems lying every time he opened his mouth. We signed a 5 year contract that required us and all others to feed protein. We subleased which ranch owner/leaser approved of, had boundaries, penalties for breaking rules, and spent a lot of time enforcing the rules. At one time we had 25 sections leased from that family. We were assured that if things went smoothly, we could up for another 5 years. At the end of the 5 year period after the season, the landowner saw one of our partners in the lease filling up with gas and informed him that we needed to start getting our stuff off of his land. 5 years of protein which we were beginning to see positive results from, 5 years of spending lots of weekends there and always having a lease operator down there any time someone was hunting, down the drain. We paid for helicopter surveys to use to set the number of deer that could be killed. Of course the rancher never agreed to that number, so we always had to alter it and kill fewer than the TP&W recommended because the rancher knew best. We interrupted numerous poachers in the act and saved the rancher countless hours of work by helping out around the place, but in the end---enough was not enough. Never once did he call a meeting with us to express problems that we or any of our hunters had caused. But in the end, enough was not enough as he knew he would be able to lease it again and again. The family never leased to any group for more than 5 years. That kept the deer fed with protein and assured a lease agreement long enough for hunters to feel good about the place. But at the end of 5 years you are leaving no matter what. We treated the landowner with respect, helped him and his family with stock and ranch chores like keeping water in all pastures. We occasionally had to relieve a hunter of their hunting privileges, but we thought we ran a good lease. Apparently not according to the rancher, but no guidance on his part except to leave.

Several times through the years have dealt with ranchers & farmers that just straight up lied about things. Had lots that were best people ever & still friends with them. Dealing with lying people is what drove us to buying our own place. It doesn't matter what type of job/living people do, just some are a straight up POS. No morals or integrity.

never had a bad rancher, had a road nazi but I get that part.

It will sort of sour you on the leasing deal, but there are good and bad in all endeavors.

Road Nazi? We had a pumper that thought he owned the place just because he rented a house from our land owner. Biggest deer lease PITA we ever had to deal with. This idiot would bitch about anything, none of it his business. A real Roy D. Mercer type. He got water from one of the stock tanks that was great fishing, and swimming. He griped big time when he found out we swam in it and had for years before he took over the wells. We kept doing it, until he put up a NO SWIMMING sign. Note to jerk, don't piss people off that are alone with your water.

If roads are wet you better be in a SxS or UTV. He doesn't want ruts. I get it. Obviously he has had an issue with it in the past.

It sounds like they honored the 5 year contract. And it also sounds like you all were trying to be good stewards of the land while you had it leased.

It sucks but time to move on.

Appears like the rancher was leasing instead of an actual landowner? Right?

Land owner was University of Texas. Land usually stays under the stewardship of the same family for years and years and the amount the land leaser pays UT is not very much compared to what the rancher gets in return.

I guess the worst one was the one who came through at night and spot lighted. I would draw a line in the sandy road and the next morning there were truck tires across them. We were all local hunters and he couldn`t hunt it during the week and never knew when we would be there, so he made up a lie after 2 years about the property being sold. The next season, him and some friends hunted it. Why not just tell the truth and say were just not gonna lease it next year.

Got on another lease where the LO let friends hunt and only charged minimal $$. I got on thru my son and not really his friend. The downside was he liked telling you where you could hunt, and you never knew when he would just show up the last 30 minutes of the evening and F up your hunting by driving thru the whole lease with a gun sticking out the window. He really wasn`t a bad LO, but just a pain in the [censored] if you were serious about your hunting.

Never had a bad owner that I can remember. Had a couple of lease bosses that were pretty sorry. The main reason I bought my own place back in 1998, tired of dealing with jerks.

What’s with all the negative threads? Why is everything always a “ what’s the worst” topic?

It's becoming a national mood

I think the age of the forum is starting to shine through, bunch of whine bagging poor pitiful me bitchfest threads that are seemingly getting worse by the day. I’m waiting on the “My Depends Leak” thread to pop up any day now

Deer season is over----worst time of the year.

Posting negative topics or whining about negative topics that are posted. It's like a Karen contest.

So sorry I am not a manly man like you think you are.

Have you seen what drives the news cycle the last 8-10 years? Sad to say, but it's like negative comments on a product vs. positive.

Manly topics, like "How Strong Are You, relative to your size", "Now Drinking", "Current State of Country Music"..........jump in one of those and you'll get your man card back.

I didn’t quote you so if the statement applies to you, that was your conclusion.

How about I just run anything I want to say on here by the resident expert, you? Would that make you feel better?

Or, develop a sense of humor?

I think I will just try to stick to my own business. Maybe you should also.

Is designating me the resident expert on everything minding your own business?

Question for BenBob, you said the rancher saw one of the lease members filling up with gas....was this a gas tank on the land or at a service station outside the ranch?

I could totally see the rancher getting peeved about someone using a gas tank that was not part of the lease, that is tantamount to stealing from the family and I would have the same attitude toward people that were leasing from me.

But I don't want to assume here so figured I would ask before jumping to that conclusion.

Even so, maybe the family just didn't want people on their "land" even though it technically isn't their land. Some people like too much control, and when allowing other people onto their property, control is lost no matter how tight the lease is. Sounds like you did your part, I don't see anything the rancher did was wrong either, both honored agreements but at the end of said agreement the deal is over.

Not really. I would have to believe it was a huge exaggeration.

So critical comments about other people’s thread topics is minding your own business? Interesting concept. I think the thread is worthwhile, because others can read about what can go wrong on a lease, and folks can learn from it to know what to watch out for. If you really want to mind your own business though there’s a sign off tab you can click.

Thanks for clarifying. Have a nice day.

I leased a place for five years that the land "owner" claimed had been in family for generations. Had to clear my stuff the week before season started because he only had grass rights leased on the place and when some distant, out of town family showed up to check on the property they were none to happy to find a deer camp, feeders and stands. I should have learned my lesson but me and dad wanted to hunt, season was about to start and he had another place down the road so we moved there. Swore it was his and we wouldn't have the same trouble. Couple years later the rates went up because all the family needed more money. Family, what family? I thought this was your place...... I was done after that. A couple of people on with us chose to stay and some more crazy [censored] happened the next couple years til they had enough also.

Both times it was "complicated" was his answer. Not going to lie I had some great times out there and killed some pretty nice deer so I guess in the end I can't bitch too much.

In my view I do not think a post like this is negative. There are a bunch of hunters on this forum with tons of experiences and history on many things. I enjoy the discussions and real life events some on here have encountered.

Very easy to identify who really owns land using county websites. And between Facebook, Linkedin, and other online resources, you stand a good chance of finding contact information for them. If nothing else, send a letter to the address of the person who has been paying the taxes that's shown on the county tax office website.

I've already shared my story in another thread how the guy who was subleasing to me did so without the landowner's permission. It took me less than 30 minutes to locate the landowner's telephone number. All good now.

4 year lease had ended so new agreement/contract was to be signed but LO never got us one. He wanted his payment at same time as in the past in May so we gave him that and he cashed the check. We kept the feeders going and such through the Summer. I went by his house some trying to get the new contracts but never got one we had one and he said we were good. One dropped of the 6 members dropped off the lease so we picked up another and knew he would want him to sign at least btu several attempts he never had one for him to sign. Opening weekend of dove season we were told since to vacate the lease that weekend have everything off of it by sundown Monday or it was his since we had never signed a lease agreement for he new years which he never provided to us to sign.

Talked to the constable that lived close by and he said we could take him to court if we wanted to hunt it since taking and keeping the $ created a good faith contract. We just pulled the stuff off the place and grabbed a couple smaller places to hunt. At the opening day of deer season BBQ that land owner tried to start some crap with us but went home when the constable and game wardens stepped in and told him he best go home and not come back they knew what he had done breaking a good faith contract.

Wound up he had leased it out from under us to some of his friends that paid $1200 a year more than we were paying. No increase was ever discussed with us, no new contract provided but he wanted his payment by X date and he got it, then held the $ after leasing it to someone else while holding our $ for 3 months.

GWs checked his hunters camp several times and wrote a few tickets.

Yea good info. Never occurred to me place wasn't his. I found it through a friend that had known the guy for a while and leased another spot from him. He was farming and running cows on both places I hunted so never crossed my mind he was lying about the 1st one. Same thing on the 2nd one, which apparently he had rights to but place was owned by multiple heirs in his family or something.

Many years ago a guy who had the grazing rights to a large place leased it to us for spring turkey in the first spring seasons in Texas. After a couple of years we met the land owner who was very unhappy with him. She ended up leasing it to us for several years in a year round lease.

large majority of ranches are now in LLC’s, Trusts or Corps, and it will continue to grow for tax and inheritance reasons . So even with apps like Onx that pull data off Tax appraiser sites, you arent going to find the owners. You may get a last name but most likely not. Now you can get address the tax bill goes too.

When we had the issue there wasn't an interweb.

Hey Thumper, gotta agree

I’ve noticed that about the large ones.

Yes, it can be a great test of character when you refrain from saying a word when someone accuses you of "starting chit" after you've caught them in their lies and deception.

My advice is to become a landowner. May be a smaller place, but you’ll be the boss.

Agree on becoming a landowner. Might not be a big place but I seldom hunt over about 20 or so acres when I’m watching a feeder. Or, form a group and buy bigger places.

I bought a house because I got tired of renting. I bought a POS hunting land that nobody but me wanted.

Or, save the $ and hunt out of state. I would rather have one high country elk hunt than a season of Texas whitetails.

Haven’t been on as many leases as most but mine were all positive. Personally I feel like a lot of hunters look at what they are paying and think it’s a lot and want a lot of control and that’s just not how it is.

My feelings also ^^^^^^

'Last lease I was on was a big place with multiple groups of hunters. The LO liked me alright, but I knew he liked to throw fits over little things. As stated above, he didn't let on, but there were multiple heirs. I can understand how trying to keep a way of life going that is dying very quickly can create an incredible amount of stress on a man. 'Glad I got off when I did.