new lease help

I have finally found a possible lease in the area i want and a price that is good. I have never had a lease and have always hunted public land. I would like to ask everyone, what should i look out for so i don't get taken? I already asked the basic questions. I am clueless about this and would appreciate any positive comments or help in this matter. Thank you.

First thing is look for deer tracks. Walk around and see if you see any sign of deer. Make sure you know the difference between a hog track and a deer track.

Some questions

Are there formal rules?
What is punishment for breaking?
Are there harvest or time limits?
Can other people hunt your blinds ?
Family or friends allowed?
Drinking?
Required to feed?
Year round access?

first off, are you dealing directly with the landowner, lease boss (one of the hunters put in charge by landowner or self appointed), or a lease broker?

hand shake deal or is there a lease agreement with rules involved?

is the lease open hunting (anyone can hunt anywhere) or assigned hunting area per hunter.

what game is allowed to be taken (along with size, age, etc.)

various rules about family members, guests and if they are hunting off the paid hunters allotment or their own

just some of the up front things that came to mind.

No, first off find out if there are any deer. The questions can come later.

I will be going to look at the property within 2 weeks.

What Don K says. Look for deer and tracks. Ask to meet the property in early am, take your time looking at the property, get out of veh and walk looking deer for sign. If possible ask if you can go back to the property at dusk watch, glass if any open areas for deer. If its 2 weeks before you go, do some pre-work about the area by visiting feedstore, hardware store, local café, any deer/hog processor etc. in closest town and inquire about deer in area, the specific property/landowner your interested in and listen for clues about the property/landowner/lease, etc.

well yeah ... I thought he had already looked at the place ... My bad!!!

Definitely scout around a lot looking for deer tracks, deer crap, oh and I would suggest maybe get there right at dawn. Besides being cooler if there are deer you would have a better chance of maybe even spotting some in the early morning hours. Try not to let the guy showing you around get in a hurry, plan on spending some real time out there scouting for signs. You could also ask if their were people leasing it before you and why they left or were they kicked out? I asked this and the land owner gave me the guys number lol. I called him and he was just getting too old and the guy that was with him got married and just didn't have the time to hunt anymore (or new wifey set down some new rules). But man I got a wealth of information from that old guy and I got along with the landowner well enough that she asked me to take over and be "the lease manager for her".

Cover
Is it from craiglist

Dad and I spent 4 hours walking a 1000 acre lease. We saw tons of deer and lots of pig signs. Come deer season, we never saw 1 deer. Dad spent weeks at a time out there, often spending all day in the field. You can say it was bad luck or a bad season, but we cut our losses even though we knew that lease had/has potential

Yes, i found it on craigslist.

Just determine what your Risk/Reward is and go have fun

Sometimes just getting away and enjoying yourself without drama and relaxing around quality folks is priceless.

And as long as it's NOT Young County..go for it and Good Luck Sir

Several years ago I got a lease with 2 friends we each paid 1000.00 each for the season. The owner took us around the property in his truck showing us the property it was supposed to be 160 acres. once we got set up it seemed we were awfully close to each other. I went on google and calculated the acreage based on the boundries he stated and it turned out it was only 90 acres. The season had started but when I challenged the owner he said so what do you wan to do. He didn't deny my assertion. I wanted to kick his but However we settled for 1/2 our money back. Did not return the next year had few deer and way too small and area.

Couple of questions
Does he own the land next to the one you lease?
What are your hunting boundaries?
If someone owns the land next to his get name maybe visit with those owners.
How far from fence line for feeders and blind?
Camp fires, can you cut wood there?
Any livestock?
Campsite, water, electricity- what extra dollars, or have electric in your name(had to do that before)

Thank you everyone for your possitive answers and comments. I asked the lease manager some more questions and he told me i ask too many questions and he does not want me on the lease. So i guess it was not meant to be. So i am looking for a lease in Texas for deer and hogs to take my children hunting and to enjoy the outsoors. Thanks again.

lease is in area U want, price is with-in your budget....
You've always hunted PL so that's a plus, knowing what ta look for, type of brows, cover...

As far as getting taken, as they say: gotta pay ta play ...

Wow that stinks. It wasn't meant to be... Sounds like he was not a person to lease from if he got annoyed with you that easy.

In my experience you want as much land as you can afford. You don't want to join hunt clubs unless they have lots of land vs number of hunters. Depending on cover, a good lease should give a guy at least 200 acres to exclusively hunt yourself. I have a place in west tx that is awesome but the ground there is more open so it hunts small. You need more land there... 400a per person at least.

A few things to avoid:
nighthunting
Land located near small land parcels
Overgrazed ranches.. Especially ones with tons of goats and sheep. No browse no deer.
Man I could go on and on:)
It's a huge investment between time and money if you can't do it right it's best to not do it at all. You can apply for public hunts or book a few pay hunts and still save time and money. Pm me if you like a know of a lady leasing here in Wimberley. It's a small property but you'll have the whole place to yourself and no live stock on neighboring hunters.

Life's too short to be on a lease with a sphincter. You "ask too many questions" means A. You're smarter than he is, and B. you're smart enough to find out he's up to no good. I know it's probably hard to see right now, but, even if you don't find a place this year, you're better off.

I'd stay away from craigslist deer leases.