Welp, I just found out that after being told we could fence off part of his place to hunt on and I started sinking a lot of time and money into it (feeder, corn, labor, blind, etc.), my FIl has decided to lease it to an oil co. and the prime spot to drill is right where my blind sits. The field is about 150 acres, but has a total of 2 trees that are over a couple of yrs. old-the rest is just grass, small mesquites, and weeds. As such, the feeder is near one tree and the blind is near the other and it works great, as is, but it's just about the only workable option due to the layout of the place. If they drill, the proceeds will be split between my wife and her siblings, but will trash our hunting spot. I've taken a 152" deer off of another part of the place where hunting has been nullified by the neighbor selling his place (was on a fenceline with the neighbors blessing), then we started this spot and I took a 147 2\8" last year and my stepson took a double drop-tine 10 pt. in the same spot.
I don't know whether to be happy about the $$$ or sad about busting my axx only to see it trashed.
Of course it's still in the planning stage, so I guess I'll continue as-is, but I'm gonna be pixxed if it happens this year-I just planted a food plot and the boys are just starting to hit the feeder again.

Unfortunately, its his property to do what he wants with it!!!

Use the money to buy more land!

I think your attitude towards this "mental conflict" will change when you check your mailbox at the first of every month after they are done. Mailbox money has a way of changing ones attitude about things.

Keep the feeder running while they are working on the well then hunt it this fall, Whitetails are adaptive critters and something like an pumpjack they get acustom to rather quickly. Food plot what you can and enjoy the $ and the hunt.

They did that on my place and nothing changed at all with the game. My feeder was 100 yards from the new well location. Deer hit it all during construction and kept on thereafter. Ended up with a nice new road, new metal gate and no change in hunting.

Hhmmm, I wonder if they'll let me hunt from the derrick?

Back in 1969 and 1970 we had a lease on 277 south, past View but before the reduced speed limit. There was an abandoned tank battery. First year we set up hay bales on top of one and used it as a blind. The next year we built a box, it gave us good elevation and no need for a tower.

x10

Well, I suppose it depends on how big said check is, but it's going to have my wife's name on it, and in her world, shoes, clothes, T.V.'s, etc. are much more important than hunting. I may be jumping the gun though, it hasn't leased yet.

Make sure they get a good Oil & Gas attorney that has the families interest at heart. Do not take the Oil companies lease they offer. It is in their favor 100% of the time. Get one written that suits your families needs first and foremost. Current dollars per acre for the lease bonuses can be good to great depending on the area. Make sure you get the most for your share of the production. Current in South Texas is 25% of production for directional/horizontel drilled wells.
Take this as an example. At $90/bbl for oil it don't take much to get one excited. If your wifes lease is at 20% share of production and she has all the acres in the pool/well then on the production/income from well it can add up fast. If the well makes 100bbl of oil per day at the end of the month you would be at 3000bbl x $90 (current price for oil/bbl) x .20 for your share you would be at $54,000 for that month alone. If you are at 25% of production it is even greater. Wells in South Texas in the Eagle Ford are doing from 200bbl/day up to 1000+ per day or more when they come into production. Like I said mailbox money is very nice.

If it's mostly gas you'll want to go slap them every month at this point in time.

Read today where "they" are predicting dry gas to stay at $2.50 till maybe 2015.

That's not such a bad thing, gives you time to get finances right and gameplan on keeping it.

Here is the read on it.
http://mysoutex.com/view/full_story_karnes/18776141/article-Expert-calls-Karnes-County-%E2%80%98Ground-Zero%E2%80%99-of-Eagle-Ford-Shale?instance=karnes_news_lead_story

And then itll be split between the siblings.

There is a pump jack on our lease & it doesn't bother the game at all. We weren't on there at the time it was installed, but from what we were told, they adapted & pay it no mind.

some of the best hunting I have had was within several hundred yards of a oilfield site. once the deer get use to the noise things will go back to normal

killed deer sitting by pump jack

Buy more land

Fortunately, it doesn't seem that you are paying for the lease, so bve happy to have one. I understand the aggrivation of all the work put out..... but trust me, your very lucky! I kick myself for not marrying into land!

My daughter hasn't been allowed to marry yet. None of the suitors have had the proper qualifications. Huntable land and plenty of it.

They'll probably start drilling around November 3rd........

(Devil made me do it!)

You are a very bad man!