LOL, you're loving that reputation, ain't you CHC? CHC lays out some good information. The prices he's mentioning are a bit low for the big buck areas of Texas. But for an overall cost across Texas he's pretty much on the money, depending on the amount of land and acreage per hunter.
BBD, your defintion of a big buck is your opinion, and that's what counts. We have 4 distictly different outdoor/sportsman based businesses that we do across Texas. Our best known is the one in our signature, but we also lease hunting land, do food plots/senderos and provide commericial hunting operation consultation.
I'd really encourage you to plan to start looking for a deer lease in January( north of highway 90)and February(south of 90) if you want a good chance at a dream buck Finding a good lease takes deligent searching, a quick phone and the ability to get out there and look over the lease ASAP. There are more people looking for a lease than there is land to lease. That's a fact, because the outfitter business has made it attractive to the landowner to lease to them. Ask CHC, he'll have the breath to describe the details. When our leases come open to lease we advertise and get 10-20 calls in the first two days. People will meet you at day break at the gate and they'll drive all night to get there.
We are procuring a 2,500 acre chunk of land and most likely more in south Texas in Febraury, 2006 and it will be leased by Valentines day. Guaranteed. And it won't be at the normal south Texas cost per acre, but less.
The cost per gun will run in the range CHC mentions and it will cost more in south Texas, then then Rolling Plains, then Hill country, then the Panhandle area from most expensive to less expensive. The eastern part of Texas will cost less than the other areas due to the smaller tracts of land overall and the "fewer" deer per acre east of IH35. Look at the TPWD deer limits for the counties and you'll see a parallel in the countiies and the cost per gun.
The closer to a metro area the leae is the more expensive, usually. The further away the lease is, the lower the cost per gun, usually. Extras like water, electricity, stands, roads, cabin, house, shelter, etc will raise the price, and the lack of those amenities should lower the price.
To specific comment on your question, you can expect to pay from $2,500 for a small lots of guns place to $5,000 and more for a spread out area in South Texas.
Hill Country, $1,500-$2,500 seems to be the norm. Rolling Plains Cross Timbers area, $1,600-$3,000 and up. Panhandle $1,200-$2,500 per gun.
All these are looking at eveything equally. If you find a 200 acre spot for say $1,500 a gun for 4 gun total, you are looking at $30 an acre for hunting about 50 acres a piece. The 2,000 acres we'll be acquiring in 2006 will be less than half of that per acre and close to 4 times as much land per hunter.
Consider how many acres total it will be, the amount of acres per hunter and the surrounding land. If you tour the land and see feeders and blinds on the fence line of the property across the fence, you'll have trouble, (that makes for a good place to dispose of the gut pile and the chamber pot if you have a set up for that.
)and get your agreement in writing. This is a business transaction and you need to protect yourself.
I figure there's a ton more, but someone else needs to talk.
We absolutely hate to see foks get ripped off when it comes to fishing and hunting and thats why we do what we do for a living. If someone wants to pay $6,000 in South Texas to hunt deer more power to them, but for that kind of money, they deserve to have plenty of something, either acres, deer, antlers, or something else. Meanwhile a $1,000 gun lease deserves to see deer and be treated fairly as well, just not neccessary as much of the things mentioned in the previous sentence.
BTW, I hunt south texas, and you wouldn't believe the price I pay for my spot if I told you.
Good luck and consider looking right after the season ends, lots of places come open right then. Oh yeah, network the work area, small towns, every place and everyone, you never know when it will pay off.
