This is a bit long but I'll put it in a nutshell. Landowner has been absent for 8+ years. She is my neighbor and happens to be my stepmom. There are tons of water troughs out of water or with leaks. She wants me to go fix the water and in turn I can graze goats. Hunters say No, we're leaving if that happens. But Cows are ok. I fix some of the water anyway, the rest involves new pipe and probably new troughs. He told the landowner to let me fix the waters and then I could show him how it all works. THen they say if I put cows out there they are leaving, not enough grass. This place is covered in cedar, fences are horrible but it has tall old grass all over the place. Then they wanted her old house. I told her if my hand lived there he would up keep the place, check waters, put out salt and mineral and be an on the ground guy. If you gave it to the hunters, it would only be used during season and wouldn't help with any of the other issues. She decides my guy can live there. They already had a very nice hunting camp with a double wide. The hunters back out of the lease. They come to move all their stuff off. Two days later we find that they had left the AC on full blast in the double Wide and PROPT the door open! I couldn't believe it. We have heard them shoot after dark with high powered rifles, not 100%, but pretty sure they were shooting deer after dark and basically hunting the place out. Its 5440 acres and I've been there at least 20 times in the past 3 months checking water and have seen only a handful of deer. You drive on our place and see deer all the time. It is there decision to lease it or not but the attitude they had seemed to me like they thought they owned the place and would rather have no water and no deer than someone running livestock and keeping up the place, but also might see what they are doing out there. Anyway, just had to rant a bit.

It is their decision to stay or leave. Blasting the AC and leaving the door open is downright childish though. With those kind of tenants, I'd say you're better off without them.

If she wants to lease it out let me know what she is looking for. Just browsing for a place for my family. No one else.

sounds like its a good thing they're gone anyways if thats how they are going to react.



oh and........

That is why we and lots of our friends that are landowners no longer lease to hunters. Dealing with people telling us what we can and cannot do with our property was the last straw. It has been easier to say no than deal with the leasers.

I understand your position but things go both ways. There are hunters that take very good care of the land and in many instances leave it in just as good or better shape than before they arrived. There are also hunters like mentioned above. This also applies to land owners as well. Some are great to lease from and others not so much.

It is really just like any other business. Good and bad on both sides of the fence.

So you're looking for new hunters? I have no problem hunting with live stock, thats how i grew up hunting. Sounds like your step-mom made the right decision, suck to not have it leased and be missing the money this year, but it will work out for the better.

We have declined to lease our place for hunting or grazing as there just isn't enough money in it to offset the hassles and liability. The land will sit idle even though we have all new perimeter and cross fencing.

+1

I say good riddance. Sounds like she did not lose much. As hot as the lease market is, she should have no problem finding a new group of hunters who will actually respect her and the property.

You hear so many stories like this from one side or the other. But the truth is it IS very possible to have a great relationship between landowners and leasers. Just takes the right attitude and maturity from each side.

Well...good riddance. No hunter has a right to tell the owner what to do. If you don't like it, leave. I can't imagine calling the owner or rancher and telling him to move the cows to a different pasture and dang sure can't imagine telling them they couldn't run livestock.

The way I look at leasing is that ain't my world, I am just passing through. If they need help, I help... Who am I kidding, I just bribe the rancher to get what I want

Bribe now there is a novel idea

But I do agree with you on the fact of not believing a leaser could possibly think they have the right to demand all that those "gentleman" demanded. I say kudos to the OP's stepmom for not giving in

I wouldn't lease mine unless they paid me enough to go buy another place.

I leased one time, that was enough for me. Leased to 2 guys and by the 2nd weekend of hunting season they where kicked off. 2nd weekend I had 7 people hunting there (only 2 allowed) and my neighbor caught 3 hunting his place, 2 went to jail.

For many, they feel spending money gives them some kind of "entitlement", even if you spell out the rules, they only see it one way.

I ended up finding it better to just allow who I wanted out on our land.

Your mom made the right choice and probably not to soon.

Her land, her choice. She wants to let you run goats in exchange for maintaining the water, her right. Some people have no damn sense. Good riddance to those hunters and have mercy on the owner of the place they end up.

+1

+2
And I know how to fix water pipes LOL

The hunters were stupid anyway, grass will out compete forbs unless it's grazed, a sound rotational grazing program helps would improve the productivity for deer. Over grazing is bad but if you don't remove the coarse grass the carrying capacity for deer diminishes.

Agree until you start talking goats....They compete are a bigger level.

Good riddance. Plenty of good leasers out there.
Goats or not. If you don't like it, renegotiate, or go away. Don't be a turd.

I have Goats "Ibex" and deer. They seem to get along alright. I usually take them out before I start hunting. Mainly because I don't want anyone shooting one of them. I don't lease mainly because of problems like was said before.. Now I just have hunters out during the season. If I have a problem they don't come back. Works great for me and I can decide how many deer I want taken each year. And I don't over charge and have never had a problem with getting the amount of deer I want taken.

So many good folks looking for a lease that will put work into the property to make it better. Send those other guys packing. To bad they were arseholes before they left.

I have has the same lease for the last 5 or 6 years now. The owner has leased the land to cattle rights as well. The guy that runs cattle is as nice as can be but if I could get rid of those D_ m _ cows they would be history. They tear my fences down and eat all the corn they follow me to my stand like I am going to feed them. If he sells the property to me later as we discussed in the past the cattle are gone never to return.

My sentiments exactly. Good riddance. Find you some good hunters and move on