I'd pay for my share only, no free rides.

It depends on the situation. If I lease a ranch for 20 grand and find 9 other hunters to sub lease, it's none of their business what I paid. If I underestimate the value of the individual lease the difference is out of my pocket. It's a three sided contractual obligation. I can't just walk away from it.

Now, if 10 friends lease a place together, each is on the lease and one is the designated contact, that's a different story.


Many are chiming in without defining what they think a lease boss is.

If you don�t like it, leave it, or become the boss
I pay for my part of the lease, because it seemed worth what I was paying, if the lease boss comes out ahead, well God bless him. I don�t go around worrying about if I am paying more than another or that I am working more, I agreed to a $ and got what I agreed to.

Sounds like you had a civil action against somebody.

Out lease boss is real arsehole, he wouldn't even let me or Mrs. B shoot a buck last year. Cheap bastard makes me pay for all the corn!

Had a guy call me several years ago offering me a lease spot on a neighboring property. Don't need it since I have my own place but I thought I'd see what was involved. He went through all the details, number of hunters, costs, etc.
He didn't know that I know the landowner and also how much the hunting rights are leased for.
What he was getting from each member was enough to pay for his and his wife's way on the lease, and I also found out he and the wife had a "private" lease elsewhere that the consortium on the first lease was paying for- and they didn't know it.
Just another reason I'll quit hunting before I go back to leasing.

I hate friends like that!

Not sure if the lease members were in such a position but there was definitely a judgment received by the other heirs against the guy who had been getting all the money.

I did it for a long time and payed the same as everybody else

I am trying to remember, but I think years ago while on a lease out in Sterling City, the lease manager didn't pay for his spot. Everyone else did, but he was responsible for the lease in pretty much every way. If something went wrong, it was his [censored] that felt it from the landowner. He showed the lease, and then would check feeders for everyone as well. I guess if he does enough to warrant being able to hunt for free then so be it.
If not then, he should pay like everyone else.

I "managed" leases for 16 years, but was never considered a "boss". Yes, as stated above someone has to manage finances, electric, landowner requirements, etc. Everyone had full visibility into contract, electric bills and such. Paid my own way and then some, but that was my choice.

you betcha red rider

I almost got on a lease a couple of years ago where I wasn't sure if that was happening or not. Since we were supposed to pay the lease boss directly, I had no idea if the boss/bosses were paying or not.

On my current lease, each hunter has a contract with the property owner's LLC and each person pays the property owner directly. Our land owner also lives on-site and visits with us regularly. So it's a little different than the situation where you have an absentee land owner and one guy that talks to him/her.

I'm a landowner that leases out a good bit of property to hunters. Here is my perspective, gained by dealing with hunters. First off the hunting is about the least profitable thing I do with my property. The small dollar/acre sum it generates can easily be outweighed by the PITA factor. While I like the idea of sharing the hunting, especially with the young, a high percentage of hunters are completely clueless and unmotivated about taking care of my property. The time and manpower it would take to monitor and deal with would make it a losing proposition if I had to pay someone. That is where a good lease manager comes in. It's his time and his responsibility to see that my goals and interests on my property are not the impeded. The right guy taking responsibility for that, and me not having to worry with hunting or hunters, is worth the privilege of someone hunting free to me. Doesn't make two cents worth of difference how anyone else feels about it. I've had too many dumba$$es tear up roads, fences, crops, and even try to lock me out of my own place.

Lord knows I don't like to offend people so I'll try and be gentle. What's the difference between a salesman getting a commission on a 40 thousand dollar truck, a realtor getting a commission on a 150 thousand dollar house or a lease manager/boss taking his commission in trade for putting together the lease and taking on the responsibilities that go with it.

Example.
I'm the owner of say 5 sections and I want to lease it out for 2000 dollars a section. I have a man that tells me he can get that done and his commission for putting it together and handling the hunters is he hunts free. He takes the headaches of dealing with the hunter and also the responsibilities, I take the money. To be honest I think that's the way I would prefer it, I only have to deal with one person. I'm not sure how anybody can see a problem with this. The deal between him and I is nobodies business but ours, the rest is deals between him and the hunters.

A fool and his money are soon parted...

That is just as bad as the guy that organizes a hunt for a group and gets his "day hunt" as a freebie.

Probably more to that than you meant. With simple math. If you paid $2,000/acre and lease hunting for $10/acre you are making a half of one percent return on your investment. If you spend your time on projects at that return rate you won't own it for long.

There is no difference. Nobodies business.

His first name Bob???

I am fortunate that I do not have to deal with it.
But my play on it is if the LB does a good job and the hunting and environment is good for all the hunters then who cares, you get what you pay for

Now if the lease boss is an arrogant a hole and is abusing the lease by letting his family and friends hunt there, breaking game laws and acting like they own the place, then go some where else! Karma will catch up with them sooner than later

Years ago some buddies and I leased a big place outside of Fort Stockton. We sold guided hunts for the pronghorn tags and several mule deer hunts to some guys from Houston. We all hunted for free. Is that wrong?

Caveat emptor.

Under your circumstances and for you, probably not. With that stated I hunted and guided in Pecos County till about the last 4 yrs. There was only 8 landowner tags issued prior to 2011 to private ranches (not many antelope). After that no tags were issued due to the significant die off in area more so in the Davis Mountains towards Alpine. So maybe not wrong on your part but illegal as hell. Also note if you tell me it was NOT Pecos County all surrounding counties pretty much banned the hunting within the last few yrs as In Brewster etc. Oh look were is states LANDOWNER CONSENT, You are not or were not the Landowner.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/animals/pronghorn#permits
Pronghorn Antelope May be Harvested by Permit Only
For all pronghorn harvested in Texas, a permit must be properly and completely filled out and attached anywhere on the pronghorn. Pronghorn permits are issued to the landowner or landowner�s agent in most areas where there is an open season for pronghorn (the Trans-Pecos, Permian Basin and Panhandle); however, the department is testing an experimental, buck-only season in selected areas of the Panhandle. On properties within the experimental areas, hunters must obtain a FREE Experimental Pronghorn permit directly from the department or a participating local merchant, not from the landowner. Hunters must still obtain landowner consent to hunt (killing a pronghorn without landowner consent is a felony, see Unlawful Activities). Additionally, hunters must present the entire head (intact) of any harvested pronghorn at a designated check station within 24 hours of take. For more information on the experimental buck-only season in the Panhandle, including maps of the areas, locations where permits may be obtained, and locations of mandatory check stations, call (800) 792-1112, or see FAQs about pronghorn permits.