The lease I am on used to be a communal lease, we shared the work, the cost of the corn, electric bills etc and we would draw cards before each hunt. High card got stand choice. I eventually became lease manager and kept the rules in place until the group of guys that I have now and they only wanted to hunt there own stand. So this works out better for me because I never drew high card before, so now I have the place that was always my favorite and where my tower is. All mine now.

Exactly this. If I saw again some of the jackwagons I have been on deer leases with I would be in jail or the penitentiary. Life is too short for drama like that.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Nothing can change a man's demeanor any quicker than a deer rifle.

My place is 300 acres has 3 feeders setup and there are 2 of us that hunt it regularly if one of us take a buddy we ask that they buy 2 bags of corn and really don't put rules on where they hunt or what they kill. We hunt all 3 sets and have 2 large wheat fields we threw pop up blinds in. If one of us hunt the wheat fields then their blind is open. I built box blinds and they're big enough for 3 to hunt people. We have 2 300lb feeders and one 225lb feeder that we keep full. each of us take a couple bags of corn each trip and top off feeders. But we don't fight or argue about the area we plan to hunt. We choose before we all get there. We have the named the wheat field, the road blind, the bottom field, and the woods. I like to hunt the bottom field but if my buddy says he wants to hunt there oh well I'll go to another spot. We just try to ride together and the person that hunts the bottom field drops everyone else off since you basically drive past or close to the other spots.

When you have multiple paid hunters on a lease. You need a lease manger and a set of rules written up by the lease manager and signed at the start of each hunting year. If you cant live with the rules set out then find you another lease. The lease we hunt on has a map of the lease with marked stand locations. If someone hunts any stand location including their own, its marked with a pen. All stands on our place are open to any paid hunter, if the original hunter is not there or coming down to hunt.

I get mad just reading some of these rules. I am now 74 years old. There are 10 times more rules in everyday life than there were 50 years ago. Now you got lease rules and a manager to enforce them? Amazing

no reason to get mad about how someone else runs a lease - as stated here multiple times we all have the freedom to hunt where we want - some folks like a structured lease and some don't - just pick the type that fits you best

Have you met today's younger people? Not many of them were raised to 'do right' on their own, and it only takes one louse to screw it up for a whole lot of us. With today's litigious society, rules sadly need to be there to protect the landowner.

tlk has said this many times and I always agree with him. I couldnt state it any better so I just suggest rereading his.

Man. Leases are like wet farts. You just never know when one is going to escape and cause a mess on you. I have been on leases with what I considered "close friends" and on some that just came up and I joined.

I really never had one that was "super smooth". There was always the bickering of stands, work days, feed, bills etc. Take the good with the bad or try and find a better lease. People are not really mentally geared in your favor and vice versa. If we all were to get along we would not need next President elect Joe Biden. Peace.

Agreed👍

I just don't get it. There are leases that are well run with rules that everyone agrees to before signing up. If you read the rules and do not agree with them then don't get on that lease! Pretty simple IMO.

Nobody makes someone else sign up for a lease - at the end of the day each of us makes the decision to join a particular lease. I joined several leases over the years that claimed they were run a certain way and once I realized that they were not run in the manner I was told I left that lease.

In our case our rules are common sense and all our members agree to respect each other and follow the ranch owners guidelines. The lease manager (me) follows the exact same rules as the other members - I have never in 13 years broken one of our rules. In fact I go overboard to make sure I never get any advantage over any other lease member. I have passed on many a trophy deer so that another member could get that deer. I also pay exactly the same money that all the other members pay. Our lease members share pictures and try to help other members get on good deer. I realize this is not the norm but I also know there are other leases run the same way.

So my point is this -just because you have not found a lease run this way do not believe for a second that they do not exist. If you are looking for a lease that has no rules and each hunter does pretty much whatever they want to do then those are out there too - your choice

I will present a different take. John would be the lease manager. John found the lease and good leases usually take some time and work to find. Even bad ones do too these days. He as lease manager I assume handles collecting the money from lease members and trust me that can be a real headache. So he handles the money and deals with the landowner. He would be the one to find and vet any new members each season. As lease manager the absolute suckiest thing he has to do is handle disputes between lease members, landowner, rancher, etc. You can have a democracy, but ultimately someone has to have a final word and that is usually the lease manager or one that found the lease to begin with and that usually ends in him not being liked by one or more lease members at times. If he wants the member who graciously provided a trailer and storage container to have first shot at hunting his stand, so be it. He is the lease manager! If you suspect it's a buddy deal? Oh well. It's just not worth the drama to give him hell if that is all he has done and drama is not what you go to the lease for. It's only one stand out of over half a dozen stands that could be hunted. It will be a done deal and over by next season. Throw principle to the wind and enjoy yourselves. If the hunting sucks or the group still don't mesh, find another to move to before next season. But don't let it ruin this season for you.

This threads been around long enough that ive forgotten the original issue but as far as general comments on the overall subject I think Sniper Johns is real good. Worth a read by anyone leasing with a group.

Sounds like no big deal. Y'all just got on it. Enjoy it. In a few weeks no one will care where y'all sit and hunt.

very well put sir

Agreed

I am on year number five as the manager of a lease, and also am a member of another lease. My advice is that if you don't care for the lease you just joined, then move on. How it is run is most likely not going to change. However, I do hope you make the most of it this season. On both leases I mentioned, each member has an assigned area. No one else can hunt it, without permission. Works out great, and is clearly stated in the lease agreement.

Deer leases can bring out the stupid in people and not just the guys you hunt with some of the ranchers I’ve leased from we’re off the chart bad. Drive 6 hours to hunt and locked out cause rancher decided to have a party and didn’t want anybody there so they could drive around and shoot up the place. My list goes on and on!

Is this guy self appointed or was there any discussion about it?

Suggesting a coup?

many lease managers make a good deal of money and will get very protective of their income stream. I was on one for a long time in Irion co. Had written rules that all had to sign, but those only applied
to people that didnt kiss his butt. Had to pay Homage to the all powerful manger. He was also the judge of if your deer met the rules which changed every year. He had friends that would come down a week before season ended and fill their tags. Also had to email or call before going to lease and ya know what that means. Finish this year and get the out as fast as ya can

jimbob, good points about the experience you had. Some leases are run well, some are not. The person on the lease that has to follow the rules to the letter, is the lease manager. If he does not, then the rules do not mean much, and respect from the members is lost. I am not sure how many lease managers make an income stream off a lease. Sometimes their spot is subsidized. Also they may be responsible personally for any spots that are not filled, and have to come out of pocket (I have). It is easier to find a lease you enjoy, pay the fee, and enjoy it, versus being the manager.

You got that right! I have been lease manager for 13 years and I pay the same amount that all the lease members pay. In fact if I counted my gas, etc. I end up paying more than any member.
I also agree that the lease manager has to follow the rules to the letter and not take advantage of the position in anyway.

I am also the only name on the lease so I am responsible for paying the LO all of the money whether I find hunters to fill the spots or not. To me the number one job (and most difficult) is to find the right fit for our ranch and camp when I have to find a new lease member.

Many hours spent but all in all I enjoy it because we have such a good group of folks on the lease.

^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^


Shoot your allotted deer this year and get the hell off.

Lease rules should be in writing and crystal clear. If they are not, this is what you get!

I do NOT like community stands one bit unless all feed throughout the year is 'community purchased'.
Unless all feed is bought as a group and dispensed you will always have those that spend much more and feed much more than others yet those that don't spend that extra money always gravitate to the other stands of other hunters who've spent the money and fed more because they've typically drawn more and better deer in!