Those land payments hurt for a long time but when it’s all paid for there’s nothing else like it.

I have young kids and work obligations that take up a lot of my time. I don't keep a lease in Texas because I don't love that style of hunting, don't have the time to hunt enough to make it worth it, and don't have time to do all of the off season work that makes it worth it. I very much prefer to do one or two out of state/international trips to get my hunting fix, and supplement it with some local duck hunting. I also take a lot of new or very casual hunters out for hogs. While I could take them out to some public that I don't scout regularly and hope for the best, it makes a lot more sense to me to spend a few hundred bucks and go somewhere that I know there will be hogs and not a bunch of other hunters. Personally, I love hog hunting and eating hogs, as well. I am at the point in my life that I have more money than time, so I am happy to have the opportunity to pay to hunt hogs.

I have a question that I thought about when these topics come up.
For those that don't like the idea of paying for hog hunting.

What if a land owner tells you I never charge for hog hunting but I charge a fee to access my property, a trespass fee. You get to hunt all the hogs you want but I charge a fee to everyone to cover any damage you might do while hunting?
Deer, hogs , predators, whatever etc. you pay a trespass fee to get on my land.
Would that sound reasonable to you?

Myself and one other hunt a place in east Texas for free in exchange for hog control. We are on call when there are hog problems and do other work days on the property. I now consider the landowner a close friend. We tried to add a third hunter to help. First ones just stopped going. I think some hunters think they are going to be able to just walk the woods and "blast a bunch of hogs" but find out it is not always that easy. Then even with us providing a tower stand and feeder in place with rules like not entering the back 2/3 of property and contacting the landowner when coming and going, each dropped out because they wanted no rules. We are talking free here. The last one we interviewed came back the next day with a guest after we told him no guests, then shot up and destroyed our reactionary targets on our gun range using high powered rifles. We gave up on adding a third partner and already tore the guest stand down. We are the exception obviously, but I don't know why a landowner would ever offer free or inexpensive hunting.

I did that 2-3 years ago. Sign is next to my pavilion.

Agri-tourism refers to outdoor activities where fees are charged. You do still benefit from many of the protections provided in Chapter 75 in the TX Civil Remedies Code.

In my opinion, that's a lease too. Probably falls under selling hunts by the day, weekend, or whatever.

Still paying to hunt.

I'm certainly not against anyone paying to hunt hogs, or anything else. If that's what they want to do, then I wish them the best.

I have paid to hunt deer before. Not many times, but a few, with mixed results. But hogs and coyotes... I have PLENTY of land to hunt for free. More than I can probably get around to.

Opinions; and I’ve heard a lot about greedy land owners from this site.

I’m a land owner who has gotten old and doesn’t hunt that much anymore. But, I keep my feeders filled for grandsons and guests. It’s a small 133 acre place about 75 miles from D/FW. I don’t live there.

But, nobody owes me anything and I don’t owe anybody anything. I remember paying for access to other peoples land to hunt. If the LO figured his wildlife was more than I wanted or could afford to pay, I looked elsewhere.I usually went to National Forests which means I often hunted out of state.

On the occasions that I got invited to hunt locally, I cut and stacked a lot of firewood and did other work to help them.

A young couple have hunted and killed some nice bucks on my place this year. Bucks that I would have liked to see. Yeah, I’m a little chagrined but firewood is cut and stacked. They even cut and split some to bring to my home in Hurst. A grandson and his buddy found a flat rear tire on one of my tractors, pulled it off, took it in for repair and didn’t tell me about it. I’m a little old to wrestle heavy stuff. It’s appreciated.

My recommendation is to hunt public property or find a landowner who could use some help. I can’t recommend buying land at these prices. And, my taxes, due to inflation, are dang sure more than a deer lease. I’ll probably sell this year. I know other owners with land about 100 miles from D/FW who are in the same boat.

If you’re young enough, hunt up a female who has a daddy with a ranch. Son in laws with calluses are a good deal. Especially if they can build fence.

Real estate taxes, after this many years, and inflation, is hitting me hard. It’s hitting that other greedy land owner hard also.

Every time someone complains about lease prices, shooting pigs for pay, high fence, they typically have 1 thing in common…

They don’t own or maintain any land…

Because the answer is always buy your own place and do what you want, how you want and when you want.

I watched about 50 pigs on my 100 acre wheat field last night but I was after a doe so I didn’t shoot any

But I am telling you, I wouldn’t allow a stranger on my place with a rifle for $1000 a pig

But it’s my place….

I’ve got an opinion. I have been on a lease since 2008, same one. We have a great deer population, I usually get my to bucks the first week of the season. But , we have no pigs. I like hunting them and they make great smoked sausage .

So yes, I typically pay once a year, sometimes twice, to kill a pig or two and I’ll keep doing it especially if I enjoy being around the LO which in this I do , he’s an active member of this forum as well

'Sure wish you hadn't said (posted) that.

Mine are (mostly) nocturnal, so I couldn't (ethically) charge for pig hunting if I wanted to.


This.