PSA on finding a lease

Just my effort to help those seeking a place to hunt based on many years of hunting Texas leases.

If you are looking for a deer lease in Texas here is the reality of your quest:

1. Texas leases are provided by private landowners who decided to allow strangers to come onto their property, stay there for days, and kill the game on their ranch. Think about it - it is equivalent to letting a stranger come live on the property where your home is. So rightfully so, most of them are very careful about who they allow to access their land. ALWAYS treat another man's property as if it were your own.

2. GOOD Texas leases are NOT CHEAP. The market is the market. Let's put this in context ........ if you, for example, want to sell your truck you want the best possible price you can get in today's marketplace. If your truck is in excellent shape and low miles then you have the right and can expect top price. Landowners are no different - if they have a quality ranch then they should be allowed to ask top price in today's market. If that is above your budget then just move on - do not complain to the land owner or anyone else about the price they are asking. Nobody is forcing you to accept their price.

3. On the other side is that there are, unfortunately, many deer leases in Texas that are crap. The landowner is trying to put way too many guns on a small piece of property. Some landowners will give great lip service to what they know you want to hear .... "we are well managed, ranch has not been hunted in years, etc." There are landowners who want your money but do not want you to come hunt their property. If it sounds too good to be true for the price they are asking then guess what? ALWAYS bottom line look at what the cost is per acre for the area you are hunting - if it has great amenities then that can affect the price. If you are required to feed protein at your cost then that can affect the price. If it sounds to good to be true then it is to good to be true. Move on and go elsewhere.

4. When searching for a lease - the more restrictions you list about the location that you will accept greatly narrows your chance of success. The more requirements you list (must have lodging, year around access, etc.) the more limited your chances of securing a lease. For me if the ranch is quality then all the other factors can be worked out.

5. IF you are fortunate enough to run across a ranch/lease that is open and feels right then do not hesitate to ask for pictures of the deer taken along with a copy of the landowner's contract and lease rules. If a landowner hesitates on providing pictures, a legal lease agreement, and a written copy of their rules then move on.

6. IF number 5 above is provided then go see the place in person ASAP. Meet the landowner eyeball to eyeball and drive the ranch. Ask lots of questions. If it is a quality lease and ranch the landowner should not hesitate to answer your questions. If it all feels and looks good then be prepared to give him payment on the spot. If you don't, it most likely will be leased out the next day to a different group.

If you play your cards right and are fortunate enough to find the right landowner for the type of lease you want then you can end up with many years of enjoyment. It always boils down to mutual respect between the landowner and the lease hunter.

Good luck to all

There is another option besides private property. Especially if you live in east Texas you can try to lease timber company land. When I sat "try" I mean some companies lease thru a bid process- you win the bid you win the property to hunt. You don't have to live in east Texas to bid but east Texas folks know what hunting in east Texas is like. I currently lease three timber company tracts, the longest for over 10 years, They have their own special problems that you have to put up with, but as a general rule you can lease it for pretty much as long as you want- you don't have to worry about the land owner dying and the kids selling it out from under you. They won't have the amenities that many would like but pricing is pretty reasonable considering what some private properties are leased for.

And there is public hunting available no doubt.

My post was intended for the many folks who come on this and other forums searching for private property to lease in Texas. Timber company leases are certainly another option and no question some are probably good hunting as it appears yours is. Thanks for the input

Im glad I got on here quickly after both tlk and Russ79. Both are excellent posts, IMO.

I seriously doubt that anyone is going to be able to sum it up better than tlk. Thorough, comprehensive, and accurate.

I'll add one more - be patient when looking, especially during the times we are in. I get the sense there will be quite a few openings coming up because some folks just won't to be able to afford and justify the cost. Even the big corporate leased ranches may go away.

I’ll add one - no one really wants to operate within any bonafide legal context in the hunting lease segment. Rural economies live and die by handshake deals. Handshake deals inevitably leave one party at a disadvantage. And if you’re not local, you’re already at a disadvantage vs LO that has multiple generations of stake and claim to the area. Don’t be so desperate to get on a hunt spot that you waive your basic rights to access, possession, property and enjoyment without interference. Caveat Emptor.

bump the PSA for those seeking a lease in the great state of Texas -

And remember you will be managed just like a herd of cows or goats, but all the above is true

yep

You lost me - "you will be managed just like a herd of cows or goats" - whats that mean?

Great property, land owner is out of state/country and doesn’t have time to come meet you and drive property or doesn’t care to take the time?

tlk, if you look back on his posts recently about hunter/landowner relationships, in regard to lease prices, you will know what he means. I think it was you that called him(sarcastically) "a breath of fresh air". You probably forgot because some things are better off forgotten.

Ohhh that guy -

Great post tlk.

Its about the one year anniversary of this thread and I think its very worthy of a bump to get it current. I think tlk did a great job with his PSA. Theres been lots of other advice on this forum through the years on finding a lease and his is good stuff. I wish others would add their ideas on advice and we can keep adding to it then we can bump it up during lease hunting time each year.

After reading thru this again I just want to bring up one other thing. When we get a property leased remember that you don't own it, just trespass access, so any improvements will be at your expense and your loss if you lose it. I have seen so many on this and other forums post about getting the call that they are losing the lease after "x" amount of years of having it and all the money spent on improvements is wasted. Well, it wasn't wasted if the improvements helped with your overall experience on it but sometimes you are just making it better for the next guy. That is where long term contracts play an important part. On our timber company leases we don't put anything on it that can't be removed at a moments notice and money spent on food plots is for immediate use although we are hoping to improve the deer herd while there. Leaving behind an improved deer population can be painful but take pride in your good stewardship while there.

Very solid point and very true

What he said!

Why is it “trespass access” & not just “access”?

Idiotic terms like “trespass fee” get thrown around a lot on here & its DUMB. There is no such thing.

Either you have legal permission to be on private property (access) or you don’t (trespass).

I don’t think that word means what you think it means.

I also don't understand "trespass access"

No, "trespass fee" is a thing. I've usually seen the term used when a person wants to enter, cross, and/or hunt on a ranch for a day or a similar short period. It's not the same thing as a seasonal or annual hunting lease.

For example, in some of the western states there are tracts of national forest that can't be entered except by crossing a privately owned ranch. One can offer the ranch owner a trespass fee to cross his place on the way to the public land.

Hope this helps.

Well, mic drop

I hate to say it, but I'm with Max. Trespass precedes violence, in my book.

While the phrases "trespass fee" or "trespass access" may be a real thing, from reading the description just posted, it sounds like a term used in other parts of the country for a day lease. While it may be a real thing, it strikes me as an odd term. Trespass is defined as "enter the owner's land or property without permission" so if you have permission to be there, it would not be trespassing. It is a bad choice of words.

Regardless, I don't think this little detour really changes the original purpose of this thread... call it what you want, but if you a paying someone to hunt on THEIR property, they will have limitations on your use.

Trespass means you don’t have permission to be there.

Obviously different phrases mean different things in different places

Lets get back to the good responses about leasing do's and do nots

Yes, let's.