What Matters Most when selecting a hunting lease

Proximity to homebase, price/total cost, abundancy of game, quality of game, county land is in, ability to gel with other lease members, cabin onsite, etc.? Please indicate your top 2-3 considerations if you could. Mostly a curiosity and interest question, thanks for playing...

Who I am hunting with, the look of the overall ranch habitat and what the past hunting/management has been.

Ranch, price nor proximity carries no sway for you?

Pretty much same as STX. Price and distance from home matter as well, but you asked for top 2-3 reasons. Price and location don't matter at all if I don't enjoy hunting with the others on the lease.

Home lease is set, the second lease...will NEVER be around Oilfield Trash Kids again...NEVER

No way does it effect my decision with the distance or price(to a point). I hunted 325 miles door to door in the Stonewall and Kent County in the late 90's and hunted almost every weekend(long weekends) of the season a couple of years. I hunt MD now and drive 430 miles from my house to HQ on ranch in Pecos County. I have stayed the full season or till I kill. Even made a trip to Kansas one year in the middle of the MD season and then back to finish my hunt in West Texas till the last day.

All of the above and how is my relationship going to be with the landowner.

Ranch, I admire your tenacity and dedication when it comes to the wonderful thing known as hunting. In my younger day, Pops and I used to make the weekly weekend trip from DFW down to Laredo and back on Sundays. Those days are 30+ years in my rearview mirror and thankfully only lasted 2-3 years. Don't think I'd be able to do the same now with a wife and kids of my own. For me, proximity is pretty important, probably followed by "look of the habitat and game sign" followed by other hunters and price.

The Typical Lease...

1) Ends up taking you longer to get there than thought or over time you get less tolerant of that distance.

2) You don't kill as many deer or as big of deer as promised or hoped. You then review old game cam pics and the big deer show up out of season or night.

3) You will have something stolen or poached or both.

4) Oil activity will start after you get on lease.

5) You will lose a friend(s) over the lease.

6) If you are surprised with the results, expect to pay a bunch more after contract ends.

- everything we go through for a deer lease. :0

Well said Lay!

I've recently come to realize that if the landowner/lessor is too easy to get along with, some of the lessees will ignore a lot of the rules.

That's a tough one to answer with the given information. A lot depends on where you are in life. My parameters changed as I grew up. When I was 20 cost was paramount. I was happy on a cheap lease 4 hours away sleeping in a camper shell with the chance at a doe or two and maybe a basket-rack 6 that would no longer be legal.

Shocker!

Neighbors, guys your hunting with, and location

So where do these Oilfield Trash Kids rate on the SniperRAB list of Pasture Maggots, Corn Vultures and those ever loving Corn Thief Raccoons?

Far below all of that, I'm sure.

My number one would be how susceptible the rancher is to bribes such as golf and steak dinners

Seriously, the access and relationship to the land owner or rancher is important. The character of the lease boss would probably be second (and could possibly discount the first one), and the third would be wildlife management. Kids access is also a big deal to me.

Money and location are minimal, but weigh on the decision. Basically, what am I getting for my time and troubles. Location isn't as important, I live in a truck most days anyway, so driving doesn't bother me.

You might...I mean they might rate about the same as coons. Sniper hates coons with a passion

That distaste for raccoons goes back to his childhood

Looks like he drank out of the wrong bottle

If I were to lease again the biggest factors in choosing a lease would be others on lease and family friendly. Distance and cost would be small factors in the decision.

Aaaaaaaahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Distance, amount of game, family friendly are my top 3 and what gets me looking at the lease. After that, type of terrain, amenities and security of my stuff on the lease would be the next 3.

Got moved to Number one Amigo
** Group of Idiots...Children...


Well said Rob Lay well said

It's more about the experience now, I enjoy the time to relax now..if something walk's out ..it walks out

That wasn't hard! This is awesome. I love it.

Keep digging Hand

Even deeper? Again, no surprise.

Duly Noted, will take that under advisement...You cannot educate uneducated people

the ranch owner - if he is not on board with management, rules, etc. you have nothing but problems. We have run across some real quirky ones over the years - they want your money but don't really want you on their ranch, they have paranoia, etc. - we got lucky 8 years ago and found an awesome owner who gets it.

In no specific order of priority...

1. Distance from home. Must be no more 100 miles.

2. Members per acre leased, with 100 acres/member being the target

3. Good habitat that holds deer.

4. Water and electricity available.

5. Responsible and ethical members.

Amount of game/habitat, people hunt with and distance from home!!!

Distance, quality are my two biggest. With a kid now it's hard to even make it to my ranch just for corn and wheat harvest.

At this point quality matters a great deal. Ranch management figures into that. So does the cohesiveness of the group and ability to get along with a fair owner. Price is certainly a factor but I'm willing to pay top dollar for a lease with good quality, good management, a good owner and a good group. Distance is only a minor factor.

Prime example, several years ago I was invited to join a group on a local ranch for only $500.00. I jumped all over it. The group was ok, but one member in particular was a complete mooch. The ranch was not managed as had been promised. The quality and quantity was sub-par. It all added up to be a not so enjoyable season and I bowed out.

Compared to a lease that I was on in S. Texas, I paid $6,000 and drove nearly 5 hours to get there. However, the quantity and quality was there. The management was there. The group was all respectful, mature and easy going. There were a couple of minor issues with the owner. But all in all, it was a great lease.

Of the two, I'd go back to the S. TX. lease before I'd consider the local, cheap one.

Location. You can't grow, see or kill big bucks if your not hunting in the right area.

cool thread. leases were on twas with family & friends, R&R, Price was no. 1

For me distance for home #1 with kids and then game. It is less than 2 hours from home. Not big deer but animals to look at and shoot and eat. Landowner being up there too. We have all three so I would not change unless I wanted bigger deer all the time but then my budget and distance would have to quadruple. Luckily I am invited to S. Tex normally once a year so I get my big deer and lots of deer fix then.

Rethinking it, landowner #1 then proximity. Since our landowner is so good we don't have to worry about it. They don't live on the place either. He leases cows to someone else as well. No oil activity as well. They ran seismic a few year ago around 07 and never drilled.

Once my kids are grown, distance and price won't matter.

For me it's simple...I like big deer, but I have more important things to spend my money/time on. Family is first and foremost on my list. If my wife and kids enjoy it, I'm happy. Proximity to my kids also is a major factor. If I can't pick my son up on the way to the lease, there's no point in being on one. As long as we see deer and have shooters (opinions on what that is will vary, but you all get what I'm saying) then we are happy hunting as a family

I liked lease we were on last year, but it wasn't family friendly in the sense that there was no camp, no comradarie, no sitting around a fire and shooting the breeze. This year we are on a lease with 10 other families, the camp is an awesome place to spend time, and we are close to our relatives and can visit them while we are in town. Win-win for us