Opinion on a possible lease.

Today I got invited to join a lease in west Texas. It has been years since I've actively hunted for a lease here, I have hunted out of state for the last 16 years. I have seen some of the cost fellow THF members have to pay to hunt. What I am looking for is an honest opinion.

I was asked by my friend to get on a lease that is located south of Ft Stockton. Not sure how far but the ranch covers 40,000 acres and is only hunted by 10 hunters. It has both whitetail and muledeer as well as blue quail. Year round access for varmint hunting and bird hunting. The cost is 2850.00 per year. I would pay 500.00 the last of January to hold my spot with the balance due by July. What I'm wondering is this a good price.

Thats a long way from the DFW metro ! I've traveled thru there many times going to El Paso and have always dreamed of hunting out there. I always have seen lots of deer and other varmits out that way. Good luck ! I think it could be worth it.

Depends on where you live and what you are after. That's probably a good bit more than the average person pays for their lease - BUT at 4000 acres per gun that is out of the stratoshere in relationship to the average hunting space per gun for most hunters.

It would give you the ability to take both white tail and mulies so that's a huge plus. When you take that into account it really makes it nice because most people are going to spend $1500 or more just to hunt mulies.

If you live close enough to where you can get there easily enough for the weekend - thats a huge plus. If you are like me in the metroplex, then you really need to be able to take a week or really even two (probably mule deer season obviously) off to hunt it hard.

Sure sounds like it could be a nice place if you can get there and hunt it enough.

Earl

71 cents per acre and you're wondering if its a good deal?

Wouldn't think twice if I had the funds for both the lease and travel. What kind of amenities are out there? Electric? Water? Gas? Barn? Feeders? Stands? What's the terrain like? 40000 acres is a ton of land and you will have a lot of fun and the best part is you will be on a lease with a good friend.

In my opinion a lease/cabin/weekend retreat, anything over that 3 - 3.1/2 hour drive away from your home is "DRAINING". It drains your pocketbook, your time, your vehicle, your family time, your actual hunting time, everything. Seems you are always tired from driving and "jetlag". I have cabins in 3 different states and at times really question "Why do I do this to myself". Just my thoughts, but I'm guessing most of you feel the same. Besides, when you leave your house, do you want to go hunting or just go for a long drive? Keeping feeders stocked, cabin maintenance, upkeep, wear on truck, ect. ect. the list goes on. If it is with-in that 3 hour drive time, go for it!

The lease sounds great. But, as noted, distance can be a killer.

You didn't say how long you had to commit to lease but heck yeah. Try it a year or so and have fun. By then you will have your answer.

If you don't want it, I do..Sounds like a great deal..

IMO, the ideal lease is one that's far enough from home so that the wife doesn't expect you to be quickly available, and yet close enough that you can make a quick trip just to get away for a day. For me, that's a lease that's not more than a couple hours away.

I was once a member of a lease that was five minutes from my house. I just never could get the wife to understand that even though I was so close, it didn't mean I would always be back in just a few hours.

I dont' know how far you will have to drive for this lease, but currently we drive 7 1/2hrs to ours. It is tuff and exhausting. But having done that for the last 20 years there are not to many places in the state where I wouldn't drive for a good lease. Also have you been out to the property yet? Thats what I would do first, have a look at the propety and eminities and make sure it's for you.

Sounds like a good deal to me.

The price seems reasonable. All depends on:

1)What the game/hunting is like; and
2)How often you can go based on the distance.

Just learning a lease of that size will more than likely take a few years,again,depending on how often you can go.

Great price but a long way out there so factor in your travel expenses and ability to make it out there as frequent as you want to.

I drive 7 hours to my lease and every year I tell myself I am getting off the lease because it's just too far. But, when it's time pay, I always do. I guess it's worth it to me but there are times I question it for sure. Try it for a year and see if it's for you or not.

For half that amount you can find a pretty good lease that would be closer, and a place to get away, and depending on the amount of homework you are willing to do, find a place with some decent trophies.

Might not have all the acreage, but you'll be able to feed more and make more trips with less wear and tear on yourself and your vehicle.

I hunt in Mexico and live in DFW. I don't mind the drive at all. When I get down there is heaven on earth so it's well worth the drive.

The distance is the big negative for me. I live by Lake Jackson and I would only be able to make no more than 2 trips a year. Really want one closer if possible.

check and see if there are good mulies there....that would be my deciding factor.

if you have whitetail(which are probably going to be smallish)mule deer(which can grow very large) and auodad, plus quail, $2800 is a good deal.

espcially to be able to hunt 40k acres....thats a lot of spread

When I went to NM this year on my hunt, I was about 3 miles, more or less, on the east side of Ft Stockton. It was about 6 in the morning and standing in the median was one of the biggest muledeer I had ever seen. He was a 5x5 and about 26 to 28 in wide. That's what got me thinking about Ft Stockton.

I have hunted an 18,000 acre ranch outside of big lake. They offered mule and whitetail. The Drive was about 6 hours from my place in allen tx. It was AWESOME. Nothing like the west tx open country. I have hunted all over the state. Been lucky enough to hunt every year in la salle co (s tx). It is so much different out west than anywhere else. I would say to try it for a year. Only hard part is the drive. Would make it tough to make the sunday evening hunt and be back for work monday. Then again, Mule season is only 2 weeks. Most mule deer hunters I know are on the lease for at least an entire week.

I have seen some great whitetails in that area. And you can NEVER go wrong with quail in the mix.......

If you have a family, you can always take them along for a quick hop skip and a jump to Big Bend. They would love it.