Hunting Leases and Trespass Fees

[JoseCuervo]

I ran into a friend at Wal-Mart the other night, and he wanted to know if I was interested in going in on a Duck/Goose lease for next year. $700 per gun for six guys. I said no thanks, as I have never paid for a leas nor a trespass fee. And I need to get some new tires to put up on the roof of the doublewide, and maybe some new steps to the back door.

I think the closest I came to a "trespass fee" was a coupon on an Antelope tag from Wyoming that the Landowner kept, after I tagged a Pronghorn.

I thought maybe this topic should be in Sportsman's Issues, but I wanted to get a broader set of inputs. I know many of the Whitetail (Dinky rat deer for the RealTree boys) belong to "hunting clubs" or have leases. I think many do for ducks.

What is the going rate for a lease, and what does that get you? What is the range you hear in your neck of the woods? Is it hard to find a lease? Do people 'steal' them from people by bidding up the price?

And what are trespass fees in Wyoming and New Mexico, and other states that they are common???

 

[Whiskers]

I don't pay a tresspass fee. Unless you consider the free labor that I give to the one farmer that allows me to hunt his place. 6000 acres. Only 5 guys allowed to hunt it, the other 4 guys work for him full time. I help drive truck when he is harvesting berries, or place planks in spillways to flood the fields. He was here yesterday for our holiday breakfast feast, and had a check for me. I refused it, told him thats what friends do...help each other.
The deer club I belong to hunts public land, and it cost $250 a year. That gives you range use, club use,(walk in cooler for those Sept,Oct days) and free meals during deer season.

 

[dgibson]

So far I've been lucky in avoiding trespass or lease fees, but it's becoming more and more common in these areas. I occasionally hear of someone losing a lease due to bidding, but more often they lose it because of a change of ownership or change in heart of the current owner.

Far more common than leasers (right now, anyway) are trespassers.

 

[Whiskers]

The problem with leases is greed. I have seen it happen around here. A club will lease a farm for $1000 a year. Another club or a rich damn doctor or lawyer will go in and give the farmer more than the club can pay. I have seen $1000 lease go to $5000 because a couple of Dr's wanted to hunt it. What club can afford that. The clubs don't even know they lost the lease until the posted signs go up.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

I've done the lease thing at one place for about 7 years. After that, we could still hunt the place for free or on a "per kill" basis. We paid about $700 a year each for a "family membership." It was on 25,000 acres with great hog hunting (2 hogs per year each), lots of ground squirrels and coyotes, tons of quail, etc. After the ranch was downsized to about 1,000 acres, we could hunt free for birds and varmints and paid about $150 if we shot a hog.

The problem is that public land hunting for hogs is an exercise in futility and public land that has good bird populations is always crowded until the last couple weeks of the season.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

Right now in NW Louisiana I run two Deer Leases, one 1200 acres and the other is 880 acres. I pay $3.50 to $4.00 per acre. I know of some leases going for $20.00 per acre! I bought a 14x65 trailer and put bunk beds in it for the members ($250 first year). We have a big problem with tresspassing on one lease. But It has gotten too crazy to hunt on public land. I have no problem with paying for the security of a lease.

 

[1_pointer]

Whiskers- Not to sound too harsh, but why the knock on the Dr? He has worked hard to be able to afford to pay that, so why's that any different than anyone else? Though I've never been to med school, I have a good friend who's going to IU med school right now and can vouch that it is HARD WORK. No, it's not back breaking physical labor like construction etc, but hard nonetheless.

I have yet to be on a lease, but would if/when the opportunity presented itself at the right time. I would like the ability to be able to micro-manage the animals and habitat a bit more.

 

[beardown]

1=pointer...I dont think that was whiskers point....I think he is saying that you cant trust everybody that you may lease from. He just pointed out that a club which can only afford a 1000 bucks for the lease( and I assume was probably in good standing with the farmer) lost their lease because the farmer decided money ment more than honor! What a greedy ass! ......I would think if you decide to get involved with a lease make sure you do it with a legally binding contract. It sucks to say but you cant trust anybody these days.

 

[dgibson]

I would also add that Whiskers used a doctor as an example of anyone who uses "dollar diplomacy." It happens often. Here, where leases aren't common, the tendency is for doctors (lawyers, insurance executives, insert the well-heeled profession of your choice) chat it up with the locals to find out where the best hunting is, then proceed to buy it outright and kick everyone else off. That puts a bad taste in many people's mouths.

 

[Whiskers]

Thanks for explaining if for me guys. That is just what I meant. Doctors and Lawyers, car dealers, etc. have more disposable income
than most of us. I have nothing against Dr's . Lawyers and Car Dealers, well......LOL don't get upset and jump to the aide of the used car dealer.

 

[1_pointer]

Thanks for clearing it up. I just get bent out of shape when people act like someone who has the money they shouldn't use it. Heck, if I had the cash I'd do the same thing.

dg- That bad taste wouldn't be jealousy would it?

 

[dgibson]

Often, yes.

But there's some resentment, too, when one man buys a big plot of land for just himself, where 15-20 or more hunted it before. He's looking for a quiet, safe place to hunt (I can't fault him for that!

), but he just displaced a legion of the pumpkin patch crowd. Like all things, it cuts both ways.

Some people still resent me for buying my little piece of heaven, even though I pay for it monthly in sweat and a ration of beotching from my wife.