For years I have been looking for land to lease within a hour of my home. I just found some land for lease but it’s only 30 acres of land. The problem is their is 3 of us that might lease it. Do you guys and girls think 30 acres is to small with 3 guys? I know in archery it is but for rifle. My purpose for wanting it is my son is 12 and has been in the woods with me since he has been 5. Now he has his license for hunting and is so excited to hunt. Just wanted some thoughts and in sight on this topic...thank you.
Need your opinion
- Thread starter Chris76
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Man...that's pretty tight with a rifle. I'm assuming you are leasing for deer. You might have 3 bucks that will pass through 30 acres, but you likely won't have even 1 that spends most of his time there as a deer's "core" range is usually at least twice that. If it's all you can get, it's all you can get, but I would sit down with everyone and make sure everyone is clear on fields/directions of fire, and maybe even consider alternating use.
stealthy_bowman
Well-known member
Assuming this is a whitetail lease, if so, it depends on how the property is laid out, land use and deer densities in the area.
Longer, winding, irregular pieces in agro country and even suburbia, tend to hunt bigger than square chunks of land. My club has a 40 acre piece of property that hunts as if it were triple that size, easily accommodating 6 of us at the same time. It is also in a very high deer density area. Granted, this is in NJ so rifles are a no go; just archery, shotgun and muzzleloaders allowed.
Bottom line, look over the area, walk the property and if you can comfortably hunt 3 guys in it, without being on top of each other, coupled with good deer densities, then it may be worth it.
Longer, winding, irregular pieces in agro country and even suburbia, tend to hunt bigger than square chunks of land. My club has a 40 acre piece of property that hunts as if it were triple that size, easily accommodating 6 of us at the same time. It is also in a very high deer density area. Granted, this is in NJ so rifles are a no go; just archery, shotgun and muzzleloaders allowed.
Bottom line, look over the area, walk the property and if you can comfortably hunt 3 guys in it, without being on top of each other, coupled with good deer densities, then it may be worth it.
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NEWHunter
Well-known member
The answer is: it depends. A lot rides on expectations. If you’re just wanting to get outside and enjoy being in the woods and taking home a deer is a bonus, then thirty acres would likely be enough.
If you’re all hoping to take home a nice buck and a doe EVERY year, then thirty acres is not enough - unless you’ve found the perfect piece.
On average, with only thirty acres and three guys it’s going to be real easy to burn it out without excellent access and a lot of care. Especially if you don’t have any other options and want to hunt a lot. It’s only a lease too. If it doesn’t work out it’s easy to move on. Good luck.
If you’re all hoping to take home a nice buck and a doe EVERY year, then thirty acres is not enough - unless you’ve found the perfect piece.
On average, with only thirty acres and three guys it’s going to be real easy to burn it out without excellent access and a lot of care. Especially if you don’t have any other options and want to hunt a lot. It’s only a lease too. If it doesn’t work out it’s easy to move on. Good luck.
Ben Sellers
Well-known member
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3 guys plus kids on 30 acres. Only if it’s a dove field.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
Here are just some of MANY factors to consider:
1. How much the other lessees are going to hunt and when
2. Hunting style of you and other lessees. If other dudes are noisy and ripping around on ATV's, you might get one deer on the ground per season and then the rest are scared off until next year. Maybe they want to do a deer drive the day of the opener. Good luck after that
3. Deer density
4. Hunting pressure on surrounding properties
5. Quality of hunting vs public vs. buy your own property vs. gain access to private for free
6. Available bedding and feeding opportunities for deer
7. Count on having 1 stand per person...are you really ok with that degree of limitation? Who gets the best stand? Who gets the second best stand? What if you pick the wrong spot and have almost no chance on taking a deer for years on end?
8. How likely are poachers/trespassers to degrade the opportunity?
9. For the amount of money of the lease, is there another annual hunt you'd rather do, of your kid would rather do?
10. How dependable are the other lessees to keep up their end of the agreement?
Not even knowing the answers to any of these questions, I would never do this deal. Maybe just bad experiences I've observed, but I've never seen a hunting lease done well by the hunters. There is either decent public opportunity near by, the hunting quality is overrated, the same could be had by knocking on doors, the pay far outpaces the experience, or the lessees are not on the same page with one another about tactics, finances, timeframes, or a variety of other factors.
1. How much the other lessees are going to hunt and when
2. Hunting style of you and other lessees. If other dudes are noisy and ripping around on ATV's, you might get one deer on the ground per season and then the rest are scared off until next year. Maybe they want to do a deer drive the day of the opener. Good luck after that
3. Deer density
4. Hunting pressure on surrounding properties
5. Quality of hunting vs public vs. buy your own property vs. gain access to private for free
6. Available bedding and feeding opportunities for deer
7. Count on having 1 stand per person...are you really ok with that degree of limitation? Who gets the best stand? Who gets the second best stand? What if you pick the wrong spot and have almost no chance on taking a deer for years on end?
8. How likely are poachers/trespassers to degrade the opportunity?
9. For the amount of money of the lease, is there another annual hunt you'd rather do, of your kid would rather do?
10. How dependable are the other lessees to keep up their end of the agreement?
Not even knowing the answers to any of these questions, I would never do this deal. Maybe just bad experiences I've observed, but I've never seen a hunting lease done well by the hunters. There is either decent public opportunity near by, the hunting quality is overrated, the same could be had by knocking on doors, the pay far outpaces the experience, or the lessees are not on the same page with one another about tactics, finances, timeframes, or a variety of other factors.
3855WIN
Well-known member
Why do three have to lease it? Get the lease in your name and you and your son hunt it.
What state or you in? What is the habitat like?
What state or you in? What is the habitat like?
Yeah it’s 30 acres in wooded area right behind a field. The field isn’t counted in the 30 archers. Its for deer in Pa. The land is all woods and has a little hill in it. In all honesty it’s about my boy and him seeing deer and continuing to grow as a hunter. The time in the woods we spend together is a diff type of bonding we share. I see the other side of him. Just seeing him shake when we even think we hear a deer makes me smile. I guess I should have explained more detail about the land style in my first post. Thanks to all that gave me advice so far. I really am taking all that you say into consideration.
greatwhitebuffalo
Active member
Plenty of room as long as you don't hunt the living hell out of it and beat it to death. My opinion; get it and circle about four hunts on the calendar. Pay special attention to sitting longer or staying in the stand all day if you're focused on the ONE big guy. Apology to everyone else; but safety isn't as big on your own land. Communicate the plan with everyone, pack a hard hitting centerfire; and put a giant rack on the wall!!
I agree that communication is key, but completely disagree on safety not being as big on your own land. Safety is the number 1 consideration no matter where you are, and that can be magnified on small acreage.
I've guided on private ranches for 20 years, and in that time I've learned that there are a lot of guys out there who are way too cavalier about safety. I'd bet that I've had more guns pointed at me than a lot of LEO's, although mine were pretty much all through stupidity and not evil intent. Where safety is concerned, you can't be afraid to hurt anyone's feelings or embarrass them. You don't necessarily have to be an ass, but firmly holding others to a standard is important, since it doesn't matter how safely you act if others around you don't do the same.
TLDR version: The only way I personally would even consider a deal like this is if I had utmost confidence in the other guys to behave in a safe manner, follow a plan, and communicate well.
I've guided on private ranches for 20 years, and in that time I've learned that there are a lot of guys out there who are way too cavalier about safety. I'd bet that I've had more guns pointed at me than a lot of LEO's, although mine were pretty much all through stupidity and not evil intent. Where safety is concerned, you can't be afraid to hurt anyone's feelings or embarrass them. You don't necessarily have to be an ass, but firmly holding others to a standard is important, since it doesn't matter how safely you act if others around you don't do the same.
TLDR version: The only way I personally would even consider a deal like this is if I had utmost confidence in the other guys to behave in a safe manner, follow a plan, and communicate well.
Straight Arrow
Well-known member
... and confidence that will never change, year after year after year after year .....
Brian in Montana
Well-known member
That is an awfully small piece of land for what you're wanting to do. I used to hunt about 80 acres of family land. Between me, my bro-in-law and a couple of cousins, we all had to plan pretty well to keep from tripping over each other. And not every spot in this 80 acres was as productive as the others.
Steiny
Well-known member
Way too small for three hunters plus kid(s).
I'd look for something at least 100 acres or just go solo and you and your kid hunt it.
I'd look for something at least 100 acres or just go solo and you and your kid hunt it.
MO Betta
Well-known member
I'll disagree somewhat with the consensus. If we're talking opportunities at deer it will really depend on the piece of property, surrounding habitat including ag, and pressures on surrounding properties.
Back in Kansas my father, stepmother and I all had access to a lot of properties that were over 150 acres out in prime agricultural and woodland areas but most of our successes were on a 20 acre rectangle a couple miles outside of city limits. It was behind multiple houses, and the adjacent properties were mostly cleared grazing land and small amounts of crop plantings. Half of the 20 acres was gnarly and tangled, prime bedding spot for the deer in the area so we stayed well clear of that and hunted the other 10 acre half. Pulled a lot of 130-165 inch bucks between the three of us using bows. I would look at that 30 acres and see how it relates to the area (cover,bedding,travel corridor between properties, etc.). If it can be viewed from the road spend a few summer evenings glassing from afar.
On the other hand 3 rifle hunters plus kids makes the situation tight, I would try and alternate with your buddies mornings, evenings, what days you'll be there. I would also suggest one or two of the adults and maybe one or two older kids archery hunt with that many bodies wanting to use the property.
If everyone is inflexible on this I would look for a larger property elsewhere.
Back in Kansas my father, stepmother and I all had access to a lot of properties that were over 150 acres out in prime agricultural and woodland areas but most of our successes were on a 20 acre rectangle a couple miles outside of city limits. It was behind multiple houses, and the adjacent properties were mostly cleared grazing land and small amounts of crop plantings. Half of the 20 acres was gnarly and tangled, prime bedding spot for the deer in the area so we stayed well clear of that and hunted the other 10 acre half. Pulled a lot of 130-165 inch bucks between the three of us using bows. I would look at that 30 acres and see how it relates to the area (cover,bedding,travel corridor between properties, etc.). If it can be viewed from the road spend a few summer evenings glassing from afar.
On the other hand 3 rifle hunters plus kids makes the situation tight, I would try and alternate with your buddies mornings, evenings, what days you'll be there. I would also suggest one or two of the adults and maybe one or two older kids archery hunt with that many bodies wanting to use the property.
If everyone is inflexible on this I would look for a larger property elsewhere.
That’s the problem land is very hard to come by in my area. It’s hard to find a club or camp accepting members and to find a lease that hasn’t been taken. We do have state game lands but alot of people hunt them as well and with my son I worry about his safety. That’s why I posted about the 30 acres bc I am worried we will be to close for safety. Took my son to game lands last year and everywhere we went we seen orange. Then after awhile of walking around found what looked to be a good spot and good signs and a guy came walking and game to my son and myself and said hey I hunt in this area you have to leave. I said it’s open to anyone and he was very blunt about his spot so we left....if my son wasn’t there probably would have been a diff outcome with that situation so since then I have been knocking on doors and checking ads everywhere. I am a clean very polite person so was hoping knocking on doors would work but negative. The reason 3 guys is bc it’s my brother and our long time friend are included if we find a lease but if I have luck by getting permission from a land owner or invited by other lease they are on their own but we found the 30 acres together
Gellar
Well-known member
Hard to tell without knowing the property. My friends dad owned 40 acres and the way it was layed out 4 of us could shotgun hunt it and have a possibility of everyone harvesting a mature deer. It never happened, but we always got at least 1. We would walk in together from the same spot and the furthest stand or shots fired determined when you left your stand.
Someone mentioned neighboring properties. That could be a huge deal. With that many stands someone if not all the stands are going to be close to the property line.
Someone mentioned neighboring properties. That could be a huge deal. With that many stands someone if not all the stands are going to be close to the property line.
stealthy_bowman
Well-known member
Not sure how far you are from NJ, Hunterdon county. If reasonably close, and open to hunting over the state line, PM me.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
Some 20-40 acre properties are like highways during the rut and it's not unreasonable to expect to take a couple of decent bucks every year. Others hold bachelor buck groups post-rut for bedding or feeding, and present a similar opportunity. These are optimal scenarios.
I grew up mostly hunting on a 40-acre property with 2-3 other hunters. Two stands produced 90% of deer taken, and a third stand took up the remaining 10%. We tried 5 other stand locations, and all were busts. So two guys got to sit in the good stands and had a maybe 50% chance each of taking a buck hunting the first two days of rifle opener. There were also only so many deer in the area, so it was never going to be the case that 4 bucks were taken in a year.
Essentially, this would have been a perfect property for 2 dudes, but more than that the hunting opportunity sharply dropped. I know you mentioned there are few good alternatives available, but I think this might be why numerous others have suggested doing the lease yourself for you and your kid. Put 3 guys in there plus kids and all of a sudden those crowded State Game Lands or driving 3 hours to hunt don't look so bad after all.
I grew up mostly hunting on a 40-acre property with 2-3 other hunters. Two stands produced 90% of deer taken, and a third stand took up the remaining 10%. We tried 5 other stand locations, and all were busts. So two guys got to sit in the good stands and had a maybe 50% chance each of taking a buck hunting the first two days of rifle opener. There were also only so many deer in the area, so it was never going to be the case that 4 bucks were taken in a year.
Essentially, this would have been a perfect property for 2 dudes, but more than that the hunting opportunity sharply dropped. I know you mentioned there are few good alternatives available, but I think this might be why numerous others have suggested doing the lease yourself for you and your kid. Put 3 guys in there plus kids and all of a sudden those crowded State Game Lands or driving 3 hours to hunt don't look so bad after all.
