Help/advice????

[00buck]

I have a couple questions for every one me and a few friends are meeting with a landowner about leasing his land this year it is his first time leasing it he bought it last December and has found 5 deer stands on it he wants 2000 for the year it is 86 ac. half of it is tillable the rest woods is there any thing i should be concerned with as this is my first lease any pointers is price on leases neg anything would be help ful

[mrbb]

Well I am no expert on lease's, But logically I would want something in writing, and maybe even insurance, to protect both parties, many lease's require ins. To be honest
I would make sure that there would be an option for a lease next yr, and or a longer term lease too if it works out, as if you do any food plots or other investments, be nice to know there not for someone else's benefits!, as most food plots take a few yrs to make the most of there benefits!
get a good honest map of the land, and know the borders, hell even post them if you can, as if others have been , JUST hunting it without this owner knowing it, as happens many times, putting signs up can help prevent them folks from walking in on your sets mid season.
But to be honest, when you first get a lease, many times it takes a few yrs to get locals to stay out, if they been hunting it for yrs, and even then they still do!
which is why having a contract is important, as that way, it can allow you to have them removed/arrested for trespassing, pending Ohio laws!
I would also talk and get to know the local game warden, let them know you, and who knows, might be a BIG help if trespassers becomes a issue, since you already found sign of hunters on it!

last 2k for 40 plus acers of huntable lands, can be high or low pending quality of land and bucks on it, but , don't forget, pending how many guys in your group, it can be pressured pretty fast
good luck

[Big_Holla]

Boy I don't know a thing about leasing. Cost seems a bit high but I have no idea how much it runs in the area you are looking. Find out in writing what you can and cannot do, from everything related to food plots to trimming shooting lanes and even hanging stands. If there are 5 stands still out there then I'd say someone will be looking for them this year so you may need to know what to do with trespassers, esp since this is his first year of ownership.

[hortontoter]

I'd probably be more concerned with the friends than the lease. Group situations usually have bad outcomes IMO.

[00buck]

i kinda thought price was a little high and there will be me and a guy that i have hunted with for a long time and his brother which i have hunted with for 4 years and all he does is gun hunt so not to worried about them. mainly concerned with the other stands and price as i have 2 other places to hunt within 20 minute drive .

[mrbb]

well like I said, Price raally comes down to location and quality of the land, I have seen lease's for a LOT higher and as well for a lot less
it comes down to if your happy with the price, is it close by, as less driving can mean more hunts and less fuel costs to add into things
plus, will the owner let you do a long term lease, build food plots, do any QDM, do neighbors do any QDM< these days, its not just as simply as leasing some land and hunting
smaller the land, the more the odds are deer leave it, so if your passing on 120's and all the neighbors are not, , you might as well be on Public lands, to a point

if the place produces big bucks every yr, it could be a gold mine
but before I would sign a lease there would be a lot of looking into things like I said above!

good luck, and let us know how you make out!

[00buck]

i will keep you updated is it to much to ask the landowner to let us scout it and run cameras for a week or so or is that something you dont ask

[mrbb]

well something like that isn't I gather all that common, but I see no harm in asking, I would be a little iffy(sorry) to share any pic's of BIG bucks however, as he might want more then LOl)
sadly, now is a just a bad time to be running camera's to use as scouting tools, for one, bucks don't really have any antlers, and food now will be totally different than come fall
Best bet would be to look for old rubs and maybe even scrapes
terrian, and again, the local warden, he would know about how hard an area gets hunted, deer numbers, and like info!
can even maybe tell you more about the farmer/person with the lease
as maybe he is a guy that comlains about crop damage, and or a farmer that is known to shoot a LOT of deer to control crop damage
both are good things to know ahead of time if you can!
I have always tried to get to know my local wardend where I hunt, some have been outstanding guys to know, and a few just plain sucked
also good info to know, if a problem or need ever comes up, from poaching issue's to needing access to recover a deer off property
better to know them now, than trying to get help when it happens
plus they get to know you, always a bonus I think when money is involved in hunting these days, should a problem ever happen!
Good luck

[Big_Holla]

If you are leasing it there ought to be dates that are set in stone that allow you access. I would imagine within those dates you would be able to do as you wish, run cams, hang stands, etc..

[00buck]

well i talked to the land owner and we are meeting this Wednesday and me and the other guys are going to run trail cams for a week over minerals now out of this 86 ac 40 some of it is planted with corn which i dont see being able to bow hunt the field and there is a creek on the property so i am going to ask if we can get it at a reduced rate due to it not being leased before and is the first year being leased with no proven results or trail cam pics showing the bucks it has produced if any one has a copy of there lease agreement and maybe could send me a copy of it i would appreciate it and do i need to take agreement to a lawyer or notary or something to help protect me and other guys

[blackbeard]

If you got land to hunt already why are you leasing? Price seems high to me at $23.00 per acre, no way I'd pay $666 to hunt 86 acres for one season.

[00buck]

the property is like 5 mins from house and the other properties are small tracts less then 10 ac between the two of them but i have shot deer out of them consistently they just get pressured fairly quick..................... but here is a question for whoever do you think it would be wrong to ask for a very reduced rate on this lease and let him use us as lab rats or how ever you would say it to let him know whats there and since he is just basing deer population on that he found five deer stands or how would you approach this i dont want to be rude but the bucks antlers are just growing back and he has no pics or anything

[00buck]

oh did i forget to mention it is the lease that is listed on this forum as half tillable but it has been planted with corn hard to hunt standing corn with a bow

[mrbb]

well like I said, when considering price, adding in fuel costs, lodging and likes, play a big role these days, or they do for me, most of my out of state hunts, the fuel costs to get there and back far out costs the price to hunt there
BUT like I say, if your not comfortable with the price, it never hurts to ask if he can maybe go lower, never know till you ask
I wouldn't worry about asking him, just tell him why you are asking
like due to worries about other people walking in on you since there is PROOF people are hunting it /
plus the fact its a smaller amount of huntable lands as to acre's
But if you look on sites like Base camp leasing and such, it will show what average lease's are going for per acre
maybe find some close by and see what there going for, and if lower show him them, and maybe he will see he is high
BUt watch out, as if you guys kill BIG bucks fisrt yr he could very easily ask for a higher price next yr
and that is many times why I say maybe ask about a first yr feeler, and then if you like, say to him you will take it for a longer term lease, maybe paying the second yr in advance after the feeler out,
having to find new people to lease isn't fun for most land owners
but again, having everything in writing protects all in the game
so I strongly recommend having what can be done /not be done, prices, and all else in writting
good luck

[00buck]

ok so lets say there are 45 ac that can be hunted and i was to ask for a feeler year what would you tell him you would like to pay

[mrbb]

well again, price com,es down to many things, first being what you are willing to pay being number one!
I would look at what other lease's are going for in your area, and then base it some what on that
but price again is really what you feel , your willing to pay, as its your money!
cehck out
Basecampleasing.com, and look at lease's in the same county, he has a map by county on the site
it will give you an idea of what lease's are getting per acre in the area
from there its what ever you feel its worth
and again, if you go low ball, and then you kill BIG bucks, he can very easily want a LOT more next yr, and use your results as reason why he is asking more, giving him trail cam pic's will only help him sell the lease next yr too
so keep that in mind
and again the fact it is so close, to me would be worth paying a little above average per acre, svaing me time and money and allowing me hunts per season
BUT only if the land is worth hunting! quality of land is HUGE these days
and also why so many folks do QDM improvements on there lands
a SO SO land, can be made a lot better, BUT only if 2 things
one its large enough to hold and age deer, and or, if neighbor are willing to be on a like wise playing field on QDM goals
as like I said, if you pass on 120's looking for 140+ deer, and NON or most of the neighbors don't
its very very hard to get deer the size you want
sure some will make it , but not nearly as many as if more folks about the lands have same plans/goals
I know I live and hunt on lands like this, I pass on deer hoping they make it to older ages, and all my neighbors shoot 75+ % of my bucks every yr I am passing on!
SUCKS
but thats how many hunters have it
but when l;easing and your spending $$$ , you have to take that into account I think
you can stop in and talk to neighbors too you know, and see what they kill or don'ty?
never hurts to ask questions before spending!

[Pep4]

$2k for 86 acres with half huntable/holding deer with no proven track record of deer harvests or buck sizes??? sounds like the guy wants to make some quick money off unproven ground...proven ground with harvest records and trail cam pics from 10 years i guess $2k is okay...86 acres isn't much land to hold deer when half is field and remember open field corn stubble this fall...unless that property is a good travel area between other properties...i'd find out what the deer population and harvest is on all surrounding properties...i think you are taking quite a chance for that much money...but as others have mentioned finding good hunting land close to home can be very important too and peace of mind knowing you have a place to hunt every year and having a place to call your own to set up trail cams, etc...so i guess scout the land hard and look for scrapes and rubs and ask around about deer populations in that area and harvest...also see if you can leave cameras up for a couple weeks minimum as it usually takes a couple weeks for deer to find a mineral lick, or sometimes a year or so before they really hit it hard...good luck!

[Pep4]

Find out what the going rate per acre to lease in that area is...ask around a little bit with locals...here in pa it is only $7 to $10 per acre but we're usually looking at much bigger parcels.

[00buck]

well went and looked at lease as well as one other person not bad property but very thick and didnt feel comfortable paying the 2000 dollars with no idea as to what was there other than tracks and stands so we passed i guess the other guys got there 5 mins before us and told them they would pay the full 2000 for it with out looking at it first so what do you think the landowner did

[Big_Holla]

One thing's for sure, the demand is still out there and if someone is willing to pay that much then the price was likely in the ball park then. Thick is always good to hold deer and good deer at that though.

[mrbb]

well I agree, thick woods are great, hard to hunt some times, but typically hold deer, all the more so when crops are close by
as for price, well if the others thought 2 k was good, well good for them, it could be a deal it could not be. only time will tell hunting it!
and I am still a firm believer that there are tons of great public lands in Ohio and many many other states
I think way too many people get caught up into the needing private lands to hunt well, sure there nice to have, but even on private lands trespassers and presure plays a huge role in hunting, unless you own a TON of acres and have complete control over it all.
there is always a chance something better can show up, so keep looking if you want a lease, but these days, they don't seem to last long, all the more so if there prime lands, they go faster even at some crazy numbers too!
Good luck