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