# Hunting lease?



## Mattiba (Apr 7, 2020)

How much are people paying for hunting leases? How do you know if you’re getting a fair deal?


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

SE Ohio leases go for around $20 acre really good 1s go upwards of $30 acre

reelylivinsportfishing.com


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## jmyers8 (Aug 2, 2013)

I would say cheap is 20 30 is normal and I get emails for 40 to 50 an acre that get leased up quickly. Its ridiculous 

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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

Look at base camp leasing. The price that they command and get is crazy. It’s only going to get worse.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

yup... leasing is ruining public hunting grounds... Used to be so much mead property in Southeast Ohio , you could go on a hike for days and never see it all… Used to be all public... now it's just a bunch of stupid out-of-state hunters that group together and lease it out. and 20 to 30 dollars/acre is not okay, especially when you consider that most of these tracts Are leased in 300 to 500 acre parcels. your best bet is to get a group of 20 or so guys together and form a hunt club and then lease out the land together , It's cheaper per person for your group. about 10 years ago we did this with a group of 20 guys in Southeast Ohio… It was only like $200 a person per year… Which was awesome... Then each successive year the Scioto Land company would keep raising the rates and It just got ridiculous so we all got out of it.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

We leased 1089 acres at an average of $20 an acre until 2020 when Aep sold it. We also had to provide our own insurance, places like Basecamp that price is included. But at Basecamp their price goes up 10% every year, so in 10 years you are paying double what you started at. 

reelylivinsportfishing.com


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

miked913 said:


> We leased 1089 acres at an average of $20 an acre until 2020 when Aep sold it. We also had to provide our own insurance, places like Basecamp that price is included. But at Basecamp their price goes up 10% every year, so in 10 years you are paying double what you started at.
> 
> reelylivinsportfishing.com


yes they do keep raising the prices… But check your math… adding 10% every year for 10 years ends up being a lot more than double


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## Mattiba (Apr 7, 2020)

I know farm land rents for a lot and I lost a customer because a hunting group rented a farm and pushed the farmer out because he couldn’t compete.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

9Left said:


> yes they do keep raising the prices… But check your math… adding 10% every year for 10 years ends up being a lot more than double


Wouldn't 100% increase be what you're paying now, plus that again= double?

reelylivinsportfishing.com


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## FOWL BRAWL (Feb 13, 2020)

miked913 said:


> Wouldn't 100% increase be what you're paying now, plus that again= double?
> 
> reelylivinsportfishing.com


NO

After the first year of it going up 10% on the second year you would be paying an additional 10% on the already increased price....compounding the cost.

It would end up costing a little over 1.5 times of the original price


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

FOWL BRAWL said:


> NO
> 
> After the first year of it going up 10% on the second year you would be paying an additional 10% on the already increased price....compounding the coast.
> 
> It would end up costing a little over 1.5 times of the original cost


I had a Basecamp lease for a few years in Harrison Co. your original per acre cost goes up 10% every year not compounded. So back to my original post 10 years later you are paying DOUBLE your original contract price per acre!

reelylivinsportfishing.com


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

miked913 said:


> Wouldn't 100% increase be what you're paying now, plus that again= double?
> 
> reelylivinsportfishing.com


let's just say the first year you pay $100
year 2 (+10%). 110
year3 (+10%). 121
year 3 (+10%). 133.2
year4 (+10%). 146.52
year5 (+10%). 161.17

.... you can figure out the rest…
... It's all good man… We just saw the math didn't work right and weren't wanting you to end up paying more than you thought you were actually paying


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## FOWL BRAWL (Feb 13, 2020)

miked913 said:


> I had a Basecamp lease for a few years in Harrison Co. your original per acre cost goes up 10% every year not compounded. So back to my original post 10 years later you are paying DOUBLE your original contract price per acre!
> 
> reelylivinsportfishing.com


Gotcha.

Thanks for the clarification


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

9Left said:


> let's just say the first year you pay $100
> year 2 (+10%). 110
> year3 (+10%). 121
> year 3 (+10%). 133.2
> ...


Close but NO, see above. Do you have a lease or just bored and trying to be right?? 

reelylivinsportfishing.com


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

Until just recently my friend was the leasing agent in Eastern Ohio and Western Pa for Basecamp, and had been there since its beginning, when properties came up in my area he was getting I would go there and take pictures for him to post on the website, it would save him time, travel, etc and he'd throw me a bone for my efforts. 

reelylivinsportfishing.com


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

miked913 said:


> Close but NO, see above. Do you have a lease or just bored and trying to be right??
> 
> reelylivinsportfishing.com


okay man... You're right…
... Just curious… How many guys were in your hunting lease?


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## FOWL BRAWL (Feb 13, 2020)

miked913 said:


> Until just recently my friend was the leasing agent in Eastern Ohio and Western Pa for Basecamp, and had been there since its beginning, when properties came up in my area he was getting I would go there and take pictures for him to post on the website, it would save him time, travel, etc and he'd throw me a bone for my efforts.
> 
> reelylivinsportfishing.com


So you may be familiar with a chunk of land i leased a few years ago north of Mesopotamia that had a decent size marsh on it


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## jaybird71 (May 31, 2017)

Mattiba said:


> How much are people paying for hunting leases? How do you know if you’re getting a fair deal?


Me and 4 buddies just leased 65 acres for $1,750.00 in Geneva.
We also have a lease in Cherry Valley 30 acres for $800.00 not terrible and the pricing stays the same year after year. Both properties loaded with deer and turkey.


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

9Left said:


> yup... leasing is ruining public hunting grounds... Used to be so much mead property in Southeast Ohio , you could go on a hike for days and never see it all… Used to be all public... now it's just a bunch of stupid out-of-state hunters that group together and lease it out. and 20 to 30 dollars/acre is not okay, especially when you consider that most of these tracts Are leased in 300 to 500 acre parcels. your best bet is to get a group of 20 or so guys together and form a hunt club and then lease out the land together , It's cheaper per person for your group. about 10 years ago we did this with a group of 20 guys in Southeast Ohio… It was only like $200 a person per year… Which was awesome... Then each successive year the Scioto Land company would keep raising the rates and It just got ridiculous so we all got out of it.


Not just public property...guys are losing private land privileges due to leases also...all over.


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## Shaun69007 (Sep 2, 2009)

UNLESS U OWN. OR HAVE $$$$$$ UR SCREWED! tv has ruined hunting for people. DNR charges nothing for out of state hunters. Remember there are 200 inch deer behind every bush!


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## littleantler (11 mo ago)

I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. One landowner that we till property for owns six farms. There's about 1500 tillable acres and about 450 acres of woods on these farms. You could occasionally kill geese on these farms, most years never see a duck, the deer hunting is below average for the area and the turkey hunting is pretty good. This spring that landowner was offered $60 an acre for everything.
That's over a hundred thousand dollars, if my math is right, to hunt those properties for one year.


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

I’m on a lease that has 10 members. We lease directly from the land owner and pay quite a bit less than what the leasing companies charge. Having a group lease brings the price down a lot, but you may have issues from time to time among members. Overall it works out pretty well for us.


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## Morrowtucky Mike (May 2, 2018)

Shaun69007 said:


> UNLESS U OWN. OR HAVE $$$$$$ UR SCREWED! tv has ruined hunting for people. DNR charges nothing for out of state hunters. Remember there are 200 inch deer behind every bush!


Here’s my opinion and it’s probably quite different than most. A land owner has every right to do as he wants with his property. The only thing that has technically ruined anyones ability to hunt private land is themselves. I personally wish I would of done things differently years ago and bought my own hunting land when prices were reasonable. That’s my fault for not thinking ahead, not tv or celebrities or out of staters. Definitely not the land owners fault that I used to have permission off of that used to allow me to hunt but either sold or leased their land to someone else. Meade was technically never “Public” land. Was always privately owned and can you really blame them for making extra money off land they purchased and pay taxes on? Trust me I know it sucks as I’ve lost over 5000 acres of private hunting land in the last 10 years or so but the only person I can blame is me.


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## one3 (Dec 1, 2015)

Never leased any property, never will. I, do not have my own land.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

Morrowtucky Mike said:


> Here’s my opinion and it’s probably quite different than most. A land owner has every right to do as he wants with his property. The only thing that has technically ruined anyones ability to hunt private land is themselves. I personally wish I would of done things differently years ago and bought my own hunting land when prices were reasonable. That’s my fault for not thinking ahead, not tv or celebrities or out of staters. Definitely not the land owners fault that I used to have permission off of that used to allow me to hunt but either sold or leased their land to someone else. Meade was technically never “Public” land. Was always privately owned and can you really blame them for making extra money off land they purchased and pay taxes on? Trust me I know it sucks as I’ve lost over 5000 acres of private hunting land in the last 10 years or so but the only person I can blame is me.


You are 100% correct. I have kicked myself in the butt a thousand times for all the opportunities I let slip by. One piece of ground I was offered for $40,000.00 is now for sale for $475,000.00. The landowners do have the rights and it's a way to draw income off property. I personally don't like doing it and feel like it's turning my back on friends, family and neighbors for money. Yet I don't hold any animosity against any landowner. My family as a whole is against leasing and between siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins we own in excess of 2,000 acres and none of it is leased. We control the hunting to just family and friends, but they are all local or in state. We are all getting up in years and I doubt the next generation will feel the same way. They will want the money. I just had this conversation with a cousin and he agreed the grand kids were already figuring how much money they will get. I think it's a statement on our society as a whole. I know many of you can remember the days when you just went hunting and didn't worry about who you were on. I remember working the farm with dad and rolling up on someone hunting and Dad would stop and and ask if they were doing any good and then say good luck and move on. Now you wouldn't dare hunt on someone without personally acquiring permission, but that's not all bad.

As for mead land, when it was under public access agreement I believe they got a tax break on it. They may not have have even paid land tax. They started leasing when they hired a forester from down south who told them they could make big bucks leasing. Well then they lost their tax exemption and with it a lot of their lease money. Then they just sold it off to Scioto Land company. Mead was on a downward slide by then anyway. I think I'm mostly right on this, as it's been a long time since it all happened. I knew one of their foresters and I had inside info from the state. It was a great gesture on their part and benefited a lot of people, but ultimately love of money took over.


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## Moo Juice (Jan 20, 2021)

Personally, I'm not a fan of leasing. Guys leasing a farm as a group is one thing but leasing companies is another. My uncle owns a nice chunk of Harrison county. My early years of deer and turkey hunting were awesome down there. Then the leasing company showed up. Offered them six grand a year and control of the deer population. In two years, they shot 3 deer. My uncle was furious for all the deer damage his crops were sustaining. The last straw was the lease was for deer only. When they caught guys turkey hunting ( with my uncle's permission) they went off on my uncle. He showed them the door. Unfortunately, all the neighbors also leased their ground and now about 4000 people hunt my uncle's place and 3700 of them are Amish. It's not safe to hunt there anymore. The leasing companies are turning this into a rich mans game. It will hurt future generations of hunters as kids won't have hunting opportunities unless daddy's loaded. It's sad. I am very grateful to have permission to hunt some good property but I know someday it will be gone and I can't afford to buy it.


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## Southernsaug (May 23, 2019)

The one solace I have for my soul is that at 67 most of my hunting years are in the past and during more hunter friendly days. So I am thankful for the bounty I enjoyed and the health to do it. I agree that hunting opportunities are going down the tube for our future generations. Quality of pubic hunting already is compromised, but there are no easy fixes. When I was young I think the USA population was probably around 200 million and now is 350 million and growing fast. So logistically it can't be any better.


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

Moo Juice said:


> Personally, I'm not a fan of leasing. . *Unfortunately, all the neighbors also leased their ground and now about 4000 people hunt my uncle's place and 3700 of them are Amish. It's not safe to hunt there anymore. The leasing companies are turning this into a rich mans game. It will hurt future generations of hunters as kids won't have hunting opportunities unless daddy's loaded. It's sad. I am very grateful to have permission to hunt some good property but I know someday it will be gone and I can't afford to buy it.*



Absolutely 100% right-on. & exactly what happened to the farm where we hunted since 1980.
Originally, I asked permission to hunt ground hogs. The farmer got to know us & things evolved.
We helped him stack bails, clear fence rows, patch roads, put up electric fencing. He loved us. We got invited to his familys outdoor partys, & I even cooked.
I asked permission to hunt deer, for 5 of us,,, & eventually asked to put a camper down on his Muskingum bank.
He gave us permission to use the familys cabin! I asked 'How much' & he said cut the grass or paint.
THEN, an out of State guy came by & offered him $1,000 a year to HUNT. He couldn't turn that down. We hunted together,,, but separately.
THEN THE FANCY TRUCK 'OUTFITTERS' started showing up from NY, Michigan,, with the BIG DOLLARS. They easily signed contracts with the farmers. They never even walked the property & collected huge bucks from their OUT-OF-STATE clients. NOW, we were finding dead deer everywhere,,,, with their heads cut off!
Then the Amish came & put a barn up for him. ONE guy asked, & 20 showed up!! They started Running deer with dogs, right under our tree stands.
THAT WAS THE END. We never went back. Our tree stands are still down there.

*So, WHAT was the beginning of it all?

ADVERTISING,,, the 'Central Ohio BIG BUCKS'. 
Just like a BASS or WALLEYE contest,,,, as soon as you put a dollar amount on it, you add competition, & then greed & deceit follows. ( lmao,, the Fall Brawl)

It's THE BEGINNING OF THE END,,,, the GOOD TIMES, as we have known it.*


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

Me, 2 sons, and my brother hunted property in Harrison cty for ~40 yrs. that a good friend and his brother bought at a Sheriff’s tax auction for $50 an acre!(total of abt 100 acres). It was pure hunter’s “Paradise”, near Tappan Lake. We actually had adjacent farm and idle land totalling another 100 acres to hunt. We offered money to further cement the situation, they turned it down saying we were “all good friends”! The brothers(and us) got old and they passed away abt 5 yrs apart. They had no kids but family/heirs(nieces, nephews, all non-hunters) who were only interested in turning the property into $$$$$$! It sold the first year after the passing of the last brother. That was it-“Paradise Lost”!!


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

JSMH...
Thread has been cleaned up.

Some are very fortunate to own their own land...some aren't.
Some know how to post on OGF with respect...some don't.
Don't have the means to help those that don't own land.
Do have the means to help OGF and it's respectful members with those that aren't.

Lets please keep all comments respectful.
Thanks


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## CFIden (Oct 9, 2014)

fastwater said:


> JSMH...
> Thread has been cleaned up.
> 
> Some are very fortunate to own their own land...some aren't.
> ...


Well said Fast water.


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## one3 (Dec 1, 2015)

X2, Well said Fastwater


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## ironman172 (Apr 12, 2009)

Kinda glad I missed the edited cleaned up post..... and sure glad I don't have to worry about my hunting options


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## PG2 (Jan 28, 2020)

Some of my family were part of a lease in Carrol county, I think it was 200 acres, they paid way too much for it for 12 years. This past summer the owner of the property told them an outfitter from Colorado came and offered him more money so they lost that lease to an out of state outfitter!!


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## one3 (Dec 1, 2015)

One more reason why, I will not pay to lease. Been hunting public property for years, did will too. Did not cost me a dime.


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## DUCKHEAD (Apr 28, 2007)

I feel bad for all of us that we went down this road in Ohio. I don't feel bad for the group or other groups this happened to. What did you think was going to happen when money became a part of it. Sooner or later someone is going to offer more. This is what has happened to other country where it's pretty much the rich who hunt. This happened to a friend of mine and I laughed when he told me he was out bid and lost his spot.


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## RodsInTheMud (3 mo ago)

I don’t deer hunt anymore but have run across many areas while creek crawling that have posted the lease signs! So I have lost a few creeks I used to fish because of the whole lease thing also! 😟


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

DUCKHEAD said:


> I feel bad for all of us that we went down this road in Ohio. I don't feel bad for the group or other groups this happened to. What did you think was going to happen when money became a part of it. Sooner or later someone is going to offer more. This is what has happened to other country where it's pretty much the rich who hunt. This happened to a friend of mine and I laughed when he told me he was out bid and lost his spot.


I had a lease for over 20 years, it was the greatest hunting and times of my life, met my best friend there and we still hunt together today, that property sold, things in life change, either change with them or become and old crotchey curmudgeon. 

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## one3 (Dec 1, 2015)

Hunting is either becoming, a rich mans sport, or a lost sport. Not many young are hunting


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## RodsInTheMud (3 mo ago)

Dag blamed hunting leases took my fishing spot!🤬


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## Hawg Wobbler 52 (Nov 19, 2021)

RodsInTheMud said:


> Dag blamed hunting leases took my fishing spot!🤬
> View attachment 501176


Wait until fishing leases become popular (or unpopular).


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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

miked913 said:


> I had a lease for over 20 years, it was the greatest hunting and times of my life, met my best friend there and we still hunt together today, that property sold, things in life change, either change with them or become and old crotchey curmudgeon.
> 
> Sent from my SM-A536U using Tapatalk


Did you loose the lease that you had mentioned on here in the past? You had posted about it several times in the past.


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## miked913 (Feb 29, 2008)

Muddy said:


> Did you loose the lease that you had mentioned on here in the past? You had posted about it several times in the past.


It was sold in 2020, we had 1100 acres for 20 years, my brother in law had bought a 196 acre farm that adjoined it around 2015, then when the lease ground went up for sale he bought 630 acres of it and my buddy bought 130. So, still have 960 or so there to hunt on. So it all worked out in the end.

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## Muddy (May 7, 2017)

Yea, it sounds like that worked out pretty well!


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## DUCKHEAD (Apr 28, 2007)

Your right change is apart of life but it isn't always for the better. I had great times thru the 80s and 90s hunting. Land owners were much more generous and friendly about hunting. I feel for the younger kids who may struggle to get places to hunt. When they don't hunt there's a lack of interest in guns and the value of a rural culture. The lack of interest in guns in fewer people's lives may lead to a growing amount of people willing to give up those rights cause the don't need them anyway. The lack of valuing a rural culture has many people willing to sell the lands in an area and can change the culture of that community. Ive seen people have to sell and leave an area because they could no longer afford the property taxes. In my opinion only this has not been a good change. Some of the benefits are short term and in the end fewer and fewer people are able to enjoy the experiences of hunting and it's values. Longer term things will change and hurt the 1s who were benefiting on the short term.


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