Been trying to find a middle tn lease for 6 years. Pretty much done all the begging that's possible. Land prices there have went crazy . I'd have zero problems with 20 per and up for the right spot. Seems dang near impossible to find.
How much should land lease for?
- Thread starter Hridge
- Start date
TNRAMBLINGMAN
Well-Known Member
This is a great thread with feedback from many experienced parties. Here are my two cents. I have hunted middle tn since about 1986 on various leases in several counties and varying terrain. I wish I had the answers. I don't.
A lease I was on from about 2008-2019 started off as clear cuts with planted pines. The ever changing landowners (banks, timber companies, investment firms, etc.)and various logging operations ultimately made an almost impassable mess of the bottoms and roads. Last I heard the landowners wanted $10 an acre. It was not worth $5 when we left.
The maturing pine trees rapidly shaded out almost all browse. The small part of the land that had mast producing trees were logged several times. Road hunters were an issue and EHD hit twice while we were there. The typical 4.5 year old or older buck would only score 110 to 120. A 125 buck was a very good buck there. Over 12 or 13 seasons only three bucks over 130 were killed, but this was nowhere near worth the cost, effort, and time we spent at that lease.
As someone else noted , it does not make sense to pay a high price to hunt "pine goats".
In my view are there large tracts of land worth $15 an acre in TN to lease? I don't know. Say a 1,000 acre place is $15k. Ten hunters are $1,500 each. First off, it might not be easy to find 9 other people in TN to pay $1500 each.
And sharing 1,000 acres with 9 other people after having paid $1,500 myself seems a bit crowded. Leaving trophy quality aside, a large part of why I hunt is to be outside and simply enjoy it. I don't want to pay $1,500 and feel crowded. There is the risk of EHD, CWD, and wild hogs in various places in TN. The real issue I have with paying too much per acre to lease land is that you really don't know how long you will have it and you might pass up bucks for years, plant food plots, and create a good lease... and then lose it.
I can think of at least two areas of TN (if I lived closer to them) where I would just hunt the public hunting areas and save all funds for an out of state hunt. Either of these areas could produce a quality buck as good as the private leases I have been on in TN.
A lease I was on from about 2008-2019 started off as clear cuts with planted pines. The ever changing landowners (banks, timber companies, investment firms, etc.)and various logging operations ultimately made an almost impassable mess of the bottoms and roads. Last I heard the landowners wanted $10 an acre. It was not worth $5 when we left.
The maturing pine trees rapidly shaded out almost all browse. The small part of the land that had mast producing trees were logged several times. Road hunters were an issue and EHD hit twice while we were there. The typical 4.5 year old or older buck would only score 110 to 120. A 125 buck was a very good buck there. Over 12 or 13 seasons only three bucks over 130 were killed, but this was nowhere near worth the cost, effort, and time we spent at that lease.
As someone else noted , it does not make sense to pay a high price to hunt "pine goats".
In my view are there large tracts of land worth $15 an acre in TN to lease? I don't know. Say a 1,000 acre place is $15k. Ten hunters are $1,500 each. First off, it might not be easy to find 9 other people in TN to pay $1500 each.
And sharing 1,000 acres with 9 other people after having paid $1,500 myself seems a bit crowded. Leaving trophy quality aside, a large part of why I hunt is to be outside and simply enjoy it. I don't want to pay $1,500 and feel crowded. There is the risk of EHD, CWD, and wild hogs in various places in TN. The real issue I have with paying too much per acre to lease land is that you really don't know how long you will have it and you might pass up bucks for years, plant food plots, and create a good lease... and then lose it.
I can think of at least two areas of TN (if I lived closer to them) where I would just hunt the public hunting areas and save all funds for an out of state hunt. Either of these areas could produce a quality buck as good as the private leases I have been on in TN.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Absolutely! Any landowner leasing out land for monetary gain should have a contract signed by the lessees stating such, as well as clauses such as no alcohol or other drugs, etc. If cattle are on the property, then additional clauses such as gates to public roads must be kept closed. Hold the lessor harmless clauses in the contract for damages caused by the lessees to themselves (falling out of a treestand, etc) and others
In addition to the contract, the lessor should also insist the lessee purchase hunting insurance to cover any damages that might occur as a result of their actions. (Hunting insurance for leased ground is cheap).
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Absolutely true right now.... there is a lot of public that is much better quality than private in 2023.
BUT, I have a sneaky suspicion that as lease prices keep going up following land prices in combination with increasing populations in more rural areas that more people will be priced out of leasing private land and be forced to hunt public.
Imagine your favorite public spot with 3 or 4x as many hunters as 2023 (which may very well be the case in 20 years). Public may not sound so good then.
I certainly have been on some excellent public lands turkey hunting, but I've had more than my fair share of $HIT shows as well. But of course you need a LOT more room to roam turkey hunting than deer hunting.
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
I cut my teeth and learned how to turkey hunt on public land. A great teacher as back then you could mess up learn and find another bird quick. I used to have a great spot I hunt on public land to deer hunt. The last time I was in there, there were 4 stands in a 300 yard radius. Public is getting crowded more and more. Some people will get priced out some already are. I just don't see it correcting price wise. I think a lot will quit leasing before they take less.
Deer hunting in the next 10 to 15 years will be interesting to say the least. After 10 to 15 years the amount of land owners that are dead will be very interesting to see what happens then. Turkey hunting is already wild now with numbers.
Duck hunting is what deer hunting will be I'm 10 years imo.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
I'm afraid you are exactly right. Turkey hunters are already showing up at public gates at 3am to claim a spot, that was the same thing duck hunters started doing 15 years ago.
