PB1709-The Hunters' Guide to a Successful Hunt Lease

M ost information concerning hunt leases is directed toward landowners and how they might find the “right” hunting group to earn additional income by leasing the hunting rights on their property. Unfortunately, little information is available to help you (the hunter) find and/or manage a hunt lease. Many hunting clubs have disbanded because of disputes with landowners, each other and/or neighboring clubs or groups. Still more have had high expectations for their club, only to be disappointed when attempts to manage the club and associated lands fail.

If you fall into one of these categories, or plan to lease land for hunting in the near future, continue reading. Following the steps listed below should help you meet your goals and enjoy a quality hunting experience. Before starting, it is important to realize that some steps are more applicable to certain properties than others, and that each lease has its own set of “problems.” For example, properties leased for hunting vary widely, from a 100-acre farm tract with 75 percent open ground surrounded by suburbia, to a 10,000 (or more)-acre tract of unbroken forest, to a three-acre beaver pond leased for duck hunting.