OH Lease questions?

DooleyVT

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 13, 2022
Messages
221
Location
Vermont
My future wife has gotten me in on a bowhunting only lease in SW Ohio for my upcoming 50th birthday. It will be with her brother in law, one of his friends and her nephew and I get along with all of them really well but never hunted with any of them. It will be my first ever lease and if it wasn't a gift then it wouldn't be something I would sign myself up for but that's another topic. It will hopefully be really fun. My question is... is there anything I should be asking any of them or the land owner, doing at the property, any regulations I should ask about, or anything I should be mindful of before the upcoming season.
 

LostArra

WKR
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
3,435
Location
Oklahoma
Being it's a gift from your wife-to-be I would do everything possible to enjoy yourself in the outdoors with future family members. Deer antlers can do crazy things to otherwise normal guys. Don't let conflicts arise over a deer. Just have fun.

Lease considerations:
Is there a formal agreement on antler restrictions?
Are stand locations or areas assigned to each hunter or are they shared? You didn't mention the size of the property which can be important depending on wind direction and access.
How much tree trimming or thinning is allowed?
Scouting year round?
Walk-in only? ATVs allowed?
On an area I share with some family we have agreed on "no travel" times. Ex: legal shooting light to 9:30-10 am. Similar window in the afternoon. That way you don't have a late sleeper walking to their stand at prime time.
Does the property owner and his family and friends also hunt the property? If so, I would lower your expectations for hunting unpressured deer.
Are you camping on the property?

The list could go on forever but if you're flexible to different situations it can be a great experience with a possible bonus of meat in the freezer.

Kudos to your wife to-be on a novel gift idea. The future looks great for a happy marriage. Does she hunt?
 
OP
DooleyVT

DooleyVT

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 13, 2022
Messages
221
Location
Vermont
Being it's a gift from your wife-to-be I would do everything possible to enjoy yourself in the outdoors with future family members. Deer antlers can do crazy things to otherwise normal guys. Don't let conflicts arise over a deer. Just have fun.

Lease considerations:
Is there a formal agreement on antler restrictions?
Are stand locations or areas assigned to each hunter or are they shared? You didn't mention the size of the property which can be important depending on wind direction and access.
How much tree trimming or thinning is allowed?
Scouting year round?
Walk-in only? ATVs allowed?
On an area I share with some family we have agreed on "no travel" times. Ex: legal shooting light to 9:30-10 am. Similar window in the afternoon. That way you don't have a late sleeper walking to their stand at prime time.
Does the property owner and his family and friends also hunt the property? If so, I would lower your expectations for hunting unpressured deer.
Are you camping on the property?

The list could go on forever but if you're flexible to different situations it can be a great experience with a possible bonus of meat in the freezer.

Kudos to your wife to-be on a novel gift idea. The future looks great for a happy marriage. Does she hunt?
She's just a beautiful hard working blue collar girl who makes me feel extremely lucky every day. She does not hunt but loves the lean heathy meet that comes from it. We are going on our seventh year together. I do plan on really enjoying and appreciating this opportunity.

The three other guys and I got together last night to chat about the lease and it seems like we all have a similar mentality to how we want to hunt it and what each person wants to hunt. They asked a lot of the same questions you brought up and we can have access starting April 1 so we've decided to head to the property for a long weekend in a couple weeks to meet with up the land owner, to walk the property and ask get some answers to those questions. The property is 260ish acres with about roughly half ag (corn and beans) and half timber and depending on the layout of the property we may only hunt two guys at one time and alternate partners so we each get some time to hunt together. I do like the "no travel" times idea and something that wasn't mentioned.

Is it common for the property owner to keep hunting rights for himself and others in a lease agreement??
 
Joined
Apr 14, 2019
Messages
954
Location
Fort Myers , FL
I been hunting in Ohio as a nonresident for 30 years. I grew up there and go up every year to hunt with old friends and family. You should get on the Ohio DNR site and read the regs. required licenses and tags , bag limits, checking the deer after you kill it Its all on there.
There are state regs and then there may be regs or rules or guidelines specific to that lease. Different counties will have different bag limits. I hunt in Florida and Alabama as well and read thru the regs every year in all three states.
 
OP
DooleyVT

DooleyVT

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 13, 2022
Messages
221
Location
Vermont
I been hunting in Ohio as a nonresident for 30 years. I grew up there and go up every year to hunt with old friends and family. You should get on the Ohio DNR site and read the regs. required licenses and tags , bag limits, checking the deer after you kill it Its all on there.
There are state regs and then there may be regs or rules or guidelines specific to that lease. Different counties will have different bag limits. I hunt in Florida and Alabama as well and read thru the regs every year in all three states.
The OH DNR is pretty straightforward. It is a 3 deer total county so the non resident license and an "either sex tag" then would I need to get another either sex tag if I use the first tag on a buck or do I get a "management tag" if I wanted to shoot a doe? I haven't seen any regs specific to the lease but will certainly dig a little deeper now that you mentioned it.
 
Joined
Apr 14, 2019
Messages
954
Location
Fort Myers , FL
You get your nonres and two either sex tags. Download the OH Hunt Fish app as well If you have a smart phone. You have your license and tags in there and you can check your deer with it.
 
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