School me On Texas Whitetail Leases

[SUD1988]

I know nothing about these. Do you pay an annual fee and get the chance to shoot a few deer?

What would it usually cost to shoot a mediocre buck and some does every year?

Also can multiple people go in on the lease? Like me and some buddies?

 

[257WM]

Lease or paid hunt? You mentioned lease but your comments kinda lead to a paid hunt.

 

[LostArra]

Corn
Cameras
Cash

Past that, rules vary

 

[SUD1988]

Just trying to figure out how to hunt more. Maybe just a paid hunt would be a better option than a lease agreement.

 

[yfarm]

Cost is based on acreage, number of hunters and quality of the deer population for season leases, be careful with day leases. My current lease restricts hunters from shooting bucks under age 4-5, violations result in lease termination. Allowed one trophy and two cull bucks/year, for the first 4 years no trophy bucks were allowed to be taken and the previous lease holder shot everything male off the ranch. After time we now have nice 8-10 pt bucks taken every year.
Owners, managers or leasees may be responsible for blinds, feeders and feed
Generally there will be a lease holder or manager that selects and deals with hunters
My experience is that conflicts are minimized when the hunters know each other personally before getting on the lease. Depending on the lease holder/ manager it can be a great experience or a free for all cluster. All it takes is one or two that do what they want to ruin it for all if management doesn’t rein them in or throw them off the lease. Example- quiet time is 3pm- dusk, you are in the blind hunting, one individual drives around in his truck “road hunting,drives right by blinds with hunters. The deer know what engine noise, headlights mean. Your evening hunt is done with the actions of one person. We have a group text and every hunter posts what blind they are in so no excuses.

 

[Mike D Texas]

I’ve been out of the lease game for 8 years now, but expect $15/acre for a mediocre lease that probably has too many people on it and a chance at a 130 class buck. It may or may not have a camp house or utilities f or campers. To get into a quality lease you are looking at $22-$25/acre and up.

There are some stupidly expensive l,eases but they are usually game rich, with whitetail, exotics, turkeys, dove and pigs. And you will likely have a respectable chance at a 150+ whitetail. They usually have nice accommodations like a ranch house or cabin plus hookups for campers.

Bag limits vary by county and whether or not the ranch is under a state regulated management program.

Feeding is mandatory (except maybe in east Texas) so make sure you are ok with that and figure that cost in.

It’s becoming ridiculously expensive to hunt in Texas. Figuring travel, blinds, feed and other expenses we used to spend on average $6k per year to be on a lease where the largest buck I ever shot there in 8 years was 131”.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[SUD1988]

I’ve been out of the lease game for 8 years now, but expect $15/acre for a mediocre lease that probably has too many people on it and a chance at a 130 class buck. It may or may not have a camp house or utilities f or campers. To get into a quality lease you are looking at $22-$25/acre and up.

There are some stupidly expensive l,eases but they are usually game rich, with whitetail, exotics, turkeys, dove and pigs. And you will likely have a respectable chance at a 150+ whitetail. They usually have nice accommodations like a ranch house or cabin plus hookups for campers.

Bag limits vary by county and whether or not the ranch is under a state regulated management program.

Feeding is mandatory (except maybe in east Texas) so make sure you are ok with that and figure that cost in.

It’s becoming ridiculously expensive to hunt in Texas. Figuring travel, blinds, feed and other expenses we used to spend on average $6k per year to be on a lease where the largest buck I ever shot there in 8 years was 131”.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

I actually found out my brother in law used to have a lease. They got out of it because the time, money, and outcomes weren’t worth it. It sounds like I just need to go the route of doing paid hunts if I want to go down there.

 

[PopNFresh]

it's tough here, not as much public hunting land as you'd expect for a state as large as ours. anything near major cities is tough during the big seasons.
the lack of public options really puts lots of demand for leasing property.

 

[Mike D Texas]

I actually found out my brother in law used to have a lease. They got out of it because the time, money, and outcomes weren’t worth it. It sounds like I just need to go the route of doing paid hunts if I want to go down there.

I will admit, I miss having a lease to go to with year round access and what not. But the cost, the travel (minimum 4 hour drive from any metro area to get a decent one) and most of all the man drama that can come with them I absolutely do not miss.

For the same $$, I can go on a paid hunt with good accommodations, meals, game care, etc. granted it’s a one and done hunt and not year round but for me that’s ok; especially since I’ve started hunting western states and species other than whitetail.

 

[Cactus kid]

Texas leases are its own thing that makes zero sense to most.

You have to find a lease. This is harder than it seems. Leases are kept quiet and is usually invite only. Very few leases are going to be advertised in public.

Most leases you are paying "by the gun." This does not typically allow you to hunt the entire acerage that you are leasing, but rather a specific spot that you may or may not get to choose.

Blinds and feeders and cameras are basically mandatory.

The quality of the hunting is ranch dependent. You may have two properties in the highest B&C buck producing county, one might be loaded with absolute studs and the other may have almost no deer.

No matter how good the lease is, dont expect to stay more than a few years. Most of the ranch owners are in their later years. They will pass away, leave it to their kids, and they will sell it immediately- leaving you shit out of luck with a blind the size of a cabin and a feeder you need to figure out what to do with.

But they can be a ton of fun! Sure guys talk down on the style of hunting, but it is very nice to gingerly walk to a tower blind with a thermos full of coffee and watch the day unfold.

 

[Cactus kid]

I will admit, I miss having a lease to go to with year round access and what not. But the cost, the travel (minimum 4 hour drive from any metro area to get a decent one) and most of all the man drama that can come with them I absolutely do not miss.

The man drama that can happen cannot be understated.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Texas leases are its own thing that makes zero sense to most.

You have to find a lease. This is harder than it seems. Leases are kept quiet and is usually invite only. Very few leases are going to be advertised in public.

Most leases you are paying "by the gun." This does not typically allow you to hunt the entire acerage that you are leasing, but rather a specific spot that you may or may not get to choose.

Blinds and feeders and cameras are basically mandatory.

The quality of the hunting is ranch dependent. You may have two properties in the highest B&C buck producing county, one might be loaded with absolute studs and the other may have almost no deer.

No matter how good the lease is, dont expect to stay more than a few years. Most of the ranch owners are in their later years. They will pass away, leave it to their kids, and they will sell it immediately- leaving you shit out of luck with a blind the size of a cabin and a feeder you need to figure out what to do with.

But they can be a ton of fun! Sure guys talk down on the style of hunting, but it is very nice to gingerly walk to a tower blind with a thermos full of coffee and watch the day unfold.

All facts!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Mike D Texas]

The man drama that can happen cannot be understated.

It’s absolutely pathetic.

 

[WoolOverAll]

As others have said, its a pay to play state. I decided against getting a lease and bought some decent land in central Texas. Just from my experience, once I had my own land to let people hunt on, I started receiving invites to groups and outings that would have ignored me otherwise. Basically either be ready to pay or have something to offer.

 

[LostArra]

Other lease factors:
1. Weapon. Bow only? Rifle and bow?
2. Vehicles on property. Only ATV or SxS?
3. Ranch owner hunts? Family and friends?
4. Ranch owner lives on property? More secure, less theft.
5. Livestock on property?
6. Oil and gas activity on property? Seismograph workers stomping thru a bedding area is a bummer.
7. Guests allowed.


Any and all of these things can be worked around and may not be deal breakers except #3. Owner family and friends hunting should be a huge red flag. Otherwise you just don't want surprises.

I've been on a bow only lease in Oklahoma for 15 years. I love it. Great guys. No drama. Little turnover. I pay much less than I would pay on taxes if I owned a small property. If the hunting goes in the tank I walk away without dealing with trespassers, poachers and thieves.

 

[TxxAgg]

“Man Drama” hahahaha. Spot on.

 

[OneGunTex]

$15/ac sounds about right for a property that's decent enough to have good hunting and BYO camper. And by decent enough i mean a couple sections. Maybe less in the piney woods, but you and 5 friends are gonna be in it for $5k each, and there will be rules. Usually the way you get on a lease is someone else is getting off it.

 

[RWT]

For the $5-7K a year you drop on a lease. This does NOT include the $1k in fuel and 6-10 weekends of time and effort. You can buy a nice 140-150” buck for a week long hunt. The preparation is easier as you spend more time practicing shooting vs improving the lease with your time and $. I got tired of the lease game and bought a place. Not nearly as much land to hunt but I can sit and watch deer all day however I want. I then spend the “time, $ and effort” on shooting and preparing for a western hunt.

Once you get to the point you let 130-140’s walk away it’s easier to make the switch to western hunting.