Pros and Cons of a Hunting Lease
Pros and Cons of a Hunting Lease
As the amount of public land gets smaller and smaller, hunting leases are becoming more common every season. The concept of a hunting lease is very simple, although it can become a little challenging to understand all of the little details. In its most basic form, a hunting lease is a contract between a private landowner and a hunter, allowing the hunter to enter the property and hunt on it.
While this seems like a straightforward concept, there are a few advantages and disadvantages to a hunting lease that a person should be aware of before signing one. Let’s go over a few of each and see if a hunting lease is a right fit for you!
Types of Leases
First, it’s important to understand the different types of leases. There are both short-term and long-term leases. Long-term leases can be either seasonal, annual, or last for multiple years, while short-term leases are generally limited to seasonal hunts, multiple days, weekly, or even daily. An advantage to this is it gives you as the hunter the ability to find a lease to fit you, your style of hunting, and your schedule.
Keep in mind that long-term leases will usually cost more at the time, but work out to be less expensive when averaged out when compared to shorter leases. Speaking of fees, this can be the first disadvantage when considering a lease. There is no denying the fact that public land is the cheapest option, but you will run into your own set of challenges that are easily avoided by paying a little extra for a hunting lease.
Rules and Stipulations
Another thing to look at and know when considering a hunting lease is any special rules or stipulations that the lease might include from the landowner. Does the lease allow you to bring along a guest to hunt with you? What about a dog? Can you access the hunting grounds before the season in order to set trail cameras, place treestands, and scout the area? You should know all of the rules and agreements inside and out before signing or agreeing to anything, especially if you have a certain idea in your head of how you think it should be.
Lastly, you might want to get a hunting lease if quality management practices are important to you. Public land can result in an anything-goes approach, but if you want to see higher numbers of deer and a better age class, hunting leases can be the perfect option. While this might not always be the case, most landowners lease out their land with the intention of keeping too many hunters on it to be able to better manage their deer herds.
Final Thoughts
Hunting leases can be a great way to find more success out in the woods, but it is important to remember that they come with their own set of pros and cons to be aware of. Who knows? A new lease might be just the right fit for you!
