Back in the 1970s, a bunch of us leased a ranch north of Uvalde, Texas. We were quite willing to pay the rancher an amount of money equal to his annual school district taxes. 7,000 acres; $6,000 a year, or $0.83 per acre for those at College Station. There were a couple of old houses--1880s vintage--to use as bunkhouses, and we could cut firewood for camp. Sep 1 through the end of deer season at New Year's.
Some guys from Houston upped the ante to $3/acre. That was the end of us.
The more the federal government has gotten into the education business since 1962, the higher the ad valorem taxes on land to pay for the school district. Another unintended consequence which all those real smart city folks said would never happen.
A school district does not care one iota if there is drouth or not: You Pay! Thus deer become another cash crop, and our larger population with its greater amount of disposable income competes for leases. Economics 101 never quits operating...
Inflation hits ranchers just as it does the rest of us. I bought my first-ever new car, a special-order 1971 Chev 3/4-ton van with no interior and heavy-duty everything and turned the key and drove away for $3,100.
You ain't gonna find a prime deer ranch for $300 a gun for a small group. You ain't gonna find nickel coffee, or 25-cent Budweiser in a bar, either.
So...I worked 8 to 5 on salary, and 5 to midnight for me. After 15 or so years, I didn't have to do the 8 to 5 anymore. Wasn't rich, but I owned my own huntin' territory, all paid for. But the backs of my hands have more scar tissue than skin, from under-hood tight spots--but, heck, a car won't really run right without a little blood on the motor.
, Art