Hunting lease brokers: help or hindrance?

G

globemaster3

New member
Over the last few years, several companies formed to take advantage of the property needs of the hunter. Organizations like Base Camp Leasing, Whitetail Properties, etc, all act as middlemen in the process, soliciting properties for lease from landowners, and marketing them via their websites.

What I have seen from this is inflated lease costs... too much money for too little property... based upon what I recall from 15-20 years ago.

So, what do you think? Are these organizations helping or hurting our sport?
 
So, what do you think? Are these organizations helping or hurting our sport?
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I think it depends on whether you are the land owner, the lessee or the guy left out in the cold with no place to hunt. Anytime there is a middleman involved the price is going to be higher. Unfortunately, in many cases, the land owner is probably not going to see a significant increase in what he ends up with.

If you are a out of state/out of the area hunter with deep pockets, looking for a good place to hunt, you probably think that lease brokers are the best thing since smokeless powder. They will show you a multitude of properties at a variety of prices and success rates without you doing any homework or legwork at all. If you are a local hunter who just lost his privilege to hunt that parcel because the cost is now prohibitive or because the landowner decided to lease it instead of just letting folks hunt, then they suck big time. The way we hunt is changing, 20 years ago folks paying a fee to hunt deer or other game around here was almost unheard of. Nowadays it's as common as folks wearing camouflage. 30 years ago folks hunted their neighbors land and the neighbors hunted theirs. Nowadays, those folks lease the neighbors land because the neighbors kids don't hunt and they don't want other friends of that neighbor hunting there. Hunting used to be primarily for meat. Now, it's mostly for sport and the trophies. Whether that is good or bad depends on who you are also.
 
This is exactly what's happening where I live, and I'm one of the ones left out in the cold. The only difference is most of this property belongs to AEP, a major electric company. Most of the property used to be public in the 2 counties that we hunt, thousands upon thousands of acres. Now most of it is leased out or reserved for AEP employees only. We've always had lots of out of town/out of state hunters come to our area, especially for gun week. But now they're the only ones with the money to lease any ground and us locals have to "fight" over what public land is left, some of which is to thick to even crawl through or is all highwall. Then on top of that is our thinned out deer population. It's really sad because the 2 counties we hunt are some of the top deer counties in the state. Now come next season, some of us may become out of state hunters. Is this happening on such a large scale in other states too?
 
Some years back, I used a lease broker to get a place down near Victoria. Not a bad lease, but nothing special. The bad news was that there was overlap between our lease and an adjoining lease. We thought the overlap area was ours and they thought it was theirs. The lease guy was double dipping on some of the land. What a weasel.
 
AEP is not big in my area of Ohio, but I think they have some areas open to the public. I have friends in Columbus who have talked about it.
It is interesting that an electric company is buying up significant land. I think it is beyond any possible solar expansions.
 
AEP already owned the land, most of it being reclaimed ground. Most of the land they own used to be open to the public. Now much of it has been leased out. The worst part is, all of the maps that showed the land in the counties are outdated and I haven't heard of new ones being distributed yet. Just make sure your buddies get ahold of odnr or someone and find out for sure that the land they know about hasn't been leased before y'all make a trip only to have to search for a new area.
 
IMO (based on info from a cousin who is a broker) hunting lease brokers are just like any other real estate broker. You can try to find your own property to lease or you can pay a broker to do it for you.

Where I hunt in Missouri, you can look for private ground to hunt without a fee and possibly find deer to kill or IF you are an Antler hunter you can find ground to lease that has food plots and managed herds for a price.

It is similar to buying a used car. There is what you want, what you can afford, and what you really need. You just have to balance the three.
 
Cowboy, you summed it up well:

There is what you want, what you can afford, and what you really need. You just have to balance the three.
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I was just thinking from a holistic standpoint. From my perspective, the costs of adequate hunting gear is going down with solid-performing budget rifles, tree stands at Walmart being in the $150 and below range, etc. However, a vital, irreplaceable need is a place to hunt.

If the result of these businesses is more landowners going to them to maximize profit from their land (which is their right), driving the prices of leases up in general, and reducing the amount of private land available for guys who knock on doors in the traditional sense, is that pushing more people to public land and/or out of the sport?

I honestly don't know... I just got to thinking about it the other night. I know up here in my part of MO, when I first arrived at my new base, the first thing I did was google leases in the area since I'd prefer to take my kids to a little safer environment than the sea of orange public land offers during gun season. I was shocked at the costs...
 
Thanks Globe

I have a couple of suggestions for you since we are fellow Missourians. Check your pm's as I don't want to get off topic for the thread.:)
 
I live in PA and can answer one question. Lack of private hunting ground is driving people out of the sport. I can easily name off ten people I know that dropped out of hunting because they lost "Their spot". I am fortunate and am surrounded by thousands and thousands of acres of public land. I was out the first day and saw two hunters. I think I got out 4x this year and on one other day I saw one hunter. I am not in an area that is hard to access from major roadways and am 45 minutes from a large city. I think the whole hunting scene is hurting the sport now. I have to disagree with the one post. It is not about sport or trophies, it is about money. Hunting has now become a saleable, competitive sport. One more group trying to make a dollar off hunting will probably not make a difference.
 
Cowboy_mo, I got your pm. Will reply shortly.

Gunplummer, I hear the same thing from other folks I've run into, as well as some friends of mine back home. They lose the spot they've had permission on for years due to the owners passing away, land being sold, etc.

Another problem for my friends back home who I grew up with hunting, is the problem with thieves on public land. We expected to lose a couple stands every year from ethically/morally challenged folks. Now it seems that despite how much effort you put into protecting your stuff (locks, chains, hide it, etc), people steal it. I know landowners having stuff stolen off their own land for pete's sake!

But, back to the topic. When I first saw these companies hit the scene, I thought it might be a good thing for hunting as far as opening up more available property if the price point could be maintianed at a blue-collar level. But I just don't see the positive results with costs being too high, and the potential that other landowners see their friends making that much, and expecting the same. In all, I think this is one thing that could be hurting our sport.

But, I'm looking for other opinions. Considering there have only been 11 posts, guess folks just don't have an opinion on this.
 
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Like anything, the utility and quality will vary with the skill, knowledge and integrity of the brokerage. No different from hunting-guide operations.

The world isn't static. Economics drives the breakup of large tracts. Governmental decisions reduce access to public lands. Slob "hunters" affect private landowner willingness to allow hunting.

And so somebody figures out how to put Ned Nimrod on a deer stand--for a price.
 
To be honest, I didn't even know there was such a thing until I read this thread.

Seems the owners in this area who want to lease land just put it on Craigs List or NC Agricultural review want ads.

Unless the broker can offer some insurance to the landowner regarding poor conduct from the licensee, above and beyond what he can do with a typical contract, I am not sure exactly what they are providing.
 
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