Hunting = Rich mans sport?

[Lundy]

when the bow hunter has 10x as much hunting talent.

oh my!!!:smiley_bril:

 

[Hoytmania]

Lundy, if you don't mind sharing how much do you pay for the lease and how much property does this cover? I understand if this is something you don't want to share with everyone and that is fine, but I am just curious if it is in the hundreds of dollars or thousands of dollars.

 

[Lundy]

I think that the property is now around 500 acres owned by the original landowner. It used to be around 800 but due to a divorce and land split part in in his wifes possession now. I do also lease from his ex wife about 150 contingent acres to the original guys property.

This sounds like a lot of acreage and it is but much of it is pasture. This is a working cattle farm. I'm guessing the single largest stand of woods to be around 40 -50 acres with many 10-20 acres patches all intermingled throughout the pastures.

I won't share the exact costs but it has gone up over the last 20 years especially with the divorce and splitting of the land. I now lease from both for the same single access that I had previously. The cost however, even with the increases, is still less than taking a frugal, driving, family vacation for a week somewhere close.

 

[finelyshedded]

Money well spent IMO Lundy! It's always nice knowing you have a quality place TOO hunt!

 

[hickslawns]

I have been leasing the same property for hunting for over 20 years.

The landowner put an ad in the Columbus Dispatch on Sunday morning, the day before that start of the gun season. I was the first to his house that Sunday morning and he and I have had a very good relationship ever since

He was fed up with hunters. He used to allow access to just about anyone who asked. He finally grew weary of people treating him and his land with little to no respect and certainly no expressed gratitude for his generosity. He stated that the hunters viewed access as almost a right, not a privilege. He believed that if a hunter was willing to pay for access he would have a vested interest in treating the property with respect and maintaining a good working relationship. I think our 20+ year relationship proves his theory was correct.

In my opinion Jackalope has it mostly right. Past hunter issues may not be the only reason for refusal to allow hunter access by landowners, or leasing, but it certainly has played a large role in what hunter access has become today.

If I were a landowner I would have great difficulty granting hunter access to anyone that I didn't know extremely well, but that is just me. Being that I am NOT a landowner I am faced with choices. I chose to pay the price to lease hunting property, good for me and the landowner, really should not be anyone's business or concern but the landowner and me.

Times have changed, they are not the good ole days anymore and never will be again with hunter access or anything else.

Leasing for outfitting (profit) is a different subject totally in my mind. It , to me, should be regulated and licensed with some stringent income and tax reporting requirements

Some very good points Lundy. I agree with what you and some others have shared in regards to outfitting hunts. It should not be confused with leasing. You sound like you have a good relationship with the land owner(s) and if more people respected the land and communicated with the land owners. . . well, we might not have some of the issues we have.

 

[mrex]

I have been leasing the same property for hunting for over 20 years.

The landowner put an ad in the Columbus Dispatch on Sunday morning, the day before that start of the gun season. I was the first to his house that Sunday morning and he and I have had a very good relationship ever since

He was fed up with hunters. He used to allow access to just about anyone who asked. He finally grew weary of people treating him and his land with little to no respect and certainly no expressed gratitude for his generosity. He stated that the hunters viewed access as almost a right, not a privilege. He believed that if a hunter was willing to pay for access he would have a vested interest in treating the property with respect and maintaining a good working relationship. I think our 20+ year relationship proves his theory was correct.

In my opinion Jackalope has it mostly right. Past hunter issues may not be the only reason for refusal to allow hunter access by landowners, or leasing, but it certainly has played a large role in what hunter access has become today.

If I were a landowner I would have great difficulty granting hunter access to anyone that I didn't know extremely well, but that is just me. Being that I am NOT a landowner I am faced with choices. I chose to pay the price to lease hunting property, good for me and the landowner, really should not be anyone's business or concern but the landowner and me.

Times have changed, they are not the good ole days anymore and never will be again with hunter access or anything else.

Leasing for outfitting (profit) is a different subject totally in my mind. It , to me, should be regulated and licensed with some stringent income and tax reporting requirements

He turned me down all 4 years I was a student at Ohio University. But then again, I'm not just about anyone. For years I said RJ was the nicest farmer I ever met who wouldn't let me hunt. His "beef" at that time was mostly with one neighbor, (gang), who soured him on hunters in general.

 

[mrex]

I especially like the guys that bitch about a bow hunter that consistently kills mature deer....those are the real gems of the deer hunting world we live in.

I've heard about these guys on line but never met one in person...

 

[Lundy]

He turned me down all 4 years I was a student at Ohio University. But then again, I'm not just about anyone.

Mike I don't know why RJ turned you down, we have talked a couple of times about you over the years, like when you killed that monster on opening day, and he has never had anything but positive things to say about you.

Those bottom fields along the road keep him pretty busy with people stopping to ask for hunting access. Those fields get a lot of late night shooting also. Three times over the years during gun season I have witnessed a pickup stop 1/2 hr before light and blast away. RJ hears shots along those fields all year long, no wonder he has learned to believe that many hunters are not trustworthy and more importantly to him thay have no INTEGRITY.

As I'm sure you know that one "gang" is still very active. Some of the older members have slowed but have been replaced by new. I had never witnessed a 40 man drive before, I am still amazed as I watch them unfold each year.

 

[Milo]

Lundy, how do you enforce your lease? if you wanna PM me that would be fine. Always wondered how to write that in or is that a landowner thing?

 

[Lundy]

I have no written agreement with the landowner, never have. We talked through and just agreed on everything, that has always worked for us. I always keep him informed of anything I do. I put up a new tree stand, build a new ground box, put up feeders, whatever. He never has a surprise.

I have exclusive access. He trusts me to only bring suitable hunters with me and knows that no one will ever be there without me except my son.

The landowner keeps close tabs on his property. I do put up signs around the perimeter with his permission. He strictly enforces the trespassing laws on his property

The relationship I developed with him my not be typical, I don't know.

 

[mrex]

Mike I don't know why RJ turned you down, we have talked a couple of times about you over the years, like when you killed that monster on opening day, and he has never had anything but positive things to say about you.

Those bottom fields along the road keep him pretty busy with people stopping to ask for hunting access. Those fields get a lot of late night shooting also. Three times over the years during gun season I have witnessed a pickup stop 1/2 hr before light and blast away. RJ hears shots along those fields all year long, no wonder he has learned to believe that many hunters are not trustworthy and more importantly to him thay have no INTEGRITY.

As I'm sure you know that one "gang" is still very active. Some of the older members have slowed but have been replaced by new. I had never witnessed a 40 man drive before, I am still amazed as I watch them unfold each year.

The late night shooting gallery in that bottom is why I stopped hunting that area 20 years ago. It's awfully hard for a deer to get old in that neighborhood. Did you ever hear the story about Walter Gold and his son in law hiding in Biddle Creek with riffles loaded with tracer bullets? That was the night the deer shot back!

 

[bowhunter1023]

The late night shooting gallery in that bottom is why I stopped hunting that area 20 years ago. It's awfully hard for a deer to get old in that neighborhood. Did you ever hear the story about Walter Gold and his son in law hiding in Biddle Creek with riffles loaded with tracer bullets? That was the night the deer shot back!

I believe I have actually heard that story and I'm pretty sure I know the area you all are talking about. Seen a ton of deer in those fields during college...

 

[hickslawns]

Not Athens county, but I heard a similar story last year in the Hocking/Vinton area told by a local. He had been drinking pretty heavy and I blew it off. Maybe there was some truth in it. Might have happened after all. May or may not have been the same guy involved (like I said the story teller was pretty lit and may have embellished a good bit). I am guessing these things could happen down there more frequently than you hear about.

 

[Lundy]

I believe I have actually heard that story and I'm pretty sure I know the area you all are talking about. Seen a ton of deer in those fields during college...

Probably scared the crap out of you when you saw those tracers

 

[hickslawns]

:smiley_crocodile:

Probably scared the crap out of you when you saw those tracers

:smiley_crocodile:

Lundy has a good sense of humor! That was funny stuff.