[SharpStix]

When I was in college (at UT :shade I hooked up with a landowner that allowed me to do some work off and on during the summer (about one weekend a month) in exchange for permission to hunt the land. Try posting a similar offer on craigslist or something. If no luck there keep in touch I may be able to work out an arrangement for you (wouldn't be available till next year though).

 

[MKEGuy]

and with this economy dont count your money till its made! lol

Even when you have a 55k a year job (which is peanuts to some) - it can all disappear quite quickly when the economy tanks!

Yes... I'm speaking of experience.

 

[kaborkian]

It sounds like you're asking what other expenses to expect besides the lease price itself. Given that, you're smart to ask. The outside costs often exceed what it costs for the least itself. Here's an incomplete list:

Lease fees (varies a LOT): from $1000/year to $5000/year
Camp or house (cheap camper will work) $5000
Corn/rice bran for three stands $500/year
Feeders for three stands $500
Three Stands (got trees or not?) $600
ATV (need 4wd? probably not) $4000
LOTS OF LABOR


Depends a lot on the land you are hunting, how close to home it is, etc. If you are planning to live downtown houston or dallas as you mentioned, you won't be close enough to make "day" hunts, so plan on needing a place to sleep and hang out.

A lot of your cost will be initial setup. You of course won't need to buy a camp or atv every year. If you find a place in south texas, you can often use your truck, plus a lot of them include a ranch house, but that makes the lease cost higher.

 

[SharpStix]

It sounds like you're asking what other expenses to expect besides the lease price itself. Given that, you're smart to ask. The outside costs often exceed what it costs for the least itself. Here's an incomplete list:

Lease fees (varies a LOT): from $1000/year to $5000/year
Camp or house (cheap camper will work) $5000
Corn/rice bran for three stands $500/year
Feeders for three stands $500
Three Stands (got trees or not?) $600
ATV (need 4wd? probably not) $4000
LOTS OF LABOR


Depends a lot on the land you are hunting, how close to home it is, etc. If you are planning to live downtown houston or dallas as you mentioned, you won't be close enough to make "day" hunts, so plan on needing a place to sleep and hang out.

A lot of your cost will be initial setup. You of course won't need to buy a camp or atv every year. If you find a place in south texas, you can often use your truck, plus a lot of them include a ranch house, but that makes the lease cost higher.

I would agree to this to only a certain extent. With my personal experience, I was only on one out of four leases that did not have a bunk house for the hunters to stay in. Was it the Ritz? No, but it kept the rain off our heads. All the leases I've ever hunted had existing blinds/stands and as a general rule the new leasee was only required to put up one. Depending on where your lease is and what the owner dictates as requirement I wouldn't get a ATV, especially if you may already have a 4x4 truck. To save costs on feeders I would put up one auto feeder in the general area you were hunting then build pvc feeders near your stand/stands.
The price of feed/corn and the lots of labor part I agree with 110%

 

[aggiehunter11]

bump!

Is there anything else im missing here? I'm not sure I understand, do most lease's have lodging already in place or is it more bring your own/tent camping?

 

[mudslinger2]

If you are looking to lease in TX, then be prepared to pay major bucks either a price per acre or per gun/bow and most places WILL NOT have accomodations. Most places that will have accomodations such as lodging will be packaged hunts where you will hunt only maybe 3 to 5 days and pay out the nose. The lease that I am currently going to give up was 1488 acres with 7 total hunters and we paid $1800 per person for a season lease and access to the place year round. We had water and electricity, but had to pay the monthly fee for the electricity for the water well and all of us had RV's to stay in. Per acre this was not a very expensive place. I have seen per acres hunting rights on the net in this last week running from what we pay up to $50 per acre. Even with the economy in the tank, lease prices don't seem to be coming down and the closer you get to larger cities, the more expensive they will probably be. If you wait until August or Sept., then prices might come down because of the economy. It is not cheap to hunt in TX.

 

[SharpStix]

If you are looking to lease in TX, then be prepared to pay major bucks either a price per acre or per gun/bow and most places WILL NOT have accomodations. Most places that will have accomodations such as lodging will be packaged hunts where you will hunt only maybe 3 to 5 days and pay out the nose. The lease that I am currently going to give up was 1488 acres with 7 total hunters and we paid $1800 per person for a season lease and access to the place year round. We had water and electricity, but had to pay the monthly fee for the electricity for the water well and all of us had RV's to stay in. Per acre this was not a very expensive place. I have seen per acres hunting rights on the net in this last week running from what we pay up to $50 per acre. Even with the economy in the tank, lease prices don't seem to be coming down and the closer you get to larger cities, the more expensive they will probably be. If you wait until August or Sept., then prices might come down because of the economy. It is not cheap to hunt in TX.

My experiences much different. Have had leases in deep south Texas, and hill country. Never paid over $1500 for the season, always filled my tags, only had to provide my own camp once.

 

[mudslinger2]

Try to find a lease in South TX or the Hill Country or anywhere else nowdays for less than $1500 and it is either going to be very small with too many people on it or it isn't going to be worth a flip. How long ago were these less than $1500 leases, how big and how many people on it? Things have skyrocketed on lease prices in the last few years. Look at some of the leases listed on Craigs list or one of the lease finding pages and you will see what I am talking about. I just recently saw one advertised at 340 acres for $10,500 for 5 people and that was not the expensive one.

 

[SharpStix]

Try to find a lease in South TX or the Hill Country or anywhere else nowdays for less than $1500 and it is either going to be very small with too many people on it or it isn't going to be worth a flip. How long ago were these less than $1500 leases, how big and how many people on it? Things have skyrocketed on lease prices in the last few years. Look at some of the leases listed on Craigs list or one of the lease finding pages and you will see what I am talking about. I just recently saw one advertised at 340 acres for $10,500 for 5 people and that was not the expensive one.

Two years ago I was on 500 acre lease near Falfurias, $1,200. Two other guys, bunkhouse, running water, and electricity (we split the cost of electricity which was about $10 a month). I just contacted the guy two weeks ago to put my name back on the list since I am moving back to Texas and prices have gone up, but only to the $1,500 mark that I mentioned. Plenty of nice sized bucks, feral hogs, turkeys, and even a few nilgai moving into the area. I always help out a little when we are there on the ranch maybe that's why he cuts me a deal. Guess it's amazing what you can get in exchange for a little elbow grease.