Hunting leases

Hunting lease going up and up. I've noticed that many of the timber companies are going up significantly on prices on their leases. Most of my friends and myself included lease from paper companies and have had substantial price increases. Most of these lands are of lower quality almost purely pine yet my friends leasing agent told him get ready as were going to raise your price till your at $20 an acre. This is absurd for pine tree land with marginal hunting and my friend told the guy I hope you enjoy hunting a lot of pine trees as everyone he knows will bail out. Some other friends and family had a large lease for over 25 years and just walked away from it this week as the timber company just pushed till they couldn't handle it any more raising lease prices every year and destroying food plots after being planted, impossible to keep members like this. My timber company has raised prices but not as bas as some others but when u think about it it's pretty bad. We lease around 300 acres from them yet there is only 2 acres total on all 300 that are clear or huntable, the rest is planted pine which you can't impede. Many of my friends are at the point if they raise again they will just go on a couple out of state payhunts a year. With the economy struggling you think they would be sympathetic towards hunters. I don't see most peoples income increasing in these times yet everything else is increasing dramatically. Please give me your take on your hunting lease cost and overall thoughts on your members. I feel hunting leases are like the real estate bubble, I think if they push the prices much harder the whole bubble will eventually bust. We're talking about the same companies that were happy to have us to put up gates and be good stewards of their land to keep lands from being vandalized and destroyed yet many have no respect for you when they cut and now they're trying to see how hard they can squeeze everyone for every dollar. Please give input as to the state of your lease and your opinion of whats going on.

THE PROBLEM IS SUPPLY & DEMAND. ALL OF THE TIMBER & FOR THAT MATTER FARMERS CONTINUE TO RAISE THE COST OF HUNTING RIGHTS, BECAUSE THEY KNOW THERE ARE TEN + GUYS LOOKING TO LEASE THEIR PROPERTY IF A CURRENT LEASER REFUSES TO 'PAY THE FREIGHT'. JUST LOOK AT ALL OF THE INDIVIDUALS LOOKING FOR HUNTING RIGHTS ON THIS WEBSITE. PERSONALLY, I DON'T KNOW THE SOLUTION OTHER THAN TO EITHER BOOK DAY HUNTS OR GO FISHING. SKYBLASTER

Solution - Move to Cuba or Venezuela. That way the Gov't can confiscation all private land and decide who can hunt where and how much $$$ you have to spend in order to do so on the (new) gov't land.
Then you don't have to worry about private parties charging what the market dictates to hunt on their own land. Peaches?

Mine stayed the same price, but it's hard hunting.

Our lease went up close to $2 an acrea last year. We ended up increasing the dues by $155.00 per man. Ive heard the paper companies are outsourcing the leasing duties, and the companies now in charge of leasing are bumping up the pricing so not to have their services be a burden on the timber companies that they are working for. What I see happening now is clubs are having to take on new members to cover the ever increasing cost. Too many hunters per acre is bad for hunting, and dangerous for hunters. Leasing is not what it used to be. Timber companines were happy for a little extra income and to have people watch over their interests at one time, now its a big dollar business. But our choice is to either pay the increase, or let the next guy in line have a crack at it. It will never happen, but what we need is a coop of hunting clubs that lease land. United our concerns may be heard, the way it is now, our voices mean nothing.

I thought that's what you guys wanted
I thought that's what yall wanted? To push all the small hunters out and let only the rich have the ability to hunt. I gave hunting up many years ago because of all the posting and backstabbing by our so called Sportsman. The end result will be that with no place for the common man to hunt it will slowly die out. LDWF has as much as said so for years, Why should we support groups such as the NRA or gun rights if we can't hunt? Many I know have abandoned the cause even though we love our guns just as we no longer support CCA for not supporting us. I know the argument is to hunt public land but they will only take so much pressure and with all the unqualified yo-yo's hunting public areas you are taking a big chance. The same as operating a boat! Just because you have one does not mean you know how to use it! Ray

Ray, I understand your frustration, but its misguided in this situation. As another commented, you have to pay to play, the question is how much is too much. I too would love to have a quality piece of hunting property to hunt for free, but that's just not the way of the world today. If we all quit leasing land tomorrow, surely you don't think the paper companies will open it up to you for free hunting? Please don't point the finger at other sportsmen as the reason you can't or won't hunt. As sportsmen we should stick together, not bash each other. There are public hunting areas for people like yourself that choose not to pay for a lease, some are better than others, I've hunted them also. But they are no better of worse because I choose to pay for a quality hunting experience. Good luck and God bless!

That is a bad deal for everyone. Maybe get a few guys together and buy a place . For what club dues are stating to be you could pay notes on a place of your own for just a little more.

I guess some of you are right to lease what you want but what really gets me is that in today's Abbeville Meridional, LDWF has hundreds of acres of State Land in the White Lake area and through-out Vermilion Parish that they are leasing off to the highest bigger. I understood this land was donated/put in public trust with the State for all citizens to use just as Rockefeller Refuge. When Amoco had this in the 70'+s they would bring in corporate guests from all over the world to kill hundreds of ducks and other wildlife. What happened to the rights of the citizens when the best areas are leased off to the highest bidder and a few of us may get a chance at the lottery on the poorer properties. The State is making millions off of our resources and feeding us a few crumbs. Did any of you know that no Royalties from White Lake, for the oil and gas goes to the local governments such as the Police Jury of VP. The road through PI was built with dredged Indian mounds built of oysters shells and it ha always been a natural waterway which Exxon has attempted to deny in the past. Also the Humble Canal was a natural waterway for years until one land company decided to claim it to save it for our future while leasing the surrounding marsh. WE are flooding during hurricanes because our barrier and oyster reefs were raped/stolen, with the full knowledge of or legislators, with no benefit to the citizens. People that had lived on PI for generations can no longer access the marsh south of hwy 82 without paying a lease, If the marsh was sold in the 60's it was sold illegally as it was supposed to be entrusted to the State for future generations to access, not just the highest bidder. One day when there are no more hunting areas for you and your children we will be the ones to the blame for letting it happen. We are not speaking of land, such as timberland, but waterways that belong to the State of Louisiana to hold for future generations. why aren't the Monies made open for us to see where it is being spent; to keep our areas free and open for our kids. because if not then why have guns and boats we can no longer use in the not too far future. Much of the Basin is now off-limits with paying a lease which never comes back or invested. Just a few thoughts to wonder about for those of us that were once free to use our resources as God and the Fed Government intended. Ray. I have sent this and much more of evidence of our stolen resources to be should around the country for all to see the corruption in the once free Sportsman's Paradise as follows:

Ray,
We have received your attachments. Thank you very much.

NumbersUSA Loved It & Lost It Team

On Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 5:06 AM,Ray wrote: did you receive my info or should I send it again
---- NumbersUSA Loved & Lost loveditlostit @numbersusa.com> wrote:*June 5, 2012

Dear Mr. Ray,

We would like to thank you for your contribution to Roy’s Loved It & Lost It blog post on the NumbersUSA homepage last week. We are in the process of creating a new website in which your story, and stories like yours, can be shared and documented to illustrate the effects of immigration-driven population growth and development on the environment of the United States.

We would like to share your story about the Louisiana Marshes that has been compromised or destroyed due to population growth on this new website to increase awareness of the downsides of U.S. population growth. If you are willing to elaborate on your comment from the blog post, we would like to add your full story to our website so that we can share your words with our viewers.In addition to your personalized story, we are also looking for pictures of the place you loved and lost, or fear will be lost in the future. Before and after pictures will illustrate the extent of changes that have been made to your special place; however, any and all pictures are welcomed contributions. Along with any pictures you may have, we would also like to include the specific name and address of the place so that others may be able to locate it.

Please let us know how you would like your name to be published with your story or if you would like to remain anonymous. We’ll be sure to send you a link to the site before it is made public so that you can review your entry.

Thank you for your time and contribution!
Sincerely,
The Loved It & Lost It Team NumbersUSA*

We have used Base Camp Leasing the last 2 years and have had good success, but they do not have leases in Louisiana. Our lease is in Missouri. The price has not gone up and we get the first opportunity to renew the property each year. The hunting has been great so it's been worth the drive.

When I first got into the lease I'm hunitng now back in 2004 the dues were $1,050.00 (including insurance). As a management area hunter most of my life thought this was high. But it was nice having a place to go and spend the weekend instead of the long drives to make day hunts. I became pretty good friends with the guys I hunt with and feel safe knowing who's in the woods with me and now my son while I'm hunting. The property is owned by a family and they raised our dues about four years ago to $ 1,525.00 (including insurance) because they heard others around us where getting that for their property. My son and my hunting buddies are a big reason why I still belong to this lease, but won't be able to stay with another increase. As the years have gone by the deer population where I hunt has dropped off big time from the woods getting to a point where vegetation isn't providing enough food for the herd. This past spring they came in and logged about 40 percent of our property which should help us in the next few years. The loggers left trash everywhere, ranging from scrap steel, parts of equipment, drums of hydraulic fluid (some empty, some with fluid in it) and they just left their trash where it was. It looks like they actually drained the fluid onto the ground in the middle of one field, was amazed at how bad these guys treat the property. I figure it's going to take either another rate increase or loss of income to get me out, but I feel your pain. Like I said the lease has it's advantages, especially hunting with my now 9 year old, but have had many good hunts in management areas also.

It is so different being in LA from out of state. One could get a very decent lease in my old state but moving here without knowing anyone it has been a very tough road trying to find land to hunt on. All the leases I have found are growing trophy bucks and charge several thousand per years and then it is being put on a waiting list. What about us that only take does? I only take does since I only eat doe meat. That doesn't seem to matter to the leasees. You take your Life in your hands when you hunt public land because of so many idiots that hunt that don't have any business hunting. What is the answer if you can't afford to buy property?

Timber prices are down so the timber companies need to make up some of the revenue. How better than to raise lease prices. If you don't lease it someone else will as they all have a waiting list.
Hunting on leased land in the near future will be only for the rich.

I doen't understand all I hunt is puplic land and people tell me all the time they doen't hunt puplic land because of all the idiots. Them same idiots hunt privite land also, also how many people get shot are shot at on puplic land. That's all I hear about but I never see any reports of that kind of stuff happening. Can someone explain?