Deer Lease

[Schloss2Texas]

Yes, I realize that most hunters can't afford a $12K annual deer lease. Most Texas fans can't afford to get season tickets either. Not everyone has been able to afford a deer lease but there are still cheap ones out there in East Texas. I have friends who hunt in East Texas for less than 1K per year and kill decent deer. Are they killing 170" deer all of the time, no but they get to hunt. If that is too much money for someone then maybe they can go hunt the 1,000,000+ acres of public land that Texas has to offer. Maybe spend a little cash and go on a dove hunt, hog hunt, doe hunt, etc. I see doe and hog hunts for $150 on different Texas-based hunting sites ALL OF THE TIME. You can get on a dove lease for less than $400/year in some really great dove areas in Texas. Are the people who you are mentioning getting "priced out" super poor folks? Spending the type of money I mentioned above should be affordable for just about every family in Texas who wants to hunt, especially if that family has two incomes.

I'll add that just because hunting is becoming more expensive due to popularity, supply/demand, and inflation, doesn't mean it's a problem that people who are spending a lot of money to hunt are creating. It just doesn't add up to me.

Honestly, I’m not trying to pick a fight but you don’t seem to have a great grasp on this. That’s not meant to be a personal shot. Not at all. Yes opportunities exist, but they are not that common regarding lower payment leases, especially when you consider harvest limits and antler restrictions. It’s very well known within TPWD that increased costs associated with hunting is having a negative effect on participation. Furthermore, the public land in Texas is laughable. You mentioned 1,000,000 acres + but hid the size of most of the allotments. They are very small with lots of pressure. There’s a reason people don’t come to hunt Texas public lands, unless you count bighorn and waterfowl. The bottom line is that deer leases are absolutely pricing hunters out in Texas. We know this. It’s not some new revelation. The challenge is how to diminish those losses so that we don’t screw ourselves down the road. Hunting isn’t getting more popular… the numbers are trending down across the nation and that has been the case for quite some time now. I’m just going to leave the discussion there. Have a good one.

 

[Schloss2Texas]

I haven't hunted in a while because it seems more about the trophy vs the fellowship. Would love a year-round lease but even if I could afford it I wouldn't drop that kind of coin down. P

That is also true. You have to find the right systems. The reality though is that you can manage for trophy deer and also a healthy system. Just need to find the right place and biologist.

 

[sendero95]

Because most hunters can’t afford that. That’s just reality. If you can, good for you. But it doesn’t change the fact that the prices are ridiculous and pricing families out of hunting.

I gave a purposefully expensive hunt to show just how much you can get for that price. I personally wouldn’t pay an outfitter because I know what I’m doing in the backcountry. For 12k, I could hunt moose in Idaho, elk in multiple states, mule deer in multiple states, and pronghorn in multiple states if I were to go about it DIY, which is all I ever do. You can hunt more states and species for a cheaper price than the 12k for a deer lease in Texas. I believe that answers the pricing out comment given that it is a more realistic estimate of what the average hunter could accomplish with that money. Hunting out west doesn’t get super expensive until you throw in outfitters.

I know lots of families that can no longer afford to lease hunting areas in Texas because they have been priced out. It’s a real problem that has no simple solution. Biologists in virtually every county will say the same thing. The prices don’t go down because there are still enough people who can afford those rates. That doesn’t mean that it’s not pricing out groups. That’s a big reason why you are seeing more Texas hunters trying their luck in other states.

To be fair, people have been priced out of what they feel like they deserve in a lease. If you paid $2K/year for a lease ten years ago, you can still pay $2K/year now as long as you adjust your standards, size and locale. People clamor because they want to pay yesterday’s prices. Doesn’t work in most things…cars, houses, services, hunting leases.

 

[sgtvillarreal01]

While we are talking about leases, does anyone know of anyone who shreds senderos in McMullen. Will need some tractor work this year. Have 700 acres. Also, what’s the going rate for shredding. Thanks

 

[big rusty]

While we are talking about leases, does anyone know of anyone who shreds senderos in McMullen. Will need some tractor work this year. Have 700 acres. Also, what’s the going rate for shredding. Thanks

I’ll ask my buddy. He’s on our lease in McMullen but also just bought 1000 acres down the road and had been hiring some folks to do some work.

 

[sgtvillarreal01]

Thanks Rusty.

 

[Schloss2Texas]

To be fair, people have been priced out of what they feel like they deserve in a lease. If you paid $2K/year for a lease ten years ago, you can still pay $2K/year now as long as you adjust your standards, size and locale. People clamor because they want to pay yesterday’s prices. Doesn’t work in most things…cars, houses, services, hunting leases.

Ya, you have to significantly reduce your standards for those prices. We paid that for a nice area around Hondo and now it’s easily double + that. My point is that it’s hurting your average hunter and that’s not a good thing. People are inflating prices despite the quality of the area and that’s not good for your average hunter. That further contributes to the major declines we have seen in hunter populations. One day, that will catch up with us. Sure things are inflating across the board, that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing or that it is tracking normal inflation in other products.

I must also admit that I am much more of an opportunist advocate than trophy management advocate. I can do both in management schemes but it’s a fine art. Also I’m damn ****ing good at what I do. When you see the effects of less hunters in person (i.e., Pittman Robertson funds) it shifts your attitude in these discussions. Unfortunately, hunters are a dying breed and that will eventually catch up to us. We have to fight that in every manner possible. It might not be a popular opinion, but it’s the truth. Jim Heffelfinger has a lot of great discussions on the importance of managing for opportunity and the general hunters rather than the high paying classes.

 

[coolhandfish]

Briscoe Blvd?

Down in Freer

 

[living in OK sux]

OP, have you guys considered getting a lease in Old Mexico? Have several friends who have done it or currently do it. They report big deer, big cats, and a world of other game. They say they never experience any issues to give them fear of going down to the ranch