Why I Stopped Looking For a Deer Lease

[Hayek'sPupil]

Recently Published on Meat-eater's website. Thoughts?

https://www.themeateater.com/wired-t...r-a-deer-lease

[easeup]

well....he is not wrong about any of his observations but they dont all fit the Texas I know. So I guess your mileage may vary

[Southbound 85]

“To me, it comes down to how you want to hunt more than where you want to hunt.”

“Then, money got a little tight”

Dude typed a lot of words just to contradict himself quite a bit. He couldn’t afford a lease anymore, so he was forced to justify hunting public land whether he liked it or not. Whether he really likes it or not, it’s its only option so kudos for the positive attitude.

He also says lease hunting is more about land management than deer hunting. There’s a lot of truth to that, but I find that a positive part of the process as opposed to his viewpoint. I also like running cameras, learning the deer herd, managing for age, camaraderie in camp, having a place to take my kids, cooking for people, celebrating successful hunts, networking, putting pure protein on my table for my family year over year, not dealing with meth heads, and sharing woods with possible unsafe strangers with guns etc.

Ive hunted public land and prayed for the day I could afford a lease, so to each their own. If he believes his way makes him more of a purist or better hunter, I won’t lose any sleep about it in my camp house on my lease.

[Mr. Public]

Pretty darn relatable to me.

[manwitaplan]

Well I can tell you he is not hunting the SHNF with that attitude! I hunted the SHNF for many years with so so success! It taught me alot about animal behavior and human behavior. I only bow hunted no rifle! The amount of people / new people was the problem with hunter etiquette. The lease is a whole other set of issues but at least my spot is always there and I do not have to fight and sweat to get to hunt.

[Hayek'sPupil]

“To me, it comes down to how you want to hunt more than where you want to hunt.”

“Then, money got a little tight”

Dude typed a lot of words just to contradict himself quite a bit. He couldn’t afford a lease anymore, so he was forced to justify hunting public land whether he liked it or not. Whether he really likes it or not, it’s its only option so kudos for the positive attitude.

He also says lease hunting is more about land management than deer hunting. There’s a lot of truth to that, but I find that a positive part of the process as opposed to his viewpoint. I also like running cameras, learning the deer herd, managing for age, camaraderie in camp, having a place to take my kids, cooking for people, celebrating successful hunts, networking, putting pure protein on my table for my family year over year, not dealing with meth heads, and sharing woods with possible unsafe strangers with guns etc.

Ive hunted public land and prayed for the day I could afford a lease, so to each their own. If he believes his way makes him more of a purist or better hunter, I won’t lose any sleep about it in my camp house on my lease.

Agreed. Just remembered a story from my first time on public land.

I moved to a house not 5 minutes from the SHNF a few years ago and wanted to explore the possibility of hunting out there. So I went out in February looking to scout some spots. Didn't really know where to begin so I just parked my truck near a trail and went in. About a half mile in I noticed some smoke and thought that was odd. Walked about 100 more yards and the smoke got thicker and about that time I hear my name being blared over a loud speaker asking me to return to my vehicle. At that point I was a little freaked out, and then a USFWS official comes charging down the trail in a side-by-side looking at little upset. He asks me to confirm my name. I do. He then says they're performing prescribed burns in the area and that I need to leave so I high tail it back to the truck and when I get there I see about 20 guys ready to light that side of the forest ablaze. I would have been trapped on both sides. When I'm out of the forest, another USFWS official hands me a ticket for being in an area where I wasn't supposed to be due to the fire. There were no signs or anything warning about fire hazard, but I took it on the chin and figured its my responsibility to know these things. The second official said I could find out where they would be doing prescribed burns on the website. I couldn't find anything.

Anyway, long story short, I got a ticket the first time I ever set foot on public land.

[Mr. Public]

“To me, it comes down to how you want to hunt more than where you want to hunt.”

“Then, money got a little tight”

Dude typed a lot of words just to contradict himself quite a bit. He couldn’t afford a lease anymore, so he was forced to justify hunting public land whether he liked it or not. Whether he really likes it or not, it’s its only option so kudos for the positive attitude.

He also says lease hunting is more about land management than deer hunting. There’s a lot of truth to that, but I find that a positive part of the process as opposed to his viewpoint. I also like running cameras, learning the deer herd, managing for age, camaraderie in camp, having a place to take my kids, cooking for people, celebrating successful hunts, networking, putting pure protein on my table for my family year over year, not dealing with meth heads, and sharing woods with possible unsafe strangers with guns etc.

Ive hunted public land and prayed for the day I could afford a lease, so to each their own. If he believes his way makes him more of a purist or better hunter, I won’t lose any sleep about it in my camp house on my lease.

-Yep I can agree with all that! I grew up on a deer lease as a boy, about 20 years of my life was spent there. Old school style DIY camp house, an actual deer camp. My 78yr old father said “the deer camp” days are seemingly over now. That place and camaraderie is hard to find and replicate on public land but we seem to make it work, certainly not the same as on old deer camp full of bunks, 2nd hand items, & wood burning stove with an “out house” outside past the fire pit. Easy to say for me, I miss the good ole days of that.

[Razorback01]

Pretty darn relatable to me.

Same for me, I’ve been on a couple of leases, probably never again, too much public land available that I am funding.

[adam_p]

"What I found is that the leasing ground is more about land management than it is about hunting deer."

The land management is my favorite part.

[Dale Moser]

I think he might be among the last humans to reach those conclusions, but congrats I guess.


We've been extremely fortunate to lease a decent, mid sized, piece of ground for 28 years with a small group of people I've known most of my life. When that plays out, I don't know what I'll do, but I promise you I won't be hunting public land in Texas. Just the people I know who brag about hunting public land are enough to keep me from wanting to be a part of it.

[Huntergirl723]

Nooooooo......... Public hunting bad............No deer on Public land, ever............too dangerous........stop publicizing public land hunting..........bad people break into parked vehicles..........

[Drycreek3189]

“To me, it comes down to how you want to hunt more than where you want to hunt.”

“Then, money got a little tight”

Dude typed a lot of words just to contradict himself quite a bit. He couldn’t afford a lease anymore, so he was forced to justify hunting public land whether he liked it or not. Whether he really likes it or not, it’s its only option so kudos for the positive attitude.

He also says lease hunting is more about land management than deer hunting. There’s a lot of truth to that, but I find that a positive part of the process as opposed to his viewpoint. I also like running cameras, learning the deer herd, managing for age, camaraderie in camp, having a place to take my kids, cooking for people, celebrating successful hunts, networking, putting pure protein on my table for my family year over year, not dealing with meth heads, and sharing woods with possible unsafe strangers with guns etc.

Ive hunted public land and prayed for the day I could afford a lease, so to each their own. If he believes his way makes him more of a purist or better hunter, I won’t lose any sleep about it in my camp house on my lease.

I didn’t want to read the whole article, but I can tell by your response what the gist of it was. I hunted public when I couldn’t do any better, but I’m in agreement with all you said. Hunting public ain’t for me, I like venison too much !

[Etxbuckman]

Public land for me is a place to go look at different trees. Herd and land management is 75% of the fun in having a lease and family property. Not climbing a tree and seeing a dozen pumpkins within 200 yards is a plus too.

[easeup]

-Yep I can agree with all that! I grew up on a deer lease as a boy, about 20 years of my life was spent there. Old school style DIY camp house, an actual deer camp. My 78yr old father said “the deer camp” days are seemingly over now. That place and camaraderie is hard to find and replicate on public land but we seem to make it work, certainly not the same as on old deer camp full of bunks, 2nd hand items, & wood burning stove with an “out house” outside past the fire pit. Easy to say for me, I miss the good ole days of that

me too

[hooligan]

typical rinse and repeat article from meateater/BHA crowd... no need for a lease, just hunt public its way better. Then they'll have their corporate hunt at the yeti ranch