High dollar lease vs land purchase

[Mayhem]

mine is 2.08 per ac
600ac

mine is a $1.75, no BS.

[150class]

Land usually leases for around $7/acre for hunting.

Come take a trip with me to South Texas to look at leases and you'll change that number real quick

[texan16]

If you have the finances to buy your own property you are a fortunate man and you are WAY better off owning property than leasing. Keep in mind that owning property has ongoing expenses with taxes etc., however again if you have the finances you are better off buying. The only tip I have is, take your time and look for the right place. Find out who your neighbors will be, get to know them before buying. A previous post to this thread mentioned the horrors of having bad neighbors. Find the right place and you will be happy for the rest of your life. Good luck, hope you find your dream place.

[txpitdog]

Land is work. You will be working for yourself but there is always something to do. I have a small place but it is mine and drama free. I doubt I ever will shoot a trophy deer but my kids and I can do as we please.

Thank you for this. Happy and modest trumps possible trophy and miserable for sure. I will certainly keep this in mind.

[trophyhunter01]

have 140 acres in Liberty county and still not enough to keep neighbors from blasting every deer they can and hunting the fence line even though they have 5 to 10 time more acres....it is always something...fun to go but is frustrating at times to feed work and get good pics till gun season starts...

[BigL]

Land is work. You will be working for yourself but there is always something to do. I have a small place but it is mine and drama free. I doubt I ever will shoot a trophy deer but my kids and I can do as we please.

Same here but on my land I pay $250/month + $2000 in property tax (non ag exempt). It's just under 25 acres so a yearly payment of $5000/year. I know I can probably get on a place with more trophies than mine has but my initial investment has doubled since I first purchased it. So I hunt and do as I please and my investment continues to grow.

[Mister Bubba's bulletman]

It doesn't matter if you lease or buy, your potential is only as good as others around you. I managed my property for the past 8 years and now see about 10% of the deer I had prior to my new neighbor.

I'm there too. 10% is about right. My neighbors lessees have decimated the population in the last three years. With the drought they could easily become extinct in the area.

Very frustrating.

[unclefish]

First of all it all starts with the actual property layout, etc. I bought a small place (37 acres) 2 seasons ago and so far its been great. It is true that its all about your neighbors.

Some cons....On a small place it can be crazy. For example: last weekend there was a Tejano Rodeo with a live band blasting music a half mile away while we hunted. We still saw deer and my cousin killed one but that's the kind of stuff you have to put up with....lol.

The best part is that you can make it how you want it. You can screen the property off from your neighbors and actually funnel the deer on your place and away from bad neighbors with a lot of hinge cutting trees.

Plant some food plots and keep the feeders running year round and you can have your own little piece of heaven.

[RickH78]

My cousin and I are looking at buying about 100 acres somewhere in a few years. It will be ours and we can do what we want on it. We think this is a better route than leasing land somewhere. The trick is finding the right place but it can be done.

[60 Deluxe]

If you buy, try to find land surrounded by large parcels, like 300 acres and up. Also check in to who owns the property and how they use it. I have an old rancher west of me and there hasn't been a problem (hunting wise) in twenty one years. I have a doctor behind me who doesn't ranch, invites lots of friends to hunt, sets up blinds close to our common fenceline, and has shot deer very close to our house. Generally its a competition to see who kills the good bucks first. He doesn't bowhunt, so I get a headstart.

Also, keep in mind that if you buy land, it's yours in good times and bad. I've seen two heart breaking droughts, the last preceded by a wildfire that took out my fences and totally changed the dynamics of the deer hunting for years to come. I'm in a slump now and may not see the good hunting return until I'm well up in years and may not care to hunt anymore. If you are leasing you can end the lease and move to better country. Just something to consider.