When is it time to find a new lease?

[rhendrix]

I've hunted the same piece of property my whole life, it's a 2800 acre piece of land in Seven Oaks, just north of Livingston. This place is a working cattle ranch and 70% of it is open pastures. It makes a great spot for rifle hunters but I have strictly hunted with a bow for the past 4 years and only shot one decent buck. I've seen a lot of smaller bucks that would be legal, but I don't like to shoot young deer just so I can fill a tag. The problem I'm having is that I have two small children at home and one on the way, and as much as I love to hunt, I can only get away about 5 days a month (October-January), so my time is limited. Combine that with the fact that the lease manager only allocates 1 buck and 1 doe a year, refuses to build protein feeders, and refuses to seek a consult for a MLD program and I am at a point where I'm starting to question if it's time to find a new place to hunt. I don't expect to see a huge buck every sit, but I'd like at least one shot a year! So my question to all of you is this...how do you know when it's time to move on? When you do decide to move on, how do you go about finding a new lease? What are the things you look for? What are deal breakers for you? What are questions you routinely ask land owners or lease managers? Do you utilize any websites or chamber of commerce websites? I live in Cypress and work in Bryan and have no issue driving 3-5 hours for the right place, I just want to find a place that I can hunt and kill a decent buck every couple of years and a doe or two to put some meat in the freezer.

Thanks,
Frustrated East Texas Hunter

[COPPERHEAD]

When you start a thread like this.

[rhendrix]

When you start a thread like this.

Touché.

[flywise]

I'd say that no lease is worth the money if you are only allocated 2 deer.
I rarely shoot more than 2 deer but I can if I want.
Maybe you could bring up a wish list with all the other members and find out if the majority would like the things you mentioned and then maybe the manager might be willing to compromise

[rhendrix]

Flywise, I tried that approach this year with setting up protein feeders, most of us were in favor, but the lease manager felt like we'd just be wasting our time and money.

[AgHntr10]

So you hunt East Texas, ~5 days a year and expect to get a shot at a "good" deer every year? Seems like to me you need to lower your expectations a little.

[rhendrix]

15-18 days a year, 5 days a month typically. I think my expectations are reasonable, this place has just been mismanaged and the bigger bucks have no reason to leave since they have there choice of does.

[AgHntr10]

15-18 days a year, 5 days a month typically. I think my expectations are reasonable, this place has just been mismanaged and the bigger bucks have no reason to leave since they have there choice of does.

Sorry I misread

[Hart8]

If you are frustrated,and contemplating it, it's time to split...Our place yields a really good buck about every 5 years...I get frustrated also,but the dove hunting is unbelievable,so I'm gonna stay til they kick us off!

[3DW5]

I would have a place already lined up before you bolt, leases can be hard to come by in that neck of the woods...

[Mud Shark]

Man, If you can hunt 5 days a month, that's pretty **** good in my book. I'm lucky to get a weekend a month, but I digress.

The fact of the matter is, is if you want to kill a good buck, especially with a bow, you've got to have your *** in the seat. If you're not in the stand A LOT, luck has a huge roll in the taking of a good buck. It's a little different with a gun, but with a bow, time is your friend.

If you're tired of the lease manager and don't agree with what he's doing, I'd look to move on, but I wouldn't call calf rope on the place you're on until you find something else.

I know it's very frustrating to not be on the same page as the lease manager/ram rod. But sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know; you know?

Plus, it sounds like you're pretty close to your lease. The farther away you are, the fewer trips you're going to make, I can vouch for that from personal experience.

[Pistol]

When you start a thread like this.

Ditto
If you aren't happy, then find some place you will be happy. For me, I never know how much I will be able to hunt from year to year and found it to be a much more economical option for me to set up a hunt with a day lease place. They usually feed pretty good, some use protien feeders, and I don't have to do any of the work. Just show up and hunt for two days. I don't always get a deer, but I usually do. Most places have good bucks, or they wouldn't be in business. The price just depends on where you want to go and how big you want. I am so cheap, I am happy with any deer, and haven't shot a really good buck yet, but my freezer is usually full by this time of year. Plus I can be a lot more versatile on where I hunt.

[TX_Hoghunter]

Since you are frustrated you need to look 12 months out of the year because you never know what will pop up. We stumbled across out current lease in June several years ago. On our lease if we have openings they will normally be listed in January or February. I would guess most get listed at that time.

-john

[rtp]

You may be jumping into a much worse situation. Sometimes it is better to dance with the Devil you know. I wouldnt give up your lease until you find a known better place to hunt. Leases are a crapshoot at best unless someone you know is bringing you into a known situation.

[ken]

I would have a place already lined up before you bolt, leases can be hard to come by in that neck of the woods...

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