What kinda lease will $5,000 get you?

[hammer63]

Maybe I missed something but isn't the reason you feed protein is for them to eat all they want.

Some deer do get all they want, but not all of them do. That's just not in the budget. We're killing good deer every year and believe that our feeding efforts are worth the investment. NOBODY on our ranch has the budget to feed true free choice. It's a supplement, not a means of survival.

[Snowflake Killa]

I understand

[Beargrasstx]

I would spend 5k on a lease but would want exotics included and 140 in bucks being taken would be expected. Supplementation shouldnt be required by landowner would be my expectation but a decision made by individual or lease members.

I am also looking for a heavily wooded place in leon county that is at least 1k acres

[Down South]

You would probably be better off waiting and charging more. I think many people would have a hard time spending 5k for a couple deer and no trophy. It’s obvious more and more people are becoming trophy hunters rather than meat hunters. Are y’all MLD? It sounds like you all are on to a honey hole in about 4 years if you keep your program in check. Good luck.

Thanks for the response. No, we are not MLD. The ranch is VERY wild and we have plans to do a LOT of brush clearing in the near future. Even though the only places you can see deer are in the roads because of the thick brush, it's not uncommon to ride around for 30 minutes and see 8-10 bucks and 12-15 doe. They are all just too young right now. Average scores of probably 120 with the best we got on camera this year about 150.
If we wait 4 more years I believe we will just sell hunts instead of spots on the lease. 3000 acres is a lot to hunt and manage for 2 guys but we will get it done with the help of a bunch of protein and a LOT of cameras.

[wade]

A spot on a good kansas lease.

[Kdog]

What do you guys think about this? I lease 3000 acres in South Texas (Duval County) where the landowner and I started managing and protein program about a year ago. We have already seen outstanding results in quality and numbers of deer so we added a few more protein feeders and watering stations. About the oldest deer we have are 3 1/2 years old and we have decided we won't take any trophies until they reach the age of 7 1/2 which means (aside from a strange buck showing up) we won't be taking any trophy bucks for 4 more years. We will begin culling 4.5 year olds next season (2018) though. We have talked about adding a few quality, management minded hunters but we're not sure about whether many hunters would be willing to join our lease/program knowing they will not take any trophy bucks until the 2021 season...and even then, would have to be VERY selective about what they take.
We do have plenty of hogs, quail, dove, and predators.
Currently, only myself and the landowner hunt this 3000 acres and we have only taken 3 deer in the past 5 years. Not because of a lack of opportunity...we just don't shoot them.
We are only considering adding hunters to help defray the high cost of the protein feed our deer are consuming. The lease cost would be $5000/hunter plus a portion of feed. We would have to be very careful about who we would allow to join us.
My question is.....Is there any demand for a lease of this type with the restrictions mentioned above? Or should we wait for 4 more years when we start taking trophies, and then charge the $8000 going rate?

Seems odd to me that with only 2 hunters on 3,000 acres your top age class is 3.5? Is it a newly acquired property? If you cannot pinpoint the cause of a lack of age class I would be concerned that the surrounding properties are absolutely hamming the deer. If you know that the ranch was being shot out prior and that accounts for the lack of older bucks, then all you need is time to rebuild.

I think adding hunters is a good idea. You may want to start off with taking trophy deer at 5.5 to start with. I would think you will have some deer that will slip through to the older age classes even with taking trophies at 5.5. Then as time goes on raise your trophy age and eventually get it up to 7.5. Personally I think 8k (or even 5k plus feed) is a lot to pay for a lease that does not have a track record for producing big deer. I spend a lot on hunting, but I would be hard pressed to invest 20 grand (4 years x 5k) on a lease (plus feed), then finally get a chance at a good buck.

[Krivoman]

What do you guys think about this? I lease 3000 acres in South Texas (Duval County) where the landowner and I started managing and protein program about a year ago. We have already seen outstanding results in quality and numbers of deer so we added a few more protein feeders and watering stations. About the oldest deer we have are 3 1/2 years old and we have decided we won't take any trophies until they reach the age of 7 1/2 which means (aside from a strange buck showing up) we won't be taking any trophy bucks for 4 more years. We will begin culling 4.5 year olds next season (2018) though. We have talked about adding a few quality, management minded hunters but we're not sure about whether many hunters would be willing to join our lease/program knowing they will not take any trophy bucks until the 2021 season...and even then, would have to be VERY selective about what they take.
We do have plenty of hogs, quail, dove, and predators.
Currently, only myself and the landowner hunt this 3000 acres and we have only taken 3 deer in the past 5 years. Not because of a lack of opportunity...we just don't shoot them.
We are only considering adding hunters to help defray the high cost of the protein feed our deer are consuming. The lease cost would be $5000/hunter plus a portion of feed. We would have to be very careful about who we would allow to join us.
My question is.....Is there any demand for a lease of this type with the restrictions mentioned above? Or should we wait for 4 more years when we start taking trophies, and then charge the $8000 going rate?

not sure how this is possible. 4 year on a place and only have 3 year olds.. Even if neighbors hammer deer, 3000 acres is plenty of country for deer to make it. Sounds like you have a sweet place though. Hope it pays off for you.

[Down South]

not sure how this is possible. 4 year on a place and only have 3 year olds.. Even if neighbors hammer deer, 3000 acres is plenty of country for deer to make it. Sounds like you have a sweet place though. Hope it pays off for you.

Up until last year the ranch had NO reliable water on it anywhere other than the corral right next to camp for about 6 or 7 years. The deer left for greener pastures. The ranch has been in the owner's family for over 100 years but they had never fed any protein and just corned during the season. Keeping the cows alive was the only real focus. Hunting pressure has always been minimal and the same on neighboring properties. Other than low pressure, there was really nothing there to attract or hold deer so they went where the food and water was. I've hunted this ranch for the last 8 or 9 years and watched the numbers dwindle each year and almost never saw a mature deer. Since we started year round protein feeding and put watering stations here and there around the ranch, we have seen a huge quality and population increase. I know we don't have all the answers yet but we are definitely headed in the right direction.

[Down South]

Seems odd to me that with only 2 hunters on 3,000 acres your top age class is 3.5? Is it a newly acquired property? If you cannot pinpoint the cause of a lack of age class I would be concerned that the surrounding properties are absolutely hamming the deer. If you know that the ranch was being shot out prior and that accounts for the lack of older bucks, then all you need is time to rebuild.

I think adding hunters is a good idea. You may want to start off with taking trophy deer at 5.5 to start with. I would think you will have some deer that will slip through to the older age classes even with taking trophies at 5.5. Then as time goes on raise your trophy age and eventually get it up to 7.5. Personally I think 8k (or even 5k plus feed) is a lot to pay for a lease that does not have a track record for producing big deer. I spend a lot on hunting, but I would be hard pressed to invest 20 grand (4 years x 5k) on a lease (plus feed), then finally get a chance at a good buck.

Understood. This ranch does have a track record of producing big bucks but just not recently. At least not with any regularity. The last drought killed the population on this ranch because of the complete lack of water and supplemental feed. We don't have any problems with any neighbors killing a bunch of deer either. We know and talk with most of them and most of them are the actual owners of the property and they don't lease. Now that the ranch feeds protein and there is reliable water stations, we are attracting and holding deer in much greater numbers.

[Kdog]

Still think there may be older deer around you just are not seeing them. If you feed them protein it will make a huge impact. The water situation could definitely have an impact. I would think you would want at least 8-10 thousand lb protein feeders on a place that size. Good luck, sounds like you are moving in the right direction.

[Down South]

Still think there may be older deer around you just are not seeing them. If you feed them protein it will make a huge impact. The water situation could definitely have an impact. I would think you would want at least 8-10 thousand lb protein feeders on a place that size. Good luck, sounds like you are moving in the right direction.

Thanks. I can only wish we could afford to keep 8 protein feeders from going empty out there. It would take about $30,000 a year to feed 150 deer. In time I suppose. But you are correct about the number of feeders. We'll be putting in feed pens number 4&5 this Spring with plans for numbers 6&7 down the road.

[Artos]

Understood. This ranch does have a track record of producing big bucks but just not recently. At least not with any regularity. The last drought killed the population on this ranch because of the complete lack of water and supplemental feed. We don't have any problems with any neighbors killing a bunch of deer either. We know and talk with most of them and most of them are the actual owners of the property and they don't lease. Now that the ranch feeds protein and there is reliable water stations, we are attracting and holding deer in much greater numbers.

Our place in starr doesn't have any good water to drill for either...the ranch hired a specialist to come in the excavated a bunch of locations that would catch run off to create the tanks. We do have water stations running the length of the ranch, but the tanks that survived the said drought were very helpful.

[Kdog]

Thanks. I can only wish we could afford to keep 8 protein feeders from going empty out there. It would take about $30,000 a year to feed 150 deer. In time I suppose. But you are correct about the number of feeders. We'll be putting in feed pens number 4&5 this Spring with plans for numbers 6&7 down the road.

That’s where having hunters share (pay) the expense comes in. If it was my ranch I would get the hunters and have them start feeding the deer. At 5.5 trophy age you could still have some very good deer. Then raise the age to where you want it as you go. Good luck.