lease big property or buy small?

[HighwayHunter]

It would depend on location. If I could buy 200 acres in a prime spot I’d much rather own 200 acres than lease 2,000.


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[jerp]

All small acreages are not the same. There is a big difference between 160 acres sandwiched between ranches several thousand acres in size, and 1/4 section surrounded by other "weekend places" and leases of that size or less. At this stage of my life and hunting career I opt for close, (1 1/2 hours) comfortable (nice cabin) and no big lease drama. It's a trade-off for sure. There are only so many set-ups you can hunt - which can get boring - and a management program is well-near impossible when the surrounding 2,000 acres is owned by a dozen different people. .

[BrianL]

You can hunt your investment, or pay to hunt someone else's investment. Depends on if you are a big picture kind of guy or just interested in the hunt. Both are ok. For me buy, hunt invest into property, improve property, sell, buy bigger property, ....repeat....repeat...

[ctom87]

Good question. I was on 1400 acres last year. For an eniire year everything felt like an adventure as there was always something new to discover. There were always new deer. It seemed like something that would never feel old. Fast forward to this year and I am on a place under 100. It feels as though I have mastered it and know everything about it in about a month. The adventurer in me wants 1400 but doesnt want to pay for it or be limited to a small section.

Option 3...play the lotto, win millions, spend 2 mil on 1500 acres somewhere.

[labman]

Done both, best land deal I had was 200 acres in Montague county with river frontage and drainage into Lake Nocona. Great waterfowl hunting 1-2 a week, decent deer hunting (best deer was a 150) and solid pig hunting. Surrounded by 1000 acres and 900 acres. Great neighbors and I had varmint and pig hunting access to both. 90 minutes driveway to gate. Problem started when one landowner sold and that place became a war zone, yes we benefitted some as our place became a sanctuary from the pressure, but I could see the long term decline in deer numbers coming. Eleven years later, we sold at 2.5 times the original price-great investment with priceless family time.

Bottom line, you can lose a lease but you can also lose the value of your land depending upon what the neighbors do. There are some incredible small properties out there, you just have to be patient. Some larger leases are all hype. But I don't get emotional looking at land, it's all about the exit strategy for me.

[Darton]

Hmmm. Not true. Plenty of huge bucks killed on less than 200 acres in my part of Texas. I would rather own 200 acres all day long versus leasing 2000+ acres.

Owning is far more rewarding

[Pineywoods]

Owning is far more rewarding

Yes sir. Absolutely

[Sika]

As mentioned, there are pros and cons to buying small vs. leasing large but there is nothing like owning your own property. There is just no more rewarding feeling than hunting and killing a good deer on your own property you built and managed with your own blood, sweat, and tears.

Most leases have their share of drama and you may still only get a couple hundred acres +/- to yourself.

The biggest downside is trying to hunt and enjoy a small property without putting too much pressure on the game. On a big ranch, if one stand gets burned out you have the ability to move to another. On a small property it's easy to burn it out. Then it takes a few weeks for game to return to normal patterns.

[PassnItOn]

Owning is far more rewarding

This!

[gingib]

I would rather buy. I can call it mine and I can make the rules.

x2!

[Matt_C]

If you owned your own land, you wouldn't ever have your lease canceled the month before deer season. You wouldn't have the owner's family showing up to hunt your feeders. You wouldn't have the owner allowing folks to run hog dogs on the property and you wouldn't have the owner putting up energy windmills. And, years down the road, you will have invested in something that appreciated.

^^^^^^^^Truer words were never spoken...^^^^^^^^

[JMart76]

I’m trying to find ways to eventually buy my own small place to enjoy. It would be awesome to own about 250-500 acres but 50-100 would be good enough.

[ken800]

Buy... I have 70ish in lampasas surrounded by 1000+ acre spots and there are endless opportunities to hunt. I also live on 5 in a neighborhood of 5-20 acre sites for miles. I have a feeder in front and a feeder in back. On any given day, I have 12 or so does I could choose from. What I haven't seen is big bucks. Ever. In the past 3 years. I'm not into trophies, though, and either hunt hogs to eradicate or does for meat. If you are a trophy hunter, you'll have to be very selective if you buy small.

[Farmdog]

U can grow big deer on 20 acres, then go catch a big trout. live happily ever after!

[bbqfan5909]

I'd personally buy with the thought of resale later in life.