Deer Lease Management
Hunting Lease Management Services
Deer hunting is big business in Texas and hunting leases continue to be a constant source of revenue for many Texas landowners. Texas landowners hold a unique position, for unlike many other states, Texas has little federally or state-owned land available for public hunting. Thus, the private landowners control the major supply of land available for hunting. This position affords Texas landowners a unique source of income.
Although the state regulates when, how and the number of deer that may be taken, the state cannot authorize trespassing on privately owned land. Independent permission from the landowners must be secured. Granting the right to enter and hunt generates the income.
Historically, permission to hunt was granted for the asking. Recently, however, Texas landowners began exacting a price for this privilege in the form of an agreement commonly referred to as a hunting lease. Depending upon the size of the lease tract, the abundance of game and the amenities available to the hunter, prices may range from a few dollars per day to thousands of dollars per season.
With the large timber companies selling their timberlands in East Texas over the last several years, places to hunt have become hard to find. More recently, with gas prices rising, traveling to Central or West Texas to hunt has become very expensive and East Texas hunters are looking for leases closer to home.
With this demand, landowners are being inundated with requests for permission to lease their property for hunting or just recreating. Depending on the amenities of the property, such as dwellings that can be used as camps, access to rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, or marshes, electric service, water service, as well as tract size and other factors, the value of the lease can be as much as a minimum of $7.00/acre/year, to as much as $15.00/acre/year, again depending on the amenities.
Landowners opting to not lease their property for hunting, or do not hunt the property themselves are fooling themselves into thinking it is not being hunted. Someone is hunting the property, the landowner simply does not know who it is, or what liability they are exposing themselves to.
Finding good, reputable hunters who understand and practice safe hunting and treat the tract as if it was their own, making sure the terms and conditions of the lease agreements are adhered to, is essential in having a successful, profitable, safe and worry free lease.
James Houser, Consulting Foresters, L.L.C. (JHCF) now manages over 22,000 acres of year-round hunting leases for their clients, ranging in size from as small as 100 acres to as large as 3,000 acres.
JHCF acquires the State Hunting Lease License that every landowner who leases their land for hunting is required to purchase every year. This license is $250.00/lease/year. JHCF is responsible for acquiring and properly maintaining these lease licenses.
JHCF requires that hunters obtain the proper hunter’s insurance, and requires that the landowner be named additionally insured on the certificate of insurance.
JHCF handles the acquisition and distribution of any doe permits and reports yearly hunting activity to the Texas Parks and Wildlife.
JHCF recommends three year hunting lease contracts that we use for all our hunting leases and leases run from August 1 to July 31 of the years covered under the contract. All lease and insurance money is due in our office by August 1st and lease money is usually distributed to the lessor by September 1st.
JHCF will solicit responsible hunters, handle all complaints and problems with lessee’s, execute contracts and collect and disperse lease fees, hunting lease license fees and insurance premiums for a commission of 10% of the gross lease rate.
