Hunting Leases

I am fortunate NOT to have to pay to hunt, at least not Whitetail here at home in Texas. I know many are not so lucky. Many pay for day hunts, guided hunts, management hunts, etc. There’s a hunt for everything you can think of, and pretty much any scenario. Many people around home here offer season leases to hunters, such as our hunters have at our ranch. All of these different types have their advantages and disadvantages.
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I have only personally paid for a semi-guided hunt one time, and that was last May with my fellow Prois Posse members and Tracey Splechter from Outdoor Connections. While my hunt wasn’t successful, others on the trip were, at least harvesting hogs if no turkey. The trip itself was fun, and created friends and memories for life, but the hunt itself was not what I would call a quality hunt worth the “semi-guided” fee. However, I’m also aware that just like everything else in life, there are good, and there are bad. The rest of my hunts have always been free-range, low fence hunts on our land, or family or friends’ land.
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As far as day lease, I believe a lot of these to be typically overhunted leases. I’m not by any means saying that all of them are, because some are managed stricter than others. However, many are just concerned at the most amount of money they can bring in within a small amount of time, not caring at the overabundance of traffic throughout the property, or the numbers of game harvested. These are a good use for management hunts though, especially for extra doe numbers or cull bucks or meat hunts.
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Guided hunts that I know of, or know people that run, are typically more expensive, because let’s face it, you get what you pay for. These people typically cater to the hunters more because the hunters are paying a much larger amount for the hunt. They are usually all-inclusive hunts as well, including a guide taking you out, staying with you while you harvest your animal (usually specific class you paid for if a deer), cleaning your animal, caping out if needed, butchering and packaging your animal, and your accommodations such as meals and lodging are usually included. The only thing I caution you to remember on these is that tipping for cooks/guides is usually NOT figured in, and should be considered greatly!
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Our season lease hunters are treated different altogether. They pay for the whole season, in some cases yearly like ours. They cover their feeder and feed costs associated, some leases requiring certain feeding schedules like year-round feed paid for by the person leasing the land too. Some land owners require protein supplement as well. These hunters are responsible for their stay, unless they are lucky enough to have a cabin included, and the processing and transportation of their own animals is their responsibility. The main advantage to these hunters/leases is that great friendships can be formed, and in some cases, hunters that respect the laws of the land owner are in turn given the opportunity to re-lease. As a landowner, it’s nice to know you have hunters that are respectful and not a problem.
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There are many places online and other to find available leases. What kind of other leases do you like or participate in?