How to manage a wild hog hunting lease

First, a little background. Four years ago I secured a 140 acre piece of ground in Florida for wild hog hunting. Somewhat of a miracle I found it but I did. I invited other guys from the RV resort to hunt my property just trying to be a nice guy. All of my hunting experience was hunting ducks and geese. No experience hunting critters that walk. So,,, I was hopping to find some mentors and I was afraid of being in The Florida jungle alone. Well, last past spring the property sold. But....I think I can work out something with the new owner of the property. I was recommended by the previous owner, that helps.

Thinking I was out of the hog hunting business I researched other hunting options. Tons of hunt clubs offer hog hunting for $750 per hog. Some charge $250 to hunt then another $300 if you get a hog. It's all about money. Then there is public hunting in Florida but we can't hunt at night, use centerfire rifles and can't use bait.

Hunting private property is a rather golden opportunity that I offered these guys at almost no cost. Since the lease was gone or so I thought and may now have it back I think I need to change the rules with these buddies in Florida. I taught myself how to hunt hogs, overcame my fear of the jungle. I think it would be selfish to keep the property all to myself but the lack of appreciation for my generosity was somewhat profound. Not one of those buddies ever offered to take my wife and I out for pizza. I put up a blind 8' above ground single handedly. Last year a couple of them didn't pay the $50 fee that I charged. I realize this is mostly my own fault, I should have been more forward. There is only one guy I would allow to hunt under the old rules.

Need some opinions on how to proceed? I'm not in this for the money.

I managed a hunting lease (family property) for 12 years. It left such a bad taste in my mouth I decided that any amount of money was not worth the effort, plus listening to the whining, crying and bellyaching about one thing or another. The last straw was when I approached a hunter who had killed a nice mature ten pointer. Probably 20" spread and would have scored possibly 150. He told me it wasn't big enough. I asked him why he shot it then and walked away totally disgusted with crybaby hunters. Never leased it again after 1995, haven't missed the money and my sons and nephews (10 total) have grown up hunting some prime Texas brush country.

I'll never run another lease, buy into a lease, or rent a property that I am not the sole hunter on the place. I'll never pay to shoot a wild hog. Many Texas farmers recruit hog hunters.

Alan

If you charge any money at all, I strongly urge you to consult an attorney and I'd be certain to have general liability insurance in case one of those knuckleheads gets hurt...even if it's their fault. You may also be putting the landowner at risk by charging a fee to others.

People just do NOT have any sense of appreciation and thanks today. If I were down there and you invited me out with you I would drive or offer gas money, help you with any work that needed done and do anything else I could to show my appreciation. I think most on the forum probably would. A good number outside this forum probably would not. It's that sense of entitlement that has been festered...I mean fostered...maybe festered was correct. I wish you luck, Jim. Folks have just become too dang whiny and self-absorbed. No sense of responsibility either. (Steps down and kicks soap box back against the fence)

The property owner did require me to purchase liability insurance as part of the lease. I charged the other guys $50 each to go towards the insurance. I'll never forget I asked one of guys to haul my box blind from a storage area to the property. He refused over concerns his truck was to small or something. I found another buddy, a nonhunter, to haul the stuff. So,,,,if I needed a sheet of plywood, I had Home Depot cut it in half, 2x8 sheets so I could haul it my Ford Focus.

I picked up all the litter along the lease right-of-way and even beyond once or twice a month. Replaced "No Trespassing" signs with new ones and kept an eye on things. I did it because I'm an Eagle Boy Scout and "do a good deed everyday" Lived that way all my life. These are the reasons I got the lease back from a new owner. I even found a cellphone along the highway in working condition. Took it to the Sheriffs office.

I guess I'm an idiot thinking someone would appreciate access to my lease. I think I got the picture now.

Would like to hear more. Thanks

No, Jim. You're not an idiot. It's those other guys that are idiots. You are the way people are supposed to be. The Golden Rule of Do Unto Others we know today as "Pay it Forward". Some folks just don't have a clue.

The suggestion of liability ins is spot on. And each hunter should sign a waiver of liability. They are useless in court, but they prove that at the time of the lease the hunter waived liability. Have a list of rules that covers access and behavior on the lease. Be prepared to enforce them.

The trouble with most leases is that the lessee considers his lease as a purchase of the property and not the right to use it for specific purposes. If you decide to do it make sure the amount of the lease will cover you having to clean up the place and do all the work. There is a sweet spot in lease payments where you cut out the "Hog" hunters and the elitists who consider the lease their property, and you only attract those hunters who genuinely are concerned with improving the place.

Truly, I have found the most enjoyable people to hunt with and camp with are those who have a vested interest. Guys who will come out and shred the roads, cut brush, build blinds, etc for hunting privileges, for themselves and their immediate families to be the best all around.

I haven't killed a deer or a hog in ten years but I still like to go hunting. The people I hunt with have invested themselves in our place, are safe, and I enjoy their company. Money would ruin all that.

Alan

Also, check your laws. Texas requires a hunting lease license for the lessor.

Alan