Want to improve your property and make a bit of money? We’re going to explore how a hunting lease benefits the landowner and the hunter. Better wildlife habitat management, reduced pest and predator impact, and enhanced security are all ways these kinds of agreements can make your life better.
Financial Hunting Lease Benefits for Landowners
Want to make money from your land? Leasing land to hunters is a great way to make more income from your property. Depending on where you live, you could bring in anywhere from $10 to $50 per acre. That income could be used to reinvest in your property, develop a side business, or just pay the taxes to keep your land in your legacy.
Let’s take a quick look at some examples and what you might do with that money.
- $6900 annually for a 225-acre property in Texas. This is a rural property without a big house on it, so leasing hunting land will more than cover the property taxes.
- $4500 lease for 151 acres in Kansas. More than enough to cover the taxes and invest a little in maintaining access, this lease is a great way to hold onto your rural real estate.
Those are just two examples from our list of hunting leases. Larger properties can bring in more money per acre, especially if they can be split up among hunters.
There may be tax implications for this income. However, you can also make improvements to your land which might become tax deductions. In the end, producing more funds from your land is almost always going to be a good thing.
Hearing more about passive income and diversifying income? Leasing your land to hunters is a great way to do both. The initial income from the lease can grow if you add more services. For example:
- Add simple accommodation, like a camping site or simple cabin. This can be rented out even when hunting season isn’t happening.
- Install game cameras and monetize the footage via TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
- If you can process game, then charge a fee for skinning or butchering game on site.
Create more income for you and your family by adding streams of funds with an expanding hunting business.
Improved Wildlife and Habitat Management on Your Land
Hunters have a vested interest in improving your land. They want better cover and food sources for their preferred game species. They’ll work with you to develop access, trails, and monitoring. Cooperation can make your property better for you and for the hunters.
Here are ways you can work together to improve the property:
- Clear game trails and access points. You can’t make deer move a certain way or give wild hogs directions. But clearing away brush and debris selectively can steer game towards where you want them.
- Fence or block off useful areas. Your property may have sections you want to protect from wild animals, such as a small garden or working farm. Hunters can work with you to install protection around these areas.
- Reduce wildlife pests through strategic hunting. Problems with feral swine, large flocks of migrating birds, or even predators like coyotes can be reduced through hunting. Developing mutliple hunts, seasons, and species will improve the income you get from a hunting agreement.
Hunters will also work with you to clear the places they want to hunt. They will want clear sight lines for shooting. Chat with them and develop a plan for managing the property.
Where’s the balance between the responsibilities of the landowner and the work hunters can do willingly? We’ve found a few ways to make these negotiations go smoothly:
- Try to create agreement about how to improve the property for the hunters and the landowner. If everyone involved can agree on what could be done, then getting it done is much easier. For example, instead of simply telling the hunters what you will do, have a BBQ once a year to build a little goodwill. After everyone has a full belly, have a chat about the property and discuss ideas.
- Give your best efforts to the hunters. They will expect you to do things to improve your property. That’s really normal, so don’t be surprised. Be ready to offer some funds for purchases and work to make changes.
- Be honest about how the hunters can help. If you have funds but not time or energy, be honest about it. They may be willing to do the work if you buy the supplies. Of course, the opposite of this is true, too.
There are many ways to improve the habitat and wildlife management on your land. With some friendly chats, you may find your hunters are also your best land management partners.
Hunting Lease Benefits for Security
Hunters can significantly boost the security of your leased land by setting up and sticking to clear rules. By laying out a solid set of guidelines—covering safety practices, allowed hunting methods, and property use restrictions—hunters create a responsible hunting environment.
We know many hunters and landowners talk often. They swap numbers and keep in touch. When something happens on the property, word gets around quickly.
Keeping communication open between hunters and landowners is key to maintaining security. Hunters should be ready to report any issues or suspicious activities they notice. Regular property checks are also important to catch any signs of trespassing or vandalism early, so problems can be addressed quickly.
Physical security measures can also help. Your hunters will want to put up clear signage to mark property boundaries and use gates or locks to control access. Give them permission to do it – your land will be safer. Keeping trails and other areas well-maintained will help hunters spot potential security issues before they become bigger problems.
Many hunters will use game cameras to keep an eye on property access as well as animal activity. Newer cameras often come with cellular plans, so they are live and monitored in real time. Hunters then become your eyes and ears. They’ll keep an eye on unauthorized access and report it to you.
Try to get your hunters on the land really often. Hunting multiple species and setting up maintenance periods will mean people are on your land throughout the year. This will improve security and oversight on the property.
Improved Hunting Experience for Hunters
Hunters have more success on private land. This is a fact across all of the USA.
- Higher Game Populations: Private lands often have higher deer densities compared to public lands. That’s why 88% of deer are harvested on private lands.
- Better Trophy Potential: With less hunting pressure, animals on private leases have a better chance to reach maturity. In Texas, for instance, private ranches have produced 60% of the state’s record-book bucks despite comprising only 2.5% of the total deer harvest.
- Reduced Interference: Hunters on leased land don’t have to compete with other hunters, unlike on public lands where overcrowding is common, especially during peak seasons.
Tailored Hunting Conditions
Leased lands allow hunters to work with landowners to optimize hunting conditions. This helps hunters in a few key ways:
- Customized Setups: Hunters can often install permanent blinds or tree stands, which is typically not allowed on public lands. This allows for better positioning and increased success rates.
- Food Plot Management: Many leases allow hunters to plant and manage food plots. A well-managed food plot can increase deer sightings by up to 400% compared to unmanaged areas.
- Habitat Improvement: Hunters can participate in habitat improvement projects. For example, creating edge habitats or maintaining water sources can significantly increase wildlife activity in specific areas.
Less Crowding, More Success
Private leases offer a more relaxed and potentially more successful hunting experience compared to public lands:
- Higher Success Rates: With managed private land, hunters have more success. They know where the animals will be, have great locations in mind to set up their shots, and are much more likely to be able to retrieve the animal after the shot.
- Longer Hunting Sessions: With less competition, hunters on private leases can spend more time in prime locations. On public lands, the best spots are often occupied early, forcing later arrivals to less optimal areas.
- Reduced Safety Concerns: Overcrowding on public lands can lead to safety issues. In contrast, leased lands typically have a limited number of hunters, reducing the risk of hunting accidents.
These factors combine to create a hunting environment that is not only more enjoyable but also potentially more productive for hunters who choose to lease private land.
Long-Term Relationships and Repeat Business
One of the benefits of leasing land on an annual basis is your opportunity to build great relationships with the lessees. Those hunters who come to your property can become a little community that values the land, the animals, and the legacy of hunting.
How does this help you?
First, they are much more likely to treat your property respectfully. In general, outdoors sportsmen and women are good folks. They leave no trace, they love nature, and they don’t cause a bunch of damage. But there are some genuine idiots out there. Working with the same group of hunters from one year to the next means you can control who is on your land.
Happy hunters will also mention you and your property to other hunters. This could be really good for building your business and income. Their friends will arrive with a positive view of you. Getting their hunting lease agreed and started will be much easier.
Three Keys for Success
Hopefully you’ve gotten this far and you’re ready to make some money from your property. Let’s cover three quick things you can do to make this a real success.
Sign a Strong Hunting Lease Agreement
Write and sign a complete hunting lease agreement. Your lease should cover a lot of details. We know this seems obvious, but here’s the big lesson:
Clear beginnings create clean endings.
If everyone is clear about the terms, you’re much less likely to have any conflict. When a minor disagreement or negotiation does come up, you’ll have a clear framework for helping everyone agree on what to do.
Buy a Hunting Lease Liability Insurance Policy
Buy your own hunting liability insurance policy. Hunting is an outdoors sport and comes with some inherent risks. Even if you are not the one at fault (you told them that tree was dead and they put a stand up in it anyway!), your liability policy will cover your legal costs if you need it.
Secure the Hunting Rights and Property
You should already have full hunting and property rights on your own land. Now it’s time to put up signs at access points. Make it clear that it is private property and unauthorized access and hunting is not permitted. Work with your hunters to monitor common access points to ensure your boundaries are respected.
Want more info? Read more at our landowner resources page.
