TO LEASE... OR NOT TO LEASE?

[jdickey]

What a frustrating year!

I, along with many hunters this year, have found another season of feeding year round, seeing good signs, and then POOF the deer disappear! And then you get a rancher that gets thousands of dollars and won't do anything for the lease! So, it's to the point of changing leases again.

I'm not asking for much... would like to stay within 3.5 hours from Waco, will spend up to $1500/yr, two buck county, and 500 acres or more. Would like to have water and electricity. We are very management minded and not afraid of hard work to keep the lease going!

We are at the point of giving up leases and just go on "charter hunts". But it just doesn't feel the same when I do that!

Any offers out there would be appreciated, guys!

[ICMCumin]

Hey JD - I have the deer on my lease - just don't seem to have the time lately......

I just may focus on waterfowling and turkeys next year. Prefer to have the dog with me on hunts when I can.

[jdickey]

:)Hey ICM... maybe I can take your place! But you'll have to put one of those leather couches that's on your store's web page in my deer stand!

[Bobcat]

Hey JD,

I know I am preaching to the choir, but DeerTexas.com is still one of the best spots to locate a good hunting lease. Scott does a pretty good job. Be sure to sign up for the e-mail alerts......the good leases go quickly.

Scroll back up the the Finding Hunting Leases thread. There are some other good leads there. It is all pretty frustrating.......

Good Luck,

Bob

[jdickey]

::)Yeah, DeerTexas.com and texashuntinglease.com are real good sites as are several others. But most of those sights appear to have lease owners or leasing agents going after hunters, and not so much the other "hunters" that are needing someone to fill a spot. But, I guess that's the chance you take!

Like I said, I just may pull it all in and go "hire" a hunt!

[okcoyote]

jdickey,

i am new to these pages, but i could not help noticing that u hunt in the robert lee area. i was very fortunate in that i got to hunt there also back in the 70's and 80's. my uncle and aunt ( on my wife's side) use to own the texaco station on the east side of town (coming from bronte). anyway they sold the station to the Skinners.
aunt and uncle divorced and there went the hunting.
his name is add davis. her name is joan davis, the justice of the peace in coke county. should you ever get a ticket for something i am sure u will get to meet her.
tell her u are an acquaintance of larry reed. may be she will let off easy..... or she may do the opposite. anyway
we use to hunt just soutwest of town and up towards silver. i sure do miss hunting that country. we use to have a 320 acre lease that joined the mattepeak ranch.
they now gone and put up tall game prof fence. just ruined our place. i too am looking for a decent lease in texas. i hope u find one.

have a good one.

[Bobcat]

Hey okcoyote,

I really like the area around Robert Lee. It is a great bobcat area. Two seasons ago one of the places I hunted was Runion's right across from Skinners. We would stop at Skinners for corn. I REALLY like the Cracker Barrel's cheese burgers(not the chain for those that don't know).

Small world!!

Bob

[ICMCumin]

Bobcat said:

I REALLY like the Cracker Barrel's cheese burgers(not the chain for those that don't know).

Durn Bobcat - you sure do have a fixation on them Crackle Barrel burgers......... or is it one of the waitresses?? ;D ;D

See you saturday!

[okcoyote]

good morning bobcat.

i have dined at the cracker b. many times. back when i was hunting down there in the late 70-'s and 80's one thing i noticed was that i did not see very many coyotes. come to think of it, i don't recall ever seeing any. with all the sheep they raise one would think the yotes would have bee plentiful. you are correct about the b.cats. we saw those in good numbers.

have a good one.

[jdickey]

Hey Okcoyote... we hunted west off Fm2034 near the radio tower. We were on top of the mesa there about 2500 ft up. Strangest thing was that there were no signs of coyotes or bobcats; maybe why we had sooooo many turkeys and jack rabbits!

The C.B. has renamed it's cheeseburger to the Bob Connell Special! (not really) But it is a durn good burger. We pass right by the Texaco coming in. Looks like the corn is the "cheapest" thing they sell.... it sure ain't the gas!

After having talked to several hunters in the area, it sounded like the Colorado River valley just outside of town was the place to be this year. It certainly wasn't where we were at!

The most exciting thing we saw were the herd of blackbucks on the ranch next to us and only about a mile away! I did get a rather large "cull" 6 pt.; I've got a picture of it posted (BIG GAME topic WHITETAIL BAD HAIR DAY)

Anyway, I think I may have found a lease closer to home in Mills County. Sounds good and will look this weekend!

[Bobcat]

Good luck on the lease!!

[jdickey]

:)Thanks Bob... this lease sounds great and if we don't get flooded out this weekend, we should "do the deal"! ;D

[okcoyote]

hey jdickey, do u mind disclosing what your prospective lease is gonna cost. do u pay by the acre or by the gun?

have a good one.

[jdickey]

This lease is 1100 acres and will be $1600/gun with up to 10 hunters. We paid $1450/gun and 1800 acres in Coke County, but no deer! Lots and lots of turkeys, though!

I've seen an overabundance of leases this year that are asking $2000/gun on ranches anywhere from 325 acres to 4000 acres and everything in between.

I don't mind spending the money (I do really), but when there are no deer or very few deer, it's hard to justify the expense.

This new one is closer to home by two hours, and even if there aren't as many deer, at least it's close enough to just "go and get away"!

[CoonDawg]

So did you get in on it or not?