BC,
Nothing I would've loved more would've been able to own my on hunting land. Life always got in the way. Still does to an extent. Im 60 now and still dont have the money to buy the amount of land I'd want to make it worthwhile. Most real estate transactions are 20% down and good-sized payment for a long while.

I could buy 20 or 30 acres, but that aint what Im interested in. And that would have to be in the right spot to make it work in this part of the Country. My home is paid for and my retirement is pretty good, but not good enough to buy a decent chunk of timberland.

Maybe I'll hit the Powerball lottery tonight.....its 450 million. That would be enough!

I killed two deer last year. 60-70 pounds of boneless meat. tags were about 60 bucks. two handload bullets about a dollar. reloading equipment and rifle all older than 40. drove a total of about 12 miles to kill both. pretty cheap meat i say.

keeping coyotes out calving pastures and beaver out of ponds/creeks still has benefits. cats pay for it and maybe toss in the skunks this year.

Swamp Wolf--I was agreeing with you. I get the need to lease. Somedays I wish I just had a lease.

I dont get leasing. Beef is cheaper.

For sure Danny. For someone that is happy with just killing deer for some meat in the freezer..that's a good deal. I could do that. Everyone around here wants does killed. I wanna do my own management. That's what I pay for.

I respond to many trapping calls from landowners that have 1000s of acres of prime deer land. I charge accordingly for the trapping services and they pay without hesitation. I talk deer hunting and management with most of them and have been invited to come kill as many does as I could shoot. Ive never took any up on the offer. I can kill all the doe deer I have freezer space for on my own 400 acre lease. Im there for trapping work, to produce results whether beaver or coyotes....its all business not bargaining...that's just me....but the landowners seem to appreciate that.

Beef is better than venison!

I know BC. Thanks for commenting. Every day I wish I owned my 400 acre lease....

Swamp property taxes cost me yes,but I don't just hunt here I live here And it's paid for so property taxes are not just for hunting but also my home. In addition I'm not just paying to use the land I own it and it's increased in value since I bought it at least 5x what I paid so it's not really the same especially when you live there

I am blessed, growing up in Florida, I hunted on my Grampa's land, or on two different pieces of public land. Up here in Alaska, there is so much public land. Never paid yet. I've been invited to hunt three times on clubs to shoot does down South, easy meat.

food plots and mineral licks are just ways to legalize baiting where it ain't.

There is a cost for everything. Im sure what you have paid for your land and any improvements is a bit more than Ive paid to lease my 400 acres. Im blessed because when I first leased it from the timber company my cost was $960. Today its double that...right at $1800 per year. Im still paying less that $5/acre for that property. Have leased it for 25 years this year. I have no members on this tract...just me and immediate family (and its rare that any of them hunt anymore.) I pay this annual lease.

I also lease an 866 acre tract upriver 1/4 mile on opposite of river. It is owned by a different timber company and costs more. Ive had this tract leased for about 18 or 20 years. Price stated at $5/acre and is now at $12/acre. I have 7 members in this lease...all are central Florida LE officers. These guys pay the entire cost for leasing. Costed them $1260 each this year. I just handle the paperwork and mow the roads (on my dime) once right b4 bow season. They plant their own plots. I rarely deer hunt there, but do some seasons. I turkey hunt a little there too.

What you pay for 400 acres for the year is what some guys get to allow goose hunting in a field for a weekend

I have a bird dog now. Those quail and pheasants are pricey meals.

I have to agree although I've lost alot of hunting ground over the last 40 years and I've always said if I have to pay to hunt I'll quit.i don't mind giving a farmer a hand and not charge him anything guess it's more of a trade-off.i know a few people that 4,000 to lease a piece of property think it's a 400 acre lease and he let's 4 people hunt it that comes out to 16,000 pretty good income plus the rent from the crop ground.

I know. Im blessed to hold this lease at that price.

Most leases along rivers or larger wetlands here are pushing $10/acre on average.

If you were closer you'd be welcome to hunt bobwhites on my place. I don't bird hunt and see quail everyday. Saw probably 6 pair yesterday and 2 of those had their young with them...about 3/4 grown. The amount of whistling after daybreak is impressive.