Internet has caused an will continue to cause lease prices to skyrocket

[NCHillbilly]

So what your saying is that for about $100,000 and $200 a year I could hunt 100 acres, but for just $1500 a year I could hunt 2000 acres and save myself $100,000 which could be earning me about 5% a year in interest if invested properly and I don't have to buy insurance for the land or worry about taking care of it. If all I am wanting to do is hunt the land it seems like a no brainer as to what I would do.

If that's your preference. BTW, you don't need anywhere near 100 acres to have excellent hunting year after year if you pick your spot well. Personally, I wouldn't spend $1500 a year to hunt under someone else's rules, while dodging a bunch of other folks who are hunting the same place. And land is there. Nobody can cancel your lease, and your $1500 a year isn't just gone. You can also sell it if you want and get your money back and then some. Kind of the same as buying a house vs. renting an apartment in an apartment building.

 

[Boondocks]

NCHillbilly.You do some research.Your $1,000. per acre or say $2000. a year dues for 10 years.It will not buy you enough good ag land with water and big deer and turkey to sight in a rifle in South Georgia or Florida.That land yall are talking abuot might be huntable but will not raise a billygoat.It is like beachfront,if you want to see the water you have to pay the price.

 

[pottydoc]

We got two guys, both local, that own about 50 acres each bordering us. They both kill decent bucks every year. Most of them are coming on or off our property, or the lease across the clay road. They don't have a lot of property, but they both have good hunting. Along with turkeys. And before 8point starts yapping about me complaining, not a person on our lease has any issue with them. We have agreements with both to come on their land to retrieve deer, as they do with ours. What land you hunt on has everything to do with location, and these two guys got that down.

 

[NCHillbilly]

NCHillbilly.You do some research.Your $1,000. per acre or say $2000. a year dues for 10 years.It will not buy you enough good ag land with water and big deer and turkey to sight in a rifle in South Georgia or Florida.That land yall are talking abuot might be huntable but will not raise a billygoat.It is like beachfront,if you want to see the water you have to pay the price.

I got some deer on my worthless land and on the surrounding land that don't look much like billygoats. And turkeys. And water too. Might not suit you, but I like it.

 

[PappyHoel]

Painfully RONG! "the lawyers, real estate moguls..etc." don't lease land for a hunting club. They buy it.

I'm an "Atlanta hunter". I know lots of "Atlanta hunters". None of us are rich. We're just middle class working stiffs trying to beat out a living in a rich man's world just like everybody else. The biggest group of hunters in Georgia lives in the metro ATL area and most of us hunt in the Piedmont physiographic region. We pay the same price for hunting leases as everybody else. If Plum Creek or Rayonier or Georgia Pacific says the lease price is $15/acre either you pay it or you moveon.org. We don't "bid" up the price.

This, the guy that bought all the timber leases around...he bought 4000 acres because he didn't want subdivisions around his house.

 

[Dirtroad Johnson]

Fountain,

I am very blessed and know it. I try never to take it for granted and pray often for humility, appreciation and respect.

In reality however, leases are like any other commodity - some things just have extra pressure on them. Consider waterfront property.... it is just sky high.

But, there is always a limit and always a downturn and the reasons can be numerous.

My additional prayers center around this - that we, as hunters, lease (or join leases) with open minds and open hearts but not with open pocketbooks.

Many is the time I see a guy put up a post looking for a lease and a month later he is lamenting “I can’t find anything”.

Where are the visits to the grain elevators, auctions, hardware stores, outdoor related banquets, NWTF / QDMA events that get you to meeting and knowing people???

Where are the out of state trips where you do the same thing?

Opportunity is, unfortunately, not an equal opportunity employer when it comes to the things we want (no pun intended).

I got one of my Illinois leases because I called a small town bank and asked for the land loan officer. He could not help me but the next day, his brother called me and I hunt his farm to this day.

Mighty is the lament when often weak is the effort.

I appreciate your comments and you are right, prices do go up.

I am hopeful you find what you seek!

Jim I enjoy your posts & your enthusiasm for hunting, sounds to me like you have great people skills with the positive success you've had with your leases.

 

[8pointduck]

You obviously don't understand sarcasm. I don't have any issue with out of state guys fishing here. I used it as an example of how silly y'alls argument that OOS hunters make the prices of leased land go up. That's why I put low priced items (gulps and ice) as examples. And if you go back a few posts, you'll see I didn't bring up Atlanta folks, you did, back in post 22. You also brought up people who couldn't afford leases anymore, so they got out of hunting. I only made the point that 1000's of folks manage to hunt without being on a lease. What part of any of that don't you understand? And if you got any evidence that Florida and Atlanta hunters cause prices to go up, please post it so everyone can see.

You know ,I really don't have a problem with anyone hunting here . I do take issue with the ones who think they can run over someone to do it. And ,there are non residents who will cut your throat if they can. I made the comment about fishing because that is the go to excuse every time this stuff comes up. And there is not much of a comparison. Charlie Killmaster posted on here only 13% who hunt here are non resident. That, when looked at several thousand adds up. I have tried to find land to lease around my area of Georgia almost a hundred miles out. This state should just have a plaque that says leased across it. There are many reasons why people cannot pay these prices today. I am blessed that I can afford it. But I do know some who were avid hunters that had to quit . By the way, have you ever hunted on a WMA? It is not the same. Especially for someone who can't walk all that great.

 

[pottydoc]

A couple things then I'm done with this. I grew up hunting in Florida. You just think lease land is expensive in Ga, so yeah, I've spent more than a little time on public land. Secondly, while I am sure there have been rare occasions when someone from Fl offered a land owner more money than his current lease holder, I'll guarantee there's been way more times when one of your fellow Ga boys ha done it. Because when it comes down to it, there's no more jack legs n Florida than there is in Georgia. There are way more resident hunters there, though, and as such a corresponding number of folks that are only out for themselves. I shouldn't even bother posting on these threads, but get tired of Fl guys getting the blame everytime some Ga hunter has something happen that he doesn't like. It only took 22 posts before the Fl guys and the Atlanta guys got the he blame on this thread, and I've seen it in the first ten threads a number of times. And while your correct that 13% is thousands of guys, 87% is many more. I also don't know where your located, but saying that you can't find land to lease, or a club to join for a 100 mile radius doesn't wash. Maybe you can't find any for what you want to pay (which is way different than what someone can afford), but that statement is a little hard to swallow. Lastly, comparing fishing is the same. The size of the GOM, or the amount of fish in it is not relevant. There's no charge for either of those. The cost of lodging, food, tackle, and all the other stuff that goes with it have all increased in price, though. But guess what? Having Ga guys down here fishing has absolutely nothing to do with it. Just like Fl guys hunting in Ga has nothing to do with lease prices. One of any or the other, I hope you find somewhere to hunt. I know I'm thankful for the place I have.

 

[8pointduck]

Did not say clubs . Only land to lease. And it does wash very well.It doesn't matter what could be paid, because there was no one either willing to lease or already leased their land. And your ,you just think land is expensive remark. I already know about Florida. I lived there for many years. So you really do not need to tell me all your stats. Georgia boys cutting throats you say. If they have I have not witnessed it, but yes that is a viable comment. You really need to read what I posted. I put down I was blessed to have a club. So no problem there. And, I said that there are people who cannot pay these prices for reasons beyond there control at the beginning .But, you really did not pay any attention to that. Just rambled on about. And, you were wrong then and you are wrong now. I have heard too many stories about non residents , and have one of my own. So quit trying to convince everyone hear that there is not. It has happened, we say it has, get over it. If you are hurt by it; I don't know what to tell you. If you are a good guy. That is great. You hunt, obey the rules, don't try to get over on people you got my vote. THE END..................

 

[95g atl]

like nearly everything else in life, it costs to play.......

The good news is, you can still public land hunt pretty cheap (license and or wma fees). I will say that private land hunting (IE: Hunt clubs) are not for everyone....

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Elkbane]

I do believe that demand and it's affects on market price is the major contributor to high lease prices.

But, IMO, part of the problem of high lease rates is the corruption and incompetence in the county tax assessor's offices. They have the assessments jacked up so high that landowner's have to keep lease rates high to help offset the cost of the taxes.

Here's an example:
I have a tract in Jones county, and I have it enrolled in CUVA.

The assessor has the property assessed at $2432/acre. In GA, the value of the timber is not supposed to appear on the tax digest, only the land value, but assessors attempt to ignore this fact, and if you don't appeal it, they won't change it. If you appeal and win, your value stays flat for 3 years, then they'll jack it back up again. I have comps which indicate the land itself is worth $1280/acre. The CUVA assessed value is $512/acre.

Taxes calculate as follows:
At $2432/acre - 2432 x .4 x 35mils = $34/acre
At $1280/acre - 1280 x .4 x 35mils = $18/acre
At $512/acre - 512 x .4 x 35 mills = $7/acre

And I imagine this is going on all over the state. I know it is in the Oglethorpe - Wilkes - Elbert area. Until a few years ago when the laws changed and let investment company timberland enroll in FLPA tax assessment program, those high tax rates were prevalent as CUVA is not available to corporate entities, only individuals and family farms.

Elkbane

 

[mattuga]

Did not say clubs . Only land to lease. And it does wash very well.It doesn't matter what could be paid, because there was no one either willing to lease or already leased their land. And your ,you just think land is expensive remark. I already know about Florida. I lived there for many years. So you really do not need to tell me all your stats. Georgia boys cutting throats you say. If they have I have not witnessed it, but yes that is a viable comment. You really need to read what I posted. I put down I was blessed to have a club. So no problem there. And, I said that there are people who cannot pay these prices for reasons beyond there control at the beginning .But, you really did not pay any attention to that. Just rambled on about. And, you were wrong then and you are wrong now. I have heard too many stories about non residents , and have one of my own. So quit trying to convince everyone hear that there is not. It has happened, we say it has, get over it. If you are hurt by it; I don't know what to tell you. If you are a good guy. That is great. You hunt, obey the rules, don't try to get over on people you got my vote. THE END..................

Sounds like you are mad at economic realities. If someone is willing to pay whatever $$/acre more than you then that is the value of that lease, all based on the max WTP of those purchasing within a market. I don't know how you can get mad at that, supply and demand has always been a driver of price. We are making more people but not more land...

 

[8pointduck]

Sounds like you are mad at economic realities. If someone is willing to pay whatever $$/acre more than you then that is the value of that lease, all based on the max WTP of those purchasing within a market. I don't know how you can get mad at that, supply and demand has always been a driver of price. We are making more people but not more land...

REALLY? I mean REALLY? You are going to step in and be the designated hitter? The only thing I got to say is you are even worse of not reading a post though or understanding it, so no comment on your post. The end. Have a good day .

 

[josh chatham]

Yall can squabble all you want about leasing but im with NCHillbilly. If things go right and the good Lord is willing, I am going to be buying some property very very soon. I want to make sure I always have a place to hunt. I hear it all too often that someone has lost the land they have hunted for years and now are out of luck. I just want the peace of mind that I will always have the 50-100 acres that I can call my own. If I get a piece of property and I dont like it I can hold it 4-5 years and sell it and most likely put some pretty good $$ in my pocket. Seems like a good investment to me.

 

[Old Timer]

stay home

may be it will keep some low life rednecks home!!!

 

[pottydoc]

REALLY? I mean REALLY? You are going to step in and be the designated hitter? The only thing I got to say is you are even worse of not reading a post though or understanding it, so no comment on your post. The end. Have a good day .

You're a real trip, 8. You keep me laughing with your posts.

 

[mattuga]

REALLY? I mean REALLY? You are going to step in and be the designated hitter? The only thing I got to say is you are even worse of not reading a post though or understanding it, so no comment on your post. The end. Have a good day .

I don't DH but aside from that weird statement I don't understand anything else about your response. You did nothing to explain ANY rebuttal. You are complaining about prices putting people out of clubs. I am open to being wrong but need clearer sentences to understand your point. Do you think economic principles of supply and demand should not apply to hunting leases? I read all your posts and cannot come up with your final standing. There are plenty of guys on here killing deer on NF and WMA's at nothing more than the cost of a license. Do you want to introduce food stamps to the hunting lease market? You aren't making any logical points.

Are you a millennial expecting your student loans to be paid back?

 

[elfiii]

Are you a millennial expecting your student loans to be paid back?

Ow.

 

[pottydoc]

That's funny, now. I don't care who you are. That last post by 8pd sounded like he had a few adult beverages before posting.

 

[Son]

My lease dues will increase in the next three years by about 500 bucks. The price has gradually increase each year for 30 years now. Ga license went up too. Guess someone is trying to price us out.