I know the sky is the limit with deep pocket books; however, I am looking for some thoughts/opinions on management practices within reasonable parameters and budget.
I am on a lease (family/friends) that I have been hunting with my entire life. Leases have taken us from the Rice land in Magnolia, to Madisonville to Franklin to Menard now the Hill Country. We have been on the present lease for the past 9-years. We are in the final year of a three-year lease and ready to renew. However, we have been trying to lease an additional pasture for the past 6-years and the property owner is a bit hesitant to lease the entire ranch to one camp. There are 10 guns on our lease of about 1200 ac. The addition of the second pasture would add 1200 ac and we would add no more than 5 guns. We do not hunt hard, it's more of a family lease with the exception of opening weekend. We have been managing our pasture with protein from January through September, culling out spikes/cull bucks, providing water sources through-out the property, and thinning pigs. The ranch is partially high-fenced with a low fence splitting the two pastures. The efforts of the neighboring camp, to our knowledge, is more of a shoot to kill, antler hunting, and no protein feeders. They are basically reaping the benefits of our management. For example, a member of our lease who hunts near the common low fence, have let a few number of quality young eight walk crossing the low fence. Within 10 to 15 minutes later we hear a shot or two then conversations on the good ol' two-way radios that one is down.
Speaking with the ranch manager we asked him the possibility of leasing the entire ranch. The manager indicated though the property owner is reluctant to lease to one camp, the owner would entertain leasing to our camp since we are a "hassle free" outfit. The owner is asking us to submit a proactive management program for the entire lease in which the owner and manger would entertain for the lease of the whole ranch.
I would like some thoughts on management practices and procedures. All thoughts/ideas are welcome and greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
I am on a lease (family/friends) that I have been hunting with my entire life. Leases have taken us from the Rice land in Magnolia, to Madisonville to Franklin to Menard now the Hill Country. We have been on the present lease for the past 9-years. We are in the final year of a three-year lease and ready to renew. However, we have been trying to lease an additional pasture for the past 6-years and the property owner is a bit hesitant to lease the entire ranch to one camp. There are 10 guns on our lease of about 1200 ac. The addition of the second pasture would add 1200 ac and we would add no more than 5 guns. We do not hunt hard, it's more of a family lease with the exception of opening weekend. We have been managing our pasture with protein from January through September, culling out spikes/cull bucks, providing water sources through-out the property, and thinning pigs. The ranch is partially high-fenced with a low fence splitting the two pastures. The efforts of the neighboring camp, to our knowledge, is more of a shoot to kill, antler hunting, and no protein feeders. They are basically reaping the benefits of our management. For example, a member of our lease who hunts near the common low fence, have let a few number of quality young eight walk crossing the low fence. Within 10 to 15 minutes later we hear a shot or two then conversations on the good ol' two-way radios that one is down.
Speaking with the ranch manager we asked him the possibility of leasing the entire ranch. The manager indicated though the property owner is reluctant to lease to one camp, the owner would entertain leasing to our camp since we are a "hassle free" outfit. The owner is asking us to submit a proactive management program for the entire lease in which the owner and manger would entertain for the lease of the whole ranch.
I would like some thoughts on management practices and procedures. All thoughts/ideas are welcome and greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.