[kenforu]

WOW: these topics seem to really hit home with alot of YOU that I think are true stewards of the land, It seems like there are more decent people out there that have been taken advantage of by these greedy people who talk a good game to get you to sign up for that first year. I now understand why my father gave up hunting several years back because he lost a lease he was on after 12 years due to someone else offering more money. He had a 20 year lease with a contract but just walked away because it was easier. How many of you have just walked away because it was just easier than fighting for what is right?

I never new that so many people gave up hunting and went to fishing or went to out of state hunting or bought their own land because of this terrible thing that is happening to Texas hunters who really just want a place to hunt it is not always about a Trophy sometimes it is just about comroderry with fellow hunters oe our children and family.
Thanks for listening

 

[kweber]

money talks! as long as someone is willing to pay more than you, don't get too comfortable. Kurt. (edit) it's not the landowner that goes higher, it's the individual(s) who fork over the dinero. $.02

 

[DeerTexas]

I never new that so many people gave up hunting and went to fishing or went to out of state hunting or bought their own land...

"So many" don't. Most who dance aren't as vocal as the few who have said they quit or went out of state. MOST just hunt and enjoy it. Nobody likes paying more, but in the words of Tony Soprano, "whadayagonnado".

 

[Kyle 1974]

"So many" don't. Most who dance aren't as vocal as the few who have said they quit or went out of state. MOST just hunt and enjoy it. Nobody likes paying more, but in the words of Tony Soprano, "whadayagonnado".

what they're GOING to do, is stop hunting. What they're GOING to do, is stop taking their children hunting.

like I said before, one of the main competitors the average guy is dealing with is a company or corporation... not another average guy.

I really don't blame the landowners on this....I think anyone out there would want to get every dollar they could.

At the same time though, I've seen personally several leases that have gone to **** beause of poor or no management from a corporate lease......

oh well, thank god there aren't "fishing leases"......yet.

 

[catch 5]

Here we go....... deertexas vs. Kyle1974 again. Just like the other thread.

 

[BayTex]

"So many" don't. Most who dance aren't as vocal as the few who have said they quit or went out of state. MOST just hunt and enjoy it. Nobody likes paying more, but in the words of Tony Soprano, "whadayagonnado".

Now I'm not trying to get into a pis5ing contest with anyone....but,
I know of 4 people that have already purchased bay boats for their families, and will not have a deer lease anymore. I have decided against a deer lease, and will be purchasing a bay boat in a couple weeks as well.

That does seem like "so many" in my math book!
My circle of friends with deer lease is dwindling....

Though I do plan on partaking in as many doe slaying parties that my kids and I get invited to.

 

[Moonpie]

Here is an example:
20yrs ago where I work there were maybe two guys that did NOT hunt out of 30+ people.
Flash forward to today, ONE guy hunts.
No one talks about taking the kids hunting. Fishing yes. Camping yes. Even Sea World, etc. But hunting? Nope.
It does not bode well for the future of the sport.
Not everyone has an Uncle that owns 2000 acres in Cotulla.

As far as landowners going for the money, well they have the right.
Just as we have the right to say no.

Do even get me started on the sorry stunts I've seen done by lease owners/managers.

 

[Kyle 1974]

Here we go....... deertexas vs. Kyle1974 again. Just like the other thread.

hmm...

seems like on that last thread it was about 9 people vs deertexas.......but I'm not trying to be argumentative...

I guess we'll see if kyle1974 is the only one with a comment.

 

[jferrell1211]

I didn't realize that corps had gotten into the game.....that is what drove the price of admission to pro sports events thru the roof....

as I posted on the other thread...for me...."whadayagonnado"......is hunt public land....

of course you're not gonna have your feeders, 4 wheelers, etc.....but there is plenty of land and plenty of deer, big ones too....

 

[Trouthunter]

Have a friend who has been hunting on 15,000 acres for over 20 years. They, the hunters built a really nice lodge on the property and made vast improvements to the lease. That lease produced a lot of green jackets for hunters there.

Located south of Encinal and west of the Callaghan it was in prime country and easy to get to with the camp/lodge only 5 miles from the front gate and had a couple of nice bass ponds as well.

Some people came in and offered more money, my friend and his group matched that, then the new folks offered to build an additional lodge and my friend and his group wouldn't do that, so off they went.

It's a business now and the dollar speaks much louder than being a good steward of the land.

TH

 

[elkarcher]

It is getting to be a money game for just about everything that you do nowdays. The big corps. spend bigtime $ on a deer lease to take their clients and use as a write off. The rancher who owned the land that trouthunter was talking about made a good financial move but he also sold his integrity.The days where a good landowner/hunter relationship working together are coming to a close. I'm sure that not all landowners are greedy but it sure sounds like alot of them are. They don't care whos money they are getting as long as it keeps coming.If they get a better offer they go with that (just like most pro athletes these days)
Quite a few of my friends are either going out of state to hunt or getting boats to take the family fishing. I can't blame them.I'll be going to Montana bowhunting for elk this year and pay about 1/2 the price as that of an average lease. When my daughter is old enough to hunt there she'll be going too. I was raised hunting with my father and grandfathers and if it cost then what it costs now I don't know if I'd have gotten to do much hunting.
The greed is going to price the average guy out of hunting before too many years, look whats happened in the last 20 years, what do the next 20 hold?
A friend told me that the high prices won't make him quit hunting, just quit hunting legally....I don't have any answers on how to fix it though.
just my $.02

 

[bluefin]

Personally I would bet that there will be some changes coming down the path pretty soon. For starters, taxes. I wouldn't be surprised to see taxes changed for corporate owned land where there is no real opportunity for the corp. to expand to. The other side of the coin would be taxing prop of 100 acres or less. Giving ag exempt status on land under 100 acres is ludricrous - bearing in mind most situations and most counties. Those with less than 100 acres are what is destroying a lot of wildlife and forcing the high fence situations b/c in TX we don't limit the number of deer by amt of land - we limit it by licenses. On a 100 acres I could put 100 licensed deer hunters shooting their limit of deer over the season.

 

[DeerTexas]

I've hunted all over Texas, the Western States, Canada & Old Mexico. I believe if those hunters going out of state added it all up, they might realize they're paying just as much, if not more, to hunt out of state on a per day basis. A lease at home affords many trips. An out of state hunt usually consists of 10 days or less and that's it.

Be that as it may, I support everyone's right to hunt, fish, or just cut bait if that is their desire. To each his own. It's ALL about personal priorities. I place hunting & fishing very high on my list. I'll quit hunting Texas when I'm dead.

 

[Charles Helm]

Those with less than 100 acres are what is destroying a lot of wildlife and forcing the high fence situations b/c in TX we don't limit the number of deer by amt of land - we limit it by licenses. On a 100 acres I could put 100 licensed deer hunters shooting their limit of deer over the season.

In my opinion this is one of the things that could bring more reason to the regulations but would also open a huge debate. If TPWD set harvest restrictions by acreage based on what the habitat can support it would make more sense, but at a minimum it seems you would have to let everyone shoot something no matter how small their tract. Of course for oil and gas the rules allowing wells on non-standard unit sizes change based on when the land was subdivided. You would not want someone carving up ownership to get a larger quota.

It would be quite a PR problem to put in place although it makes the most logical sense.

 

[BayTex]

I'll quit hunting Texas when I'm dead.[/QUOTE]
Heck, I never said I'd quit hunting Texas.... Just that I had quit paying for a lease!!!

 

[DeerTexas]

Destroying wildlife? Did I miss a memo?

 

[bluefin]

Charles,

Wyoming does this now. Just because you own land doesn't mean you get to hunt whatever crosses your boundaries. Heck, a lot of them have to put in for the draws just to hunt for a specific animal even on their own land! But that is just one state and one example. If I were a land owner I definitely would not be in favor of that - especially for the zillion deer we have. But, I would like to see the b.s. ag exemptions revisited. It would limit the numbere of small land holdings and I'd bet it would help to reduce some of our school taxes b/c robinhood is being directly influenced in the rural/hunting areas.

 

[kweber]

bottom line, deer hunting in Tx. is a business. Kurt.

 

[Fishin-Inc]

I quit.

I quit 3 years ago.

Got a bigger bay boat and love to fish those warm winter afternoons.
Caught some good fish.
Quiet. Calm. Good wade.
Little thump. BAM ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It's turned big business and I would have to spend a fortune for the latest cloths. New decoys, calls, rattles, feeders don't last.
Leases are astronomical. I refuse to BUM hunts or fishing trips.
Day/guided see too packaged.
But Never done a good guided deer hunt.

I can sleep into about 9 or 10am then drive down.
Make it home by 8 or 9 pm
Release a great trout every now and then.
Wifey is happy. Played from 8-10 AM w. the boy.
Everyone is happy.

IMO

 

[kenforu]

Deer hunting in Texas to the Buisness man is all about the money which frustrates the average hunter as you can see by reading all of these threads. I believe this is what everyone is saying if I'm not mistaken. And Deer Texas what people are saying about going out of state is that they do not have to worry about being sold out by the money hungry land owners. I know this is your lively hood by advertising their property for them so you defend them every time you get a chance which is your right but don't force it on the rest of us who have been screwed by your clients. I have hunted alot of ranches and in alot of different states for many different animals I was born and raised in "MY PROUDE STATE OF TEXAS" and have hunted since I can remember as a child. My fondest memories are with my dad and grandfather. I now have a 21 year old son who loves to hunt and was part of the lease that I was on this past year that was just snatched out from under me by a corporate person I had on my lease by offering more money. My son now says' dad it might be easier to buy a place or to just go on a couple of guided hunts or TPWD drawing hunts. I am glad that he is this old because I would not like to have a young child and try to teach the the god given right to hunt and enjoy it these days because you cannot keep a place long enough to show them the appreciation for the land and animals.