Help me lease my land for hunting

[db4570]

I own 250 acres of land that the taxes are killing me on (New York!). I don't hunt anymore- just lost interest in it. But I appreciate hunters and am still a gun enthusiast.

The land hasn't been hunted in probably 40 years, unless someone poached it, which is doubtful, since it has very limited access and the neighbors keep a real close eye on it. It's in northern New York State, just a few miles from Canada. It is totally unimproved, thickly wooded, and somewhat boggy.

It has a lot of deer, plus bear and turkey. No waterfowl.

I am hoping to rent it out to a small group of responsible hunters (up to 6 or so) who would have exclusive hunting rights for the deer/bear/turkey season. I started too late this season, but want to get prepared for next year.

I put it on Craigslist for the local area, and a couple nearby areas. I got several very interested responses, including one who was ready to meet me to sign the lease and pay the money, who then just vanished into thin air. So it seems there are a lot of dreamers/tire-kickers out there. I finally did get one guy who rented it for just the last part of this season, and got a deer within his first couple hours. He is moving and won't be able to rent it next year, though.

Any suggestions on how to go about renting it out? Pitfalls to watch out for? Ways to maximize how much I can get for it? How to figure out how much to rent it for? Where to advertise it?

Any suggestions or ideas appreciated!

Thanks!

David

 

[GeoffC]

I'm not really sure exactly what it looks like, but adding a few food plots might help, or at least allow the person who leases to(within reasonable size).

I personally wouldnt allow anyone to build any kind of permenant structure there, metal roofs fine, no walls, no more than a gravel floor(cook room basicly)

Make sure they have their campers if they have any out by the last week of hunting season or your asking for shady activity around your land, and possibly dumped campers...

Make sure they keep any fires in a safe area.

Just a basic waiver that says if they get hurt out there, it's their bad, not yours. Wouldnt bother getting a lawyer to draw it up really. Include in there that campers and equipment must be out by whatever date seasons up or youll charge X amount to remove it, and X amount to store it per day there after.

I don't know what land goes for up there, but I'd figure at most you'd be looking at about $2500..... I could be way off.

 

[Art Eatman]

First off, I'd get a reasonable contract format drawn up as to terms and conditions of the hunting. You can figure that out, yourself. Then, some sort of hold-harmless script to protect yourself against "stupid injuries" on the part of those leasing from you.

Once you put that together, you can post business cards or 3x5 cards at gunshops or seed'n'feed stores. And, even a newspaper ad or two...

Drifting a bit in the FWIW department: Some ranches in my area have signs at their gates: "This area has badger holes, cactus and catclaw, rattlesnakes and cougars. Enter at own risk."

 

[avs11054]

I'd make sure to charge a little extra just in case they trash some of the land where they're camping. And you can always make that extra refundable if they do clean it up. But gets you paid for your time if you have to clean it

 

[ZeroJunk]

Here is a typical agreement similar to the one we use. We also pay for membership and insurance through a program with the NC Forestry Association. Don't know whether NY has anything similar or not.

http://forestry.about.com/od/wildlifewild/ss/hunt_lease.htm

 

[db4570]

Thanks for the suggestions, so far. I'm pretty comfortable drawing up a lease and liability waiver, and has insurance arranged. I like the article that ZeroJunk refers me to, and may use part of that lease agreement for my own.

My main challenge is getting qualified people to commit to this. When is the best time to start promoting it, do you think? When do people really start making concrete plans for next fall's hunting?

I need more ideas for promoting it. Not to sound lazy, but I picture driving around to gun shops and clubs posting signs to be enormously time consuming and reaching only a tiny fraction of the people that I could on line. Craigslist got me a pretty decent response, but almost all tire-kickers. (The ad also got removed a couple times, presumably from complaints from PETA types.) Any other places I might post it on line?

Thanks for any additional ideas.

David

 

[ZeroJunk]

We have had the same lease for 15 years and were the original people to lease the land. We'll lease it forever if we can. We basically pay the property tax.

We apporoached the land owner which is a different ball game from trying to find somebody to lease.

I have some land here and it would scare the hell out of me to lease it to anybody I didn't know.

Surely you have a firend of a friend or somebody who is looking for a place to hunt.

 

[neil j]

land leasing

Hi i also live in upstate new york. lol i have looked for land to lease for a few years now. I leased some land this year but will not be releasing it next year. To do any hunting on it i have to cross the upper end of the chazy river. lost over half my hunting vacation not being able to cross it. Anyway i may be interested in leasing your land if its somewhat near me. I live in plattsburgh ny. email is [email protected]

 

[db4570]

Hi, Neil. Thanks for inquiring. I sent you an email.

David