# 5600 acres lease outside of ozona



## Tiagra (Sep 10, 2005)

I am thinking about leasing out my ranch in West Texas. It’s about 25 miles outside of Ozona. It’s been well managed over the years and has plenty of nice deer. Lots of diverse topography, basic hunters cabin, water and electricity. Whitetail season only

How many hunters will 5600 accommodate? What is the going rate for hunting leases these days in that area of Texas.


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## deanstrong (Aug 22, 2014)

I wouldn’t put anymore than 5 on it.


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## Tiagra (Sep 10, 2005)

Any idea what it should lease for? Access will be limited from mid October to Mid January.


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## EastTexasRancher (Jun 21, 2019)

Well, I think you need to rethink access dates. Good hunters want year round access to feed, scout, check the blinds, etc. 

Price is contingent not just on acreage, but also deer population, size of deer, etc. 

Your neighbors should be able to help you with pricing. Go slow, interview hunters, pick the right people.


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## mrsh978 (Apr 24, 2006)

With your current mgt criteria - you’ll need to figure out “ trophies “ per hunter , mgt & does. This will give you an idea of pressure you want on average. South tx historically is one trophy / 1000 acres. Hill country tends to swing higher / 1000. To be honest - put as few as you can on there and make the lease price high enough to justify the headache you’ll be dealing with. $15/ acre will weed out the low end. If you have axis on it - price it well


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## Jerry713 (Nov 6, 2019)

Tiagra said:


> Access will be limited from mid October to Mid January.


That definitely wouldn't work for me.


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## RANCH (Apr 6, 2021)

Tiagra said:


> Any idea what it should lease for? Access will be limited from mid October to Mid January.


Dude that's deer season!!! So what are you leasing it out for if you are going to limit access during deer season , that's when you would ideally go the most ......ima throw the bull**** flag on this one that going to be a firm NO.....


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Limited access will rule most true, management minded deer hunters, out. Before and after deer season is when sportsmen want to improve the property and build the heard. When you limit their access, you lose the people you want on your property.


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## WildThings (Jan 2, 2007)

RANCH said:


> Dude that's deer season!!! So what are you leasing it out for if you are going to limit access during deer season , that's when you would ideally go the most ......ima throw the bull**** flag on this one that going to be a firm NO.....


You read it the same way I did! I think he means access to the property would be limited to deer season only, i.e. mid October to Mid January. no access outside that date range


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## Jerry713 (Nov 6, 2019)

WillieT said:


> Limited access will rule most true, management minded deer hunters, out. Before and after deer season is when sportsmen want to improve the property and build the heard. When you limit their access, you lose the people you want on your property.


He's saying no access during deer season.


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## Tiagra (Sep 10, 2005)

I meant to limit access to just deer season. Sounds like I need to rethink that.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

In his original post, he said leasing out for whitetail season only. At least I believe that’s what he said.


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## Jerry713 (Nov 6, 2019)

Tiagra said:


> I meant to limit access to just deer season. Sounds like I need to rethink that.


As Willie mentioned if you want a group of hunters that will do things right and make your ranch a better hunting ranch you're going to have to allow them to do so and that involves a number of things feeding year round being one of them.

Here's a few things that make me run when I hear them:

-Call land owner when you are headed to the ranch or sign in and out at the ranch house 
-Limited to hunting season only
-Friends and family of ranch allowed to hunt along with paid hunters 
-Hunters limited to a certain number of visits to the ranch per year


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## RANCH (Apr 6, 2021)

Yeah all good advise coming in and yes has to be year round so that land improvements and feeding can continue


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

Jerry713 said:


> As Willie mentioned if you want a group of hunters that will do things right and make your ranch a better hunting ranch you're going to have to allow them to do so and that involves a number of things feeding year round being one of them.
> 
> Here's a few things that make me run when I hear them:
> 
> ...



especially that first one, and definitely the 2nd one


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## mrsh978 (Apr 24, 2006)

You folks are *****ing about a missed fact - HE IS the landowner- his land , his rules. Good to be king.


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

Everyone stops by or calls when entering our place, period. It is just as much for the hunter's benefit.


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## Jerry713 (Nov 6, 2019)

mrsh978 said:


> You folks are ******** about a missed fact - HE IS the landowner- his land , his rules. Good to be king.


True but limiting hunters to that time frame likely won't result in solid management practices.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

mrsh978 said:


> You folks are ******** about a missed fact - HE IS the landowner- his land , his rules. Good to be king.


True, but I think he is open to suggestions, or at least that’s what he indicated. He absolutely can and should set the rules.


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## Tiagra (Sep 10, 2005)

I do appreciate all the comments I am still very much in the learning mode. It does sound like it needs to be year-round for feeding and management purposes which makes sense. I am trying to understand how many members I should allow to hunt ranch. In the past they had over 15 members hunting. Which seems like a lot to me but I could be wrong. There are plenty of decent deer 130 to 140 with some a few bigger ones. Looks like we may have to many doe’s which I need to get a better handle around. Any input on how many hunters 5500 acres can support and what a fare price is for the ozona area would be appreciated.


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## HighwayHunter (Feb 21, 2018)

I’d say whoever you let lease your place, be clear you don’t want this to be their hangout spot outside of deer season. Most people need to be able to come out every few months to fill feeders and check on things. Maybe move stuff around or just keep the camp area clean. So I’d keep that in mind. Typically people that are going to be good folks to have around your property have a vested interest in keeping up with it and improving it. I wouldn’t rush to lease it, but there are a lot of family/friend groups out there looking for a nice hunting spot. My two cents 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

Tiagra said:


> I do appreciate all the comments I am still very much in the learning mode. It does sound like it needs to be year-round for feeding and management purposes which makes sense. I am trying to understand how many members I should allow to hunt ranch. In the past they had over 15 members hunting. Which seems like a lot to me but I could be wrong. There are plenty of decent deer 130 to 140 with some a few bigger ones. Looks like we may have to many doe’s which I need to get a better handle around. Any input on how many hunters 5500 acres can support and what a fare price is for the ozona area would be appreciated.



I was hunting in roosevelt a few years ago. We paid around $3k at 11 or 12 members on 2400 acres, year round access but had to call when we went. Not the landowner but the lease manager. I believe that was his personal rule and not a request of the landowner. Most of us knew each other. Plenty of deer to go around but also had axis occasionally, sika, and aoudad. Just to give you an idea. It was a great place aside from the lease manager so that an important part if you choose to have one. I dont think 15 on 5500 is too much but as a leaser the less the better. We fed corn year round, and some guys did protein. Everyone was allowed two spots each. and then we could have a bow spot near each of the two spots. We also had water, electric which I believe we each paid $100/season for that and most used campers at the main camp. If you find the right group it will nearly manage itself. Set your rules and make sure they are followed. But most respectful hunters will take care of your place and the animals as their own.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

You might want to have a game biologist come and get a census, see pretty much what you have to start with, and what he suggests being taken off. If you know any neighbors that lease their land, get their input. Personally I would think 5600 acres would very easily support 10-12 hunters. That would be around 500 acres per. I do think your starting point is knowing how many deer you have, and an idea of how many acres per deer you need to sustain a healthy herd.

SWS hit the nail on the head when he said, IF YOU find the right group. That’s the most important part of the whole equation. If you have the right group you won’t have any problems, the wrong group will cause you headaches. You do need someone to be in charge, someone you can tell it is him that will be held accountable if things are not done correctly. The right person heading up the lease can take a load off of your back.


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## mrsh978 (Apr 24, 2006)

You are at $10-15 / acre is average for your area - prices have gone way up and the usual crowd of deer hunters are butthurt. South tx is upwards of $20/ acre. 1 trophy / 1000acres . A corporate lease would simplify your end. Look at typical harvest - all 5 tags are expected to be used from most hunters - that can be useful or very hard on deer over time. Since I’ve moved on from whitetails - I’ve left the brush country and hunt strictly axis in Roosevelt. The “ leases “ are all over the board on price . Example - 5 hunters on 300 acres ,$3000 each . This area I feel sorry for the deer- every acre on Kimble county has a box blind , protein feeder, corn feeder and 3 trail cams on it . The math on your place will be dependent on how tolerant of the public you will be


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## Thehoser76 (Mar 5, 2019)

Anthrax wiped out that area


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## fangard (Apr 18, 2008)

RANCH said:


> Dude that's deer season!!! So what are you leasing it out for if you are going to limit access during deer season , that's when you would ideally go the most ......ima throw the bull**** flag on this one that going to be a firm NO.....


I think he means it isn't year round, only available during deer season. For me, half the fun is going off season. Tooling around, maybe some fishing and hog/predator hunting. Of course, also working feeders, blinds off season as well.


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## Sbjack71 (11 mo ago)

Tiagra said:


> I am thinking about leasing out my ranch in West Texas. It’s about 25 miles outside of Ozona. It’s been well managed over the years and has plenty of nice deer. Lots of diverse topography, basic hunters cabin, water and electricity. Whitetail season only
> 
> How many hunters will 5600 accommodate? What is the going rate for hunting leases these days in that area of Texas.


i have a good group of guys all management minded that hunt today for the years to come. We had 10 on 6500 acres in Sonora paying 10 per acre, but we’re being pushed out for a corporate Guided setup due to have built a nice herd of deer and axis feeding year round and only 5 of the 10 hunters harvested a Whitetail deer and out of 10 hunters there were 4 axis taken. Ours was year round access then turned to deer season only and call before you come and things were just getting really shady at best so we’ve all picked up our things.


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## txdougman (Jul 12, 2005)

Call Ozona county Judge Fred Deaton. Best LO around. He can get you in the right direction. We hunted his Juno Ranch for many years. (5000 acres)


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

Tiagra said:


> I do appreciate all the comments I am still very much in the learning mode. It does sound like it needs to be year-round for feeding and management purposes which makes sense. I am trying to understand how many members I should allow to hunt ranch. In the past they had over 15 members hunting. Which seems like a lot to me but I could be wrong. There are plenty of decent deer 130 to 140 with some a few bigger ones. Looks like we may have to many doe’s which I need to get a better handle around. Any input on how many hunters 5500 acres can support and what a fare price is for the ozona area would be appreciated.


Generally speaking land leases for $8-24/acre depending on the length of the terms and amenities (total acreage included, ergo think volumetric discount to some extent). Number of hunters needs to fit the harvest quota you allow - maybe see if you have some neighbors or access to a state biologist who can help design that for you. Personally, I wouldn't hunt a place with more than 1 hunter per 640 acres in that country. Added people is added pressure and liability which don't lend themselves to sustainability. So in this case, maybe you have 8 memberships attempting to take 16 bucks and 32 doe as an example, or 10 attempting to take 20 and 40 where only half the bucks can be mature "trophy" class animals and the other half have to be mature "inferior" racked deer.

On price, generally the value of a whitetail on low fence land is his score, minus the "1" plus 2 zeros - so you might think about the fee considering that math if you want to call it that. As an example, if your hunters have the opportunity (key word, opportunity) to kill 145" deer, then maybe the lease fee is along the $4,500/membership lines.

On the term - just make sure you give everyone at least a month before the season and a month after for set up, scouting, take down and feeding and you shouldn't have any issues running a SEASONAL lease - which is VERY common, don't let those initial comments fool you. Limited year round access of course is always going to be more attractive to the buyer.

Other thing - I think Texas requires a lease license for the landowner - better look into that, and don't hesitate to contact your local game warden for help/questions/advice.


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## walker1983 (Dec 30, 2017)

A helicopter deer survey would help a lot but I would think $5-$6/acre is probably market for western Crockett county. (But lots of areas south of I-10 are still recovering from the Anthrax hit so good/recent data points could also help you find a quality group of hunters) 

As far as numbers of hunters - I’d base that on how many trophies can sustainably be taken off your ranch each year. 

If your deer numbers are pretty high, 1 trophy per 750/acres would be my guess. 1 hunter per 1000 would be better. 

If it were my place, I’d try and find a group of 5-7 guys who all know each other. Check references, make sure you trust the point man, establish a gameplan and stick to it. 

I’d also expect my lease group to feed year round and probably give them a price break or multi year deal after year 1 if all went well the first year. 

Good luck 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Bowhntr (Aug 7, 2006)

Tiagra said:


> I am thinking about leasing out my ranch in West Texas. It’s about 25 miles outside of Ozona. It’s been well managed over the years and has plenty of nice deer. Lots of diverse topography, basic hunters cabin, water and electricity. Whitetail season only
> 
> How many hunters will 5600 accommodate? What is the going rate for hunting leases these days in that area of Texas.


Ranch may have burned up now with all fires out West. Your hard work gone in puff smoke😔


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## mrsh978 (Apr 24, 2006)

Fires are nowhere near the place - why would you post a statement like that ? You know you can get aides from toilet seats ……


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## THA (Jan 5, 2016)

mrsh978 said:


> Fires are nowhere near the place - why would you post a statement like that ? You know you can get aides from toilet seats ……


yeah, but woudn't that be awfully uncomfortable??


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## jambo214 (Feb 23, 2019)

I lease an area about twice your size a little east of ozona. 12 hunters, year round hunting access, about 15 feeders, no protein...very nice deer and access to a decent cabin. 3500.


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## Nino10 (10 mo ago)

Everyone stops by or calls when entering our place, period.


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## Jerry713 (Nov 6, 2019)

Nino10 said:


> Everyone stops by or calls when entering our place, period.


I had a lease once where we had to call before we got there. We started to notice tire tracks in areas where we normally didn't drive. I decided to not call and show up once and found day lease hunters on the place. I know there's bad apples and this might not be the norm but it does raise an eyebrow for me when having to call before hand is a requirement. 

If I'm leasing a place to hunt it is a deal killer if there will be others hunting on the place when the paid hunters aren't there (family, friends, whoever).


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

Jerry713 said:


> I had a lease once where we had to call before we got there. We started to notice tire tracks in areas where we normally didn't drive. I decided to not call and show up once and found day lease hunters on the place. I know there's bad apples and this might not be the norm but it does raise an eyebrow for me when having to call before hand is a requirement.
> 
> If I'm leasing a place to hunt it is a deal killer if there will be others hunting on the place when the paid hunters aren't there (family, friends, whoever).



On the place where we had to let the lease manager know before we went the owners kids or grandkids would show up shooting pistols at their gun range. Or i would have pics of them at night driving side by sides by my feeder etc. I complained but I am pretty sure the "lease manager" never voiced our concerns to the landowners. Hell opening weekend of the first season I drove 6.5 hours in the dark. Got up the following morning to hunt only to see a bulldozer sitting 75 yards in front of my stand. Then the guy shows up and proceeded to clear cedar brush all weekend... LOL Got to love it..


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## boom! (Jul 10, 2004)

Bad lease members out number bad ranch owners 100 to 1 at a minimum. Probably closer to 1000 to 1. Many ranchers won’t even lease anymore. They are opting to find a good outfitter with guides and do day hunts. There is plenty of repeat business and they don’t have some yahoo telling them how to run their ranch.


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## trout hound (Aug 12, 2012)

Bowhntr said:


> Ranch may have burned up now with all fires out West. Your hard work gone in puff smoke😔


4 per 100 acres x 56 would 224 members x $3000 would be $67,200 that seems to be about rite. That's the way most lease are run anymore cha ching money in the bank. Pay your money and don't show up unless.............................................


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## Jarmstrong0417 (Jul 8, 2021)

I paid 1500 a gun out there a few years ago on the Miller Ranch. Similar to what your looking at we were limited to hunting season and when we wanted to come feed out of season we just had to tell the Rancher so he would know we were out there. Creeks would flood fast and other issues like burning/shredding to make hunters aware.. but either way please give me a ring I could have 2 to 3 spots filled if you are doing something similar. Thanks


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## Tiagra (Sep 10, 2005)

Appreciate your interest we have it fully leased for the season. Seems like a pretty good group of hunters.


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