# Hunting lease spot prices South Texas are??



## blackhogdog (Jul 20, 2009)

Looking for a year round or season only gun spot on a quality low fence operation in San Patrico, Refugio, Bee, McMullen or Live Oak county. I like to buy lots of protein and have my own 15' batwing brush shredder and armored tractor, would join an exsisting group or lease a big 500 pasture so I could hunt by myself, I was thinking $3500 to $5000 was the going rate on a large ranch with 140 inch deer and up?? Have prices gone up or stayed the same or down, my ranch is selling just found out......Thanks


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## DUKFVR (Aug 19, 2004)

They start at about 5000 & go up from there. Most start more than that for a Good Quality lease.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

This price for gun thing is misleading. It should be per acre.. And the average for a lease in south Texas probably is near $15 bucks an acre.

Charlie


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## Slightly Dangerous (May 21, 2004)

That's what it should be Charlie but times are really changing fast (to our dismay). 500 acres in ST will put 5 hunters in the field. Land owners today are running 1 hunter per 100 acres in ST and 1 hunter per 50 acres in the Hill Country. Out west it is closer to 1 hunter per 200 acres or more. That 500 acre South Texas lease would likely go for $1800 to $3000 per gun for a total of $18 to $30 per acre for a low fence operation.

There are certainly some good deals to be had but a person had better lock them in because word is getting around fast. A lot of hunters that lease in Texas are from other states and more than willing to pay those exorbitant fees. I have one lease in Kerr County where all 3 ranches surrounding it have hunters from the east coast while mine has a group from Oregon. So far it doesn't seem that the economy has made a dent in demand. If anything the Texas hunters who drop a lease due to high cost are quickly replaced by out-of-state hunters. Those TV shows have done a great job for the land owners.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

I know times are changing but heck when the land owner doesent care about his deer and puts lots of guns on it there is no way the lease is going to be worth a darn. To me that is what is now taking place. Its well "its only XXX per gun" but how many guns? Wayyy too many. IMHO which doesent mean nothing.

Charlie


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

I thought it was only E Texas leases that put 1 gun per 100, 1 gun per 50 acres is rediculus. Its 7+ per acre here, some go for 12 around the Toledo Rayburn area. I recently turned down 1700 acres in SE Tex @7$ per due to HOG infestation...WW


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## blackhogdog (Jul 20, 2009)

*Thats why I need at least 500 to 1000 acres!!*

My deer rifle shoots over a mile and i dont want to be shot by some dimwit next door where a 50 acre day hunt overhunting operation is going on, needs to be a good and large area where there is conservative Trophy deer management that has and is producing quailty trophy deer year after year, as I well know the deer lease is only as good as the time and money and management put into it, the days of finding a honey hole that has never been hunted and has Mossheads dying of old age that never saw a human has been over for 30 years. By the gun means to me that the landowner is only allowing 1 trophy deer per 500 to 1000 acres and a management deer and whatever if any does, plus the ranch shares 50/50 in Puriena Antlermax costs of around 3/4 of a pound for 270 days per deer where there is a reputable deer survey done by someone acceptable to both parties. I have my own feedstore feedtruck with 15,000 box and auger to buy in bulk to save money and my back!!! Anyplace like this is prob not open and has a list to get on but i have to start somewhere, I been thinking the ranch i was on was never going to sale but ya cant figure Texas landowners now days!


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Blackhogdog

You state,
By the gun means to me that the landowner is only allowing 1 trophy deer per 500 to 1000 acres and a management deer .

I am confused. Most by the gun leases allow way too many guns and never mention the price per acre. By the acre leases normally quote the price per acre and state how many hunters(guns) and state what type and how many deer can be taken on the total lease. Like 2500 acres at XX per acre and 5 hunters etc. Everything elese you state I agree with totally.

Charlie


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## Rusty S (Apr 6, 2006)

When 3 day hunts sell for what you want to pay for a lease, times have changed, not being argumentative--but that's how it is now. If you lease 500 acres, you should expect a trophy every 4 years, and you will pay $10,000. rs


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## Lezz Go (Jun 27, 2006)

Africa anyone?


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## KevinA (May 22, 2004)

there are deals if you look long and hard and get lucky.

I know of a high fence place in freer that just filled up but its like 6000 acres w/10 hunters for 10.00 per acre or 6000.00 per gun.

heavily managed w/mandatory helicopter surveys and a 5.5 yr minimum on trophies.

shoot a good deer any younger and you will be packing your things, but there are some 160/170 class deer taken almost every year.

if you want quality deer it almost has to be this way or everything gets shot before full maturity.


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## deerdude2000 (Feb 17, 2006)

KevinA said:


> there are deals if you look long and hard and get lucky.
> 
> I know of a high fence place in freer that just filled up but its like 6000 acres w/10 hunters for 10.00 per acre or 6000.00 per gun.
> 
> ...


Must be on the hunco????


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

I thought the Junco was quite a bit more but I could easily be wrong.


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## BF (Jun 7, 2007)

pm sent


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## BretE (Jan 24, 2008)

Double that and you might be able to hunt the Junco or the Callaghan....


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## M16 (May 28, 2008)

I think the Junco is now $25,000 per gun.


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## Rusty S (Apr 6, 2006)

M16 said:


> I think the Junco is now $25,000 per gun.


I don't think it is anywhere near that for a gun, fyi, we were paying $24,000 a year for a pasture insde the Junco back in 98-99. I want to say it was around 2500 acres, you were allowed 2 trophys-4 cull trophys-and 2 doe to every buck, I was guiding for an outfitter at the time. rs


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## KevinA (May 22, 2004)

prettty sure its called the killum ranch.

same place the corbin buck was shot a few yrs ago.


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## M16 (May 28, 2008)

I thought there was an add in the last Trophy hunter's magazine for a spot on the Junco and the price was $25,000. It probably depends on the pasture and what type of facilites the group has put in place. Here is a link to a current add that amounts to roughly $15,500 per gun.

http://www.leasehunter.com/lease.php?id=1551


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## Rusty S (Apr 6, 2006)

I see what you are saying, I do not subscribe to either of the publications you have mentioned, they are what I deem wrong with what has happened to South Texas hunting. Get a TV show on the Outdoor Channel and charge whatever people will pay in hopes of a trophy whitetail, the charge 10 years ago was $6000 + trophy fee which was usually $1500-$2000, for $15,000 you could have a spot on the Kenedy and shoot Nilgai year round as well as trophy whitetail. Just saying. rs


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## Kyle 1974 (May 10, 2006)

Lezz Go said:


> Africa anyone?


heck of a deal when you can travel to the other side of the world, shoot 6 or 7 quality animals for less money than you can hunt in your own state...


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## blackhogdog (Jul 20, 2009)

*Still looking*

I am still looking around the area and thanks for all the tips and hints. Anybody know what the going rate is for hunting on the Welder, O'Connor, Edwards, Wood or Obrien ranches, i found some land in live oak but its too big for me to lease. McFadden Eneterprizes is a lead somebody gave me but I cant find a contact number, suposed to be the old Welder-McKann lease group, anybody here on that property or know how to contact the Welder or McCann lease agent?? Do outfitters have most of those big ranches leased up now?? I was on a Heard ranch for ever but its going to be sold alas.


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## Brassnadz (Jun 18, 2007)

Slightly Dangerous said:


> That's what it should be Charlie but times are really changing fast (to our dismay). 500 acres in ST will put 5 hunters in the field. Land owners today are running 1 hunter per 100 acres in ST and 1 hunter per 50 acres in the Hill Country. Out west it is closer to 1 hunter per 200 acres or more. That 500 acre South Texas lease would likely go for $1800 to $3000 per gun for a total of $18 to $30 per acre for a low fence operation.
> 
> There are certainly some good deals to be had but a person had better lock them in because word is getting around fast. A lot of hunters that lease in Texas are from other states and more than willing to pay those exorbitant fees. I have one lease in Kerr County where all 3 ranches surrounding it have hunters from the east coast while mine has a group from Oregon. So far it doesn't seem that the economy has made a dent in demand. If anything the Texas hunters who drop a lease due to high cost are quickly replaced by out-of-state hunters. Those TV shows have done a great job for the land owners.





CHARLIE said:


> I know times are changing but heck when the land owner doesent care about his deer and puts lots of guns on it there is no way the lease is going to be worth a darn. To me that is what is now taking place. Its well "its only XXX per gun" but how many guns? Wayyy too many. IMHO which doesent mean nothing.
> 
> Charlie


Gotta agree on both counts. I sure miss hunting in Camp Wood (Edwards County) but it got to where the price was just too much. Hunting on what little public land there is can be iffy, and depending on where its at, downright dangerous with 'hunters' taking pop shots at anything that moves. I wish I could still afford the lease, but with the increased cost of the lease, feed, and travel, its more convenient to just get my axis from a game ranch. Not near as enjoyable as having a bunch of friends around the campfire, but it beats not getting out at all. As a side benefit, I dont have to wait for the season to start anymore, and I save alot more money.

In the end, its the land owners property to do with as he or she wishes, and I cant hold it against them. If I owned the land, I would get as much as I could out of it as well. As much as I enjoy watching the Outdoor Channel shows, I wish they would tone them down a bit when it comes to Texas deer. Some of the biggest deer I have ever seen were in Pennsylvania, and believe it or not, upstate NY, yet you never seem to find any shows that tout the hunting there. Those big whitetails up there aint even managed. Ask anyone from there, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone that even has a clue what a managed deer population is. They could learn a thing or two from us and grow some real monsters, and hunt in their own state as far as Im concerned.
:texasflag


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