# S. Texas Lease Rates



## LandPirate (Jun 5, 2009)

Just curious... if others don't mind sharing. We were on a lease near Hebbronville at a rate of $17/acre this year. We're probably moving to a place west of Freer for next season. We'll be meeting the owner and signing a contract next Tuesday. That is our opportunity to do a little negotiating. The new ranch leases at a rate of $15/acre but it's more acreage & will cost more overall per hunter. I'm just wondering if we have any wiggle room at all. 

If you're not comfortable posting it openly then please feel free to PM if you don't mind. Thanks.


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## foxyman (Oct 6, 2009)

The owner will probably tell you to wiggle on down the road. Folks waiting in line for leases.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Well it all depends whats available on the lease. Housing, electricity, hi fenced, deer, year round, tell us more. Good hi fenced leases are in the norm of 15 bucks an acre. How many hunters does the land owner allow on how much land ? More than 1 to 500 or 600 acres I would get nervous. Why are you leaving the Hebronville lease ?

Charlie


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## shoal searcher (Jan 18, 2008)

I'm moving from the Hebronville area too an area between Freer and George West next season also, we will be paying 16 per acre. The place has a cabin with water/elec.


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## LandPirate (Jun 5, 2009)

We're moving because the landowner at Hebbronville is a bit unreasonable. The place is covered up with mature 8's in the 110's to 120 and they need to be thinned out. The owner won't budge on it though. 8's and better are considered trophies regardless of score. There were a couple of other minor issues too. He's unwilling to get MLD permits. Don't get me wrong, there are 150's and 160's too but the 8's are thick as thieves on the place. 

The other place we're considering is bigger, nice lodge with pool and the owner feeds protein year round. 7000 acres out of 40,000 acre ranch, low fence and hasnt been hunted in last two years. A guy in our party was on the ranch 3 years ago. Supposed to be a lot of 150-170 bucks.

There are 10 spots and our party is 7 hunters. Two of the guys are taking multiple spots. So it'll come out to 1000 acres a peice.


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

LandPirate said:


> There are 10 spots and our party is 7 hunters. Two of the guys are taking multiple spots. So it'll come out to 1000 acres a peice.


just a curious quick question,

are yall going to cross cut the place on a map into equal spots and then choose your spots where only you can go in and hunt unless given permission to someone else, where the multiple spot leasees will have more room to hunt? If not, what's the reason for the 2 others wanting to pay for multiple spots, just rich and want less people or really hungry needing more animals?


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## DANO (May 23, 2005)

InfamousJ said:


> just a curious quick question,
> 
> are yall going to cross cut the place on a map into equal spots and then choose your spots where only you can go in and hunt unless given permission to someone else, where the multiple spot leasees will have more room to hunt? If not, what's the reason for the 2 others wanting to pay for multiple spots, just rich and want less people or really hungry needing more animals?


I was also thinking along this same line,..


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

DANO said:


> I was also thinking along this same line,..


my last place I was on the pasture was divided into equal acreage spots easily identfied by roads and senderos... if you paid two spots, you got two of those acreage areas as your own.. you could clear small spots out, redo roads/senderos if you chose, put up as many blinds, feeders, etc. within those spots and nobody else could enter them or hunt them without your permission... kind of like your own lease within a lease. same quota/mgmnt rules applied though to everyone.. and we did share spots time to time.. but still had the option of your own place if wanted, these were 500 acre spots cut out within a 10k ranch.


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## killintime (Aug 15, 2005)

LandPirate is my math correct?

7,000 acres x 15 acre = $105,000.00 divided by 10 spots = $10,500.00 a spot and some members are getting 2 spots????


LandPirate is 10K about what you have to pay to have a decent amount of land and deer? Im looking and if this is true im gonna have to stay above I 10 i guess or this the exception?


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

killintime said:


> LandPirate is my math correct?
> 
> 7,000 acres x 15 acre = $105,000.00 divided by 10 spots = $10,500.00 a spot and some members are getting 2 spots????
> 
> LandPirate is 10K about what you have to pay to have a decent amount of land and deer? Im looking and if this is true im gonna have to stay above I 10 i guess or this the exception?


my guess, it is closer to $10-12 an acre...

so that would be 7000 * 11 /10 = $7700

about $6k a gun or so was the going rate not to long ago... maybe it is $10 an acre. 150-170+ class deer don't come cheap, amigo.

These are excellent leases though. You can find some brown it's down meat spots for less on smaller acreage or large places with 100 hunters and their families on it down south, but why go south if you aint hunting trophies?


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## Charles Helm (Oct 22, 2004)

IJ -- from what I hear some of the places that were just under $7K a few years ago are closer to $9K now.

Some folks buy extra spots for family or guests or just for increased quota, not so much to increase hunting area. I was on one year with another guy who had bought the rest of the pasture. He took family and guests but it was usually just the two of us.


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## killintime (Aug 15, 2005)

INFAMOUSJ landpirate states earlier in the message he is paying $15 a acre


Are you just talking about what most leases run in that area?


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## WESTTU (May 23, 2007)

I have heard of $8K south west of Freer so if you are getting protein feed deer you are going to pay the extra money... sounds about right...

As mentioned above, if you don't pay it then someone will


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

oh, my bad.. yeah, that's big. $15 an acre at 10,500 a gun... I know someone in the $9k range, recently, in the Killam ranch, Charles.. so yeah, it's getting up there.. my old place (I was in at $5k) is up to 6+ now.. it was a long term contract with increases built in.


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## km2006dmax (Nov 21, 2009)

I really don't think thats a bad price per acre if it has 150-170 class deer on the property. Especially if it has the amenities you spoke of. However it never hurts to ask for a better deal. If you can get it cheaper its worth a try. 

From reading i've seen raw land with pretty much no improvements going in the 10-12$ per acre range down south. Of course that depends on the size of the property.


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## Big Mike M (May 29, 2007)

InfamousJ said:


> oh, my bad.. yeah, that's big. $15 an acre at 10,500 a gun... I know someone in the *$9k range, recently, in the Killam ranch*, Charles.. so yeah, it's getting up there.. my old place (I was in at $5k) is up to 6+ now.. it was a long term contract with increases built in.


That is including the protein feeding for the year. They are trying to get every pasture at $10 an acre on this ranch.


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## LandPirate (Jun 5, 2009)

Yes, your math is correct. It's $15/acre X 7000 acres. For that you get a lot of ammenities, stands, feeders, protein feed year round and 150-170 class bucks, management deer in the 140's and all the culls you can haul out. 

No, we do not divide up the ranch into equal parcels. We share stands. If you have a buck at "your" stand that you don't want shot then you post a pic in your stand and that buck is off limits to anyone hunting your stand. Works well for us. 

The guys that buy multiple spots are doing well for themselves. I can't afford one whole spot. So me and one other guy are splitting a spot and each pays half. Each spot is allowed 2 trophies and 2 management bucks plus culls. This means that me and the guy that are splitting a spot each get a trophy and a managment buck and some culls. This is more than enough for me. Again, this isn't for everyone but works well in our group. 

This will probably be my one and only year on this place as it's just too much for me to afford. However, it's too good an opportunity to pass up. Where else can get the chance at a 160 or 170 class buck for $5000. I look at this as my "once in a lifetime" shot a really big buck. I'm not going through the b.s. I've gone through this year to hunt deer again. Unless I win the lottery.


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## Kyle 1974 (May 10, 2006)

InfamousJ said:


> my guess, it is closer to $10-12 an acre...
> 
> so that would be 7000 * 11 /10 = $7700
> 
> ...


better tacos


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

LandPirate said:


> The guys that buy multiple spots are doing well for themselves. I can't afford one whole spot. So me and one other guy are splitting a spot and each pays half. Each spot is allowed 2 trophies and 2 management bucks plus culls. This means that me and the guy that are splitting a spot each get a trophy and a managment buck and some culls.


if you get that kind of deal this upcoming year, you need to start saving now for the following year... or send me the info so I can take your spot  LOL man, those guys must really like you and your buddy.  Good luck and hope you get that jacket buck. Helluva deal right there.

and that's alot of allowed trophies for 7k acres... must be a good place.


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

Sounds like a heck of a deal I would say go for it.The "hasent been hunted in two years" kinda scares me.

Charlie


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## LandPirate (Jun 5, 2009)

InfamousJ said:


> if you get that kind of deal this upcoming year, you need to start saving now for the following year... or send me the info so I can take your spot  LOL man, those guys must really like you and your buddy.  Good luck and hope you get that jacket buck. Helluva deal right there.
> 
> and that's alot of allowed trophies for 7k acres... must be a good place.


I'm fortunate to have very good friends.


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## LandPirate (Jun 5, 2009)

CHARLIE said:


> Sounds like a heck of a deal I would say go for it.The "hasent been hunted in two years" kinda scares me.
> 
> Charlie


One of the guys in our group was on this very lease 3 years ago. They had to let it go when they lost some of their party to economics and couldn't fill the lease. According the ranch owner, he didn't lease it and kept pumping protein into to build the bucks up.

The guy that was on that lease says it had many 150 to 160 deer on it back then. The rancher says that those bucks have added 20 points to their gross since then.

I guess we'll find out on Tuesday. We plan to be there at sun-up to see what's really there.


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## 1hunglower (Sep 2, 2004)

I would willing to bet that there is hardly no land that has not been hunted in 2 years down south. We used to hunt about 10 miles east of Freer and we found gut piles, are casing to a gun nobody had on the lease in stands. We caught nephews of the land owner hunting 1 night when we were there. We're going to look at a place outside of Fannin on 2500 Acres for $8 an acre and it has 140-160 class deer supposely.


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## blackhogdog (Jul 20, 2009)

Until you can see the trophy book and score sheets with correct entry forms filled out and signed and all of the exact amount of protein that was purchased for the ranch and was actualy fed year round and figure out how many pounds per deer was fed this dont compute, protein is high high and so is labor to feed it monthly, i dont see any real trophy ranch letting one person get 2 trophys and let a guest hunt as well, way too many people and not enuff protein seems like to me, actually the lease is 3500 per gun sounds like if the ranch allows you to share a spot?? A spot should not be shared on a trophy lease IMHO. How many deer on it and how many pounds of protein per deer can be proven was fed last 2 years??? More than one feed store will make up bogus feed tickets for a ranch or ranchers have been known to return Antlermax for cattle cubes etc etc, who buys the protein and who keeps it fed and who makes sure the feeders are working and keeps the hogs out of them and *****?? Good luck on your lease but ask plenty of questions and ask to be shown for that kind of money!!


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## Rex22 (Jan 26, 2007)

20 trophies for 7k acres seems high to me. From what I understand, about 1 "true" trophy per 1k acres is about the norm in that area.


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## Rusty S (Apr 6, 2006)

Is this a pasture in the old Exxon Lease? rs


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## Kyle 1974 (May 10, 2006)

Rex22 said:


> 20 trophies for 7k acres seems high to me. From what I understand, about 1 "true" trophy per 1k acres is about the norm in that area.


 if it's high fence and well managed, that "1 per thousand" rule is fairly useless...

look at some of the game ranches that sell hunts. I know of one place around 8K acres that shoots dozens of trophies over 160 every year.


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## M16 (May 28, 2008)

Kyle 1974 said:


> if it's high fence and well managed, that "1 per thousand" rule is fairly useless...
> 
> look at some of the game ranches that sell hunts. I know of one place around 8K acres that shoots dozens of trophies over 160 every year.


If they sell dozens of trophies every year they are using stocker bucks. Twenty bucks on 7000 acres high fenced or not is way too many bucks. There are ranches that buy pen raised bucks and turn them loose to shoot.


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## Dilley Monster (Feb 8, 2009)

LandPirate said:


> I'm just wondering if we have any wiggle room at all.




Your paying $17 per acre in Hebronville and you can get a place for less down the road.($15 per acre)...PLUS you get 2 TROPHIES ( I doubt it) and 2 Management. But you want to push for WIGGLE room. I think this whole scenario is LAME !! Keep your lease, OR. take this lease and be happy... I can put many people on either one and the landowner would be happier than he is now. 
:headknock


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## Bucksnort (Jun 29, 2004)

One of the major problems I see with this deal is you say you only want to be on the lease for one year and shoot your trophy buck and leave. That usually equates to someone shooting a 3.5 year old 150 class buck so they can make sure they get their moneys worth. Do your buds know that you are going to leave them hanging out in a year so they will have to look for someone to fill the spot? Why would anyone leasing a place allow this? Then you are splitting a spot so you partner maybe will do the same thing. I'm not saying you will doing this but just giving the scenario that usually happens in these kinda situations. I would never get on a place that splits spots. The guy that doesn't get to shoot the trophy usually does it when know one is around. I know you both get one and who would expect more? Something to me doesn't sound right about this.


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## DM3 (Jul 7, 2009)

Reading the previous post makes me feel so lucky to hunt with family on our pasture on the Roche Ranch, near Refugio, Tx. Ranch is 60,000 plus acres divided into pastures ranging in size from 3500 to over 5000 acres each. Ranch has only one entrance road with check station w/sign in. It is 18 miles to our pasture after leaving the check station. The ranch has a biologist that works for the ranch and he is in charge of the hunting operation. Each hunter can shoot 1 trophy 5 yrs or older and 1 management buck 8 points or less, 3 yrs or older.


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## AvianQuest (Feb 7, 2006)

LandPirate said:


> I'm fortunate to have very good friends.


Your name's not "Bob" is it?


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## Pocampo (Aug 20, 2009)

So, LandPirate----

What happend with your potential new lease that you were investigating ..?? We heard alot about it, then you were going to go visit (on a Tuesday) and give us a report. If you did, I must have missed it....

Were there lots of 150s and 160s on the place (as advertised)..??
Did some of the ol' boys put on 20 inches..??
Did you get any photos for us to enjoy..??

Please give us an update.

Po


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## CHARLIE (Jun 2, 2004)

I dont remember if all hunters get to hunt everywhere or you have to hunt in your designated spot. The designated spot idea I dont like because in reality you are only allowed to hunt say 250 acres so you are paying money to hunt only a small spot not the 5,000 acres of the lease 

Charlie


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## wampuscat (Jun 30, 2009)

http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/spo/1590450157.html I have plenty of ranches to hunt on, but if I was going to pay for a lease this type seems reasonable. It was sent by a friend to look at. I like having alot of land to run around on, look for arrowheads etc. It's not much fun having a 4wheeler and only a few hundered acres to play on. Leases are cheap compaired to owning. Usually the longer the drive, the more fun when you get there.


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## LandPirate (Jun 5, 2009)

Yes we checked it out and yes it has some huge deer. However, we now know why it hasn't been leased. The owner is having 40 of the electricity producing windmills built on the ranch. Thanks, but no thanks. While construction is under way there will be workers coming and going and that particular area would be off-limits to hunters. 

We're staying on the ranch we hunted this past season. We left a lot of good deer standing so we have high hopes for next year. 

Does anyone else have experience with those windmills on your lease? Do they effect the deer at all?


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## Swampus (Sep 1, 2005)

Would make one heck of a "Tripod.............."


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## blackhogdog (Jul 20, 2009)

LandPirate said:


> Yes we checked it out and yes it has some huge deer. However, we now know why it hasn't been leased. The owner is having 40 of the electricity producing windmills built on the ranch. Thanks, but no thanks. While construction is under way there will be workers coming and going and that particular area would be off-limits to hunters.
> 
> We're staying on the ranch we hunted this past season. We left a lot of good deer standing so we have high hopes for next year.
> 
> Does anyone else have experience with those windmills on your lease? Do they effect the deer at all?


Deer adjust to oil rigs and rig traffic, so do most hunters, why would those windmills be any different??? We had a naval air station next door to our ranch for years and nothing changed but it was hard to hear when jets were doing touch and go, but we used the noise to slip in closer to get better shots at deer. Good luck on next season on your old lease!


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## Slightly Dangerous (May 21, 2004)

*Spots*



CHARLIE said:


> I dont remember if all hunters get to hunt everywhere or you have to hunt in your designated spot. The designated spot idea I dont like because in reality you are only allowed to hunt say 250 acres so you are paying money to hunt only a small spot not the 5,000 acres of the lease
> 
> Charlie


I used to think like you on the leases I manage but after hearing "someone got my buck" about 50 times I decided to shut it down to designated spots with the rule that each hunter could allow others to hunt it. When I did that I started hearing what you are saying. Go figure. Any lease managers out there who are able to keep all the hunters happy?


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## coogerpop (Sep 3, 2009)

DANO said:


> I was also thinking along this same line,..


 I can only speak for myself....BUT...my best hunting partner is and has been my son ,since he was born....financially I am in better shape than he is ,so to be able to hunt with him and my grandsons,I take multiple pieces of our lease....


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## Rack Ranch (May 25, 2004)

There was an article in TTH back in October about this and from reading the article you and your buddies made a good call..Walker

BTW in opinion, the not 2cool member who posted up the sponge deserves red!!! knows nothing about you or your personal freindships...


LandPirate said:


> Does anyone else have experience with those windmills on your lease? Do they effect the deer at all?


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## Team Binnion (Jun 3, 2004)

Slightly Dangerous said:


> Any lease managers out there who are able to keep all the hunters happy?


If you let all your hunters hunt for free and they each was able to shoot a 200" plus buck or even if they could shoot 5 of them each, they all would not be happy!!!!!!!!!


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## drfishalot (Sep 9, 2004)

both my deer this year (buck and doe) came from windmill farm in oklahoma. the deer didn't seem to care at all. and I saw lots of deer.


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## km2006dmax (Nov 21, 2009)

> Yes we checked it out and yes it has some huge deer. However, we now know why it hasn't been leased. The owner is having 40 of the electricity producing windmills built on the ranch. Thanks, but no thanks. While construction is under way there will be workers coming and going and that particular area would be off-limits to hunters.
> 
> We're staying on the ranch we hunted this past season. We left a lot of good deer standing so we have high hopes for next year.
> 
> Does anyone else have experience with those windmills on your lease? Do they effect the deer at all?


I don't have first hand experience with wind mills, but I would think all the traffic would be the biggest issue. Thats alot of people coming in and out of the area, and well you know alot of big deer running around might be tempting to a work crew.

Good call on staying put.


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## wardo71 (Jun 23, 2005)

LandPirate said:


> Where else can get the chance at a 160 or 170 class buck for $5000? I look at this as my "once in a lifetime" shot a really big buck.


Here: http://www.hadleycreek.com/home.html

Or here:http://www.mcmillanoutfitting.com/index.shtml

Or here:http://www.iowadeerhunts.com/index.htm

Or here:http://www.buckparadise.com/

If I had that kind of budget, I'd definitely travel to some of these proven BIG BUCK locations instead of worrying about windmills or wondering if a landowner is being 100% upfront with me. (I'm not saying yours was, just in general.) To each his own...


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## LandPirate (Jun 5, 2009)

I don't imagine the deer would care much about the windmills once they're in place and operational. However, I know dang good and well that while construction is under way it would have to effect them. Way too much activity in one small area not too. 

If the new lease had windmills in place it wouldn't be an issue. But since they are under construction now, it is an issue. 

We're comfortable with out decision to remain where we are. We know there are lots of quality trophy bucks there.


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## texas8point (Dec 18, 2006)

i hear patsy cline singing .......Your crazy for buying and crazy for trying and your carzy for loving s-o-u-t-h T-e-x-a-s............

Just kiddin, If I had that kind of cash to blow I'd do it in a minute. I tried to tell the wife my sons education isnt all THAT important !


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