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DNR looking for hunting land in area counties
Baraboo News Republic Most of the money — $1.4 million — is used for lease agreements with landowners, Keenan said. “To date we've spent around $560000 in lease agreements,” she said. Keenan said one of the reasons the program was opened up into more counties is to use … |
Source: DNR looking for hunting land in area counties – Baraboo News Republic
When you’re hunting, particularly in an area you’re not familiar with, it’s important to stick to territory you’re allowed to hunt on. Everyone has lined up a shot and caught the glint of a thin wire fence through the scope at one point in their hunting life. But the a great catch can turn into a miserable day quite quickly if you misjudge things
Sometimes it’s not a big deal, the fence is just a marker for the rancher whose land you’re hunting on – other times, it’s a property division. The trouble with property dividers is you don’t know whose land is on the other side.
Taking game without permission from someone else’s land can cause you trouble – but if the other land is across a county or state line you could find yourself in real hot water. Avoiding trouble is a matter of knowing the land you’re hunting – scout it in advance and know the boundary. Another top tip for avoiding problems is to remember the number one rule of hunting: never take a shot unless you know what lies beyond it!
If you’ve located a Georgia hunting land lease for your hunt club, congratulations! You’re on your way to many great hunting seasons with your buddies, so long as you prepare well. Here are some things to keep in mind when setting up your Georgia hunting land lease.
Get it in writing – Be certain that you have a written lease from the land owner. Their word is not enough to ensure that the terms you’ve agreed upon will be honored. Take the time to put together a detailed lease for both of you to sign. It’s worth paying an attorney to help you ensure that all the details are spelled out and that your document is legal.
Make the lease for several years – It’s likely that you’ll be doing some work on your lease property to make it best for hunting. You may clear some small areas to attract deer or to provide for hunting. It’s a shame to go to such work only to have your lease run out after one year and your landowner be unwilling to renew. You should make your Georgia hunting land lease for a minimum of three years; five is better.
Spell out your hunting club requirements – It’s imperative that you know that your hunting club members are serious. You need their fees in order to pay for the lease. Have written agreements with each member specifying the amount they will pay per year and when the money is due. Have remedies in place in the event of default. Many hunting clubs lock each member into a contract for the duration of the hunting land lease with the landowner. If a member wishes to leave the club before the lease period is up, he must find a member to replace him.
Investigate previous hunting on your Georgia hunting land lease. Be certain you’re not leasing land that has already been over hunted. If a hunting club has previously used the land you’re leasing, find out the catch rates for the last several years.
Spell out your privileges and responsibilities – As mentioned earlier, you may want to make some improvements on the property. You may want to store supplies there and you may want to use the land for activities other than hunting – like camping or four wheeling. Make sure these privileges are spelled out in your Georgia hunting land lease agreement with the land owner. In addition, make sure that any expectations that your land owner has of your club, such as that tree stands are removed at the end of hunting season, be spelled out, too.
If you’re starting a hunting club, you’re likely looking for hunting land for lease. Hunt clubs typically lease a parcel of land from a private land owner and sell memberships to hunters. The membership fees go toward the year’s lease payments and give the hunters the right to access the land for hunting, and sometimes for other activities.
Leasing hunting land is the most convenient way for hunters to create a club, unless a founding member already owns land outright that he can lease to the club. One of the best ways to find hunting land for lease is to start by simply scoping out the location of land you’d like to use for hunting. The land owner may not be planning to offer his land for lease; in fact, he may never have heard of hunt clubs or the practice of leasing land for such a purpose. So, once you’ve located land you’d like to use, simply approach the land owner with a plan for your hunt club and the land lease. Once he understands your plan, he may be quite happy to lease the land to you, though he had no such plan originally. For most land owners, using their hunting land for lease to a hunt club is a great way to make easy income on land that has been sitting unused.
Before you agree on hunting land for lease with the land owner, be certain that you know how much you can afford to pay for the lease. It’s wise to find your minimum number of hunting club members before locating the land. Sit down with the members and agree on a yearly membership fee that each member is willing to commit to for at least one year. By multiplying this amount by the number of members, you know how much you can pay a landowner for the year’s lease. If the amount you can pay isn’t enough to lease a good piece of property for a year, then you need more members or you need to agree on a higher membership fee from each participant before you secure a hunting land for lease.
Once you know what you can pay, you can approach a landowner with a proposal that includes the lease payment he’ll receive from your club. Most clubs charge each member their yearly fee on January 1, but may pay the land owner monthly. If new members join the club later in the year, after the amount needed to pay the landowner for the year has been collected, their fees are used to fund any repairs or maintenance that the club may have to take care of on the property, as described in the lease agreement.