Securing a Hunting Land Lease

As the time approaches for your favorite hunting season, you may need to think about acquiring the rights to hunt on land that is set aside for that purpose. Here are some tips on how you or your hunting club can enter into a workable hunting land lease that will ensure a great time for everyone involved.

One of the first things to do is investigate sections of countryside that are both within a reasonable distance and are suitable for the type of hunting that you and your club wish to enjoy. Make sure any site you consider is sufficiently removed from homes and housing developments. Ideally, the hunting site should be a wooded area that is enclosed and can only be accessed by one or two gates. This is not as hard as you may think, as many landowners choose to restrict access to large sections of property in this manner. 

Once you find a likely location, track down the owners of the property. This can usually be accomplished by consulting deeds and tax records at the local courthouse. If you are familiar with the area and have friends or relatives living nearby, they may know the owner of the property and be in a position to arrange an introduction.  After contacting the owner of the land and determining that he or she is open to the idea of allowing hunting on the land, you can begin to think in terms of developing a hunting land lease.

In structuring the lease for hunting privileges, the two parties should agree upon a number of points. First, there is the duration of the time of use.  Specifying a start date and end date is in the best interests of everyone. Second, charges and terms of payment should be defined, including any penalties for failure to pay on time, returned checks, and other matters.  Last, define the responsibilities that are to be assumed by both the owner of the property and the hunters, so there is no question about what each party expects from the other.

Having a hunting land lease in place makes it easy to enjoy hunting whenever you like, as well as ensuring that the land you are allowed to use is sufficiently removed from communities of people, so the chance for accidents is greatly reduced.  Spending some time to find this ideal location and working with the owners in a friendly and professional manner will make it much easier to renew the lease again next season.