I was taken as a guest to hunt a leased property years ago. No deer killed lol, but I thanked the landowners and told them if they ever wanted to fly reduced fare to let me know. Six months later the wife asked if I could get her daughter tickets to Orlando (which I did). I was put on a waiting list to join the lease, at #8. A month later the husband invited me to a seminar at the property by some hunting magazine writer on how to improve property. I went, and it was informative. When over, the husband quietly told me that his wife had moved me into the #1 slot and they had an opening. I became a lease member that fall.
That first year I e-mailed the husband (he ran the lease) after every hunt, letting him know how it went, and if I noticed any trespassing, etc. Once, I saw a group of three hunters (that were lease members) trespass hundreds of yards onto his neighbor’s land to drive deer. I asked the husband if we had permission to hunt his neighbor’s land and the answer was “Hell no!” So I let him know what I saw. They were kicked off the lease.
That summer, the landowners asked to meet me, and offered me free access to the property if I agreed to take over running the lease. I quickly agreed. I weeded out untrustworthy hunters, made a large 3’x4’ laminated topo map glued onto sheet steel and mounted it in a sealed cabinet, mounted on wood posts. Every member got a membership card that was to be carried and shown on demand (as not all members knew each other), and every member was issued a numbered magnet, which they put on the map at the location they would be hunting that day (reduced conflicts and kept others from spooking game). I collected the annual fees and paid the landowner.
I ran the lease for 12 years, until the landowners underwent a divorce and sold the land to developers.
The point is…landowners own the land. They paid for it, they pay the taxes on it, and they have the liability for it. Any landowner that allows you to fish their waters or hunt their lands is a rare breed today. Don’t take advantage of their good nature, whether the access is free or a lease. Take care of the woods and water better than you would you own. As you don’t own it. And one day that access may disappear.
