Manage the hunters

Corporate dove shoots. Big buck game packages. Managed duck blinds.

All it takes is one trip to a sporting goods store to realize hunting is huge. The number of magazines devoted to hunting and fishing rivals those for brides and fashions.

An industry has been created around hunting. Southern Illinois outfitters charge $2,000 to $2,500 per person for a five-day deer hunt -- no guarantees. Stuttgart, Arkansas, a town of 10,000, rakes in around $1 million per day during the two-month duck season. Hunters spend over $600 million on hunting dogs alone each year.

Urban hunters are desperately searching for places to hunt. They will spend big money to secure private hunting acreage.

A lease is a contract that conveys exclusive possession or control of a property for a specified period of time in exchange for a specified rent. A hunting lease is not necessarily a contract of exclusive possession, but it does give exclusive rights to hunt on a piece of property.

Just as land leases are as varied as the stars, so are hunting leases. They may be for a specific day, week, season, year, or game. They may exclude all others -- including landowners -- from hunting. They may share seasons, such as fishing.

It is not unusual to let prime hunting property for $10 to $12 per acre and up to $20 for the cream of the crop. Of course, this depends on location and features. Property actively managed for waterfowl hunting or dove shoots might hit that upper rate. More typically, prime property means deer habitat, and that means wooded acreage.

"We look for a minimum of 10% wooded areas and a total of 20% cover," says Steve Meng of Base Camp Leasing. "We'd rather see a 5-acre wooded area connected by a travelway than a 500-acre piece with 100 acres of woods tucked in the corner. A tract with 20% woods will lease. It's just a matter of price."

If you have a larger field (over 100 acres) bordered by woods, expect to lease the woods and a portion of the field -- not the whole tract. Just think about where you see the most deer munching on your soybeans: near the woods. Hunters want areas they can effectively hunt -- not the middle of a just-picked 200-acre cornfield.

Albert Armand is a farmer from central Indiana who leases part of his acreage. "We don't always have time to hunt ourselves. We feel like we've been feeding a pretty good herd of deer, and the leases help cut down on some of our 'feed' costs."

As sweet as the rewards can be, there is no such thing as a free ride. The leasing of hunting rights is no exception. There are pitfalls to be navigated, such as liability.

Most states explicitly shield landowners from civil liabilities for injuries to persons who use their land for recreational purpose without charge. The exception is if you willfully or maliciously fail to guard against or warn of a danger, use, structure, or activity. For example, an open well is a liability issue. It's a commonsense thing.

Once you take money for the right to enter your property, liability moves to a new level. Additional insurance is in order.

And don't forget about access control -- the fencing, gates, and signage -- and how it takes a toll in time and money. Establishment of food plots and buffer strips do, too. But with leased hunting, you may find some helpful hands with your new clients.