1,000 People per DAY

[Sika]

So, according to our governor, One Thousand people move to Texas per day.
I don't doubt this at all.
What do you all think this has to do with the shortage of hunting leases and the skyrocketing prices of leases.
I always hear that we are loosing hunter numbers and the sport is in decline.
I just don't see it!!!
30 yrs ago hunting leases were a dime a dozen, now you can't find one.
School me.

New hunter recruitment is down because more people are growing up in urban environments. They have no exposure to hunting, fishing or ranching because their friends and family also grew up in urban environemnts and do not partake in these activities.

Leases are hard to find because there are fewer available today. Land fragmentation (subdivisions) urban sprawl, and reduction in large cattle ranches are contributing factors. Other existing commercial hunting ranches prefer to work with outfitters and offer guided hunts vs. traditional year-round hunting lease.

So, yes, there are fewer people hunting but also way less access to hunting land. Lease prices are a result of the demand and supply of available leases.

[909ag2006]

I think the high cost of hunting leases has alot to do with how accessible most parts of the state are now by driving. When you can run 90 mph on the highway, it makes the state alot smaller. All of a sudden, guys from Houston can shoot down to a deer lease in South Texas thats 250 miles away in 3.5 hours. Gives lots of hunters access to leases they couldn't have hunted back when you couldn't drive like that because of lower speed limits and vehicles not being what they are today. I live in Houston and hunt around Bruni. If I couldn't run 80 to 90 mph to get there, I probably wouldn't be on the lease.

[Throwin Darts]

I think it has a lot to do with farming economic more than oil. The land farmers and ranchers used to use for making a living through sheep, goats, and cattle is now able to make them a much more sizable income, plus they don't have to do anything. It's a no brainer. It is not maybe this can pay the taxes any more, it is this is a huge supplement to my yearly income and people are willing to pay it. I don't blame them, it's not personal it's economics. If your selling something that 100 people would buy for 20 bucks, why would you sell it to someone for 2 bucks? It isn't good business. Most understand this, but often people are upset about lease prices and expect lease owners to not follow that logic. The icable tv, the internet, Facebook, websites like this one do nothing but drive up cost. Better management has seen more big deer taken and big deer equals more money. IMO

I'm a landowner and its the opposite for me. It costs so much to own the ranch that I don't even want to bother with lease hunters because its not going to make a huge difference.

If land is inherited then it makes sense to lease it to hunters. If it is purchased then it doesn't make sense. Who is going to drop all that money to turn around and lose access to it so that you can cover 10%, maybe 20%, of the yearly expenses?

[kingranch]

Nearly 200 come to Austin daily or at least that was what I was told the past few yrs
Another reason I'm planning on selling and moving on

[Marco]

The funny part is there is always someone looking for a lease but around a month or maybe more there were several places on here looking for guys to fill spots up. Little to no interest was given to these places. The leases
looked great, heck if I didnt already have two places I hunt on I would have been all over them. It seems that people want leases when its convenient for them and start freaking out when it's a month before season starts and all of a sudden they are scrambling for a place to hunt.

[bukkskin]

New hunter recruitment is down because more people are growing up in urban environments. They have no exposure to hunting, fishing or ranching because their friends and family also grew up in urban environemnts and do not partake in these activities.

Leases are hard to find because there are fewer available today. Land fragmentation (subdivisions) urban sprawl, and reduction in large cattle ranches are contributing factors. Other existing commercial hunting ranches prefer to work with outfitters and offer guided hunts vs. traditional year-round hunting lease.

So, yes, there are fewer people hunting but also way less access to hunting land. Lease prices are a result of the demand and supply of available leases.

Well, if we gain 1.5 million in 4 yrs. And only 10% of these people hunt deer, that is
150,000 (150 THOUSAND) more hunters looking for a place to hunt.
Heck if only 5% hunt, that is still 75,000 (75 THOUSAND) more.

Plus all the other factors already mentioned above.
All i'm saying is

[Bayouboy]

There are also people dying and moving out everyday.

[bukkskin]

There are also people dying and moving out everyday.

And being born.

[cj_sandman]

I can think of a particular TX oil tycoon trying to buy about 30,000 ac. ... and if that happens, well.. about 52 hunters are going to get kicked off their leases.