Anyone lease from Ward Whitworth?

[texaslammer]

Curious if anyone hunts one of Ward Whitworth places ? He has a few places and was curious of any feedback

[RRagan83]

Curious if anyone hunts one of Ward Whitworth places ? He has a few places and was curious of any feedback

I have talked to him a few times about his places around Junction he seems like he needs a good manager on his properties he expressed his unhappiness with some of his current hunters

[texaslammer]

Yes I got this same feedback and feel like he definitely needs help . If anyone is looking he has 3 different properties that he needs people on for this year . 3k a gun , allows guest to shoot does , some places have a few axis here and there. It's a little more then I want to spend on a spot for this year once I slept on it . If anyone is looking I can give his number for you to contact him , seems like a nice guy , he will spend a lot of detailed time with you on the phone so I would say if someone is ok with 3k a gun and truly interested let me know .


Thanks for the feedback RRagan

[systemnt]

Where are his properties?

[Traildust]

He have anything south? Leasebroker?

[texaslammer]

He has 3 places around junction, London area. He is local and has several properties , some members have leased for over 20 years . I remember there is a guy on here that shot a good axis off one of his ranches I just can't remember the tbh name .

[texaslammer]

500 acre tract for 4 guns only right at London line , water electricity no cabin.

1300 (he lives on) has common cabin campground , think he said that one would have 12 to 14 total on it . Don't quote me .

2500 acre west of town (junction) max numbers of hunter is 17, maybe a few less , more exotics on this one , allowed one trophy whitetail or axis buck instead , everything else free game . Common campground cabin area . Possible mld 3 on this one , still listed for mld but he pulled it front previous hunters because they were cheating the books and not respecting it he said . He may put it back in place he said in the future . This is all hear say from our conversation . He seems like a really nice guy and he hs alot of area he needs members for and sounds like he really needs someone to help him keep up with it . He admitted some of the past issues were because he wasn't involved enough and people abused it .

[Charles]

Is it just me or does it seem like a lot of hunters per acre?

[Traildust]

Is it just me or does it seem like a lot of hunters per acre?

Twice as many as I would want to be around. .......that's east texas style!

[texaslammer]

That and 3k a gun Is what made me not interested . 3k a gun would be different if the exotic population was thick , just not what I'm looking for so figured I would pass along

[Charles]

That and 3k a gun Is what made me not interested . 3k a gun would be different if the exotic population was thick , just not what I'm looking for so figured I would pass along

IMO you made a wise choice. Last place I was on it averaged 1 hunter per 500 acres and that felt crowded.

[alec73065]

500 acre tract for 4 guns only right at London line , water electricity no cabin.

1300 (he lives on) has common cabin campground , think he said that one would have 12 to 14 total on it . Don't quote me .

2500 acre west of town (junction) max numbers of hunter is 17, maybe a few less , more exotics on this one , allowed one trophy whitetail or axis buck instead , everything else free game . Common campground cabin area . Possible mld 3 on this one , still listed for mld but he pulled it front previous hunters because they were cheating the books and not respecting it he said . He may put it back in place he said in the future . This is all hear say from our conversation . He seems like a really nice guy and he hs alot of area he needs members for and sounds like he really needs someone to help him keep up with it . He admitted some of the past issues were because he wasn't involved enough and people abused it .

I leased from him for one year (2016 season, 2500 acres lease ) and just recently got off the lease due to mostly my job but also because of some of his rules. He did have a few people on the 2500 acre lease that needed to go but he had folks that were on the lease for 20+ years that were actually managing the deer herd. He offered me and one other person the option to stay for this season and I was initially going to stay and help manage the lease but his rules had changed so much it was hard to find people to join the lease. He did say he was willing to go back to MLD in the future but that would cost $4K per member , he initially told us that 2017/18 season would be TPWD rules but changed that and said no culls unless preapproved by him. Past exp with him and culls he did not think any buck was a cull regardless of age or antler size. I had pics of one obvious 5.5 + yr old buck with non typical antlers that needed to be thinned from the herd but Ward did not want him shot. There is an obvious gap in age class for the deer there , I had some very promising 2.5 year olds but only saw one trophy and one cull 5.5 + yr old the entire year I was there and I only had him on camera once. I talked to the biologist and he said the drought had really affected the property for 3-4 years. No predator or varmint hunting he reserves that right for his family and there have been times during hunting season when they have come to the property and predator hunted at night all around the property. 2013 season the lease cost was $1300 & MLD , 2016 the lease cost was $3100 & MLD, 2017 cost was $3500 & not MLD. Of his four leases in the area he has had 43 hunters leave in the last 2 years. There is a lot of deer and axis there and this is the first year that you were only allowed either a trophy Axis or whitetail but not both. Any whitetail or Axis buck is considered a trophy. Most of the Axis stay in the front of the property although I was hunting the middle of the property and saw a few axis once or twice . Axis had been spotted very infrequently on other parts of the property but the majority of the sightings were around the front 4 stands.
The good , lots of deer , I hunted an area in the middle of the lease that was on the edge of the lease and had no one passing by my stand on the way to their stands. I averaged 20 - 25 deer a day. I saw one mature doe the entire season , again a lot of of 2.5 yr or younger does and bucks. With my job and travel schedule I personally was not willing to spend another 3 years hunting the property and wait on the 2.5 yr old deer to age to a trophy, especially since the lease price has steadily been increasing the last few years. This is just my experience but after talking to folks who had been on the lease for years it has been the same thing for many years.

[Big Todd]

I used to lease from him in like 1997-2000. Ivy chapel ranch between junction and London. Ended up getting off because the guys on the lease were more interested in drinking than hunting. I heard that place ended up getting land swapped with a sister in law after his father in law passed. I never had an issue with Ward. He liked to drink your beer but other than that he was always pretty decent. I wouldn't hesitate leasing from him again for right price

[alec73065]

IMO you made a wise choice. Last place I was on it averaged 1 hunter per 500 acres and that felt crowded.

With the way the land is out there it feels much bigger. The way the hills and valleys are I felt like I had a much bigger area than I did . Again just my opinion. This was only the second lease I had been on since I have lived in TX.

[alec73065]

I used to lease from him in like 1997-2000. Ivy chapel ranch between junction and London. Ended up getting off because the guys on the lease were more interested in drinking than hunting. I heard that place ended up getting land swapped with a sister in law after his father in law passed. I never had an issue with Ward. He liked to drink your beer but other than that he was always pretty decent. I wouldn't hesitate leasing from him again for right price

I would agree he is a very nice guy , spent quite a few hours talking with him and trying to get him to give us a multi year contract with no price increases.