Why do people complain about the rising price of deer hunting...

[Sika]

In 1989, I leased for $3 per acre. According to this link, adjusting for inflation rate only, that is equivalent to $6.27 per acre in today's dollars. The lease prices have way outpaced inflation and that has caused a lot of people to devote an increasingly larger portion of their discretionary income toward hunting. That's why people are complaining.

Have you seen the price of land lately?

[webb09]

IMO, the reason traditional leases keep going up is because there’s always some willing to pay more

[AntlerCollector]

If all you whiners would just stop hunting the prices would go down.

[Huntingfool]

In 1989, I leased for $3 per acre. According to this link, adjusting for inflation rate only, that is equivalent to $6.27 per acre in today's dollars. The lease prices have way outpaced inflation and that has caused a lot of people to devote an increasingly larger portion of their discretionary income toward hunting. That's why people are complaining.

it is supply and demand - free market - people selling (or leasing their ranch in this case) are going to lease for what the market will pay - applies to almost every product there is -

[Tx-Burt]

Pricing the little guy out!

I am not in the oil/gas, lawyer, politician, Dr, Dentist etc...Salary range. I have limited funds to spend on hunting. The price increase is slowly pulling me out of hunting. I have 2 friends, 3 BIL's that have quit hunting because they cannot afford the lease price increases over the last few years. It won't be long before I start depending on TPWD draw hunts for what? a weekend in the woods, or save for a cull deer on a high fenced penned up deer. (Keeps getting cheaper, OK is it really hunting? knowing which ear Tag to look for)

When I started hunting, I paid 200.00 for yr round access in Grimes county, late 80's. I then got on a lease in Hamilton for 500.00, then Travis county for 700.00, then Sonora for 750.00, then Gillespie for 1500.00/gun I'm paying for 3 spots. 1 of my BIL paid 750.00 for South Texas - Brooks county. Now I know I can't afford South Texas so I'm not even going to compare what it costs now. Other issues is leases need 6 to 8, 10 hunters. Very few people I know can shell out $ for hunting anymore. I know a few people who hunt family land, and others who pay nothing. They are not willing to pay the $ for a lease.

I don't want to hunt a weekend or couple days and call it hunting season. I like all the perks of working on a place and seeing your work pay off during season. Camping out and sitting by a camp fire. Filling feeders and working on stands, finding sheds, fishing ponds etc...

I don't have a problem with the Rancher trying to make as much off his land, (reasonable prices), but when the costs out weigh the benefits... It seems it is becoming a rich man sport. Like others said it seems messed up when its cheaper to hunt other states than Texas.

If I lists my expenses, I'm somewhere around 10% of my income. Not too bad, but when I am looking at retiring in a few years, and possibly stuck with a fixed income. If prices go up I am going to have to find a new hobby.

If you really want to know why I am complaining, it is because I have seen it change over the last 30 years and it is ridiculous what people are paying for the opportunity to go hunting. If I go back to what it used to be I would be paying ~400.00 a gun not 5 times that.

[dgilbert]

Don't complain nor do I hunt deer farms. Life is good.

[Scubasteveo]

I just can't make the math work to justify the cost of a lease. So I hunt on Public Land and small place by my parents for free.

I know a guy here at work that pays $3,500 or so for a place in the hill country. Not monster deer but decent. Their lease manager has some of the most screwed up rules I have ever heard of. If it's raining, better call to make sure it isn't too wet, don't want to mess up the roads, the guest rules are crazy, and you can't step foot on the place except for deer season, and two other weekends during the year. The cost for this lease has risen $1,000 in three years! After hearing this and hearing of some of the other lease rules thrown around on here make me glad I don't have to pay to hunt.

[Snakelover]

Have you seen the price of land lately?

Yes, absolutely. I'm not saying there aren't very good reasons for lease prices to outpace inflation. I'm just saying that when people get priced out of something that they have traditionally enjoyed, many of them are going to complain. Some of us have enjoyed pay increases that have also outpaced inflation. But that's not the case for many.

it is supply and demand - free market - people selling (or leasing their ranch in this case) are going to lease for what the market will pay - applies to almost every product there is -

True. No argument there. See above.

[Jspradley]

Don't complain nor do I hunt deer farms. Life is good.

[txwhitetail]

I just can't make the math work to justify the cost of a lease. So I hunt on Public Land and small place by my parents for free.

I know a guy here at work that pays $3,500 or so for a place in the hill country. Not monster deer but decent. Their lease manager has some of the most screwed up rules I have ever heard of. If it's raining, better call to make sure it isn't too wet, don't want to mess up the roads, the guest rules are crazy, and you can't step foot on the place except for deer season, and two other weekends during the year. The cost for this lease has risen $1,000 in three years! After hearing this and hearing of some of the other lease rules thrown around on here make me glad I don't have to pay to hunt.

Never owned land I guess if you question why folks don’t want roads torn up.


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[Still Hunter]

Has already been stated. Supply and Demand. Haves and have nots. Pretty simple.

There are great, skilled, veteran hunters that can no longer find or afford a good lease.
OP, it has nothing to do with the availability of "Raised & Bred Trophy Deer".
People who have money generally tend to be out of touch with the people who do not. They forget what is is like to scratch for $3.00 to get a gallon of gas to get to work.

I know people that cannot find a lease that are true "hunters". And I know people that spend $25,000, per year to drive out and pop a High Fenced deer. They never touch the deer except to take a photo with it and then someone else loads, cleans it, processes it, sends them meat two weeks later and a trophy mount 9 months later. They post their pics. The landowners make more money by catering to the $25,000.00 a year guy.

So if you hunt South Texas and are paying 8K + for a lease, you may not feel like you are wealthy, but for 85% of hunters, that's completely out of the question. Being on this site, lots of members post where they hunt. South Texas, High Fenced Ranches, Game Ranches, with Outfitters out of State. That's fine! Great for those that have the resources to pay out those prices. $3000.00 is a tip for the guides on some of these places. If you have those resources certainly do not be offended. That is not the point. John "Q" public deer hunter does not have those resources. So yep, they complain, they are getting priced out of hunting.

[Texans42]

high fences were here a LONG time before TTHA and texas trophy hunters magazine. as a matter of fact, there were high fences here before they even made 8 foot rolled wire!

there's certainly a factor from the marketing to hunting... just like duck hunting explosion after duck commander. Everyone wanted to grow a beard and bite the heads on a duck before you knew what was happening.

I know but I never saw HF blamed for hunting lease Inflation until after the TTHA mag.

Think we had more common sense back then... maybe

[J.B.]

Let's look at the prices ----

Can someone list five of the top breed operations outfits and their price for a 170" deer and compare the same for five of the top native operations? Be curious to see the difference here to substantiate the discussion.

[BrianL]

Lease prices(crop, cattle, hunting) are tied to land values, not personal income/inflation. You shouldn't expect to lease rate on a $200/ac land to be the same as on a $2000/acre land.... My guess land values and lease rates have stayed fairly close.

[Texans42]

Deer farming may have lowered the price on store bought monster bucks, but it hasn't helped lower the price of deer hunting.

Technically if a hunter is buying guided Breeder or HF hunts they aren’t in the leasing pool, so technically breeder don’t contribute to the increase of LF lease costs, how can they if they are helping reduce the lease competition pool?