Landowner's - FAQs
Q: Why should I consider leasing my property for hunting?
A: We've hunted a lot of private land over the years, and have seen good hunting land vanish. More and more, land is being sold and developed; it's harder and harder for hunters to find good hunting property. Because of this, the Midwest has a huge, almost problematic, population of white-tail deer.
-Auto accidents involving deer increase every year
-According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, a certain number of deer need to be harvested each year to control the population, which is hard to do with limited access to property
-Crop damage can cause landowners to suffer severe economic loss
If you have 100 acres out in the middle of nowhere, especially if you are a non-resident land owner, people you don't know are already hunting on your property without permission, which can create liability issues, even though the hunters are there illegally.
To address these problems, your best solution is to lease the land for exclusive hunting rights. Some of the benefits of leasing hunting land for the landowner include:
-Know who is hunting on the property
-Know that both you and the lessee are insured
-No dealing with feuding hunters you have previously given verbal permission to use your property
-Entire perimeter of the property will be well-marked. Highly visible signage, about every 100 feet, helps
reduce the number of trespassers
-Peace of mind knowing who is on the property and that they are protected from liability issues
-Pre-screened lessees ensure a good match between land owner and hunter
-Generates a steady income - you make money without having to do anything. When you sign a contract with
Tree Hugger Leasing, that's it; you don't have to do anything else. We handle the contracts, the insurance, marking and setting up the property, etc.
Q: Does that mean that you acquire liability insurance for me?
A: There is absolutely no liability for the land owner. You will be added to our $1,000,000 insurance policy as an additional insured.
Q: How is the lease price determined?
A: We work with you to determine a leasing price that is fair for you and for the hunters, based on in the area, location and ease of access, property features, etc.
Q: How many hunters will you allow on my property?
A: We set the number of allowable hunters on any given piece of property based on a formula of approximately one hunter per 50 acres of land (1/50). For safety reasons, we do not want to have the area over-populated with hunters; six hunters on a 100 acre
piece of land is just too much. It's not safe and it won't be enjoyed as much as it should be by the hunters. While two hunters on a 100 piece of land is ideal, three would be acceptable, but that's about it. On a large tract (500 acres or more), you can use the formula 1/25.
Q: How long does the hunting lease run for? When does the lease start?
A: A basic hunting lease runs for one year from the date the lease agreement is signed; lease is renewed at the same time every year. However, we encourage long-term leases, up to five years, because it helps improve property and animal population management, which in turn will help decrease illness, such as blue tongue disease, and increase the lease value in the future. If this will be the first time you lease a piece of your property, we recommend that you offer a one year lease to see if you like the arrangement.
If you want to offer renewal at the end of the first lease, we recommend that it be a three or five year lease. We have found that, generally speaking, land owners like the stability of knowing who is using their land. And the steady income doesn't hurt, either. We will act as the middleman between you and the lessee, but we encourage the development of a good relationship between the two parties.
Q: Can we add additional accommodations to the lease agreement?
A: Yes. Typical accommodations that the landowner might want to add include:
-A “Right of Use” rider for a family member that hunts on the property, which will be clearly stated on our web site. However, this can reduce the value of the lease by 10% - 30%.
-ATV Use – some land owners do want ATVs used on their property, which will also be noted on the web site.
Generally, most contracts will state that ATVs can be used for hunting purposes only, such as:
-Checking trail cameras
-Traveling to and from stand locations
-Hauling game out of the woods
Q: What type of properties are best for hunting land leases?
A: Generally, the specs we look for in a hunting property include:
-At least 100 acres in size.
-No larger than 1,000 acres.
-A good mix of wooded and tillable land (crop fields like bean or corn fields.)
-A 40/60 ratio of wooded to tillable land should provide good food sources for a herd of deer.
Without this food source, the deer tend to just travel through the property and not live there.
-A good population of mass trees, such as any variety of oak (especially white and pin oak), because deer love acorns.
-Additional features needed to sustain a herd, which include:
-A bedding area
-A feeding area
-A water source; either ponds or a creek running through the area
Properties that were clear cut years ago, which are perfect for thickets with a lot of undergrowth. Deer love thickets!
Q: Do you implement a wildlife management plan?
A: Our goal is to work with you, the land owner, and the lessee to help improve the health of the property's infrastructure and the wildlife that lives there. One way to that is to place food plots on the property, which will increase the wellbeing of the animals there. A better food sources will increase animal growth; bigger deer, larger racks, better overall health.
The final decision to implement a wildlife management plan belongs to you, the landowner, and will be recorded in the lease agreement.
For more information or answers to questions we didn't cover here, call us at 317-775-5211.