Can someone please explain to me how the hunting lease practice got so far out of hand in Texas. Before moving here I never even heard of a hunting lease and no one I knew ever paid a guide or a landowner a penny to hunt for anything. How did this happen? As Vince Lombardi said "What the hell is going on around here?

Just the way it is here in Texas. Always been that way as far as I can remember. Where did you come from.

NY, its not outta hand, its the way it is out West here my friend. You're going to have scratch for a bargain hunt and its still probably going to cost you. Sure, there are some folks that might let you hunt and maybe there are some on the forum but we are quickly closing in on dove season which is almost as widely participated in as deer/duck/quail/turkey hunting is!!

You may want to keep a watch on the forum here for doe hunts and such which are usually cheaper to get in on.

Welcome to Texas. That said, you just opened a can, there, pardner. This should be fun...

Welcome to Texas!

At least we didn't elect Hilary to the US Senate.

10-4 ROL

The answer to your question has really deep roots in Texas History.

It goes all the way back to before Texas was even a state.

Because of the harshness of the land, the only way people were attracted to live here, was the offer of "Free Land" for those willing and able to settle it and hang on to it.

Our various goverments here in the state over the years placed lots of emphasis on Private Land Ownership, to the point of allocating very little Public Land for the Public and their useage.

Numbers vary, but it is 5% or less of the land in Texas can be classed as "Public", but it really isn't.

Very few places in Texas can you just drive out, park your vehicle and take off with a firearm and hunt.

All of the "Public Land" in Texas falls under the jurisdiction of some goverment agency, there is no getting around it.

As for the Private Land, it is just that, and those land owners, in some areas starting back in the 1950's, found that people would pay for the right to access that land for hunting and fishing.

The big upthrusts in prices started in my opinion, in the late 80's early 90's.

That is when deer hunting went from a family past time to enjoy each Fall, into a Competetive Sport where Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young scores began to determine who was and who wasn't a real deer hunter, and the prices being paid for the ability to hunt on properties where the big bucks were known to be, basically started going to the highest bidder.

No one wants to see laws passed taking the land owners rights away from them.

Many folks however would like to see something done to see prices lowered so more people could afford to hunt.

If you want to know who the real culprits in the situation are, look around at other folks that like to hunt.

Hunters have created the demand, and there is only "X" number of acres to supply that demand, that is where the bigger bank accounts make the difference and cause the increases.

It is a system that is really hard to understand, and many times I do not believe even Native texans fully understand how it works.

Hope that answered part of your question at least.

Welcome to Texas, that is the way it has been and always will be.

welcome..........................can I say what I really want???? without going to ban camp????

It doesn't have to be, Texans just settle for it. If you look at English Common Law which our laws all came from it's really considered the king's deer, meaning the states deer. It's really tough if it's on your property. We could have land reform here for hunting. You have it for everything else and a lot of other states have it as well all for the benefit of its citizens. Boycott hunting here for a year and you'll see big changes all for the better.

Or you can take your dollars elsewhere. I have and have some of the best bargains for hunting overseas, Canada and in other states in the US. Texans need to know they have alternatives.

IMO, it started in the Deep South when hunter groups pooled their money to lease large tracts of land from timber and paper companies. My first lease back in Mississippi during the 70's cost us just 25 cents an acre. That 2,000 acre lease cost each of us just $50 a season. As the sport grew more popular, private landowners began to lease their land as well. In some cases, the landowner would lease his/her place for nothing more than what they paid every year in property taxes.

IMO, prices started going through the roof once "horn porn" took over.

Wonder why the Hill Country as seen such a huge increase in land prices? or Tx in general?

The reason everything has gone to pay up or sit down is the same reason a Harley Davidson costs as much as it does. Im not saying anything bad about HD, heck i own one, but the absolute ONLY reason they are as expensive as they are is because there will always be hundreds of thousands of folks with more money than sense, that will shell out whatever they have to to have what they want. Its no different with hunting. Its big business. Has it gotten out of hand, of coarse it has, and because its gotten so bad, alot of blue collar folks like myself have a hard time getting on a lease. Thankfully i learned to capitalise on urban deer, and get permission from land owners to hunt, or else id have to quit for good.