Well brothers, went yesterday to check the cameras and its much worse than I thought. In ma weeks worth of pix, I saw 5 deer at the feeders. That is down from well over 30 different individuals. It was time to leave.

After talking with the 2 others on the lease, we've come to the conclusion that the owner must want us gone for some reason; why else would you put 100 goats on a 100 acre plot 1-2 days before bow season started without warning your lessee's?

We recovered all our equipment and left the place. Luckily, none of us had yet paid our second half of our lease fee so we are not out much in money, but now there will be no hunting for the three of us this year. Finding a spot for this season, THIS late, probably impossible.

Well, I guess I'll have time to work on other projects. Thanks to thos who gave advice on my situation on my last post, It was helpful. Good luck to all who are still on the hunt this year.

Because a) he owns the property and can put it to whatever use he deems appropriate; b) he owns the animals and is therefore responsible for feeding them.

Maybe there was an emergency involving another parcel of land that required the abrupt relocation of the livestock to the property you were leasing to hunt. It isn't like he can feed them cheeseburgers.

some one messing with my post, sorry ta hear what happened. theirs soke good info in your last thread. best wishes

The points you make were never in doubt, and as far as a possible emergency, maybe. These, however, are not the issue.

The issue is the utter lack of consideration for the hunters whom they had an agreement with. If you're taking their money, then you owe them some consideration at the very least.

This is not an issue of landowners rights. This is an issue of honesty, courtesy, and integrity. I am finding a decided lack of both in this matter. I find it equally disturbing that some others out there (I assume that they are owners and have leased properties) jump immediately on the landowners side. If you have that little regard for your lessee's, I feel sad for them.

I agree. The landowner could at least call the hunters and tell them that he had to put goats out there. When we had our lease, our landowner did just that. He called us and apologized, but said that he had to move some of his livestock to the land he had leased to us and wanted to make sure it was not an issue. He gave us enough notice that we could come out and pen our feeders. Just simple courtesy and consideration.

You never mentioned that you talked to the owner about the goats. He may not have known you had a problem with them. Besides they may not be his goats, we lease out our pasture land where we hunt, he can put cattle, goats or whatever on the place when he wants to. We own he place, but when we leased it, he has the right to the pasture for grazing.

A few details, I had gone out on Sept 21 to fill feeders and check cameras, then returned 3 weeks later to find the place overrun with goats. He never mentioned anything about goats in sptember, and then on the 27th of that month, just moved them in. No warning, no call, NO CONSIDERATION AT ALL. When I did voice my concerns, i was told I would have to pen my feeders. I am a working man feeling the pinchthis year like everyone else, and I just can't pull the money to build 2 new feeder pens out of my rear.
Had I been warned, we would've had 2 or 3 paychecks to set some money aside for this, and been able to get them up before season started. Now, it will take the same amount of time to be able to afford pens, and that putus in the middle of season before we can even start on them. In the mean time, I would bee feeding HIS STOCK all the corn and protein feed they could take? Not happening.

All this could've been avoided with a simple forewarning.

does land owner have other pasture to put goats in, second part of payment could buy alot of feed, then again owner may have already been thinking that again owner owns land, lease money is his, looks like game of Texas Holdem, an if he did bye the goats just ta mess with ya, smart move ta fold. not first time land owner, took advantage of leasie.

It is his land but it's also your lease. Was your lease in writing? It wouldn't be acceptable if I rented you a house and then decided to store property in the bedrooms.

That said if feeder pens would have solved the problem and the property still had hunting value the LO did nothing wrong. I understand the cost and it would've been nice for him to let you know but you've got to be prepared for the unexpected.

I would not get off. I'd put up a feed pen and after the goats strip that pasture down the deer would hammer the feeders.

Yup.

This. And if the land owner is not really into hunting, he may just not give much thought to hunting seasons. Feeding goats, ranching and things like that may just be a normal, everyday thing for him.

A feed pen is not that expensive. If you have paid to hunt for a certain amount of time then Hunt. Maybe you have done something to piss him off? A lot of things are a two way street.

owner owns another place nearby thats at least 2000 acres.

good point. now this, when I talked to him, the reason he put that many goats there in the first place was to "eat most of that brush out of there.'

really? that couldn't wait til after season?

I've priced the materials, and to make a good, safe for the stock, feeder pen, I'm looking at maybe $300/per. That may not sound like a lot, but when you don't have it, you don't have it. Not trying to tell a sob story, just telling the truth.

and yes, they do hunt. He is well aware of the seasons.

That sucks but you can get cattle panels cheap to pen goats out ,
What part of the state was this ?

I have the strangest feeling that he has other plans for the place. Maybe he thinks he can make more money with different hunters, or has a ranching plan that requires that property. Weening pens, etc. Its his property, so he can use it any way he sees fit. I'm just not gonna waste my time this year trying to play catch-up with the changes.

I'd rather not hunt at all than hunt a ruined lease.

cattle panels wont work. goats can get their heads caught in them and die. I've seen it happen. Then I'm responsible for the cost of his goat. Have to use goat panels, or wrap everything in chicken wire. goat proof panels are not cheap.

was lucky with leases I was on. didnt spend that mich, they just kept getting higher & higher, several times found people hunting, couple guys said they had permission, seen one guy sneaking out of stand to his truck. an like every one else, money got tight & $40.00 a year is better than $200.00, sorry ta hear what happened. best wishes

If I were the LO, I would have called you, but it is his land and he can make considerably more off of the goats than he can deer hunters. Did you have any type of relationship with the LO other than sending him your lease payments and talking to him a couple of times during the season? Building a relationship of trust and helping out the LO during the offseason can help avoid some of these types of situations sometimes. Sometimes LOs are just that way and do what they want to because they can.

thanks to all, but, I think I've whined enough. Whats done is done. If anyone has an opening for next year or wouldn't mind adding someone for a reasonable fee, keep me in mind.

THF Brethren are the best.

what did your lease agreement say about livestock?

First frost and that brush will loose its leaves. Won't be nothing for them to eat except forbes and winter grass if he waited. Lot of old time ranchers use goats to clean a pasture up then move them out. The new growth will be tremendous next spring. The deer will pile in that place after that. I do think you are over-reacting and not thinking this thru. Short term it is a mess but any place that moves in livestock into a pasture the deer move out and in 3-4 weeks return after things have settled down IME.