About 3 years ago I had a discussion with a Game Warden about the same situation. He said the equipment belonged to the LO and what ever he wanted done with it was legal.

Most places allow 6 months to get you things off. We had a similar incident on our last lease. Hunter was off the lease for 3 yrs. we were told we could hunt the blind, two weeks before opening weekend the ex-hunter came out and took the blind leaving us without a blind to hunt from. Was not happy. I say after six months it is lease property unless they were out of country defending our freedom.

We give them 30 days and haven't had an issue so far but they know it when they get off.

you can always get his stuff and bring it to the gate for him and set a time for him to come and get it.with that being said you tell him if you dont show up im sorry for your bad luck.atleast you tried to give him his stuff back.by allowing him back on the property could do more harm than good. IMO

Any communication with him from this point forward,Send him a certified return receipt requested letter.State all the facts. Make sure and include dates of his lease involvement and the date he left the equipment.Get that green card back reguardless whether he signs it or not. State what your intentions are. Keep the equipment,set a date for him to pickup,or notify him after a certain date he loses any claim to equipment.Just make sure that you document any future contact with him.It will stand up in court,if it comes to that.Keep copies of all letters.

I just don't see the need for all that. He paid for the stuff. I'm assuming the guys in the lease got to use it for free. He wants his stuff back, so be it. Unless you have a contract that states otherwise, of course.

I had a similar issue 35 yrs. ago, as I remember it, unless there's a contract that specifies abandonment, it's still his equipment. Without it being addressed in the lease or a previous letter demanding removal your on shaky legal ground. I wouldn't be asking the Game Warden about legal questions, I'd go ask the Justice of the Peace, he's the one that would issue the warrant for your arrest if your wrong.

I read "two years". If that is two years with no communication, no request with the landowner to store it there, no deal with the current hunters to borrow his gear for two years, then it is abandoned and property of the landowner. If you rent a house or apartment and leave behind your personal TV, you can't stroll back into your apartment two years after you left and and take it.

If it is a friend of the current lease holders and they have been using his stuff for two years, yea let him have his stuff, tell him thanks for letting us use it, and remain friends. Karma.

If it is a stranger the above can apply or not, but it would be acceptable and especially if he was off the lease due to problems, you tell him sorry after two years that stuff had long since been considered abandoned and is long gone and nothing more. End of story.

I was on a lease with some weekend warriors for a long time that was a second lease to my main one. I did not go very often and usually it was on weekdays when no one else was there. Everyone paid up and signed our contracts on Sept 1st when they showed up for Dove season. Due to some miss-communication and a lease manager who had some unfortunate events in his personal life I found out on last day of August he had let the lease go. Sept 1st I removed my camper and feeders, but made an arrangement with the landowner to leave my tower blind for the season and an agreement with the new lease holders through the landowner to leave my feed pens in place. I removed my stand the day after deer season, and though the new lease holders offered to pay me for new feed pen materials if I leave the pens in place, I just them have them for free. Worked out well for everyone. But again, this was all arranged in advance on a handshake, not out of the blue two years later.

I agree just give the guy his stuff back. To me that's the right thing to do.

Offer him 25 cents on the dollar and see if he will take it..If he is a friend of yalls let him come get it...if not offer the money...when someone leaves our lease we off to buy their stuff...Much easier than having to purchase and set up again...

I still stand behind my earlier post. Have him take it up with the LO. If you’re the person that grants him permission to come and get his belongings and he gets hurt or killed doing so who is going to be held accountable for allowing him access back on the property

I don't think it's a very reasonable expectation to leave your stuff on a ranch for two years, then expect to get it back. I also would be leery about letting him back on the property, from a liabilty perspective. Buy his stuff for a reasonable fee.

Wouldn't that make you a liar?

His stuff, meet him at the gate with it at an agreed date and time. Takes pics and have him sign a letter of receipt.

Why would not want to give his property? Did he leave on bad terms? Is someone using it now? Was it scavenged for parts? I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here. You have to do what you think is right.

In similar situation where it was honestly thought the guy left it, other lease members divvied it up. One guy took the stand, and the feeders were canabalized. I used a motor and battery.

One day the guy called out if the blue and we were just honest with him, saying "Dude, we hadn't heard from you in over a year. We thought you just left it." He was upset at first, but we ended up just making a deal (dime in the dollar) and what we didn't use, we brought back to him at out convenience.

When he thought about it, the cost of coming and getting it was almost as much as he got cash, and he ended buying replacements. With fuel so expensive, if his drive is a couple if hours, it only makes sense - and everybody was OK.

On the other hand, if you aren't using it or don't have a need - why wouldn't you want him to come pick up his junk?

On still another hand, if he was kicked off the lease or left on bad terms - and didn't retrieve it in a timely fashion, or owed/disputed money - I'd be tempted to send a letter saying his stuff was forfeited and let him pursue legal action if he had a problem - but real politely/not confrontational. If it meant that much to him, time and money, let him pursue. But he won't, because if he left it for two years it obviously didn't mean that much to him.

If it was a real expensive stand/tower, and someone is using it or integrated it into their setup - best to make him a settlement offer - probably a pain for him to move it anyway if it was that big/expensive.

And, as others have said, find out what his situation is - if he has good reason for the delays, you can always take that into account.

Used deer equipment doesn't have much monetary value, even tower stands. I wouldn't make a big deal out it or worry about it too much no matter what course of action.

Several years ago, we had a great lease and land owner that we managed for deer. We put up automatic feeders with fences, watertanks, tower stands,etc. It was a hand shake deal that worked great until the land owner died 10 years later. His daughter, who lived 400 miles away, inherited the ranch. Her husband instantly changed the locks and that was that. I went to the Justice of the Peace and he informed me that without a written contract there was nothing I could do. Later, we learned that the Son in Law was considered a total jerk by anyone who ever knew him. Bottom line, have a CONTRACT.

x2

What did it hurt you setting on the ranch for two years? Storage fee argument just seems like BS. You guys hunters or lawyers? As suggested, help a fellow hunter out.

Several years ago, one of the hunters on my lease passed away. He had a small camp trailer stashed way back up in the brush.A couple of weeks after the funeral , I noticed that the trailer was missing. Got to checking around and discovered that a couple of his "friends" had helped themselves to the trailer. Not sure how the family handled it but two hunters weren't welcome back the next season.

wouldn't want to hunt with a bunch of yall!!

Do what you think is right, cause (if you believe in this sort of thing), you may have an opportunity to explain yourself, and well, sure would be crummy if that one insignificant act of 'kindness' (or lack of) tilted the scales doooooooooooown. Just food for thought.

Dang aeb... sure didn't take long for the buzzards to start circling

I wouldn't leave my stuff on a deer lease for two years and then expect to just go get it when I saw fit. If I left it, then it wasn't worth my effort to take with me.

Thanks everybody for their feedback. 1. He was not a member of our armed forces! So let me ask it this way. If I leased a house from you and had a feeder and blind in back yard. I left the property after lease was up and without any agreement about them would you let me come get them after 2 years and the house was leased to someone else?

I would never expect anyone to return something to me if I was that stinking lazy.
I guarantee you that I would not go out of my way for him. But I would let him have his stuff when it is at my convenience. It may be worth the effort to just get rid of this guy and not have to deal with his slothfulness again.

I am in the same predicament here... I sign a contract w/ LO that says thirty days to get our stuff at the end of contract, but we are renewing and 3 members are not invited back. I offered to buy their stuff, and they refused. They have 3 feeders and 2 tripods, and live 10-12 hrs away. They were notified via phone call the first week of January that they needed to get their stuff, and to let me know when they plan to do so. I'm wondering how long I should give them. I was thinking about sending a certified letter if I don't hear from them by the end of the month that will give them 45 more days or so.