Average lifespan of a Texas deer lease

What is the longest period of time that you have been able to keep a deer lease in Texas?

IMExperience ...When turnover of the original leasee's exceeds 50% and the core group breaks up, the Lease will disolve, even without LO interference & THAT's the main cause of Lease Breakups to begin with.

FWIW, when you have a Lease Holder/Land Manager non Owner involved with a "Master Land Use Contract" ie grazing rights, ag production & Hunting rights, those will have more turnover in individual Hunters, but last longer as Hunters cycle in & out...and less Hunter success...and a feeling of I have nothing invested or connection or ID in this place, so lets go somewhere's else and see what we can do there. Folks don't leave successful harvest Lease's easily.
Ron

Had a lease for 20 years.

Things that will make a lease last a long time

-good land owner
-good hunters
-Not having a ramrod/outfitter, deal directly with land owner
-group of hunters who know each other and get along, and even it they don't get along at times are grown up enough to work it out.

For most leases I'd say this is an impossible list of requirements. We left that lease because we bought our own place otherwise we would still be on it. We leased with family and when we left we had other family members who gladly filled our spot.

Had a great lease with a good group for 8 years. Wonderful relationship with LO. Helped with work on ranch and were treated very well. LO passed away and heirs sold land.

I spent 11 years on a lease in west Texas with a bunch of my friends. Never saw the LO, just paid the money every year and managed the place as we saw fit. It was a great arrangement and I would still be there if the drought hadn't killed all of the quail and most of the deer. I switched to a new place last year in McCulloch/Concho county and really enjoyed it. Got lucky and fell in with some good guys on a lease with tons of deer. It's a lot closer and has 10 times as many deer, so I'm looking forward to being there for many years to come.

The people we leased from almost became like family. They came to my wedding, we had a big meal every year with them opening weekend. They were always welcome to join us at the camphouse. We would drive out in the off season to help catch cattle, fix water gaps and fence etc. Almost every opening weekend the LO's son would bring home a 30' 5th wheel with 3-4 pallets of feed and a dozen or so molasses tubs that we would help unload(by hand). Was a great place to hunt. I came on as a paying member(paying my own spot) at 13 years old, grew up with the place so to speak and have a lot of memories.

I was on a lease with my dad for 22 years in Fredericksburg, and he was on the lease 9 years before I was able to get on with him! Since then, the longest I've been a single lease is 7 years and that's the one I'm on now.

We were on a 2000 acre lease in Schleicher county for 10 years. Just 4 of us on the place and I got along with the land owner very well. After the land owner passed away we got to keep the place for one more year until his gold digging witch younger wife booted us to turn it over to an outfitter to package hunt the place. We had done our job of managing the place and had raised so really nice bucks and I'm sure the outfitters clients reaped the benefits of our efforts.
So goes leasing land, just the chances we take.

Been on the same place for around 20 years. I would say there maybe three hunters that have ever met the owners. We have a "lease boss" that has been there for close to 30 years and he handles the negotiating, money, major complaints, etc and deals with the ranch foreman. There are 3 or 4 other hunters that work to come up with the rules and any adjustments that are needed from year to year. We typically have 1 to 3 open spots each year and there are 21 spots on the lease. Over half have been there 15 years or more. Has been a great place and we have made many improvements since we have been there.

27 years and still going. Our lease started in 1988, only have 2 of the original members still remaining. Some got too old, some found closer leases, some just quit hunting, four were kicked off for rules violations. East Texas paper company land, so far we have not had problems with the paper company. They go up in price every year, but they give us three year prices, so we know what to expect. ONLY problems we have are the locals with theft and poaching.

Going on our 25th year, 5th with me as lease manager.

Just bought my own piece..I hope the rest of my life

A quick thank you to everyone who has participated in this poll.

At the time of this writing, the poll shows that over 60% of the respondents have been able to keep their lease for seven or more years, and almost 90% keeping them for at least four years. That seems to be good news for the average hunter, and bad news for those who have not reached the same level of success.

Had the good fortune to join and existing deer lease about 8 years ago. One of the original members has been on this lease since the 60s and raised sons and grandsons on it. Terrific group on a great property. LO understood you can't hunt a gun for every 100 acres and at the same time had his number 1 rule that we took off enough does to keep the herd under carrying capacity and buck/doe ratio in balance. Shot a nice mature trophy 6 of the 7 years. The only reason I left was because I got my own place. Otherwise, I'd still be on it. Longest lease before that was 5 years. A lot of 1 to 3 year places mixed in between.

We leased a place for 30 years. The LO asked us to leave because we wanted to turn it into a personal lease for his kids and grandkids. He said it felt like kicking his own family off the property. we bought a ranch in Taylor county last year and I hope to hunt it for another 30 years.

A long time ago we leased a pasture near Streeter with Llano river frontage. Small but numerous deer back then. Fishing, great turkey and deer hunting. We thought $500 was high so we left after about 5-6 years. That was a dumb move, looking back.

Next place was in Scleicher county on the San Saba river. Had it for about 4-5 seasons until the ranch sold.

Best we ever hunted for quality was Kent cty. Hunted there for 8-9 years until one of our group shot a giant buck and told everyone in Texas about it. After that we bought our own place and have never looked back. We've had it for 14 years now.

It's difficult to find good hunting, good hunting partners and a good land owner/agent combination. If you do I suggest holding on to it as long as possible.

The results of this poll suggests there are a lot of good leases out there. Perhaps the problem is they seldom have openings.

The two leases I have been on we were on for 30+ years. Lost them both because original landowner died and family split up/sold the land.

So I bought my own place.

White Ranch in Mason Co- 1974-1986 Cress Springs
1987-2006 41 Pasture
Grandkids took over in late 90s and called one day and told us to clear out. Cress Springs is now split among 6 pasture and the 41 is now 3. You never know what you have till it's gone!

I've had my core group for 25+ years. A few have moved on during that time as a result of job/career changes. Lost a couple over the years as a result of the quail nosedive but I can recall only one individual during that period of time that was asked to leave. Good group of guys.

Leases I were on have been around since the 40s & 50s and are still going. Corporate owned land, leases operate as business entity with board of directors.

The longest I've been on one place is seven years, which is where I'm at now going into my eighth.

Had to leave two places I really wanted to stay because of change of ownership and a guy with no brains but lots of money.

Turns out looking back I'm glad it happened the way it did. Gave me the opportunity to hunt different terrain and different regions of Texas.

My 18th year on this lease, and 19th for one other guy that is on it.

My old man is on year 39 at his place in London Texas. I've been hunting it since I was in diapers. On year four with my place in SE OK. Year two in collin county Tx. Feeling very blessed for all of it.

Spent 10 yrs in junction then left for bigger bucks and hunted A ranch in Old Mexico for 8 yrs . Had a 2 yr stint in mason and now were in our 2nd year in Val Verde county . Never been kicked off a lease or asked to leave . We've always had very good LO even in Mexico and always had good leases . The only reason we left Mason was because our neighbors shot everything with horns and we just didn't see any long term potential . And the neighbors had been there along time.

I agree with this. I think LO is the most important aspect and lease manager is #2. If you have those. The rest will sort itself out.

Quality people

Really never had a lease....friends that own property with open invitations to hunt. Finally bought my own place this year.

18 years and still going in Gillespie Co.

been hunting on mine most my life. Uncle has been on since 87. lease has been around since the 70's though.

10 yrs on a 400ac place in Fischer, TX. then the LO passed and the heirs sold it, Now on yr 3 on a 1200ac place off Devils Backbone near Wimberly and Canyon Lake.

This is the 3rd season on my lease. There are guys there that have been there over 20 years. What's nice is that the LO started letting us sign 5 year contracts a few years ago. Great bunch of guys and it's a very kid friendly place.

With such a high percentage of leases that have lasted for so long, I have to believe these same deer leases serve as a needed escape from all the change and complexities that go with everyday life.

There are so many memories that I could not even attempt to write down, as well as the feelings of what it is to watch, smell, and feel what a cool morning with the sunrise, or watching the sunset, and then the smells of deer camp, both good and bad!
The kill was always the icing on the cake, and it's the memories that are the one constant that everyone who has ever hunted knows that count the most, and why we continue to go year after year.

Grew up on a lease my pops had in Coleman County for about 10 years. LO died, and so did our lease. Not sure if his son sold the place or just wanted to hunt it himself. Now on our second year in Val Verde County, and my first lease as a paying member. We lease 5k acres off of a ranch that totals around a hundred sections. I can't see the place getting split up, and I hope we can stay on this one as long as I want to hunt it.

This works OK up to a point but I do not want to have to deal with a dozen guys about lease details. I interface with all my hunters and we discuss various aspects of the lease but I deal with a single individual designated by the group as their spokesman.

I agree with not using an Outfitter or subleasing . But I think every lease needs one guy who collects all money and deals with LO on situations . Especially on bigger leases. Just my experience and 2 cents.