For most of my guys, the hunting part of our situation takes a back burner to all the things we enjoy like working in the woods. Always doing what we can to better the place and what we can do to better manage the property for all the animals. We spend more time around the camp on most trips then we do hunting because we love the camp life. I’ve stated before, we are not a hunting club, we are a deer camp. We are friends and family that some of us have been hunting together since we are kids in high school. There’s way more to hunting then just going sit in the woods to try to kill a deer. Especially when we have our family hunts. I wouldn’t trade those hunts with all the kids for anything in the world. You can’t put a price on that. Oh ya, we also eat pretty dang good at the camp also.

Well that will greatly help the Alabama deer herd that you're so worried about going extinct.

Nobody is going anywhere.... deer hunting around here is just like going to the Beach and deep sea fishing on a party boat. Same crowd. Show me anywhere else that's 1) cheaper and 2) where you can shoot the woods to pieces.

Nowhere. For a reason.

That is correct.

100% Like I said in the other post, Alabama is the "Dollar General" of deer hunting.

I also agree……Nobody is going anywhere…..More are coming soon to a lease near you…..iffin they haven’t already.

Goatkiller, I laughed out loud when I read your phrase “Shoot the woods to pieces “ your exactly right.

Only difference is a lot of these guys going down to the beach and renting nice places and deep sea fishing are using credit cards to pay for these trips. I don’t know about anybody else’s lease but I don’t take credit cards from members. It must be cash.

But our lease goes up every year. We had to add a member couple years ago and may have to add another one soon. I have a number and I won’t pay more than that number. I’ll drop the lease and go golfing more. I love deer hunting but I can hang out with my buddies at the house alot cheaper than a lease price.

It’s headed to a point in the future and coming fast where the average person will have to make a decision when that 2000 lease turns into 3500. I personally have thought about getting back into a club but at 3 to 4 grand which will be the norm sooner than later for a club full of folks on an average place just doesn’t seem like a good decision but that’s just me. I’m not a trophy hunter unless a trophy presents itself but don’t really care about shooting a buck no bigger than what I have. Really like the hanging out cooking and having a good time but u just have to weigh what really makes u happy but eventually decide does the cost make sense. For me 3 or 4 grand in bama doesn’t.

I got out of a club that was 3 grand then I had food plot expense, feed, and gas to travel 1.5 hrs.
I just hunt on my 45 acres and the 40 across the road. Started fishing more last year

I know a lot of folks getting out of clubs because the cost isnt worth the hunting. Timber companies keep raising prices year after year. Leases the same way. I see a lot more leases out there for a lot longer time. I hope these greedy bastages have to drop the prices to a reasonable level. Timber companies can kiss my butt. I hate greedy folks.

Damn those people trying to make a profit!!!

Hell I killed bigger bucks after I quit leasing and started hunting public land. Most clubs best spots get hammered every weekend and heavily pressured, I got places I have found on public that gets zero pressure. Plus its FREE baby.

The costs to hunt for most folks in AL, verses what they have to gain, is hardly worth it to a lot of folks now. Meaning, spending $2-$3k a year in hopes of killing a 115-125” buck. They keep increasing lease costs, yet providing nothing of benefit in return. It’s got to stop at some point, but like everything else, I don’t think it will. People will keep paying until they can’t afford their mortgage or feed their kids.

Acres at ours has went from 11k down to 8k but club dues haven’t changed much. They also aren’t stupidly high priced but I’m all for if members get out we don’t add more we just pay a little more.

If they depend on hunting leases to make their profit then they run a pretty sorry business

This makes no sense. It’s business to the timber company. No emotions involved. If you have a business and can make more money why would it be considered greedy to do so? If I cut someone’s grass and they tell me they want to pay me $150 for it, do I say no no I’m not greedy. I’ll do it for $125? That’s just being a good business man.

Why don’t you go make more money to pay for the lease instead of whining about someone else making money and calling it greed?

They depend on them to make more profit. And as long as the market can stand it, they would be stupid businessmen not to do it. When people quit paying the money they will drop the prices. That’s how capitalism works.

They don’t depend on leases to make a profit and that’s exactly why I posted what I did about them just deciding to no longer deal with the hassle of leasing to hunters, if they feel they can’t get the price they want for dealing with it. Leases just add a little extra in profit on top of their real business which is buying and selling timber and land