I hunt the property that I live on which is 15 acres for 10 yrs. I have put a lot of work into stand locations, small food plots, mineral sites, natural browse and not counting figuring the time frame of the rut as well the bedding areas; which apparently are on the neighboring property. I’ve been pretty successful at being able to draw the deer onto my property and the number of deer has increased over the years. The first 4 years we only saw about 6 deer total, this season I had 16 in less than 3 hrs. Found out yesterday that the owner is going to have his property which is about 90% pines cut and possibly lease it out to hunters in the future. Looks like I’ll be heading to public land this coming season.

you can't sweet talk him into leasing it to you?

I tried before the season started but it was an emphatic no, said he wasn’t going to let anyone hunt it. The man who manages his property was over there yesterday and we were talking about it.

That sucks man. I’ve been there. The land I used to hunt behind my house was free to hunt and the best piece of hunting ground I ever had permission on. Your right it felt like just about the time I got it dialed in it got sold.

You said he was going to possibly lease it out to hunters. I would just keep in touch with the land manager and let him know you would like first shot.

I'd be offering to lease it out... I have a couple places here that are really small and I pay in Beer and gift cards for one and the other gets half the elk if I kill on his property. if no kill there I throw some meat his way and so far so good. No one leases here thankfully

I would ask again and either way I would still bait and plant your land - the cleared ground will either be replanted or not - either way it will get thick in few years - May still pull a deer to your 15 acre

Either way - I would ask again - just say - since u putting it up for lease - would lov to get first shot at it - then u got more land if u get a yes - throw in there u hunt by state law and will try to leave it better than u found it (say u will treat it like it is your land meaning really take care of it)

I figure it will be a few years before the deer start moving back in, and talked to his land manager who said that he would talk with him about me possibly leasing. I guess now it’s just a matter of keeping the food plots going and waiting to see what happens.

If u got the other land - how many acres increase ?

Good luck - pulling for you

They might run all the deer over onto you. Stay low pressure at your place and with a bunch of action next door it might work out well for you.

I can only imagine what that felt like.......

Just so y'all will know I'm not just being a gooberhead......jlbuc lives in my old house and the land he is talking about hunting is the same land I used to hunt when I lived there

Well I had a preacher lease all the land in a c shape around a small private place that I killed 2 good deer this year. He found out where I killed them and weaseled around and got it all leased up . I had to find out at the store 3rd hand information him bragging about cutting that property off . It was 100% my fault for him finding out . Still think he’s a sorry s.o.b. And informed him of that during a 30 min cussing session.

A preacher snaked you like that? Man thats low. Maybe you should show up at his service tomorrow and ask him if that was a christian thing to do.

$ talks. Go over there and talk to him about it again and take a pocketfull of cash with you as an advance on the lease.

I don’t know your property Sbo1971 but what BustinBeards said makes hole lot of sense - and keep it low pressure- if you can watch your land from a distance - when you see action and wind right b time to hunt

He was a sorry sob long before he became a preacher . If he can live with it so can I. But I can promise you I will re mortgage my house and make sure he never leases another piece of property in this county again so he better enjoy it .

Gotta watch a hunting country preacher.

I got to where I don’t tell anybody anything - even friends - if the wrong guy finds out duxlayer - you screwed. I talk on here otherwise I tell folks I can’t kill nothing when they ask me😀

Been kicked in nutts way to many times from innocently talking - ain’t worth it - I just say the above r something similar

WHT he says^^^^

It's not so much who you tell, it's all the people that they tell and then All the people they tell and so on

A little advice. If you are hunting for free. Go ahead and open up your wallet and get a lease on it. That is how you keep from losing it. All land owners want a source of income. It will save you heart aches in the future. I hear your story all the time. If you don’t have the money, find someone who does to join you.