Is that where most leases are starting at? I remember when 12$ was high.

Did those APCO properties in Walker County start at 25?

Idk but I saw 300 acres starting at 25$ the other day. I inquired but haven’t received any feedback.

Had a hunter tell me earlier this year that he had a tract leased out from under him for $30.....I think it was around 300 acres

That is nuts. I would be pissed. It's getting to were if you don't have pockets full of cash, you might as well not hunt.

It’s absolute insanity with the leases nowadays. I blame it on the legalization of corn. Makes killing a lot easier so therefore the folks who were previously too lazy to actually hunt are now all about it cause they don’t have to do anything but fill a feeder and sit and wait. So that creates more folks looking for leases and driving prices up. My opinion and it might be wrong. But I bet it’s not too far off from right.

If you are tired of leasing, I have a 45 acre tract in TN that has good hunting on it for 4,000 an acre. I turned down 95,000 from a realtor in Nashville back in November. Cheaper in the long run to buy it than lease it. I am just getting to the age I can't take care of what I have now. I would not pay 30.00 an acre for any property to lease unless I was sitting on 3 acres of prime funneling river bottom land, and 3 acres would be all I would want. The rest of the land just holds the world together.

It ain't the my going rate cause I can't and ain't gone pay that.

It is getting up there because people are paying it. If you were the land owner, and you didn't hunt, you would lease it out for what the market would bear. If you had a rental house, are you going to lease it at what the prices used to be or what they are now? Ok, so you won't pay the price, if someone else does, you loose.

I'm probably going to have to drop land this year. I hate to do it but it is getting to where I can't justify the money spent anymore.

Y'all take venmo for that lease? Who's taken a personal loan to cover the lease until you get members in the club? People have moved from what they can afford to what can they get debt for.

Ain’t no way I’m paying that in Alabama. Kentucky, Maybe...

The area we’ve been looking at in Kentucky the biggest farmer is charging $40 acre for. Crazy money for one buck.

Blackbelt land with good hardwood was bringing $15/acre 20 years ago. I'm glad I don't have to deal with leasing anymore. I only own 90 acres but it's good for a Couple Deer/Turkeys each year. Hunting of any type has been very commercialized for a quite a while.

I don’t know of anything leasing for anywhere close to $25/acre in AL. That’s unbelievable

I know of places close to me on the river that bring 25 and up.

On the AFOA website, there is currently 300 acres listed for $15,000 = $50/acre!

Welcome to the world of the Duck and Goose blind leases. It’s crazy what blinds are leasing for here. I could buy a whole heard of beef cows for what some are paying per season for a blind.

What county?

yada yada yada. It's all corn's fault. No it's not. Corn has been on the ground on the majority of deer leases all over this state for the past 60 yrs. Ask any GW, biologist or timber cruiser. They see it now, and saw just as much of it, back before it was legal too. New hunters showing up is a very minor part of what is driving the price. Landowners and timber companies started testing the waters with automatic lease escalation clauses back in the 80's early 90's. Nobody blinked when it happened, so it became the new way of life. That 3-5% cost of living/inflation adjustment on a lease, that used to be $5-7/acre back in the mid 90's, that nobody thought twice about paying, has compounded it's way up, in 3% increments each and every year, for the past 30 years to the point that the exact same blackbelt lease that was $6.50/acre in 1993 is now $16.50/acre in 2023. Private landowners say, "well if the timber companies can get $16.50 for their crappy pine tree planted, clearcuts, I should probably get $20+/acre for my better land and timber. Our fine DCNR hasnt helped any by making our seasons and harvest regulations probably the most liberal in the entire nation. Come to Alabama, legally hunt deer for 1/3 of the year, you can shoot everything you see (legally) and leave with coolers full of meat every weekend. Oh and to top it off, for an extra $50, we will now let you hunt over corn too, so that you dont have to worry anymore about getting a fine for being caught hunting over it illegally. Being able to legally kill 100+ deer a year is why people want AL leases. Absolutely nobody is coming to AL for the trophy potential, high deer numbers, or big racks anymore. It is for the ultra long season, lax regs, and ridiculously liberal bag limits. It's been that way since they legalized doe killing for the entire length of the season with no annual limits. The DCNR has driven this train to exactly where we are sitting today and seems intent on continuing to try to run it right off the cliff.

I guess it depends on what amenities are there. Is there a lodge with enclosed skinning shed and walk in cooler ? Stocked bass lake ? Slough good for a couple of good duck hunts most years ?

I remember when my father and his buddies had a lease that was $1.25 an acre and the landowner took $1.50 from someone else.

"They're going to ruin it for the average guy if this keeps up!" was what I remember hearing.

That was 40 years ago. People pay. Is it crazy money? Yes, to some folks. But someone will pay. Just how it is.

Last year people were thinking it was for the whole lease, and bids got up to 100ish dollars. They deleted them and started over, but none the less, some went for 15-20. I am interested to see f those stay at $30 now. That is crazy for 280 acres.

I could see that happening, lol. Somebody thought they hit the jackpot until they received the winning bid email.

When im rich..im gonna buy all the good land..except for jackson co..yall can have that trashy place

I remember when weyerhaeuser land in Lamar Co. Was $1 acre, no way I would pay big money to hunt pine thickets with no hardwood or farmland around & mabe have a few 115 class deer on it.

Those APCO leases started at $10 per acre and most of them shot up to $25+ in a couple days. This happens every year with APCO leases. They only offer a very limited supply and folks jump all over it. Supply and demand seems to be the biggest issue for the Alabama hunter. The state has lost several large management areas leases over the years so public land hunters are forced to seek private leases. Many clubs have very limited membership so don't support as many hunters. Plus, land is being developed and subdivided slowly over time and the supply is further decreasing. Also, hunters from out of state love the liberal 3 buck and one doe a day limit.

This right here. I pay less than $5 an acre for 2500 acres. If goes up much further I quit hunting except off back porch. It’s just a damn deer

Agree with Abolt.

I wonder if Westervelt moving to banning corn and minerals if that will have an impact.

I never seen any land worth 25 an acre for deer and I have hunted some.prettu good places

I can't believe the prices people are paying.

not everyone has the blessing of being "born or married into family hunting land" or gets to hunt their buddies place for free or has connections into cheap hunting property.. no offense but most of those claiming "they wont pay these kinda prices" usually fit into 1 of these categories & they are quick to brag about it.. prime Hunting land has become almost impossible to find unless folks are willing to spend 20$+ / acre.. It sucks for the average low budget hunter for sure but Im not gonna be jealous of a guy thats paying his way... Quite a few of those freeloaders out there that just show up & hunt with no work & no $ spent . I know many of em.. My neighbor leases 1500 acres by himself @ 18$/ acre.. I sure couldnt do it alone but its his $

For $27000 a year why the heck is he not buying it?

he owns 400 that joins it so im sure thats the main reason he does whatever it takes to secure it

Because the mortgage on $3-4 million is a lot more than $2k a month

Weyco like $3-4 an acre here when it comes up. I'm guessing the millions of public land acres to hunt is the main reason...

It won't change anything IMO

☝️

Market value is the probable selling/listing price of a property in an open and competitive market, given knowledgeable buyers and sellers each acting under no atypical duress/motivation and in what they believe is their best interest. So yes, there is plenty of land in Bama “worth” $25/ac.

Why do you think there’s so many piddlers out there? And gonna be more if the price of meat keeps going up.

I'm not jealous ,but 27,000$ to lease land that is not yours at the end of the day is pure stupidity. Yes it won't pay a mortgage on 1500 acres , but it damn sure will on a smaller tract of land a year.

BS, there’s no excuse for piddling. You’re just stealing from another person who put their hard earned money into something. Piddlers = Scum Thieves

27000 won’t pay the mortgage on 200 acres. 200 acres at 2500/acre for 20 yrs at 6% gives you a mortgage payment of $41,000 a year. Then figure in your cost for timber and road upkeep, prop taxes, etc.

I don’t disagree with you but if it comes to going hungry or poaching your land what do you think is going to happen.

If you lease land and the hunting is crap, you just give up the lease. If you buy it it's your crap land.

The wonderful neighbor of ours paid over $4K an acre for the 26 he bought.

Ain’t nobody going hungry. Cmon now. Someone who is legitimately struggling to put food on the table is going to work more hours, and every company in America (literally) is dying to have more help.

Absolutely! Also, I've got a couple of friends who have leases and went out and bought a few acres for a camp. Both spent a lot of money on facilities; houses, walk in coolers, etc.
Found out after hunting it a few years that the land was crap. Now they have to find a buyer for their camps or keep hunting crappy land..

Correct.

I don't agree with the every company is dying to have more help,the new company way is to put more work on it's employees that they already have instead of hiring. Atl least that's the way it works in my area.

Alabama didn't pass a law increasing the penalty like GA did?

If Biden stays in office much longer you rich dudes are gonna be scrambling to come up with the expendable income to lease hunting land. With the Chinese buying up farm land how long could it be before the good Ol US of A looks like England of Ol where only the kings and lords were legal to hunt? Far stretch but farms and timber land is being bought and mega banks are defaulting and closing the doors.

My lease in near Pickens county, AL is $10-11 an acre