First, what is a "trophy club?" Consistently produced what size deer? How many per acre?
Second, I'd consider a trophy club to be something that consistently produces 130+ deer (properly measured) to the point where you can harvest 5-6 of them per 1000 acres per year. And maybe a camp house to go along with it.
I don't know about where y'all hunt, but down here, that's going to run you close to and probably more than $5,000 per year.
On the other hand, if you want to have fun, shoot some deer for food, have the chance to kill a 130+ deer, do some turkey hunting, and maybe have some fishing, you can do that for $1000 to $3000, depending on how crowded you want the place to be.
WB's post on the other thread has it just about right on in my opinion, except that that is not guaranteed to be "trophy" lease. Most leases I know of that consistently produce great bucks are going to be at least $15 per acre.
I think expectations are too high for most. I think anyone in the southeast would be hard pressed to find a place that produces and harvests 5-6 130"+ deer per 1,000 acres. I just don't think that is realistic but could be wrong. If it is realistic, I feel like $5,000 wouldn't even get you close. But again, I could be wrong.
I think somewhere between $2,500 and $4,000 should get you a very nice place. Should have a good population, excellent potential and some opportunities at mature, high-scoring deer.
