If you are not planning to hunt your property, leasing it for hunting is extremely beneficial because it generates revenue, helps protect the property, and helps promote wildlife habitat.
Hunting leases have legally become Recreational Leases or Recreational License Agreements. This is because hunters are often allowed to do more than just hunt (i.e. target shooting, riding ATV’s, camping). We still generally refer to them as hunting leases, though.
Hunting leases are an excellent source of passive income and are typically paid once a year. Payments are normally calculated on a per acre basis, and the amount charged for a lease depends on the acreage, the features of the property, and the current local markets for hunting leases. Leases generate more than enough to cover the property taxes and can often be used for various improvement projects.
Another benefit from hunting leases is property protection, as hunters protect the property from trespassers. If you are not hunting your land and it is not currently leased, you can bet someone is probably going to be hunting on it anyway. This leads to liability issues and possible damage to your property with no recourse. Lessees normally post “No Trespassing” signs and keep game cameras around the property to observe wildlife, which has the added benefit of deterring and catching trespassers.
Hunters will often keep gates locked and will protect and maintain the access roads and trails in and around the property by bush-hogging them. They also provide property protection because they are on the property frequently and are quick to report concerns like timber, road, storm, insect, or wildfire damage.
Any hunting lease should always include some type of liability insurance. At Kingwood, each lease automatically includes a liability insurance policy, paid by the hunters. We feel the risk of unknown trespassers is greater than having known hunters on the property who have a vested interest in protecting the property. Outdoor Underwriters provides hunting lease liability insurance coverage on all Kingwood leased properties. Visit hunt.kingwoodforestry.com to see what leases we have available.
No one is more vested in quality wildlife habitat than those who pay to hunt the property. Hunters will treat your property with respect and promote wildlife habitat through proper game harvesting. Most hunters we know are more conservative than state game laws at protecting and promoting game animals on the property. Additionally, hunters often plant food plots or put game feeders out to promote wildlife.
So, should you lease your property for hunting? Here at Kingwood Forestry Services, we believe that answer is definitely, yes! We encourage all of our clients to lease their properties. There are a lot of benefits such as passive income, free property maintenance, limiting trespass, and improving wildlife habitat, just to name a few. If a landowner is not living on or hunting the property, it really is in your best interest to have it leased and know who will be on the property.
If you are interested in finding out more, contact us to help us lease your property for hunting.