How did you get into your deer lease?

Was in a lease of about 4,000 acres. Got out when they started changing harvest rules and my kids had no interest in hunting.

Kids are now interested in hunting, and all the leases in the area had waiting lists.

I started checking all the corporate timberland companies for available leases, and they were all trash tracts. Eventually found a tract that is listed for sale with a local real estate company that didn't have a lease. Not the best option, as it could be sold out from under the lease, but at least I have a place to take my kids.

Network with friends who are hunters, reach out to brokers who specialize in recreational tracts, look into corporate timberland companies and talk to landowners in your area.

And ask here on the OB board - I had someone respond when they found out I was trying to find a place for my kids to hunt...lot of good folks on this board.

Good luck.

The best ones, and the ones I stayed in the longest, were two clubs that friends invited me to join. Those clubs had wait list, but you could move up with a member recommendation.

For those leases that have assigned spots, you may never get the good spots. When a member knows he is not going to re'up, he will tell his member friends before announcing. That friend will go claim the good spot.

I’m in an avg lease 1:15 mins from the house. It’s not cheap but it’s close and kid friendly. The kids think it’s the best thing since sliced bread. They see deer nearly every hunt plus hogs and turkey.

Someone on here said once if you want a lease you have to pick 2 out of the 3 following things: close, cheap, good. You’ll never find all 3 in a lease. If it’s close and good, won’t be cheap. Etc.

I never minded large clubs. I was usually a better and more dedicated hunter than 75% of the members. They were subsidizing more land for me to hunt. Working shift work and hunting during the week also helped.

The very first one I was in, was after Katrina. Find called and asked if I wanted to get in with him on 350 acres. I said yeah and have been addicted ever since.

Been hunting in Tensas right on the Mississippi River in a 10 member club my Uncle joined back in the 80’s for awhile but the past 2-3 years with the way the river has been flooding the deer have just become nonexistent so I too am looking for a closer club or lease since Tensas is a good drive. Seems like the same clubs every year post looking for members and they post the same pictures of the same deer every year. Ive been looking for about 2 years now for a decent club but I get suspicious seeing the same damn clubs looking for members and not having any new pictures.

A buddy found a track of almost 500 acres that was coming up for bid. We made a bid, other guys decided not to match it.

We have 6 members, but only 3 of us really hunt it frequently. 1 guy just hog hunts. We’ve done really well on it.

No camp though. Luckily I have a camp in Magnolia so it’s a short drive. We have an area to camp. If we had running water it would be great!

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The best ones, and the ones I stayed in the longest, were two clubs that friends invited me to join. Those clubs had wait list, but you could move up with a member recommendation.

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this for me as well. Started asking a few friends and pretty quickly found a place that kicked out a guy to make room for me on other's recommendations.

This is actually a good question. I've often wondered the same thing.

The one I'm in was formed by my step-dad and some friends in the late 80's. So I was a kid hunting with him and just joined when I grew up. It's kind of a pain in the arse because we lease around 2000 acres from probably 10 or 12 different landowners and it's not all 1 block of land.

I imagine it's hard to find a good group of guys that all mesh together. Most new members are acquaintances of existing members.