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Post by bremraf on Dec 15, 2023 15:48:21 GMT -5
Does anyone have any leads on where to find leases in the central/western/northern part of the state? Looking for something family oriented and not overly crowded. Looking for next year, but wouldn't rule out tagging onto the end of this year. Deer, Turkey and hog. Thanks!
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Post by drgibby on Dec 16, 2023 7:44:53 GMT -5
I am involved with a 4K acre family-oriented lease in Nassau County. This will be our 24th year of having the lease. As of right now we are not looking for new members. But that could change before the dues are due in April.
We have 30 members. If we have an opening, I will post it here.
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Post by bremraf on Dec 16, 2023 10:47:29 GMT -5
Great thanks!
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Post by pinman on Dec 16, 2023 12:51:07 GMT -5
Start / stop dates for leases tend to be after Turkey season. If you are on Facebook there is a Florida Hunt Club group where availabilities are posted frequently.
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Post by walkerdog on Dec 16, 2023 16:39:27 GMT -5
30 members on 4K acres? Ouch!
That hunter density sounds about like public land.
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Post by bswiv on Dec 16, 2023 17:10:52 GMT -5
30 members on 4K acres? Ouch! That hunter density sounds about like public land. What Walkerdog says here. We have 15 members on 3500 acres which is adjacent to 4000+ acres of WMD land and another 1000 acres of Putnam County conservation land........and at times that seems like not enough space. 30 members on 4000 is kind of pushing it.................. |
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Post by wayvis on Dec 16, 2023 17:27:03 GMT -5
Walkerdog that is the norm for most clubs in North central and North Fl. that are leasing timber company land. Even at those densities you are still looking at around 2K a year for most clubs. You are correct that its about the same as public if you are hunting quota hunts, but being on a lease gives you many benefits as opposed to public land. The biggest is having the opportunity of being able to hunt on your own time.
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Post by One Man Gang on Dec 16, 2023 17:34:58 GMT -5
Being that I'm going to automatically miss half of any season due to my job, I dearly miss hunting on my own time. I'd be a great addition to any lease for that reason alone.  |
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Post by bswiv on Dec 16, 2023 17:39:14 GMT -5
Walkerdog that is the norm for most clubs in North central and North Fl. that are leasing timber company land. Even at those densities you are still looking at around 2K a year for most clubs. You are correct that its about the same as public if you are hunting quota hunts, but being on a lease gives you many benefits as opposed to public land. The biggest is having the opportunity of being able to hunt on your own time. As a landowner I would note that, while the dollars coming in from a lease can not be ignored something that really matters, a aspect of it that creates a bond between those leasing the land and the landowner is the quality of the hunters. You'd have to pry our guys from my cold dead fingers. They don't trash the woods, don't play around on the roads with 4-wheelers, don't shoot everything they see......basically great guys. And in return......we are careful of when we cut timber so as not to mess them up, we burn, we run over and mow or disk when they need it if we can. Basically.....we ALL treat each other like we care. Be that type of hunter and some landowner will work to keep you. |
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Post by One Man Gang on Dec 16, 2023 17:43:00 GMT -5
Ben, if you're ever looking...
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Post by walkerdog on Dec 16, 2023 18:20:53 GMT -5
Walkerdog that is the norm for most clubs in North central and North Fl. that are leasing timber company land. Even at those densities you are still looking at around 2K a year for most clubs. You are correct that its about the same as public if you are hunting quota hunts, but being on a lease gives you many benefits as opposed to public land. The biggest is having the opportunity of being able to hunt on your own time. I know. As inflation and demand has caused per acre lease prices to increase over the years, most clubs have added lease members to keep the dues from increasing year to year. The result is the hunter densities you see today on many forestry properties. If it works for you, great! Not my cup of tea though. I would rather spend twice as much and have half as many, as Ben’s group does. |
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rayi
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Post by rayi on Dec 16, 2023 18:52:07 GMT -5
I'm looking as well.I'm in central FL and would even consider south GA. And I'm with walkerdog, Ill pay more for a better situation. Recently retired and would hunt primarily during the week to avoid pressure.
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Post by swampdog on Dec 16, 2023 19:25:26 GMT -5
I’m pretty much a WMA hunter with an occasional invite to a lease. Some leases hunt bigger than others. The usual safety factor is 100 acres per hunter and a lot depends on the habitat. A lot of open crop land might hunt smaller than a thicker wooded area. A lot depends on the hunters. Some (more family oriented) will manage the hunts to maximize member’s enjoyment. The older hunters will often hang out in camp when younger hunters are out so as to improve their opportunities for success. There are also often club rules that restrict guests on specific weekends.
The worst leases are those that use the new comer’s dues to pay for the lease and restrict the new members to areas that may not be very good as hunting spots. These lease holders are selfish in their endeavors.
Another factor for out of state leases is when locals hunt constantly and the out of staters may be limited to when they can hunt and most often on long weekends.
All I can encourage you to do is, visit the property and have a check in your pocket if things look good to you. Also ask about other hunting. Spring turkey, hog and small game might not be a given.
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Post by bremraf on Dec 16, 2023 20:37:00 GMT -5
All good advice, thanks guys.
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Post by drgibby on Dec 17, 2023 7:34:39 GMT -5
30 members on 4K acres? Ouch! That hunter density sounds about like public land. Agreed it sounds like a lot of folks. I probably should mention we have no local members. The closest member is 3 hours away and the farthest is 17 hours away. We have several members that only hunt once or twice a year. Opening of black powder this year I think there were 11 hunting, those 11 killed 8 racked bucks. So, it certainly does not hunt like public land! |
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Post by anumber1 on Dec 17, 2023 10:25:24 GMT -5
our club has 43 members on 5600 acres mostly dog hunters so archery/ml/spring turkey is pretty quiet.
land is a mix of timber and cypress heads, not much open land so it hunts bigger.
it's a timber lease and price goes up every year.
Flat Branch is one (if not the) of the oldest continous hunting leases in Fl.
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Post by pinman on Dec 17, 2023 11:35:34 GMT -5
If you get on a lease where there is a high Bear population I dont think you will see as many Deer. Certainly, harder to keep feeders going if not impossible. Im not a fan of leases that have designated spots. The only lease Ive ever been on was 6 guys on 1200 acres and we just let each other know what stand we were going to. It had lots of Bears (Madison area) and no feeders.
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Post by Crkr 23 on Dec 17, 2023 11:59:35 GMT -5
The last Florida lease that I was in had 7 members on 3500 acres in Alachua county, bow hunt only. The dues were like 600 bucks.
I had an epiphany and decided that I didn't care for baiting and quite, probably one of the dumber decisions that I have made. It also tells you how old I am, too old.
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altuck
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Post by altuck on Dec 17, 2023 16:39:46 GMT -5
I was in a lease near Fanlew in Southern Jefferson County for several years.
There is like 17000 acres near the intersection of US 98 and SR 59, it is managed by Tuten logging company in Perry.
It has mostly been clear cut and is in stages of replanting.
Lots of water, lots of bears but we took some decent deer out of there.
A number of clubs lease land there so if you contact Tuten they maybe could give the name of some of the clubs
or may a have a lease available, you can start your own club.
Good luck
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Post by bswiv on Dec 17, 2023 18:03:20 GMT -5
If you get on a lease where there is a high Bear population I dont think you will see as many Deer. Certainly, harder to keep feeders going if not impossible. Im not a fan of leases that have designated spots. The only lease Ive ever been on was 6 guys on 1200 acres and we just let each other know what stand we were going to. It had lots of Bears (Madison area) and no feeders. The bears are only going to become more and more of a issue. Shifting to soybeans if a feeder is something you feel you need is a option. Where it is a option.....habitat improvement measure are a longer-term strategy, one with multiple benefits. |
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Post by Crkr 23 on Dec 17, 2023 18:13:49 GMT -5
Unfortunately most of the leases in NC Fl. are owned by large timber companies and their idea of land management is the use of herbicides.
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Post by bswiv on Dec 17, 2023 18:30:42 GMT -5
Unfortunately most of the leases in NC Fl. are owned by large timber companies and their idea of land management is the use of herbicides. I would note that they use herbicides because of the LIABILITY of using fire. Fire costs less.....and does a better job for the environment......but......due to unenlightened regulations/statutes they can not throw smoke across a road or.....well.....I could go on. It's not the fault of the timber companies but rather of the general public who want to NEVER smell smoke, and who has a fit is they have to slow down on the way to Mouse World and...............as I noted.....I could go on. The most interesting thing is that this is one of those places where hunters and environmentalists should be charging in the same direction...... |
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Post by ogbohica on Dec 17, 2023 19:14:11 GMT -5
We lit many fires back in the day, burned one marsh every year. Its all BS now and just an excuse. like SSS lite it, leave it, and dont talk about it.
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Post by bswiv on Dec 17, 2023 19:35:54 GMT -5
We lit many fires back in the day, burned one marsh every year. Its all BS now and just an excuse. like SSS lite it, leave it, and dont talk about it. Not sure what "SSS" means but if we do not pay attention it'll get to the point where not even our state owned land can be properly managed due to the poor planning on the part of counties and the state in regards to growth management. How in the world do you manage a pine sand hill that needs fire every 3-5 years when a county allows a hospital to be built on one side, a couple of schools on another and a fancy neighborhood on around a good section of it? Might as well give the land that we all spent tax dollars to save to some developer and Plant Yankees on it because sooner or later it will happen that there is not a wind direction it can be burned on. And then.....as time passes......as the fuel builds up.....it'll eventually burn, because nature is that way. The results of that will be ugly, catastrophic. And the folks in the fancy neighborhood who wanted to never smell smoke, and the school and the hospital......they'll all get smoke, and maybe some of them will burn. And it'll be blamed on the Forest Service for not managing the forest properly. But it'll not be the Forest Service's fault........ Rant over............. |
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Post by meateater on Dec 18, 2023 13:04:47 GMT -5
Being that I'm going to automatically miss half of any season due to my job, I dearly miss hunting on my own time. I'd be a great addition to any lease for that reason alone. lets split the cost, you work all the time so i will hunt monday thru friday to make up the difference. im sure we will not be asked to return the second year but boy will our freezers be full. |
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Post by One Man Gang on Dec 18, 2023 16:32:01 GMT -5
Being that I'm going to automatically miss half of any season due to my job, I dearly miss hunting on my own time. I'd be a great addition to any lease for that reason alone. lets split the cost, you work all the time so i will hunt monday thru friday to make up the difference. im sure we will not be asked to return the second year but boy will our freezers be full. I'd be down but I have a few week days I might want to hunt to. Maybe trade you every other weekend for a few weekdays every other week? |
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Post by 4ward on Dec 18, 2023 18:25:13 GMT -5
You guys consider me too. I’m pretty flexible with time, I clean up after myself and you’d never even know I was there 😃(just make sure you set some quality stands, my back has been acting up)
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Post by JS84 on Dec 18, 2023 18:34:54 GMT -5
I reached out to the managing party, Wayne Morrow, of Dip N' Vat Hunt Club in Dixie back in May. They have 14,000 Acres and 90 members @ $1300 a year. May be an option for some of yall. floridahunt.club/information |
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Post by johnnybandit on Dec 18, 2023 22:00:36 GMT -5
If you get on a lease where there is a high Bear population I dont think you will see as many Deer. Certainly, harder to keep feeders going if not impossible. Im not a fan of leases that have designated spots. The only lease Ive ever been on was 6 guys on 1200 acres and we just let each other know what stand we were going to. It had lots of Bears (Madison area) and no feeders. The bears are only going to become more and more of a issue. Shifting to soybeans if a feeder is something you feel you need is a option. Where it is a option.....habitat improvement measure are a longer-term strategy, one with multiple benefits. There is a common belief that bears do not like or will not eat soybeans..... If plenty of corn is available.. They will eat the corn alone.... But if soybeans are on the menu.... Bears will gobble them up.... Florida bears are usually not used to them.... So they may pass them up at first.... But they will get used to them....
When I was in NE Coastal NC in October... They were in the process of harvesting corn and soybeans..... All the Big and HUGE bears were in and around the corn.... But the smaller bears, and sows with cubs were in the soybean fields..
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Post by tonyroma on Dec 19, 2023 11:10:02 GMT -5
We use soybeans north of the ONF, it greatly reduces bear activity, when we were dropping corn we had trail cam pics of 4 bears in shot.
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