Public lands are the most obvious source for areas to hunt. It is a great bonus to hunters and non-hunters alike that our forefathers have designated large areas of land as public-use lands. The downside to hunting on public lands in most cases is hunting pressure and it's effect on the deer that reside there. The rule of thumb seems to be that as the season progresses, the less likely it is that you will see deer because they will change their movement-habits and become primarily nocturnal due to increased hunting pressure. One possible way to overcome the effects of hunting pressure is to travel farther into these lands to areas that have received lower amounts of hunting pressure. This can be effective on the larger hunting areas because many hunters will take the easy route and not travel very far into the property but will set-up on the first good sign that they come across. Another technique involves spending more time on stand in order to maximize that chance that you will be in the "right place at the right time". However, there is always the question of who has been there before you, what kind of scent control do they use if any, and how the deer were effected by the presence of other hunters. At best, it's a guessing game.

Private lands offer more opportunities to hunt deer which have received minimal if any hunting pressure. The pipe-dream that most hunters have is to purchase land for their own use. The positive aspects of land ownership include control of the hunting pressure, control of food sources such as the establishment of food plots, and control of the taking of deer in order to maximize results, also known in most hunting circles as QDM=Quality Deer Management. QDM involves controlling the Buck to Doe ratio and overall herd make-up, as well as establishing rules concerning minimum size limits on the deer to be taken out of the population through regulated hunting. Land ownership also means land management, control of the habitat available for the resident deer. Maximizing the carrying capacity (proper numbers of deer based on the food and cover available) of the land to insure health in the deer herd is the top of the list. A healthy deer herd produces healthy fawns and property nutrition yields trophy bucks.

Not too many hunters have the financial means to own their own slice of bowhunting heaven. I hear many hunters, including myself, saying "As soon as I win the lottery, well….you know!" Property values are continually on the rise. Inflation of land prices is due to factors such as increases in the human population, which result in an increased need for housing. Urban areas become larger as more land is developed to supply housing and rural areas become smaller and more valuable as a result.

Another option for hunting private lands involves hunting on lands owned by other persons than yourself. First, you find likely looking spots, find out who the owner(s) is/are, make contact with them and ask them permission to hunt on their property. This is a time consuming task because you will probably not receive permission 9 times out of 10 or more, because you're probably not the only hunter who checked the property out with hunting in mind. I would say that, if you are granted permission to hunt on private land owned by another person, you should treat that property as well or better than property that you own yourself. Of course, don't forget to treat the landowner well also, as well or better than you yourself would like to be treated. Show them the utmost respect for the property and for the landowner or owners themselves. Landowners are doing you a huge favor by allowing you to access their land(s) for the purpose of hunting. Don't ever take that for granted. Establish a good relationship with the landowner and go out of your way to express your appreciation for the opportunity to hunt. Offer assistance where you can so that the landowner receives benefits from allowing you hunting access. Take the time to talk to the landowner throughout the year not just during the hunting season. This will probably benefit you both: the hunter will hear about deer movement and changes which are being made on the property, the landowner will know that the hunter cares about him, his family and the welfare of both. Respect is the name of the game.

The third option for hunting on private lands is lease hunting. This involves payment to a landowner in exchange for permission to hunt on their land. During my internet-searches for leasing opportunities I have found that the state of Texas has the largest amount of lands available for leasing. In contrast, the Midwest region, including the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois has a much lower percentage of hunting leases. My guess is that most of the land in Texas is privately owned, in comparison to the larger percentage of public lands available in the Midwest states, and this is the reason that Texas has more hunting leases available. Still, there are hunting leases available in the Midwest.

From my research, hunting leases are offered at a lump sum fee for an entire acreage or a per-acre fee. Per-acre fees are usually for a total amount of acreage available so there is little difference between the two types of fees unless the landowner has agreed to offer multiple leases on the total amount of acreage that is being made available for leases. Three leasing businesses that are on the internet, providing properties for leasing in the Midwest are

Hunting Lease Exchange (www.huntingleaseexchange.com),

RAM adventures (www.huntingshack.com)

Midwest Hunting Connections LLC (www.midwesthuntinglease.com).

These businesses offer leases to hunters on behalf of the landowners. Leasing business representatives have contacted or been contacted by landowners and have done the legal legwork involved in finding hunting leases. This assures that the Landowner and hunter are both protected on the legal side of the lease. A lease is a legally binding contract and should not be entered into lightly. I contacted representatives from the businesses listed above and received great help in putting this article together. They were all easy to work with, friendly and informative and I would like to extend a big Thank You to them. Contact any one of them with your leasing questions and you will be more than satisfied with the service that they will provide.

Most of the properties available for leasing are in some of the highest deer producing counties in each one of the four Midwest states listed above. Habitat improvement, as well as QDM has taken place on many of the properties. Leasing properties such as these afford the hunter access to great habitat and quality deer herds that have received minimal hunting pressure. These are not high-fenced areas which hold the deer herd captive but are managed hunting areas with free-roaming deer. This is the real deal: fair-chase hunting the way it was meant to be. Habitat and deer herd management has taken place to increase the odds of seeing trophy-class animals for the hunter(s). Leases are made available to the general public, for 1 hunter or a group of hunters. The total number of hunters on any given property may be regulated in order to insure low impact on the land as well as the game being pursued. Let's talk pricing.

Based on the numbers that I have seen on the web sites of the lease providers listed in the previous paragraph, it can get expensive to lease land. Lease prices range from the lowest $275 for 160 acres which includes 10 acres of woods, to $15175 for 1500 acres which includes 850 acres of woods. There are many properties offered that fall somewhere in between these numbers. Gun-hunting leases seem to run higher in cost than Bow-hunting leases. Out of 88 properties and the costs listed, the range of pricing was from $3 to $20 per acre, most averaged out to $10/acre. The best option when leasing is to get a few hunters together so the cost is spread out.

The history of hunting in the area in which a property is located is going to determine the price, which is set by the landowner in most cases. Details such as big bucks being taken on the property or in the particular county in which it is located is going to increase the value and, of course, the price asked for the hunting lease. QDM is the buzz-word these days in deer hunting as the value of deer herd and habitat management is well-known. QDM is also going to increase the value of a hunting lease, especially if adjacent properties are also involved in QDM.

To have the opportunity to hunt unpressured, managed animals in managed habitat is a blessing so most of us land-owner wanna-be's can understand the desire of the landowner to collect a fee for letting people hunt on his property. If you can afford to lease, the rewards can be well worth the expense.