How much do you pay for access?

[Happy]

This makes me feel better about what I am paying but in all honesty it is hunted as hard as public and has easier access to boot. I really do enjoy public land hunting though. I haven't been around a lot of states but I have hunted land that gets hammered and it still is very doable to kill birds if your willing to work. Plus there's a sense of satisfaction that comes from taking game regularly on places that many would just stay home instead of hunting.
Come to think of it I have an offer from a farmer to turkey hunt his 500 acres and haven't set foot on it yet and that was three years ago. It's ten minutes from home too.

[Tomfoolery]

I pay $1400/yr in texas for 1500 acres. Deer, turkey, axis. 4 turkeys and 3 deer allowed per member. Im the only person that spring turkey hunts. 10 members. Here in LA i hunt public land.

[g8rvet]

I dont hunt any public land.

You hunt in a different part of the world.  I have only been turned down once in Saskatchewan for duck hunting in 12 years, other than someone already speaking for a spot.  Around home, I pretty much wait for an invite or only ask good friends.  It is the way of the southeast for private land.  I am very lucky with what I have available as most don't. 

[quavers59]

There are probably very many people who would love to Spring Turkey Hunt in the South and the SouthEast-- but cannot afford to  as their is just Private Land in their area.    Money will always talk- but if people cannot afford to pay to play-- the number of hunters will just drop every year. Something that the people on the left are watching now .  Probably there are many would be hunters out there who like me do not make a whole lot of money each year. Again-- TG for Statesville my home state of New York that has PLENTY of public Hunting land. New Jersey also and PA has State Game Lands all over their State.

[1iagobblergetter]

There are probably very many people who would love to Spring Turkey Hunt in the South and the SouthEast-- but cannot afford to  as their is just Private Land in their area.    Money will always talk- but if people cannot afford to pay to play-- the number of hunters will just drop every year. Something that the people on the left are watching now .  Probably there are many would be hunters out there who like me do not make a whole lot of money each year. Again-- TG for Statesville my home state of New York that has PLENTY of public Hunting land. New Jersey also and PA has State Game Lands all over their State.

Ive always thought the demise to hunting would more be access to land to hunt than anything else.
Use to a farmer had a few hundred acres and wanted animals thinned out so they could make a living and if one happened to say no you went to the next house. Now in my area everyone farms several thousand acres and are more worried about the possibility of an accident  and getting sued than animals eating up profits. Also they may hunt it themselves or family which use to it was only the few hundred acres now that locks up thousands of acres.
I feel fortunate and have plenty of ground to hunt but feel for others that don't. If I had to pay to play I definitely would. Hunting especially Turkey's only comes after God and Family..Life wouldn't be the same without any of them in it.

[quavers59]

I had no idea that hunting land access was so limited in some areas of the South and SouthEast until I read this thread. I understand that Texas has one of the highest populations of wild turkeys in the nation. Why can't their State Game and fishing Dept make a deal with Texas landholders that hold very many thousands of acres to open up (some) of their land for Draw type Spring Turkey Hunts. Just curious why this has not been done and perhaps the landholders with vast acreage can get some money from the State of Texas. I might move South in the future--Bill but it will be to an area with vast amounts of Public hunting like the Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia.   Sorry about  hitting some wrong keys here.

[njdevilsb]

3 of us pay pay $500 a year total for about 200 acres.  It's a friend of ours and we used to hunt it for free.  Eventually we got sick of him telling anybody that asked to go ahead and hunt so we worked out an agreement so we had exclusive rights.

[Uncle Nicky]

I leased a farm in NJ this year (turkey only), I paid $500 for 250 acres. It's still cheaper than joining a hunt club, and a lot closer to home. If I only had state land in PA/NY/NJ/VA to hunt, I'd be a whole lot less enthusiastic about spring turkey hunting.

[cracker4112]

Here you pay to hunt, try for quotas, or hunt a no quota WMA.  I live in a highly populated part of Florida, and the closest public land is over an hour from my door, and millions of people live closer to it than me.  Quota hunts in this state that are any good can take years to draw, with none near me.  So I pay to play.  I'm on a lease with 22 members, 5,200 acres, 2.5 hours north from my house.  $2500 per year. Most don't turkey hunt and its loaded with birds.  If you go east or south, lease memberships below $7,000 per year are very rare, and most are in the $10k range.

If you have good, free public hunting near your house, count your blessings!

[quavers59]

Hello Uncle Nicky! Luck to you this Spring! I tune in to Hunt tingny.com a few days a week.   Hiking  in North New Jersey this past weekend days on public land, I created a short ridge and came within. 20 yards of a nice Gobbler. A good 10" beard. No putts and a slow walk away with the rest of the flock.  Plenty of wild turkeys on public lands in my area. Can't wait for April 23rd!!!

[Uncle Nicky]

Hello Uncle Nicky! Luck to you this Spring! I tune in to Hunt tingny.com a few days a week.   Hiking  in North New Jersey this past weekend days on public land, I created a short ridge and came within. 20 yards of a nice Gobbler. A good 10" beard. No putts and a slow walk away with the rest of the flock.  Plenty of wild turkeys on public lands in my area. Can't wait for April 23rd!!!

Good luck to you this spring also Bill!

[High plains drifter]

I can't believe these outrageous prices people pay to hunt!!!!! I might buy the guy a 6 pack old Milwaukee. I will never pay to hunt.Thats rediculas.

That is a very bold statement and you must have no clue about hunting in the southeast.  If you really think that any of us enjoy having to pay for land, then you are wrong. It would be great to have free access to hunting land, but it is not readily available in GA. We have lots of WMAs but all the ones near me are way over pressured and way too crowded to hunt.

You seem to act like we are fools for paying but if you want good hunting and private land, you will pay if you hunt here.

So you would quit hunting if you had to pay?                               I'm not saying anybody is a fool, but hunting is expensive in itself, without paying to get on the land.I hunt by myself usually, and I don't pay these guys anything.I can't believe there are no farms in the south, that don't charge money.I just can't fathom that.

[DTGobble]

I have no problem paying to lease land here and have done so in the past.  Right now I'm hunting mostly public land with a few farms thrown in.  I have gained access to these by trapping the beavers in the winter, which the land owner really likes.  Our problem is a few people with more money than most normal working people, offers the land owner a ridiculously large amount of money for land access.  Next thing you know it's being leased to someone else who already has more land than they'll ever hunt.  Like I said, I have no problem with leasing, but I can't go broke doing it.  And I can't keep up with these guys.  Mostly just for deer, but won't allow turkey hunting in the spring.  Now, the public land is hunted more and more each year.  Frustrating at times, but I usually find a way to make it work. 

[g8rvet]

.I can't believe there are no farms in the south, that don't charge money.I just can't fathom that.
they exist.  For most people, they never meet the owners of those farms and cold calling (knocking on doors) is highly unlikely to result in an invite.  Mostly because if they are in a populated area, they are either leasing, or they have friends or family already hunting their farm.  I have 2 such farms where I met them through work, I am lucky to have met these folks and gotten permission.  I also live in a part of the state where there actually are family farms.  Not big mega corporation ranches like down south.  If you live in Osceola country and have access to private land for free, you are very fortunate and very unusual. 

[NCSWAMPFOX]

I am fortunate to own some of farms I hunt on here along meherin river and Roanoke river in north Carolina. there is public land hunting here but it is tough and overcrowded. these two counties have very high turkey population densities per square mile as compared to other counties in state. we currently lease some of our lesser farms out at 15.00/acre for deer and turkey. better farms lease for 20.00/25.00 per acre.  ten years ago these same farms were priced at 6.00 and 13.00 per acre. it is sad but big money usually prevails around here unless you are family or friends of landowner. we also used to do 3 day guided turkey hunts with food and lodging for 1200.00 but have stopped that practice few years ago. I hope to pass these farms and hunting legacy on to my children when I am gone.