Many farmers enjoy hunting and fishing on their own land, and an increasing number of them are interested in providing access to other people — for a fee, University of Missouri Extension state wildlife and fish specialist Bob Pierce says.
He says the process starts by evaluating what recreational opportunities the land offers.
“(Start by) thinking about what your property allows you to do,” Pierce says. “People are willing to pay for access.”
He says having good whitetail deer and turkey populations makes land popular for hunters. Some land might have amenities like a hunting cabin.
Landowners can draw up a simple agreement themselves or use a lawyer if they feel it is necessary.
“It’s great to have written agreements so both parties know what they are allowed to do,” he says.
Pierce says a good way to keep the situation low-stress is for farmers to lease to people they know or are comfortable working with. The ideal situation is to have the same hunters lease the land each year, so landowners know who is on their property year after year, but Pierce says an annual written lease is still a good idea.
‘Selling an experience’
He says private landowners are selling an experience.
“Public lands could be crowded,” Pierce says. “The beauty of a hunting lease is you know you have exclusive rights. You know you have certain expectations of privacy. Some hunters think, ‘This is a higher-quality experience,’ and they’re willing to pay.”
As for liability, Pierce says landowners do have a greater duty to lessees. Landowners are supposed to inspect the leased property and either warn the lessees of any known danger or make the leased property safe. He says this involves inspecting the property for hazards such as dilapidated deer stands, cables or barbed wire fences, abandoned wells or discarded farm implements. Pierce says landowners should remove these from the property.
He still recommends having lessees sign a liability waiver or release, which Pierce recommends having an attorney draw up.
The cost to rent land for hunting and recreation can vary widely, and most are on a per-acre basis. Pierce has some data from 2021, and he says land with “any wildlife” averages just under $10 an acre for a hunting lease. Land with deer and turkey averages $12.34 per acre, although the responses ranged from $2.50 an acre to $75. He says the quality of the land for hunting and amount of desired wildlife available can impact the rate charged.
Pierce adds that if adjoining landowners have smaller parcels of land they want to lease for hunting, they can partner to provide a larger area for prospective hunters and outdoor recreation seekers.
He says landowners can also manage their farms and forests to make it more attractive to hunters by supporting wildlife.
“You can make your property more attractive to wildlife, particularly whitetails,” Pierce says.
MU Extension forester Hank Stelzer says thinning forests to let more light reach young trees and the ground can make it more attractive for wildlife, letting young oak trees thrive. Oak acorns are a popular food source for several species of wildlife.
“It’s all about managing light,” he says.
Iowa State University Extension forestry specialist Billy Beck says having a diverse forest helps.
“Diversity in types (of trees), but also diversity in structure and age classes as well,” he says. “Think about what species you want, and what they require — habitat and food.”
Beck says controlling invasive species also helps promote healthy wildlife habitat, as well as planting seedling trees after a timber harvest. He also recommends “edge feathering” where fields meet forest, instead of having a dense forest all the way up to the field, landowners should thin trees to have a transition zone, some gaps between trees and a somewhat brushy open area where trees meet an open field or pasture. Beck says the goal is a diagonal decline from the main forest to the open field.
In the annual MU land values survey, conducted last fall, MU Extension economist Ray Massey says timber or recreational land was up 23% in value last year, and the category of land has seen strong increases in value since the pandemic hit in 2020.
