Hunting Leases
One of the largest potential sources of non-timber income for forestland owners is through leasing their land for hunting. Oftentimes, this one income stream can more than pay your county property taxes.
Whether you hire someone to handle the marketing and administration of the lease or not, there are a few important things to consider:
What is the market price per acre in your area? Generally, the further you go from an urban center, the less you'll be able to charge. Smaller tracts (20-50 acres) can usually command a higher per acre price than larger tracts. Additionally, you can ask the hunt clubs to do much of the maintenance of your road system, gates and any open areas. The clubs are usually very willing to accommodate these types of requests.
What about liability? Any club that you have hunting on your land should have a club roster and everyone on the roster should sign a hold-harmless agreement for you as a part of their lease. Additionally, reasonable hunting lease insurance is available through the NC Forestry Association, Forestland Owners Association, and the Quality Deer Management Association.
Does the club lease the land year-round or only during the hunting season? This is largely a question of how much you want the club to invest in your land. Are you willing to allow the club to erect permanent box stands or create elaborate food plots? If so, then you'll most likely be able to attract and keep a stable club on your land for years, if not decades. Either way, I usually require that stands that attach to trees be taken down and stored during the year so that the support trees don't become girdled.
How many people should I allow to hunt my land? A generally accepted rule of thumb is to allow no more than 1 hunter per 20 acres. Other factors, however, such as the layout of your tract and surrounding land use may give good reason to adjust this number. Also, keep in mind that this is a theoretical maximum and it would be rare for every hunter in a club to be hunting at the same time.
What does it mean to register my land with the Wildlife Resources Commission? The WRC requires that all registered land be posted with WRC approved signs at a specified interval. Once you post your land and send an affidavit and boundary map to WRC, they will send you a booklet of permits that only you can issue. Then, each hunter you allow on your land needs to carry a permit at all times. This allows the sheriff department to very easily settle disputes as to who should legally have the right to hunt where. I highly recommend this practice whether you are leasing your land or not, as it deters poaching.
