5 Reasons Why Hunter Limits Are Important for Hunting Leases

By: Josh Honeycutt

Plus, why short-term leases are bad, long-term leases are good, and more.

Five hunters hunt the property this week. Three hunt it the next. Two weeks later, four more hunters arrive there. It gets a couple weeks of rest, then another group of three put additional pressure on it.

Of course, that doesn’t sound like a good thing for the landowner (especially long-term), the land, the wildlife, or the hunters. No one is happy with that scenario, except perhaps the leasing agency that implements that business model. (Base Camp Leasing does not.)

True hunters are conservationists. Paired with long-term relationships with the land, hunter-conservationists can accomplish great things. Of course, that involves a multifaceted equation, one part of which includes applying hunter limits to hunting leases.

Additionally, short-term hunting leases serve as the antithesis of long-term leases. These rarely impose hunter limits. Furthermore, the former undermines conservation efforts and healthy wildlife management practices. The latter helps preserve wildlife, make great conservation decisions, and otherwise benefit wild animals and wild places. It also preserves the hunting quality, effectively ensuring landowners can continue to benefit from leasing in the long run.

Too Many Hunters Allowed Leads to Overcrowding

Most hunters enjoy the outdoors in part due to its sanctuary from everyday life. It helps them escape from the hustle and bustle of our busy culture. Thus, when you finally go hunting, and see other hunters, it can be discouraging. Overcrowding isn’t good, and setting hunter limits completely solves that problem.

Too Many Hunters Allowed Causes Over-Harvesting of Wildlife

Hosting too many hunters in a given area is a recipe for all manner of disasters. Most notably, it can lead to the overharvesting of game, which poorly impacts whitetails, turkeys, and other wild animals. Speaking specifically of whitetails, overharvest can negatively impact buck age structures, buck-to-doe ratios, and overall deer densities. This is in direct conflict with the mindset of a hunter-conservationist, of which always prefers to impose hunter number limits and implement long-term lease options.

Too Many Hunters Allowed Decreases the Quality of the Hunting

In addition to the risk of overharvest, too many hunters on the landscape adds unnecessary hunting pressure. Even if overharvesting doesn’t occur, it can push deer out of the area. Ultimately, that can reduce the hunting quality of the lease. In contrast, managing the number of hunters, and subsequent hunting pressure, can maintain a quality hunting experience for everyone involved.

Too Many Hunters Allowed Increases Risk Factors

Having too many hunters on a hunting property increases the odds of most risks associated with hunting. Overharvesting. Unknown hunters (by the landowners) on the property. Hunting pressure. Liability concerns (for those without Base Camp Leasing’s $5 million liability insurance policy). Safety issues. These and many more are slightly more likely with an increased number of hunters on a given piece of land. Setting a maximum number of hunters addresses all of these things.

Too Many Hunters Allowed Decreases Overall Safety

This issue also poses safety risks. Too many hunters on the property is a recipe for a dangerous disaster. Although hunting is a relatively safe activity, too many hunters can result in accidents. Therefore, it’s crucial for a leasing agent to assess a property, study how many hunters can safely be there, and set the hunter limit accordingly. This maximizes safety for all hunting parties.

Why the “Airbnb's” of Hunting Leases Rarely Limit Hunter Numbers (And Are Bad for Conservation)

Commonly called the “Airbnb’s” of hunting land, short-term hunting leases rarely limit the number of hunters on the property. Oftentimes, these short-term deals have one thing in mind — maximizing revenue, all while completely ignoring the importance of conservation and properly managing the resource.

Oftentimes, instead of a small number of hunters maintaining long-term access, these short-term rentals run group after group of hunters through an area, effectively killing out and pressuring the deer and other wildlife. Hunters might only have the lease for a few days or a week. Numerous groups, and an extended number of leases within a single season, can have detrimental effects to the property and the area wildlife.

How Annual Hunting Leases Limit Hunter Numbers (And Are Good for Conservation)

In contrast to short-term leases, annual hunting leases do limit the number of hunters. A hunting lease agent dedicated to the property analyzes the acreage, property layout, wildlife population densities, and more. With that information, they set a maximum number of hunters that can be on the lease.

This is good for conservation, as it regulates how many hunters can be on the farm. This addresses the concerns of overcrowding, overharvesting, hunting quality, risk factors, liability concerns, safety elements, and more. Overall, annual, long-term hunting leases are good for conservation.

Hunters Like Annual Hunting Leases Better Than Short-Term Leases

In conclusion, there are many reasons why hunters like annual hunting leases better than short-term property rentals. All of the above, and more, serve as excellent reasons to support annual leases over short-term rentals. Therefore, consider Base Camp Leasing.

For landowners, lease out your hunting land through Base Camp Leasing. We care for and represent you, your interests, your land, and the wildlife that calls it home. We effectively prioritize conservation, all while helping you boost revenue.

For hunters, you should consider securing your next hunting lease with Base Camp Leasing. We offer annual hunting leases, and you have the first right of renewal each year. Furthermore, our vast network of hunting lease agents finds and delivers excellent properties you won’t get elsewhere.