We've got a good group of guys on our lease. 1st year on this one. Biggest problem is the guy running the lease just makes up new rules on his own as it pleases him. All year it's been no corn within 300 yds. of a feeder. He's mentioned it in at least 10 emails throughout the season. He decides to go up this last weekend to end his season and spreads 200 lbs. of corn at 3 feeders. Hunts 2 sits and leaves. Now we've got corn for the bears to finish off the season for whoever gets to go up in the next 2 weeks. All season he's said it's not his club, it's OUR club. We're gonna find out how true that is when turkey season starts and we have our club meeting.
Here's an idea about land to hunt. This is what I do and have done for many years. I was stationed in Savannah from 1998-2001 and hunted both Hunter Army Air Field (HAAF) (in Savannah) and Fort Stewart Ga (FSG) (about 15 miles south of Savannah). Hunter Field offers about 2000 acres of hunting area and Fort Stewart has 28,000 acres of hunting area. It cost $60.00 per year or $15.00 per day for a hunting pass for HHAF/FSG. Another $295 per year for a GA non resident hunting license, and anywhere from $29-$109 per night for a hotel in Hinesville or Savannah. Civilian, Active, and Retired military can hunt and fish there. From Tampa it's about 5 hours to Fort Stewart and another 30 minutes to Savannah. They use an automated sign in system via the telephone and a coded system for which areas you wish to hunt. They have two locations to checkin your game, hang, wash, skin and butcher animals. For $1500 a year I can make alot of trips to HAAF/FSG, pay for my licneses/passes, stay in a hotel, cover my gas, food, and processing fees and not worry about food plots or being my own wildlife biologist. They have a full staff of Game Wardens, Biologists, Foresters, Admin, etc. that do all that for you. They have a range to sightin your weapons right at the Pass and permit facility, if you need to. Our kill ration there is about an 80% chance of a hog or deer kill. Over 300 hogs and deer are killed annually. I have a few friends I hunt with up there and none of them would ever consider joining a lease since we have our own 28K acres of private land at HAAF and FSG to hunt. That saves me from hotel bills also. The governement regulates each area and only allows a small number of hunters per area, per day. We have about 10-12 areas which we have hunted and scouted out over the years so if one is full or closed, we pick out another one and go, all over the telephone the night before after scouting our maps of our known (best) hunting areas. I have hunted there nearly every year since 1998 and rarely ever run into another hunter in the woods, unlike a FL WMA. I have killed 30-40 hogs and 15-20 deer while hunting up there.
Check it out. Here's the link... http://www.stewart.army.mil/dpw/wildlife/default.htm . Hope it helps. Screw a lease and all the BS for $1500-5000 a year. Now ya'll can call me a cheapo, and you can bet I get what I pay for, plenty of deer and hogs...
Our leases are no where that high cost, mine is 425 a year, down the road is 700 and I would say most in our area are in the 600-1000 range, some provide the plots and corn in that, some don't. Some you have your own area, some are community with sign ins. That is the Panhandle for you...yes you can find higher places but that is the norm.
Was born in Ft. Stewart. Army brat here. We had a lease in Alabama many years ago and stayed in a hotel 15 min. from the property. We always stayed at a Jameson Inn with a Beef O'Bradys next door with a liquor license and quite a few young hotties working it. :rolleyes It was a good set up and nice property. Problem is I enjoy the camp and hanging out with the guys swapping lies and drinking liquor after a days hunt. It's nice to show up at camp with most of what I need already sitting there. Trailer is completely stocked at all times. 4 wheeler is there. I can climb down after a pm hunt and be in camp starting the grill in 20 min. Hell, I eat better at camp than I do at home. To me it's a home away from home. When I get to camp I don't want to leave the woods till it's time to go home. To each their own but for me I'll always want to stay in a camp at the property. JMO
I would love to have a camp at my property. They will let me move a camper in for the season, but gotta have people there to make it fun! Next year I am looking for a self contained unit, small but can pull a trailer like the Lasharo or the Itasca like that for my hunting cabin/take to the lease vehicle. All I remember when I was young it was always better when Dad was paying for it all!
