# Cost Per Acre Duck Lease



## Franco (Jun 27, 2003)

Just curious what some are paying per acre for good to excellent duck and goose leases in your area.

I just saw today where a four section lease in Pecan Island, La, 2,400 acres went for $23. per acre. Too high for me but then again, everything else is going up.

What do you pay in your area and for how many acres?


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## Gordy Weigel (Feb 12, 2003)

In Central, West Central, North Central and North West Missouri, blinds are going for $5,000 - $10,000. In many cases the blind leasee, pays half the cost of pumping water, which can add $1,000 to $3,000 to the cost of the blind lease.
I do not think you can find a 2,400 acre lease and if you did it would most likely be at least $100 an acre.
Most blinds sit on 20 or less acres of water, 100 acres of wet lands would have 3 - 5 blinds on it.
Unimproved, non ag bottoms (land that 30 yrs ago was considered worthless) is going for $3,000 and up per acre.
The cost of hunting waterfowl has gone thru the roof in Missouri.


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## Rich Schultheis (Aug 12, 2006)

Bur Oak said:


> I do not think you can find a 2,400 acre lease and if you did it would most likely be at least $100 an acre.


$240,000 a season for a lease?


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## Doug Moore (Nov 8, 2006)

We leased two 20 acre impoundments two years ago and it was $3800 each for 10 members. The price included planting and flooding. You could only hunt 10 days each and no guest. If you do the math that is $950 an acre. This was before the fuel bull#[email protected]! and the increase in seed, fertilizer etc.. This year those same leases were $5200 or $1300 an acre. Not me

Doug


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## Franco (Jun 27, 2003)

With several hundred thousand acres in rice, leasing a blind by the season is no problem. They go for around $5,000 each. Problem is that 90% of them aren't worth leasing. Also, in areas where there are lots of blinds it is too hard to work Mallards. So, limits are usually a combination of other ducks. Like other areas around the country, one's best hunting is usually on private land that is well managed for ducks and geese. In fact, the best hunts I made last year were on private land hunting with the land owner. Just not something I have access to all the time. When I was living in New Orleans, we have plenty of great public hunting. What made it so good is that birds like to winter there and getting to the public land requires a big boat with radar that one can navigate the lower Mississippi in. One has to be able to dodge 70 foot crew boats running the river in fog! That cuts out about 95% of the public hunters. Over here in southwest La. eveything is either rice fields or marsh and the good marsh leases are almost impossible to get! With the rice field leases hunters have to be out by 11am so that the crawfishermen can work their traps and like I said, most aren't worth leasing. I just can't make my mind up of what I want to do.


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## Sean H (Feb 13, 2008)

My lease is $26.5/acre, but it is well worth it to me.


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## Granddaddy (Mar 5, 2005)

I'm in an excellent lease near Tunica MS (1200+ duck harvest last yr, plus additional snows & specks). Approx 1200 acres, 9 pits. Comes to approx $30/ac, although we pay a flat fee per yr which includes flooding the rice fields.


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## DRAKEHAVEN (Jan 14, 2005)

Wisconsin, home to dairy farmers that beg you to come and shoot the geese on their property. Pay to shoot a duck or Goose.....CRAZY !!!


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## Granddaddy (Mar 5, 2005)

Are you kidding. In AR & MS, it's probably a significant portion of the state's economy.


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## BonMallari (Feb 7, 2008)

We have been very very fortunate to have the generosity of a wealthy family who allowed my brothers and i access to about a 500-600ac ranch with lots of water to train ,hunt and fish, all it has "cost" us was two bird dogs(pointers) a lab, some light maintenance on the property (seine lakes to remove carp, weed whacking the gates), a yearly xmas basket of either Omaha steaks or wine and fruit, and asking permission at the start of every dove season so the owner knows that we take nothing for granted. when the "old man died ' his son has granted us the same access since we show him the same respect. i am sure its only a matter of time that the family decides to sell off the farm like they did the main ranch.


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## Olds (Apr 16, 2008)

we pay $150.00 per acre all in: w/ water, blinds brushed, discing, mowing, etc... For imporved wetlands. With a lease option. 
Good Luck, 

Olds


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## Rick Hall (Jan 21, 2003)

That sounds high for a large parcel in Pecan Island, but it's no trick at all to pay $60 or more per acre of rice land NW of there.


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## DuckTruk (May 18, 2005)

800 Acres in Mississippi for $ 10K ($ 12.50 / acre). All rice fields, we paid power and water for pumps. Discing was included. No lodge. Harvested about 600 ducks last year.


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## Waterfowl Retrievers (Jun 20, 2004)

Well Booty, I am over in Texas now. I found a much cheaper place to hunt so far. $1500 versus $3500. Now I have access to 70,000 acres (you do the math) along with several other folks. Hope it turns out to be a dog training spot too. Problem for most is gonna be the added diesel cost. Last year farmers in north LA were billing the members for the fuel at around $1000-$3000 for each blind. I reckon that will be adding $1000-$2000 to the cost of the lease for each hunter. The rancher here wants to put in tanks with piping to outflow to the duck holes for flooding so he won't need fuel. Hard to do in LA. Paul


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## theeaterofshades (May 19, 2008)

DRAKEHAVEN said:


> Wisconsin, home to dairy farmers that beg you to come and shoot the geese on their property. Pay to shoot a duck or Goose.....CRAZY !!!


I hear you! Although for prime hunting areas, my father and I are members of Rockea Hunting Club near Collins Marsh. But we spend nowhere near those prices & get access to duck, goose, turkey, small game hunting spots as well as planted pheasants ($70.00/year). You have to love our farmers here!


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## Franco (Jun 27, 2003)

Rick Hall said:


> That sounds high for a large parcel in Pecan Island, but it's no trick at all to pay $60 or more per acre of rice land NW of there.


After reading some of these post, $23. an acre is a steal.

That area y'all hunt from Kaplan to Welch is notorious for birds and THE area for Speckled Bellies. I remember a hunt I made at the old Bayroid Camp years ago at Lake Auther, it was Mallard heaven. 

I hunted Pecan Island about a dozen times season before last. One thing is for sure, if the ducks aren't down in big numbers, there are always Blue Winged Teal at Pecan Island. I can't imagine BWT in greater numbers anywhere else during the winter months.


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## BamaK9 (Sep 29, 2004)

hehe, around 4.00/ac for a deer lease that happens to have around 2500 ac of flooded timber here in AL. My crew of 5 always brings home about 200 greenies outa there so its worth it especially for AL. I've never really found a duck lease by the acre though, it's always per pit/blind, and out of all of them there might be one thats "good"......normally anyway.

I'm selling a place in MO right now that boggles all sensibility as far as the duck hunting is concerned. (I do real estate auctions btw) I hunted there in late Nov and have never seen mallards like it in either AR, MS or LA and I've hunted all of em fairly hard. Unreal....you bassturds in MO gotta quit pourin that corn out and let em keep on rollin down


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## TANK (Oct 25, 2007)

straightline said:


> We leased two 20 acre impoundments two years ago and it was $3800 each for 10 members. The price included planting and flooding. You could only hunt 10 days each and no guest. If you do the math that is $950 an acre. This was before the fuel bull#[email protected]! and the increase in seed, fertilizer etc.. This year those same leases were $5200 or $1300 an acre. Not me
> 
> Doug


What part of NC was this piece of Heaven?


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## Doug Moore (Nov 8, 2006)

Around Mattamuskeet right outside Fairfield.

Doug


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## Waterdogs (Jan 20, 2006)

I have to build fence and irrigate and I get access to some great hunting. One of the places I have to bring a kid and I get to hunt. Must me different values hear.


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## Georgia.Belle (Dec 5, 2006)

straightline said:


> Around Mattamuskeet right outside Fairfield.
> 
> Doug


To me it seems that there are almost too many impoundments around the lake, not saying that I wouldn't consider a lease if it was a proven one. Pamlico isn't far behind.

The crowds have gotten so bad that in the past couple of years I have stayed close to home and not traveled. Not as many ducks but not as many headaches as well.

Mike


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## Richard Finch (Jul 26, 2006)

I'm lucky and get to push for the rich folks. Lots of our local leases are between $4,000 to $6,000 per blind.



$23 an acre doesn't sound terrible depending on the quality of the hunting.




Richard


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## Raymond Little (Aug 2, 2006)

Franco, if that is the same place I have heard about, they are taking bids. Expect the price to go beyond $23/ac, way beyond. Oil money has no limit at the present time and P.T. BARNUM was right. We had a deal going in Pecan Island, prior lessor was paying 3 times what we picked the property up for in 2005. I am training a gundog for a guy over here that has 850 ac bordering the Cameron Prairie NWR and he says I can have a key to the gate. Would not mind taking you out for some concert tickets.


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## Franco (Jun 27, 2003)

R Little said:


> Franco, if that is the same place I have heard about, they are taking bids. Expect the price to go beyond $23/ac, way beyond. Oil money has no limit at the present time and P.T. BARNUM was right. We had a deal going in Pecan Island, prior lessor was paying 3 times what we picked the property up for in 2005. I am training a gundog for a guy over here that has 850 ac bordering the Cameron Prairie NWR and he says I can have a key to the gate. Would not mind taking you out for some concert tickets.


That's a deal what do you want, Carrie Underwood or Foo Fighetr tickets?
Better yet, I'm going to have some UL Football tickets available!!!

The lease that went for $23 an acre was taken away from a doctor that was busted last year for over the limit and shooting lead.


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## rboudet (Jun 29, 2004)

Foo Fighters please!


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## Raymond Little (Aug 2, 2006)

Get Back To Work Bobby!!!!


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