In states like Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana there are many opportunities for hunting and with relatively cheap over the counter tags available the most difficult part of the experience is finding the land. This can be a very daunting task, as most of us know, and for many the frustration of it has taken the enjoyment out of what we love. Through this article we will cover all of the different hunting land options available in this area. As with every other area in life there are pros and cons to each one. The important part is that you find and use the option that you are most comfortable with.The first and most sought after option available is to own your own land. This is a great option if you have the money. By owning your own property you control every aspect of it from food plots to farming. If you want to hunt alone, you can, if you want to hunt with fifty friends and family you can. It is yours and you can do as you please. There are a few down falls though. It is very expensive. Land is like gold, they are not making any more of it and the price keeps going up. If you want a piece of property that you can really manage for big deer then you are going to need a lot of it. You can try to manage a 100 or 200 acre plot and you will undoubtedly grow some big deer. But as many who have tried before know, you may just be growing big deer for your neighbors’ redneck cousin to kill. On the other hand if you can afford to purchase a 1000 acre chunk, then you have place that you can implement some serious land management and create an environment where the animals have no reason to leave your property.
The second option is to find a land owner who would be willing to let you hunt their land. This was the way of hunting for many many years. Unfortunately, those days are pretty much over. There have been too many hunters over the years that have disrespected the opportunity that they had and really made it hard on the rest of us. That in combination with a sue crazed society makes this a nearly impossible mission. On rare occasion you will find a land owner that will let you hunt. If you do and you are the only one hunting the property, consider yourself blessed and be sure to help that land owner in any way you can to insure that you keep the spot for years to come. Your goal should be to bring a smile to that land owners face every time he sees you come up his drive. Most of the time though, when you find a land owner that will let you hunt, they have given permission to every arrow slinger and trigger puller in a five county radius. And somehow, they forgot to tell you that when they signed your permission slip. Be careful with this option, if it works out, cherish it, if not, explore your other options.
The third option is a land lease. You can find land for lease through private land owners or through one of the many lease brokers that are out there like Base Camp Leasing. On occasion you can find a pretty good deal. If you can find a good piece of land in a good area for $15-$20 per acre then you are doing pretty good. As you will see during you land searches, as the cost to purchase land rises, so do the cost to lease land. It is not uncommon now to find land for lease in the $50 per acre range. Even at that, if your lease is arranged in a manner that gives you a lot of control over the land, it may be an option that makes you happy and is still cheaper than buying a piece of property. There are some things to look out for though. When dealing with private land owner directly, be sure that you cover the details of the lease agreement and be sure that the person you are dealing with is actually the land owner. I have personally had people try to lease me the land of an elderly neighbor who had no clue about what was going on. Be sure to check and double check and don’t be afraid to call the game warden or sheriff’s office if you think someone is trying to run a scam. Also, be sure that the land is not scheduled to be timbered during the season you are leasing. You don’t want to pay all that money to have the deer run off before you even hunt. Lastly, make sure you have a backup plan when leasing or borrowing someone’s property. You ultimately have no control over that property so if something goes south you need to have a plan B in place so that you don’t lose your entire season.
A fourth Option for hunting would be an Outfitter. This is a great option for those who don’t have time to really hunt. With a guided outfitter you will usually stay in a very nice lodge with all the amenities, have great meals prepared for you and maybe even meet some great people. Outfitters, usually, do everything for you. They set the stands, plant to food plots, manage the herd, and even drive you right up to your stand. All you have to do is show up and hunt. This type of luxury and pampering does not come free though. While there are hundreds of outfitters out there, you can expect to pay between $3,000 and $5,000 for a few days of hunting. There are usually very strict antler restrictions but as you will see on the walls of most lodges, there are some big deer coming out of their woods. Also, just because you see the big deer on their walls and web site does not mean that you are guaranteed a monster. There are more than a few people who have left outfitters eating a $3,000 tag sandwich, and once you are done with your hunt, you are no longer allowed on the property without booking another hunt. This can be a very enjoyably option if you pick the right outfitter, just know that you are not paying all of that money to kill a big deer. You are paying all of that money for the chance of killing a big deer and the good food and nice accommodations.
The fifth option we are covering is public land. There is a lot of public land available for hunting in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Public land can, at times provide some great hunting, if you know what you are getting into and are willing to do things right. There have been some very nice deer taken off of public land all over the country. One of the bigger deer killed in Ohio just a couple of years ago was a gnarly 200 inch non-typical killed in Zaleski State Forest by Danny Bradly of Hamilton Ohio. He shot it during shot gun season hunting on the ground at 30 yards. That is a great deer and an unbelievable story. It is also a very uncommon story. If you are going to hunt public land you are going to have to put a lot of work in. You are hunting very heavily pressured deer here so be prepared. There are some bruisers walking around but they are as smart as they come. You are going to have to be willing to hike way in very early and stay all day to get them. Just on a personal note and from a safety stand point, I would steer clear of public land on any opening gun season unless the area you are hunting is extremely large and very lightly hunted.
The Sixth option on the list is a hunting club. A hunting club is basically a group of people that all put in a set amount of money to purchase or lease a large piece of property to hunt. A Very small hunting club may just consist of a few friends all sharing the use and cost of a smaller piece of property. On a larger scale, a hunting club may consist of a large number of people who do not know one another on a very large piece of property. It is a very simple way of breaking up the cost of leasing or purchasing hunting land. This is a good option for a lot of people as well. The thing to watch out for here is how many people are on the piece of property you are buying in to. If the property is 1000 acres and the cost is $1000 it doesn’t sound like a bad deal, until opening day when you find out that 100 other people took advantage of the same great deal. At that point you just spent $1000 and you are basically hunting public land. On the flip side, if it is 1000 acres and it is restricted to 10 or 15 people though, then it might be a great deal. With this option as well, be sure to have a plan B. You never know what may happen and you don’t want to lose your entire season. Just beware of greed and don’t be afraid to research and ask a ton of questions.
The last option we are going to cover is the Land Share Option. Land Share type organizations have been around for roughly 30 years and have been most prevalent in the heart of the mid-west. The idea behind the land share model is to bring hunters together, lease land on a larger scale, in multiple areas and then allow the hunters access to any of the land that is leased in and organized and methodical manner. This gives each member exclusive access to the property that they are hunting all the while keeping the hunting pressure low. Not only does this option give the hunters exclusive access to land, it also gives the hunters a lot more options. You have the ability to hunt multiple properties in multiple areas and states which means, just because you tagged out, your season is not over. Also, one property may be a better whitetail property while another may be a better waterfowl property. It gives you the ability to expand you hunting opportunities. Probably the most beneficial aspect of this option is that your plan B is built right in. You are not stuck with any one property. If you decide that you don’t want to hunt a certain property then don’t, you have thousands of acres of other hunting land right at your finger tips. The down fall of this option is of course it is not free. You can expect to pay anywhere from $1,000 - $3,000 per year. Some memberships to these organizations include families and some only one person. Also, you need to have computer access to get the most out of these organizations due to the land and the organization of members and hunting being maintained in large data bases. There are still a few that operate strictly by telephone but they are dwindling quickly so be sure to ask plenty of questions. Southern Ohio Sportsmen is the only Land Share organization in this part of the country. The rates for membership are very reasonable at $1500 per year for the member and their family. SOS is also networked with several other land share type organizations throughout the Midwest which allows the members to hunt not only in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana but also Kansas, Colorado, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri.
Like I said before the most important thing to consider when you are trying to find a place to hunt is if you are comfortable and happy with the decision you made. Always trust your gut. The only thing worse than making a bad decision is knowing that your gut told you no, but you said yes anyway. Now that you know the options that are available to you, hopefully, you can knock down your time searching for land and increase you time hunting the land. Good luck next season and don’t forget to take you kids out with you every now and again, the memories are worth it.
