Nope. Never had one and never will. I can’t see spending thousands on a lease and the required equipment for a chance at sitting in a stand and shooting a deer or feral pig. I just don’t like deer or feral pigs enough to spend that kind of money. Everyone is different and their motivations are different. I like the wilderness and the solitude of the high mountains, I like knowing that I could <theoretically> take off on foot and walk, hike and climb for weeks without crossing a fence or ever seeing private property. In this state and with the proper tags I can hunt 3 species of deer, elk, moose, 2 types of sheep, goats, and a myriad of small game and birds including pheasant 3 types of grouse, Hungarian partridge, quail, ducks, geese, etc. I’ve almost completed my North American deer slam with only a Coues deer left to complete it.....that’ll take some travel since there ain’t no Coues deer here. 😁 All of that is no more than a 4 hour drive from my front door and there’s more public land than I could cover in 10 lifetimes.
For some people hunting is about the camaraderie, for others it’s about success, for me it’s about the solitude of being in the mountains and the experiences that few will get the privilege of having.
To each his own and we all have the limitations of time, money, family, health, etc.
To the OP....I hope you can secure another good lease and continue to hunt and enjoy the companionship of great company. 👍
That kind of hunting really sounds great, but where I live, its just not gonna happen. Not enough public land is the main reason. I cant speak for others, but the most I ever spent was $500/yr for a lease and it was on the old Patmos Plantation. I know that probably doesn't mean anything to you, but back in the day, it was recognized in several hunting magazines as one of the best places in the US for deer hunting. Most of the time, I've paid $250-$350/ yr to hunt. The most I ever had to drive was 30 miles or so and most of the time it was 10 miles or less from my house to the lease. We never camped out to hunt or had a hunting camp.... we spent the night at home.
I have got a question for you. What are you gonna do when you get older, or God forbid hurt, and not able to navigate the mountains or the walking necessary to bird hunt? Give up hunting? Enjoy it while you can.
Just the way it is.
Old Turd- Deplorable- Unrepentant Murderer- Domestic Violent Extremist
