Hunting lease decision criteria. 
Typical Missouri deer ground and typical of our deer leases. Row or grain crop valleys, small wood patches and ridges compartmentalized with tree lines and wood lots. Many loafing spots with food and water always nearby. This aerial shows very well that food plots are not a benefit to our leases. The crop fields are large and the edge brose runs for miles. The wide dispersion of food availability means the deer do not concentrate on anyone food source. |
The ProblemThen we have the savvy landowner that realizes that when it comes to hunting leases there are legal issues. “Many states have a "recreational user" statute that relieves the landowner of any duty of care when the property is used for recreational purposes and no fee or other benefit is received by the landowner. The purpose of this law is to encourage landowners to open their property for public recreation. This law does not apply to hunting leases. When landowners offer hunting leases and accept a fee (or any other benefit) for hunting on their property, they take on legal responsibility for the safety of the hunters. The paying hunter becomes an "invitee" and the law states that landowners have a "duty of ordinary and reasonable care" to their invitees.” Hunting leases also carry second order effects. These effects range to the performance of any hunter paying for or operating any of the variable types of leases extends beyond the safety of the immediate hunter to that which may be harmed by that hunter’s actions. The savvy landowners work around these technicalities. | "... one of the most important facets of hunting leases: A lessor should try to ascertain whether the lessees are honest, careful, trustworthy and compatible with the lessor. It is more important to have good people participating in the lease than to receive maximum income from a lease. Choosing the right lessees will help avoid many potential problems in managing the lease." MAHA screens its applicants and not all that apply are allocated memberships. Further, we do dis-enroll members for cause. In our case the lease is always superior to the member. |
What the savvy landowner seeks is a no record cash payment. By not having a paper trail he can claim no compensation of any kind was received and the hunter was not on his land by permission. The landowner has insulated himself from any consequences, or for that matter any performance responsibility, of his relationship with that hunter. The contract lacks proof.
The perceptive hunter on the other hand will quickly raise that he would not enter into any contract unless written even if the payment was by cash. Such contracts are readily available through magazine articles (again written by authors seeking to fill pages for payment) or on-line. Some state DNR websites even promote their version of well written leases. All this of course is meaningless to the savvy landowner as he knows that he will find some hunter or hunters that will pay cash and there go no liability relationship. The landowner simply waits. What is lacking is liability protection in the form of bonded insurance that protects the landowner. The problem is that such hunting lease insurance is beyond the means of the average hunter. If that insurance is provided then the landowner is secured from liability and the hunter has proof of contract complete with landowner performance requirements. 
There is a lot more to the do it yourself hunting we offer than just tags and bags. Days when setting back and watching nature unfold is as enjoyable as all else. Those that agree will find much enjoyment with the hunting we offer. Those that don't will find frustration for the reality of hunting is to experience 98% failure while working toward those special days of 100% success even on the best hunting lease. 
Ducks on one of our wetlands. |
The Solution| With MAHA leases, the landowner earns additional and diversified income from his land, is legally protected. The hunter has a noncompetitive hunting environment that most importantly has the right habitat within the right game productive region. Proof of all this is that MAHA is a business seeking return customers, both hunters and landowners, that value quality hunts and business relationships. |
What is the good answer to all these lease issues -- Mid-America Hunting Association. We provide liability protection to the landowner that leases his land along with a redundant hunter release of liability form. Additionally, we have a lawyer on retainer that relieves all of this concern right down to include all the technical lease language that makes for bulletproof leases protecting the landowner and our business relationship. This allows the hunter to simply hunt and more importantly have a self guided hunt on private lease land with less pressure than public or any of the other types of leases he may individually enter into.
The skeptical hunter may at this point state this article is nothing but self-promotion. And, that is true. What is also true is everything written in this article, and the perceptive hunter will agree to that.
Spend your time hunting rather than hunting for a place to hunt!
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