Whether you’ve been on your lease for 5 months or 5 years, there is always that possibility that this is your last year on that property. There are plenty of reasons for a landowner not renewing your lease; their family wants to hunt it, selling the land, or even the landowner passed away. Many of the reasons are unavoidable, but there is always the reasons that are under your control. Here is our top list of ways to lose your lease next year:

Allowing Others to Hunt Without Landowner Permission

The landowner may have given you permission to hunt, but he didn’t give permission to your cousin’s friend’s brother. You have to be very careful when bringing guests onto the property to make sure they don’t think the property is free game. A great rule of thumb for bringing hunters with you is: If the landowner hasn’t agreed to them coming onto the property, don’t bring them. The best way to make sure all of your hunters are granted access, is to add them to your hunting lease agreement and be sure that your landowner has an updated copy at all times.

Not Supporting the Landowner with Compensation

Not all landowner’s ask for compensation when it comes to hunting leases. We think it’s great when a landowner isn’t requiring money to hunt! We prefer to always offer compensation to ensure the landowner knows we are legitimate and willing to help out. Some landowners are living off of razor thin profit margins and could always use a little help when it comes to property taxes and general upkeep and maintenance of their property. Even a few dollars an acre can go a long way to keeping your lease for the next year. If your landowner is forced to sell their property, there’s a possibility that no one will be able to hunt it again ever again.

You or Your Guests Leave a Mess

If you grew up camping or in the Boy Scouts, you know the golden rule: “Always leave the campground cleaner than you found it”. Unfortunately, many outdoorsmen need to be reminded every now and then. If a landowner is out and finds piles of trash on their property, it won’t look very good on you or your guests so always pick up after yourselves and any mess, regardless of who made it. It’s just one extra way to show your landowner that you care about their property and want to be permitted on the land in the future!

You Didn’t Secure the Lease with A Formal Agreement

A handshake deal is great in some cases, but it doesn’t guarantee certain things when it comes to hunting leases. If you want the first right of refusal year after year as well as an official set of rules and guidelines on what you are and are not allowed to do on the property, you need a lease agreement! A lease agreement also is a way to show the landowner you are serious about following rules and taking care of the property as if it was your own.

No Protection from Liability

Lastly, one issue we hear from landowners a lot on why they don’t permit hunters onto their property is that the liability is just too much. The best way to combat this is with a Hunting Lease Liability Insurance Policy. Bringing an insurance policy with you to a lease is the perfect way to ease the landowner’s hesitations about being sued if something were to happen on their property. It protects both the landowners and the hunters so you are covered as well!