- 17 March, 2005 -

About three years ago, Jack Elliott went online to find a relationship that allowed him more freedom to hunt as he pleased, that is. Like many sportsmen, Elliott, of Kansas City, Mo., had always relied on the kindness of land-owning friends for a place to go hunting. And while this was a free arrangement, it did cost him time and energy to track down the landowner and make sure that their schedules were in sync before he could plan his hunting trip. Then he heard about Hunting Lease Network ( www.nationalhuntingleases.com), a subsidiary of Farmers National Company (the largest farm-management company in the United States) that brings landowners and sportsmen together online to establish formal hunting leases. He checked out their web site, visited some hunting ground he’d seen online, and placed his bid to lease the land he liked best. According to David Nelson, vice president of conservation and recreation services for Farmers National Company, hunting leases have been growing in popularity as landowners look for secure means of supplemental income and sportsmen feel they can put more money into a higher-quality hunting experience. “Outdoor enthusiasts have more expendable income for recreation than they did 10 or 20 years ago, so they have the financial ability to guarantee their own safe, private, and memorable hunting experience,” Nelson said. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation, more than $624 million is spent annually on hunting leases in the United States. Nelson can attest to this demand for hunting leases. When he came on board with Farmers National Company in 2002, the company had been managing a growing number of hunting leases as a side service, in response to landowner requests, for the past ten years. “It immediately became apparent that the demand for hunting lease services was growing among our landowners, and we needed to improve this service and market it to the sportsmen who hadn’t made their way to our door yet,” Nelson said. With the proliferation of web-based services, an online “meeting place” for landowners and hunters presented itself as the perfect solution. “After we officially launched the Hunting Lease Network web site in September 2002, the buzz really started,” Nelson said. “We started with zero registered hunters, and at last count we had more than 5,000. Recently, we’ve been adding 50 to 100 registered bidders every day, and we hope to be at 25,000 by the end of 2006.” Hunting Lease Network has opened more than 210,000 acres of private land that a few years ago were closed to all hunting. Troy Langan, manager of the Hunting Lease Network, said additional land will become available as the Hunting Lease Network makes franchise opportunities available throughout the United States for sportsmen who are looking to turn a hobby and passion into a career. This is the first hunting lease network franchise in the world. “I anticipate that we’ll add 15 franchises per year for the next six years,” Langan said. “But we’ll take the time we need to find the right owners.” Hunting Lease Network franchisees throughout the United States will serve as local liaisons between landowners and lessees and the company plans to branch out beyond hunting leases as well. “We see real potential for fishing leases and eco-tourism leases as well,” Langan said. “For example, there are limited hunting opportunities in Hawaii, but we’re getting more calls from individuals and groups who want to lease land in unique locations like that for fishing, boating, bird-watching, and other outdoor activities.” According to Langan, Hunting Lease Network already has communicated with 82 prospective franchisees to date. Two corporate-owned franchises are already up and running, and the first independent franchises should be operational by May. The leasing process will be the same for each franchise. Landowners pay a $100 enrollment fee, which covers the cost for Hunting Lease Network to build a web page specific to each landowner’s property that includes a description and aerial maps. For this fee, Hunting Lease Network also markets the potential lease nationwide, answers questions from bidders, and coordinates all bidding. “It was pretty much hassle-free,” said Elliott, the sportsman from Kansas City, Mo., who now leases 70-, 150- and 190-acre parcels of hunting ground. “And leasing gives me the opportunity to hunt at my own leisure and not be at the will of somebody else’s schedule.” Nelson said Farmers National Company and Hunting Lease Network strive to make the process hassle-free for landowners as well. “Once a high bid is received for property, Hunting Lease Network offers the landowner complete hunting lease management services,” Nelson said. “We handle the lease writing, accounting, wildlife harvest reports, hunting liability insurance carried by hunters, and lease renewals. Basically, we serve as the liaison between the landowner and the hunter for the life of the lease.” Langan said hunting leases provide an average annual income of $2,350 per landowner. He added that the full-service arrangement through Hunting Lease Network appeals to many landowners who are looking for additional income from their land, but have always been wary of allowing hunting on their property whether it’s because they were concerned about liability, or they just didn’t have time to handle the extra work. This is especially true for absentee landowners like Jim Mount, who lives in Arizona and owns 1,200 acres in southeastern Nebraska. Farmers National Company manages the agricultural production and wildlife habitat on Mount’s land, two-thirds of which is now being leased for hunting during the non-farming season. “In the past, our family rarely let anyone hunt on the land and tried to keep people off of it because some people would have very little respect for our land,” Mount said. “But I’m really happy with this arrangement. It’s extra money that I wouldn’t be getting otherwise, there’s the security of the insurance policy, and I feel that the lessees will police it if they’re leasing it, they’re going to keep an eye on it, and keep trespassers off of it.” Larry Konrade, co-owner of Tamarack Outfitters, a guided hunt provider ( www.tamarackoutfitters.com), said it’s especially important for companies like his to have exclusive use of high-quality land so that they can ensure a memorable experience for their clients, some of whom actually film their hunts for commercial television purposes. “We focus on a limited number of high-quality hunting experiences each season, so we’re looking for quality land,” said Konrade, whose company currently leases a total of 20,000 acres from Hunting Lease Network. “And Hunting Lease Network land is very good quality land.” Nelson said Farmers National Company’s full array of services and Hunting Lease Network’s bidding process contribute to high-quality land at a fair market price for both the landowner and the hunter. “Most hunters share the cost of their annual lease, and let’s say for example four hunting buddies split the cost,” Nelson said. “In that case, our average lease works out to about $50 per month for each hunter. To put the affordability of hunting leases into perspective, compare that to what you pay monthly for cell phones or cable TV. We feel we’re providing a great value, which is private land access at a fair price.”

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