Your Guide to the Texas Hunting Industry — and How to Lease Out Your Acres for Hunters

Key takeaways: 

• Over a million people apply for a hunting license each year in Texas. With that much interest, there’s a huge demand for hunting grounds within the state. 
• Federally and state-owned lands don’t fully meet that demand — so private landowners can lease out their acres for hunters to use. 
• Landowners could potentially make thousands of dollars a year by allowing their land to be used by the state’s many hunters. To do this, you’ll need a specific license.

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How many people go hunting in Texas? More than anywhere else in the U.S. The Lone Star State issues over a million hunting licenses every year. And with that many people interested in hunting, there needs to be significant amounts of land to host them. 

That’s where Texas landowners can help. 

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department manages over a million acres of public hunting lands throughout the state. Much of this is federally or state-owned acreage. However, private landowners can also lease out their acres for hunting grounds. 

This could be one way private landowners in Texas can add a revenue stream to their ranch and get involved with a lucrative industry within the state. Here’s what you need to know. 

What’s the economic impact of the hunting industry in Texas? 

Hunting plays a huge role in the Texas economy. According to a report from the Southeast Deer Partnership, deer hunters spend almost $9 billion each year throughout the southeast. In Texas specifically, deer hunting supports about $850 million in salaries and wages.

Not all of that money is funneled back to private landowners, of course. But they can still secure a piece of the pie. 

How much a landowner can earn by leasing their land for hunting depends on a few factors: what kind of game is there, how well the land is managed, how many acres are in the tract, etc. Numbers can vary, but a landowner might charge anywhere from $5 to $300 an acre for a hunting lease. Multiply that price by, say, 150 acres, and the revenue starts to add up. 

How the practice of private landowners leasing out acres for hunting got started 

Although Texas has vast acreage — about 172 million acres — the demand for hunting grounds has also historically been high. In the early 2000s, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department realized there was a shortage of publicly available land for hunters to use, especially compared to the demand from hunters. The state was also dealing with deer overpopulation, so expanding publicly accessible hunting grounds was a potential solution. 

To close the gap, in 2001, the Department started writing lease agreements with private landowners. This way, landowners could receive compensation for part or all of their acres. Meanwhile, hunters could gain access to more acres, and make more headway on the deer overpopulation problem.

What role does hunting play in wildlife conservation in Texas?

Depending on which animals are involved, hunting can have a positive impact on conservation goals.

Deer are often the most common culprit. Too many deer in an area can cause damage to native plant species, or even stimulate the spread of invasive species. When hunters can help manage the deer population within a region, it can help with habitat restoration.

Deer hunting specifically can also help make Texas agriculture more sustainable. Deer damage to corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton was equivalent to nearly $600 million between 2015 and 2019. When hunters can help mitigate overpopulation, they’re contributing to healthier crops and farms throughout the state.

The pros and cons of leasing your land for hunters to use 

If you’re not currently using your ranchland for anything that drives profits, leasing out your acres to use as hunting grounds could be a nice revenue stream. You’ll still maintain management rights over the land. 

This strategy can also be a way to manage overabundance of specific animals — particularly deer — on your land, without having to take action yourself.

However, one potential challenge with leasing your land for this purpose is increased liability. Check with your insurance provider to see if your policy covers hunters; if not, you might want to add supplemental coverage to protect yourself from legal problems.

When you invite others onto your land, there’s also always the chance of damage, either to the land itself or any property you might have on your acres. Set some clear guidelines and rules for those who choose to hunt on your land. Also make sure to regularly monitor your acres to make sure nothing is amiss.

How to lease out your rural land as hunting grounds 

The first step is acquiring acres. If you don’t already own land but are looking for a plot you can eventually lease out for hunters, you might need a rural or recreational land loan to help finance the purchase. 

After securing your tract, you’ll need to apply for a hunting-lease license with the state. If you attempt to lease out your land without the appropriate permission, you could face fines or even misdemeanor charges. 

If you know other landowners in the area who want to pool their acreage and form a hunting cooperative, you can also get a hunting cooperative lease license. You’ll want to put together a written agreement among all the landowners, outlining who owns what within the cooperative. 

If you’re thinking about leasing your acres for hunting purposes, you can contact the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Public Hunting Program, or reach out to your local game warden.

Get financial help from the experts

We’re here to help bring your rural landowning dreams to life. Whether you’re looking to purchase your first acres or want to expand your existing ranch, Texas Farm Credit offers a variety of financial services that can help. Contact our team today for help with rural real estate loans, recreational land loans, and more.