Not here to say which is better, leasing or buying. I feel to each his own. However, why I choose to buy.
I hunted about 250 acres in Fulton Co. for over 20 years, the land owner never charged me anything to hunt, would also allow me to park a camper and use his electricity for free. I was able to manage this property and the last few years I took some nice bucks there(last one scored 174")and saw many more that was bigger. This was turning into a deer hunters dream place to hunt.
The downside to this was I knew it wasn't my property and this agreement wasn't going to last forever, the owners were getting older and at the time had no interest in selling off part of it or leasing.
I was talking to a friend one day(or should I say)whining about not buying land in southern Indiana 20 years ago when it was much cheaper. He said something that struck home," How much do you think land will be selling for 20 years from now". His statement got me thinking, I have built up this property for someone to take advantage of in the near future. So, what are my options?
I could keep hunting there hoping for the best.
Or I could try to lease another property and hope this doesn't happen again. What I did do was start looking for a property I could afford.
After months of looking I found a property that I liked and could afford, but before I signed the papers I called the property owner in Fulton co. and said I was going to buy a property else where, I would much rather buy some of his. He said that he didn't want to split his property up and that I could hunt there until he passed away. In 2007 I ended up buying 55 acres in Jefferson County, that hadn't been logged, had 20 acres tillable and with very low taxes. This was one of the best decision I ever made. In 2009 the owner in Fulton County called me to say he had decided to sell the farm and offered me the whole farm, I wished I had the money to buy but I didn't and it only took a few days to sell. Now someone else is hunting some really nice bucks.
So my point is, for me I made the decision the control my hunting future not only for me but my kids and grandkids. I can decide if I want to have areas off limits to hunt, put in food plots, or whatever I decide because its mine. I make money off of cash renting the fields that pays taxes and insurance.
And also if everything goes as planned next year I am buying 40 additional acres with a house and barns that connects to my property. This will be the place I retire to.
I found deals are out there, you just have to be willing to put the effort into looking for them and do your homework before you make a offer.
Like I said earlier this was one of the best decisions I have ever made. ( I said "one of" just in case my wife reads this)