How to generate additional passive income from your Ohio land

The two questions landowners ask first

After 25 years in the hunting lease business, the same two questions have come up again and again.

Landowners want to know about liability.

And they want to know how much income their property might produce.

Those are good places to start.

Liability is something every landowner should consider

Ohio law provides certain liability protections for landowners who allow recreational use of their property.

This is commonly referred to as Ohio’s recreational user law or recreational user statute.

One important point is that, according to the way I structure these leases, a landowner may still receive payment for hunting rights while receiving protections provided under the statute.

But there are requirements that matter.

One of the most important is having a properly written lease.

The statute refers specifically to leases, which is why the Hunt Deer in Ohio lease was developed around the language used in the statute and information from Ohio Extension legal publications.

If you are accepting money from hunters, simply having an informal understanding may not provide the same protections as properly documenting the arrangement.

That is one reason I place so much importance on having the hunting arrangement in writing.

Additional liability insurance

In addition to the protections associated with the written lease, I provide landowners with $1 million in liability insurance and proof of that coverage.

During 25 years in business, I have never had a claim against my business.

Liability is something landowners understandably worry about, so I want the structure of the lease and the insurance coverage to be clear before hunters ever enter the property.

How much can an Ohio hunting lease earn?

There is no single price that applies to every property.

Several factors can affect hunting lease value.

Habitat is one.

The proportion of wooded ground compared with open ground can make a difference.

Property size matters too.

And, much like other types of real estate, location can have a major effect on marketability.

Some areas of Ohio have higher deer densities and stronger hunter demand than others.

All of those factors work together.

Based on my experience, some Ohio properties may potentially generate around $25 to $40 per acre in hunting lease income.

The actual amount depends on the property.

That is why I prefer to look at the land rather than simply quote a statewide price per acre.

A hunting lease can be customized

Leasing your hunting rights does not necessarily mean giving hunters unrestricted access to every acre you own.

For example, you may want to keep part of the property available for yourself or your family.

That can be written into the lease.

You might reserve a certain section for family hunting while leasing the remainder.

I have structured leases that way many times.

The goal is to make the arrangement fit the landowner rather than forcing every property into exactly the same lease structure.

You can restrict gun hunting

Most of my current hunting clients primarily hunt with archery equipment.

Some may occasionally gun hunt, but many spend most of their time bowhunting.

If you do not want firearms used on your property, that can also be addressed.

Ohio allows archery hunting during portions of the season when gun hunting is also permitted.

A lease can therefore allow deer hunting while prohibiting hunters from using firearms on the property.

I have written leases with exactly that type of restriction.

You decide how hunters can access your property

There are several other rules we can establish before the lease begins.

We can determine how many hunters will be allowed.

We can establish where they may park.

We can determine whether ATV use is permitted.

On many of my leases, ATV use is limited to specific purposes, such as placing stands, removing stands, or retrieving harvested deer.

You remain involved in deciding how the property will be used.

You know who is on your land

One concern I hear from landowners is that they do not want strangers constantly coming and going.

The leases I use address that directly.

Every hunter on the lease has a name, address, and signature associated with the agreement.

Hunters are not permitted to simply bring friends or guests onto the property.

Doing so can be considered a lease violation and can result in removal from the lease and loss of their payment.

You should know who has permission to use your property.

You can limit what they hunt

The hunting lease business is driven primarily by deer hunting.

Because of that, the Ohio deer season generally needs to be included in the lease.

But that does not mean hunters must have access to every other hunting season.

If you do not want spring turkey hunting, for example, that can usually be excluded.

Many serious deer hunters have little interest in small-game hunting on their leased property anyway because they do not want additional activity disturbing their deer hunting.

A lease can therefore be written primarily around deer hunting without automatically granting permission for every other type of hunting.

The relationship with hunters can work different ways

Some landowners enjoy getting to know their hunters.

Others would rather have very little interaction with them.

Either approach can work.

If you want to communicate directly with the hunters, that is fine.

If you would prefer that I serve as the contact between you and the hunters, I can act as that buffer.

The relationship should be based on your comfort level.

A hunting lease should work for the landowner

The way I explain it to landowners is simple.

Tell me how you want this to work, and I will try to structure the lease around that.

Maybe you want to reserve part of the farm for family hunting.

Maybe you do not want gun hunting.

Maybe you want ATV use restricted.

Maybe you do not want spring turkey hunting.

Maybe you want very little interaction with the hunters.

Those are all things we can discuss before the lease is offered.

A hunting lease should not make you feel as if you have lost control of your own property.

It should generate income while clearly defining what hunters can and cannot do.

Find out what your property may be worth

If you own land in Ohio and are considering leasing the hunting rights, the first step is simply determining whether the property is a good fit.

Size, location, habitat, deer numbers, access, and other property characteristics can all affect its potential value.

From there, we can talk about how you want the property used, what restrictions you want included, and what kind of hunting arrangement makes sense for you.

You do not have to decide anything just to ask questions.

The goal is to create an arrangement that works for the hunters, but more importantly, works for you as the landowner.