STILLWATER — Leasing land for recreational hunting can provide Oklahoma landowners with a little extra cash in the pocket and labor resources for their land, as well as a few new friends and a reduction in trespassing.

Leasing for recreational hunting has become a major source of revenue for many landowners, said Dwayne Elmore, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist in the department of natural resource ecology and management.

“In many areas, revenue generated for hunting leases has surpassed lease rates for more traditional agriculture production,” he said.

While leasing land for hunting seems straightforward, there are some precautions that need to be considered by landowners to have a successful lease.

Elmore said it is important for a landowner to carefully screen and select good participants to reduce liability. To do so, it is advised that landowners should take time to visit with potential lessees to increase the chance of selecting the right persons, who ideally also will possess liability insurance.

The lease should contain conditions for termination, a legal description of the property, rights granted or withheld, terms of payment, effective dates, liability waivers and acknowledgments of risk, Elmore said.

An example of a draft lease agreement is available through the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service fact sheet NREM-5032, available through all OSU Cooperative Extension county offices.

Elmore cautions that property owners should consider leasing their private land for reasons besides monetary gain.

“Often, services provided by the lessee are of greater value to landowners, particularly older or absentee landowners who may not be able to take care of the land as they would like to,” Elmore said. “Many lessees would be willing to offer labor in exchange for access to private land.”

A final consideration for landowners is the compatibility of a lease with current land management. Management for wildlife can be very compatible with cattle and agriculture production, with the primary consideration of having abundant native habitat.

“Introduced pastures are much less productive for wildlife, and will almost always yield much lower lease rates,” Elmore said. “Cultivated agriculture land can provide good wildlife habitat and hence good lease rates, assuming that most of the landscape is still in native habitat.”

Local Natural Resource Conservation Offices can help landowners determine the proper stocking rate for certain land objectives.

SEAN HUBBARD is a communications specialist in Agricultural Communications Services for Oklahoma State University.