Quick background: I'm closing out my 31st season of duck hunting, most of which has been spent on public land (JD Murphrees Big Hill and Salt Bayou, Texas Point, Anahuac, and since 2013Somerville PHL 711). The public experience has gotten progressively worse (plenty of stories if anyone is interested), and Im ready for something different.

I don't really know where to start as far as finding a lease and what to look for/what I should expect, etc., but Im pretty determined to get on a lease or private land by next Fall. Is there a consensus best site or database to search leases? Or is it more word of mouth, and you just have to know somebody?

Currently live in CS, and ideally would like to find somewhere within an hour or two. Anyone have any thoughts or advice? Anyone have any contacts in the area?

Thunderbird Hunting Club, Blessing Hunting club, and Bucksnag are all about a 2 hour drive from College Station.

Thunderbird. Check it out. No place better.

Does Moody do year memberships?

Just remember, if you don't own it, you're still going to have to deal with people.

CS78 said:

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Does Moody do year memberships?

Just remember, if you don't own it, you're still going to have to deal with people.

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Deal with people how? I have limited experience with deer leases, but everyone had their defined areas. Is it not typically like that with waterfowl?

Just because you get on a lease, that doesn't guarantee that you won't have to put up with asshats.

They have money too.

I've got a really good duck hunting place for sale between college Station and Caldwell but they don't want to lease it just sell. I get calls all the time about leasing it but they're just not interested. Here's s video from last year https://fb.watch/pSMVmlWc6O/?mibextid=Nif5oz

warreng said:

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I've got a really good duck hunting place for sale between college Station and Caldwell but they don't want to lease it just sell. I get calls all the time about leasing it but they're just not interested. Here's s video from last year https://fb.watch/pSMVmlWc6O/?mibextid=Nif5oz

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Can you post the listing?

I'll try. Not a sponsor so it may get deleted. Not sure of the rules on that. https://weichertbcs.com/property/67-73222993-tbd-cr-229-caldwell-TX-77836

Here's a drone video with the wetlands full. The lake is 24 acres and the wetlands 22

warreng said:

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Here's a drone video with the wetlands full. The lake is 24 acres and the wetlands 22

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Cool, that's a lot of water.

Here's what we have so far:

1) Thunderbirds - waitlist full through 2026
2) Buy $800k land in Burleson County

How the hell thunderbird can wait list at that price is amazing to me

I've got Tree Fiddy on the group buy on the 24 acre lake!

BCO07 said:

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How the hell thunderbird can wait list at that price is amazing to me

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Its an amazing club. Well managed, attentive to its members, duck ponds are actively managed for waterfowl, over 10,000 birds harvested this year.

I get that might be hard to comprehend from the outside but when you're average like 21 birds per 4 man blind and it's only 1hr 20 mins from Houston, you're going to have a lot of people wanting to get on. They also try to keep membership numbers down to limit the pressure on ponds and not overcrowd an area.

What's really crazy is how many people only hunt 1-2 times a year with their membership… I have a hard time comprehending that.

Just curious but what does a thunderbird membership cost?

Have you thought about taking some guided trips a couple of times a year? i would do this but it is a lot longer to drive etc.

Maybe all of us on here who are looking for a place should get together and create a group. Easier to get on a place or find one that way.

My budget is feasibly around $2500 which isn't gunna land me on one of the badass clubs. I just want an easy place to take my boy.

TH36 said:

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Maybe all of us on here who are looking for a place should get together and create a group. Easier to get on a place or find one that way.

My budget is feasibly around $2500 which isn't gunna land me on one of the badass clubs. I just want an easy place to take my boy.

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I don't hate this idea. But also why I started the thread…I have no idea where to start. Where are you?

I'm not looking for world class stringers. I'm just looking for a place where I can bring my daughter, and I'm guaranteed a place to hunt without the clown show that is public hunting.

This is my problem, I'm up in Dripping Springs area.

I would prefer to hunt the Eagle Lake, Garwood, Brookshire, etc etc…area. But, lodging will be tough for me. I was thinking if I got on a lease down there I could get in and if all goes well get a used RV the following year and leave it at the lease if possible or a RV park close by.

Otherwise, my other idea is use OnX to look for wetlands/ponds and just start writing letters to the owners or knock on doors and try to lease some stuff that way.

Last lease I was on in Garwood was $600. I'm only 35 and was lucky enough to experience those prices that are long gone.

Ducks4brkfast said:

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Thunderbird Hunting Club, Blessing Hunting club, and Bucksnag are all about a 2 hour drive from College Station.

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Bucksnag - have been told the wait list is something like 10 years right now.

I emailed them last year. A single is like $6500

water turkey said:

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warreng said:

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Here's a drone video with the wetlands full. The lake is 24 acres and the wetlands 22

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Cool, that's a lot of water.

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After seeing that video, I was briefly interested. Some quick research shows that a lot of that water is on a neighboring property.

The property looks to have some potential issues that a buyer would need to understand but the price for what you are getting is actually pretty good. As this thread points out, there's just not much out there. And ANY land in this area is expensive.

A 62 acre place down the road from me at Somerville, with a mediocre barndo, just hit the market for $1.5mil.

warreng said:

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I've got a really good duck hunting place for sale between college Station and Caldwell but they don't want to lease it just sell. I get calls all the time about leasing it but they're just not interested. Here's s video from last year https://fb.watch/pSMVmlWc6O/?mibextid=Nif5oz.

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You are correct part of that water is on a neighbors property. At about 3:18 in the video you can see a fence line in the water. Everything behind that fence is the neighbors. Back in the day this was 207 acres and was created as a fishing and hunting club. It was called Black Lake Rod and Gun club. I've searched the net to try and find out club info but come up empty. There are some pretty cool relics from the club on the property. There are a couple old really large pipes with what look like pto driven pumps that I assume they used to use to drain the water out in the spring so they could plant. There is also the remnants of an old concrete swimming pool that was built into the lake and filled with the artesian well that has been running non stop since the 60s. I'm not sure when the club sold and the tax records are unclear on it since the property was divided back in 99. So the place for sale is 107 acres, about 24 of which is black lake, 22 is the wetlands area in the back and then about 5 acres in the front of low land that usually holds water in the winter. Its 100% a recreation property as it is all the in floodplain. There is a high spot where they brought in dirt to put the electrical, well and storage building. The guy who owns the back 100 acres is almost 80 but still duck hunts regularly. He is not interested in selling now but whoever purchases would be smart to try and get something in place to get a hold of that one one day as well and rejoin the properties.