Leases viable option for hunters looking for land

ZANESVILLE - As gun season approaches Monday, many hunters have turned to leasing private land in Ohio rather than turning to the often overcrowded and overhunted public lands.

The option is even more desirable in the southeast region of the state, including Muskingum and Coshocton counties, where the number of bagged deer often leads the remaining 86 counties.

“They’re very highly sought after counties,” said Steve Meng, president of Base Camp Leasing, an Indiana-based leasing agency that has a presence in 22 states. “It’s got a great reputation and it’s very high on the list for trophy hunters.”

Established in 1999, Base Camp functions as a third-party, connecting hunters to landowners willing to lease their land annually. The company's website lists 11 properties in Muskingum County that can accommodate a total of 51 hunters and 10 properties in Coshocton County where 38 people can hunt.

But as of Wednesday, only one of the company's listed properties remained unleased in Muskingum County.

And even across Ohio, only 22 of the 310 properties on Base Camp's site were unleased.

“When we get a new property they’re gone in a matter of minutes,” Meng said.

Hunters begin leasing property in December, Meng said, and often competitive process to gain exclusive hunting rights on the property for a year. That annual lease gives hunters a chance to set trail cams, scout the area, set up food plots and more.

Ohio in general is a hotspot for hunters, who come from all over the east coast to take advantage of the high population of deer that inhabit the vast woodlands, Meng said.

But why do hunters choose to lease private land rather than hunt on public land? Meng said it has to do with the number of people who hunt on public land, which causes safety concerns and leads to reduced game.

“Public land in most states is overcrowded to the point it’s unsafe,” he said.

elagatta@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

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Twitter: @EricLagatta