A written hunting lease is a vital tool in your efforts to protect you and your assets if an accident or incident should occur on your leased property.  Avoid informal arrangements with hunters on your property.  Leases are contracts.

A written contract will not guarantee that you will be absolved of wrongdoing in a court of law, nor will it prevent frivolous lawsuits.  However, without a written agreement, it will be your word against someone else’s with little to substantiate either side.  Additionally, the legal system places many responsibilities on the landowner, whether or not the landowner had direct knowledge of their lessee’s actions. 

Having (1) a written agreement that has been reviewed by an attorney, (2) adequate insurance coverage, and (3) a release or waiver can help in your efforts to protect you and your property in the event something unfortunate should happen on your leased property.

In each section, you will have the opportunity to develop worksheets with questions for consideration. Your answers serve as a starting point when meeting with an attorney before finalizing a lease agreement.  Each section provides spaces for typing your responses and printing the pages for referral with your attorney. You should only use these worksheets as an aide in preparing for your meeting with an attorney. The attorney should be the professional drafting your lease agreement and it is important to remember that laws and regulations change over time.