I've been hunting for a about 4 or 5 years now. Mostly on family land in Arkansas and up at my dad's in the DFW area. However, we won't be able to make it to Arkansas this year, and my dad's place is quite small and generally when I get one deer on that property, they stop coming around for a while.

Never really attempted to get a deer lease, so was kind of wondering if you local folks might know of any decent ones close-ish to the Waco area or have some guidance for someone looking to get on their first deer lease.

Thanks in advance for any help.

My advice:  

1.  Define up front what you want.  Just a deer lease OR are you seeking a license to use the place year round for camping, target shooting, atv riding, and hunting other species?  Are you planing to leave campers on the property year round?  Is this to be a place to hunt deer, or a weekend place for you and your friends/family year round?      

2.  Define how much work you are willing to do.  There are places where you do little to no work, and some where you have to do basically everything, including cutting shooting lanes, planting food plots, and filling feeders twice a month.  More work = less money.   Less work = more money.   Hauling a tractor to a lease is a major bitch for many.  

3.  Define what amenities you need.   Cleaning racks, coolers, electricity, storage, etc.  

4.  Be honest about your budget.  

5.  Be honest with yourself and the land owner re: who will be hunting, your management plans, and the number and age/gender of deer to be taken.        

That completed, hit the local feed stores/local CL, and a bunch of the gun and hunting forums.   Better yet, get a hook up from a friend or coworker.  

From the land owner's perspective, the best lessee shows up two weekends during the season, shoots a couple deer each time, cleans up after themselves, and never returns.   The worst lessees call constantly, is out there 3 weekends a month drinking beer, camping, shooting guns, and pulling Evel Knievel stunts on dirt bikes/atv's all day and night.  

In my hood - west of Waco about 90 miles - looks like folks are getting about $16 an acre for deer season with no amenities other than running water.  So, around 8K for 500 acres, two hunters, and hunters supply all feeders, stands, and corn/protein.  More for year round access, or folks out there all the time sorta deals.  

Essentially, none of my neighbors advertise their leases (except the high fenced ranches in the area which are basically guide fee plus kill fee places).   Most of it is word of mouth.  And, the upcoming season is likely to be tough with the drought.  We urgently need rain.    

Can't say enough about that last sentence.

WE NEED RAIN BADLY...

Highs over 100 & weeks without Rain = bad times...

Was out in Fredericksburg and having to be very very careful chain sawing some shooting lanes.    

It would take just one spark in that tinderbox and

That environment is bad for game when the water is dried up.

BIGGER_HAMMER

Not looking to be a good deer season the way things are right now.

What is your price range?

I am on one near Mexia.

The rains over the last two weeks have moved me from extreme drought to merely severe drought.   But, 100 plus for the next couple weeks should send me back to extreme, if not exceptional, drought conditions.  

The sheep guys around me have pastures you could play marbles on.   Eaten to the ground.  At best, patches of 1/4 inches of grass, exposed rocks, and a bunch of bare dirt.

Thankfully, I don't have sheep, and we were under stocked until recently.   So, I have some grass.  Some.  

But, it will only last for about 20 days unless we get more rain.

It's been 10 years back, we had a place that was cheap, but you did all the work. The guy was on the Colorado river and he would actually pump to irrigate one of his fields. My uncle talked him to letting us plow up a few acres and plant turnips and irrigate it off his pump. Worked alright as long as we kept the cattle off of it.

Also, put in $$ for hunting trips through TPWD.
You may, or may not get drawn, but hey, its for a good cause.

Can also look at public land.
Leases are expensive. We pay about $4k a year for a bit over 1k acres.
But its just my immediate family and one long time family friend.

Sent you an email

I put in for 20 years and never got drawn.

I got drawn almost every year since I was 1 to about 16. Then they changed how drawings are done and the last one since was a couple years ago at 33 years old.....
They also put more restrictions on the deer hunts that you don't know about until after you win the drawing, or until you make it to the rangers station to check in. Which is bullshit. If I can kill a buck, let me know the fine print before I drive many hours away only for them to tell you the restrictions are no more than 7pt and must have a spread larger than 12", and if you are borderline "legal"*, the ranger will call the game wardern over 1/8" discrepancy.

*legal as in the sense, even if the deer is a legal buck for the country, but if a ranger creates antler restrictions, then you can be fined if its outside the scope of the park ranger's order.