Hunting: Another Form of Conservation

As a landowner, you have a conservation responsibility not only for your land, but all the species that live and thrive on it. But conservation and profitable land use aren’t mutually exclusive. 

Let’s take a look at how leasing your land for hunting can be both an effective conservation tactic and revenue stream—and how to avoid the risks of such use. 

Why landowners need to take conservation seriously

Private land isn’t just an asset—it’s an ecosystem. It supports diverse plant and animal species, all of which are interconnected. When landowners fail to recognize this, the entire habitat threatens to fail—which could seriously hamper and damage the land in question. 

For example, two-thirds of endangered species are supported to some extent by private land. In order for these species to thrive, it’s critical that their natural habitats are preserved and suitable conditions are maintained. Landowners, as the primary stewards of the land, have a responsibility to understand these ecological balances and protect natural landscapes. 

Some common conservation practices include: 

• Preventing soil erosion and preserving water quality

• Reforestation to contribute to carbon sequestration

• Maintaining natural habitats for wildlife to live and thrive

• Allowing controlled and sustainable hunting practices

In this article, we’ll focus on the last practice in more detail: leasing land for hunting as a conservation tactic. 

The benefits of hunting for land and species conservation

Although they’re often placed at odds—usually by well-intentioned but uninformed parties—responsible hunting is perfectly compatible with conservation. In fact, when conducted in a controlled manner, hunting can help to maintain the health and balance of wildlife populations and their ecosystems.

Some of the specific benefits include the following: 

• Population control. Wildlife populations that exceed their habitat’s carrying capacity can lead to habitat degradation, disease outbreaks, and increased resource competition. Hunting can be used as a tool to maintain populations at sustainable levels.

• Anti-poaching. Both the revenue generated from hunting, as well as a physical presence on the land, can help combat poaching. This, in turn, protects vulnerable species from extinction or overhunting. 

• Sustainable resource use. Sustainable use of wildlife resources, including hunting, can promote a better understanding of the value of wildlife and their habitats. This, in turn, can encourage responsible land and resource management practices.

• Fundraising. By renting out your farmland for hunting, you can generate additional streams of revenue, a portion of which can be re-invested in further conservation efforts for the land. 

All of that said, there are some risks involved in leasing your land out for hunting. Overexploitation can lead to a decline in the numbers of hunted species. There’s also the risk of unintended consequences. For example, irresponsible hunters can disrupt predator-prey balance or drive other changes in wildlife behavior.

Often the best way to address hunting risks is through adherence to federal, state, and local regulations, and to spell out your expectations and responsibilities for hunters. This will require you to think more strategically about your land use—and will likely require some additional education on your part.

However, if you do it right, you can make a significant contribution to your land, both economically and environmentally. The long-term upside is worth the extra effort and forward thinking.

How to effectively use hunting as a conservation tactic

So now let’s take a look at some ways to mitigate the risks above and maximize the benefits of leveraging hunting as a conservation tactic. 

The first principle to keep in mind: conservation and profitability aren’t mutually exclusive. If you implement long-term strategies in maintaining your land, you can realize both environmental and economic value at the same time.

The trick is to go into your land management practices with a strategy that incorporates both objectives from the onset. That way, you can clearly communicate your expectations and hold hunters accountable. 

Establish clear goals from the onset

Conservation is a broad category, encompassing many practices. From the onest, it’s critical for you to narrow down what your goals are, which will then clarify the outcomes you want to drive.

For instance, do you have a predator problem? In which case, you need to direct hunting efforts toward those species, and not their prey. The inverse can also be true. And if you want to use hunting as protection against poaching, this opens up a host of required rules, expectations, and safety protocol.

On the other hand, if your primary strategy is to raise money from hunting leases to then reinvest in conservation practices, you’ll want to make sure your hunters aren’t engaging in counterproductive activities. 

Screen your hunters

A major factor in a successful hunting lease is trust. You can’t monitor your hunters 24/7, which means you need some assurance that your hunters are sticking to the agreed upon deal. 

This is why the screening process is critical. Background checks are a basic first step. But after that, you’ll want to meet with potential tenants, and even check references from previous leases. Especially if you’re working with hunters you don’t already know, you can’t skip this process.

Fortunately, there are tools out there to help you screen tenants so you end up with only quality people. If you lease out your hunting ground on CommonGround, tenant screening comes built-in. 

Put every expectation, standard, and practice in writing

If it’s not in the contract, then it doesn’t exist! It’s critical to lay out every expectation in advance, and to agree on it in writing. Handshake agreements may be commonplace, but they’re notoriously difficult to enforce.

This is your asset that’s on the line, your ecosystem, and your reputation. If you’re serious about using hunting as a form of conservation, then you need to ensure that every action aligns with your broader strategy. Putting your expectations into writing is key to making that happen. 

Regularly check on your hunters

Ideally, you’d want a long-lasting relationship with hunters—whether they’re local or use your land as a destination for an annual hunting trip. This requires clear, open communication.

After a hunting trip ends, for instance, you could set up a debrief meeting to discuss what all happened, and if there are any concerns on either end. 

Like we said above, communications expectations need to be communicated in writing and agreed upon at the time the lease is executed. 

Don’t hesitate to terminate

If there’s a flagrant violation of your agreement, terminate the lease and find someone else. Your land is too important to leave to chance. 

If the violation is the result of miscommunication or misunderstanding, then you can have a clarifying conversation and give the hunter(s) a second chance. But repeated poor practices can end up being counterproductive to your conservation goals if not curtailed. 

Final thoughts on hunting as a conservation tactic

Hunting can be an effective conservation tactic, helping you to maintain your land while reaping some economic benefits. However, it’s only effective when implemented strategically—which requires forethought, planning, and clear, open communication with your tenants.

Key to making this relationship work is to match with the right hunters. And that’s precisely where the CommonGround marketplace can help. We can connect you with perfect-fit hunters across the nation, so you don’t have to waste time worrying about tenant quality.

List your land on the CommonGround marketplace today.