A hunting club pays a full year’s rent upfront. Under the sample hunting lease from Mississippi State University Extension, either side can still cancel on 30 days’ written notice, with or without cause. That is why MSU Extension’s landowner guide says the significance of a well-written lease cannot be overemphasized.
Mississippi hunting lease rates determine what you pay each year. The written lease outlines how long you keep the land, what you can do on it, and what you owe if something goes wrong.
Doug Rushing Realty does not broker hunting leases. The firm sells land, including hunting and recreational tracts across Southwest Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana. This guide covers what drives lease prices, how Mississippi’s public 16th Section leases work, and what a lease gives you. For the bigger decision, refer to our guide to leasing, buying, or hunting land you already own.
- Mississippi’s 16th Section leases are the public record of current local rents. Each rent was set by competitive bid, and the Secretary of State’s lease map shows the rent and rent per acre.
- For a statewide ballpark, MSU Extension puts small-game leases as low as 50 cents an acre and high-quality big-game leases at $25 an acre or more in some areas. Waterfowl blind leases bring the highest returns. The guide gives no data year for these figures.
- Land cover, water, enhancements and amenities, hunter limits, and herd health all move the rate.
- MSU’s sample lease lets either side cancel on 30 days’ written notice and reserves timber rights to the landowner.
What Mississippi hunting lease rates actually measure
A hunting lease rate is the fee a landowner charges for the right to hunt a tract for a set term. In Mississippi, it’s usually quoted per acre, per hunter, or as one lump sum.
For current local numbers, the public record is Mississippi’s 16th Section lease data. School districts lease hunting rights on these school trust lands by competitive bid. The Secretary of State’s lease map shows the rent and rent per acre on each lease, and you can check leases in your own county.
MSU Extension’s landowner guide to hunting leases gives a statewide ballpark. It puts small-game leases as low as 50 cents an acre and high-quality big-game leases at $25 an acre or more in some areas. The guide says high-quality waterfowl blind leases bring the highest annual returns per acre.
The guide calls some of its figures rule-of-thumb or ballpark estimates, drawn from regional or statewide surveys and informal talks with lease operators. It does not say what year its price figures reflect. The same guide says returns vary considerably by lease type.
Across the state line, LSU AgCenter’s 2025 Louisiana Summary uses a single statewide estimate for each lease type. For upland game leases, it’s $17.50 an acre for the 2024 to 2025 season. Divide any parish’s reported upland lease value by its leased acres to get the same $17.50.
How landowners price Mississippi hunting leases
MSU Extension calls setting a fair price one of the most difficult decisions for a landowner with no leasing experience. It lists five known methods and notes they are not the only ones.
- Break-even plus 10 percent covers the landowner’s lease costs and land taxes, with 10 percent added for unforeseen costs.
- Habitat valuation raises the price with the quality and quantity of wildlife habitat, or when a club wants to keep out other hunters the property could support.
- Baseline plus value-added starts with a base price per acre, then adds charges for improvements, amenities, or services.
- Competitive pricing follows the going rate for similar leases in the area.
- A sealed bid works like a timber sale, with the landowner describing the lease and taking sealed offers.
What moves a Mississippi hunting lease rate up or down
Cover and water
MSU Extension’s legal guide to hunting leases says the type of land cover matters to potential lessees in Mississippi. Tracts dominated by mature hardwoods or mixed pine-hardwoods are more often sought after. These forests provide acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, and fleshy fruits for deer and turkey.
The same guide says land with wetlands, streamside areas, and bottomland hardwood commands higher lease prices.
Enhancements and amenities
MSU says enhancements boost lease prices. Roads and trails help hunters move freely, reducing motorized travel across the tract. Lessees are often allowed to put up their own stands and plant for wildlife. When landowners provide extras, lease prices rise significantly. Lodging, potable water, and bathroom facilities add more value.
Hunter limits
MSU Extension advises limiting hunters for safety, enjoyment, and resource protection. Its rules of thumb are one deer hunter per 100 acres and one turkey hunter per 200 acres, with exceptions for different habitats and hunting.
Leases are often priced per hunter and per acre, so check both numbers when comparing offers.
Herd health
Herd health can affect price. A 2025 study of CWD and hunting lease prices analyzed survey responses from 393 hunters who hunted leased land in the chronic wasting disease regions of Tennessee and Mississippi. About two-thirds of those leases were in Tennessee. The study found that CWD in deer harvested on leased property was associated with an annual lease price about $1.84 an acre lower, roughly 22 percent. CWD found only on nearby properties had no significant effect.
How these factors show up in Southwest Mississippi
Tracts in Southwest Mississippi vary from planted pine to hardwood bottoms.
Some tracts also sit beside Homochitto National Forest. Our guide to land bordering Homochitto National Forest covers what that adjacency gives you and what it leaves out.
For local numbers, the state’s 16th Section lease data is a public record of what hunters are paying on school land.
16th Section leases: the public record of what hunters pay
Mississippi’s 16th Section lands are public school trust lands. The Secretary of State’s 16th Section lease page says 103 local school districts manage or receive income from these lands. The state leases hunting and fishing rights by competitive bid.
How the bid works
State law sets the rules. Under Mississippi Code Section 29-3-41, a hunting and fishing lease on 16th Section forest land can run no longer than 15 years. The rights go to the bidder offering the highest annual rental. The current leaseholder, if it made an offer, has the final right to extend at that highest bid.
Winning the bid comes with obligations. The Secretary of State’s 16th Section FAQs state that the lessee must pay the property tax on leased land and that the State may cancel the lease if the lessee fails to pay it. All timber stays reserved to the school district. Only the holder of a valid hunting and fishing lease may hunt 16th Section forest land.
| Lease feature | 16th Section lease | MSU sample private lease |
|---|---|---|
| How rent is set | Competitive bid; the highest annual rental wins | An annual amount the parties agree on; MSU lists five pricing methods |
| Term | Up to 15 years under state law | Start and end dates the parties set; no maximum |
| Who may hunt | Only the holder of a valid hunting and fishing lease | The lessee, with the exclusive right to hunt the listed game species |
| Timber | Reserved to the school district | Landowner keeps the right to cut, burn, and plant |
| Cancellation | Can be canceled for failure to pay the property tax | Either side, with or without cause, on 30 days’ written notice |
How to look up current rents in your county
If you are pricing hunting land for lease in Mississippi, start here. School districts file their leases with the state, so you can see what hunters currently pay on 16th Section ground near you. Use the Secretary of State’s 16th Section lands map:
- Open the map and check the “All Leases” box in the legend on the right. Lease data won’t display until it’s checked.
- In the search bar, click the drop-down arrow and choose “School District.”
- Type the name of a school district in Amite, Pike, Walthall, or another county you are pricing, then select it. The map zooms to that district.
- Click a hunting and fishing lease. The pop-up box shows the rent and the rent per acre currently being paid.
- For the most current status of a lease, contact the controlling school district. The state says its map is only as accurate as the data districts send in.
According to the Secretary of State’s FAQs, each rent was set by competitive bid when the lease was awarded. A lease can run up to 15 years, so a rent on the map may date from an earlier bid.
What hunting leases in Mississippi actually get you
With hunting leases in Mississippi, the rate buys access and the written lease defines it. MSU’s sample lease is written for landowners. Reading it from the lessee’s side shows the kinds of terms you may be asked to sign.
What you are buying
The sample lease grants the exclusive right to hunt listed game species on the land. It also grants the right to enter and cross the land for those purposes only. MSU’s landowner guide advises that a lease describe any other allowed activities, such as camping, fishing, and scouting.
Wildlife in Mississippi is publicly owned. As MSU Extension’s landowner guide explains, a landowner sells the opportunity and privileges that come with access to the land for the purposes in the written lease.
What the landowner keeps
Timber comes first. The sample lease reserves the landowner’s right to enter at any time to cruise, mark, cut, or remove timber. This includes site preparation, controlled burning, and planting. Under the lease, a timber harvest on your best stand is not a violation.
The land comes as is. The lessee accepts the property’s condition and its wildlife populations, with no promise about deer or turkey numbers. You may not sublease the hunting rights. If your stands damage trees, you pay for the damage.
How fast a lease can end
In MSU’s sample, either side can cancel with or without cause on 30 days’ written notice. If the lessee cancels, the landowner keeps rent already paid. The lease also rules out renewal by simply staying on after it ends.
MSU’s landowner guide advises including a right to cancel if the landowner sells the property or dies during the term. Its legal guide suggests landowners reserve the right to terminate at any time and return a negotiated portion of the payment.
Hunting lease insurance: what you will be asked to carry
MSU’s sample lease requires the lessee to carry a public liability policy of at least $1,000,000, naming the landowner as an insured.
Mississippi law sets the backdrop. Under Section 89-2-23, a landowner owes no duty to keep land safe for people using it to hunt. Section 89-2-27 removes that protection when a landowner grants permission to hunt for payment from anyone other than a government agency. MSU’s landowner guide states that when someone pays for access, the landowner owes that person certain duties of care. Requiring the lessee to carry insurance, the guide adds, transfers a large portion of that liability to the lessee.
Two more requirements affect who signs and who hunts. MSU Extension notes that Mississippi does not legally recognize unincorporated groups, so an unincorporated club should have every member sign the lease. And according to MDWFP’s hunting license requirements, anyone born on or after January 1, 1972 must complete hunter education before buying a Mississippi hunting license.
Leasing versus owning hunting land: what the rent adds up to
Here is an illustration built only from MSU Extension’s reference numbers. It is not a quote for any real tract.
Take a 400-acre deer lease. At one hunter per 100 acres, it supports four hunters. At $25 an acre, MSU’s figure for high-quality big-game leases in some areas, the rent would come to $10,000 a year, or $2,500 per hunter. MSU puts those leases at $25 or more, so this example assumes quality deer ground.
At that same rent, five seasons cost the group $50,000. They own no ground and hold no timber, and under a lease like MSU’s sample, they can still lose access on 30 days’ notice. As an owner, you decide who hunts and when to cut timber.
Buying brings its own costs, from the purchase price to taxes and upkeep. Browse our hunting land for sale to see what is on the market across Southwest Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana. If you own land and are weighing a lease against a sale, you can also list your land with us.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a hunting lease cost per acre in Mississippi?
The most current public record is 16th Section rents on the Secretary of State’s lease map. Each rent was set by competitive bid when that lease was awarded, and a lease can run up to 15 years, so some posted rents date from earlier bids. For a statewide ballpark, MSU Extension puts small-game leases as low as 50 cents an acre and high-quality big-game leases at $25 an acre or more in some areas. MSU calls some of its figures rule-of-thumb estimates and doesn’t say what year they reflect.
Can a landowner cancel a hunting lease in Mississippi?
Yes, if the lease allows it. MSU Extension’s sample lease lets either side cancel on 30 days’ written notice, with or without cause. MSU also advises landowners to reserve the right to cancel if they sell the land or die. Read the termination clause before you pay.
Does a hunting lease include timber rights?
Not under MSU Extension’s sample lease. It reserves the landowner’s right to cut, burn, and plant timber at any time without violating the lease. On 16th Section land, all timber stays reserved to the school district.
Do you need insurance to lease hunting land in Mississippi?
Yes, if your lease requires it. MSU Extension’s sample lease requires at least $1,000,000 in liability coverage with the landowner named as insured. Mississippi’s recreational-use protection for landowners does not apply when permission to hunt is granted for payment from anyone other than a government agency, so a landowner who charges for access has reason to require coverage.
How do 16th Section hunting leases work?
They are awarded by competitive bid to the highest annual rental. Under state law, a lease can run up to 15 years, and the current holder has the final right to extend at the top bid. The lessee pays the property tax, and the timber stays reserved to the school district.
- The game species and any other activities, such as camping or fishing, are written into the lease.
- You know whether the landowner keeps timber rights and can cut, burn, or plant during your term.
- You know the cancellation notice period and what happens to rent already paid.
- The lease says what happens if the land sells or the owner dies.
- You know the insurance amount required and who must be named as insured.
- Every club member signs the lease, or the club is incorporated.
- The number of hunters fits the tract.
- You know when payment is due.
Sources
- Hunting Leases: Considerations and Alternatives for Landowners (P2310)
- Establishing a Hunting Lease on Your Land: Legal Considerations for Wildlife-Related Recreation (P3416)
- Louisiana Summary: Agriculture & Natural Resources 2025 (P2382)
- A hedonic analysis of chronic wasting disease’s effect on hunting lease prices, Vol. 178
- Mississippi Secretary of State. 16th Section Leases
- Mississippi Secretary of State. 16th Section FAQs
- Mississippi Secretary of State. 16th Section Lands map
- Justia / Mississippi Code. Section 29-3-41, Lease of forest lands restricted
- Justia / Mississippi Code. Section 89-2-23, Landowner’s duty of care with respect to recreational users of land
- Justia / Mississippi Code. Section 89-2-27, Exceptions to limitation of liability
- Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. Hunting License Requirements.
Ready to stop renting your hunting ground?
If you have leased for years and want ground that stays yours, Doug Rushing Realty has worked Southwest Mississippi and Southeast Louisiana since 1974. Doug Rushing founded the firm in Tylertown, and our team works from offices in McComb and Tylertown. Many of our agents are landowners themselves. Talk to an agent who knows these counties about hunting land that fits your group and your budget.
