You own land. Now what?
Beginner's Guide: How to Activate Your Land in 5 Steps
You own land. Now what? Whether you inherited a ranch, bought raw acreage, or have been sitting on farmland for years, getting your property generating income doesn't have to be complicated. BirdDog Adventures gives landowners a straightforward path to activation. Here's how to do it in five steps.
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Go to BirdDog Adventures and sign up as a landowner. You'll need:
- Your name and contact information
- A valid email address
- Basic information about your property (county, state, approximate acreage)
This takes less than five minutes. Once your account is created, you'll have access to your landowner dashboard, where all your listings and lease activity lives.
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From your dashboard, click "Add Property" and fill in the details:
- Property name (you can keep it internal or use it on your listing)
- Location (address or parcel coordinates)
- Total acreage
- Land type: cropland, pasture, timber, mixed, etc.
- Habitat features: water sources, food plots, fence lines, terrain
The more detail you add, the better. Hunters and ag operators search by habitat type, location, and acreage — so complete listings get more attention.
Upload photos. Properties with photos get significantly more inquiries than those without. Show the terrain, access points, any improvements, and wildlife sign if you have it.
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BirdDog gives you flexibility in how you monetize:
- Hunting Lease — annual or seasonal, priced per acre or as a flat rate
- Hunt Marketplace — book individual hunts without a long-term lease commitment
- Ag Lease — row crop, specialty crop, or diversified farming
- Grazing Lease — cattle, sheep, goats, or rotational grazing arrangements
You're not locked into one. Many landowners run a hunting lease alongside an ag lease on different portions of the same property. Think about what your land actually supports and what kind of operator you want on it.
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Once you've selected your revenue model, you'll set:
- Lease duration (month-to-month, seasonal, annual, multi-year)
- Pricing (per acre, flat rate, or per-hunt for marketplace listings)
- Access rules (which roads, gates, structures are included or off-limits)
- Restrictions (no ATVs, no overnight camping, specific game seasons only, etc.)
If you're not sure what to charge, BirdDog shows you comparable listings in your area. Don't underprice your land — a well-managed, well-described property at fair market value will attract better operators than rock-bottom pricing.
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Step 5: Publish and Respond
Hit publish and your listing goes live. From this point:
- Interested parties will send inquiries through the platform
- Review each inquiry before responding — check their profile, any reviews, and their stated intent
- Ask questions before committing to a lease agreement
- Use BirdDog's built-in agreement tools to formalize terms without needing a separate lawyer
Once you accept a lessee, you'll both sign digitally through the platform. BirdDog handles the paper trail.
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After your first lease is active, check your dashboard regularly. Respond to messages promptly — operators move on quickly when landowners go quiet. Review your listing annually and update photos, pricing, and availability as your land changes.
Questions? BirdDog's support team can walk you through any step. Most landowners are live and taking inquiries within a week of starting.