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There are many different types of hunting insurance. The most common one, which happens to cover most, is a hunting lease insurance.
We will into the nuances of each type in a minute but the most common ones is the most significant to consider. It covers you, your club, and, the landowner you leased the land from. Unless, you are the property owner, in which case it will work similarly, as this is a multi-party insurance cover.
Some hunting land leases include it with the fee they charge, most don’t. Having more protection is always beneficial, even critical, if the payout will exceed what the land owner’s property insurance covers. Especially when the cost is minimal and can be further shared by the club or the business expense.
There are a few insurance companies we recommend, each with their own specialty and experience specifically for hunters and sportsmen in general:
You might be asking, ok, I have home owner insurance. Is that not enough? It’s a common question but the answer is, unfortunately, no.
Homeowner insurance is limited and does not cover all parties, especially when the insurer does not know what activities you are regularly running on your land or the land you leased.
Here is just a few extra benefits you get with a hunting lease insurance:
Costs will vary tremendously. Its insurance afterall and personal circumstances and detail will determine your premium. So let’s use an example for a rough idea of how much you would need to pay for each type of policy.
For more examples see the table below from the AHLA with a cost breakdown per each 500 acre increments of land for a hunting liability insurance cost. Pricing can change. We will make sure to update the table as soon as possible to reflect the latest and most accurate costs for you.
| Land Size in Acres | Policy Cost per Year |
|---|---|
| Last updated April 2018. | |
| 1-499 | $185 |
| 500-999 | $235 |
| 1000-1499 | $285 |
| 1500-1999 | $345 |
| 2000-2499 | $395 |
| 2500-2999 | $450 |
| 3000+ | 15 cents per acre |
Since the price can change per land you should take a second and head over to AHAL’s website do a quick online quote.
Just enter the following three bits of info:
It takes less than 20 seconds, and your done.
As you know the price of a trophy adventure trip can range quite a bit. Some guided hunts, like a bear moose combination, can go as much as $28,995. So expect the travel insurance premium to be higher to reflect that higher price tag.
Don’t take a chance and guess, plan for it in your budget.
Even though we recommend Travelx as the company of choice, we personally use RoamRight for our trips all the time. Just don’t forget to choose the Hazardous Sports upgrade package at checkout (see the 2min video below).
Now that we went over the benefits, costs, let’s dig in a bit into the different types of insurances as first promised above.
Accidental shootings happen. Its negligence, no doubt, but they do happen. In fact, last time I checked, it is known that in every hunting season in Texas, a hunter is killed by accident, sometimes even two, let alone the number who “just” got shot in north America.
That’s what a lease liability insurance does, it protects you from such events. You could be an individual hunter or part of a club. You could be the landowner or the owners guest. You could be hunting for racoons or deer. It doesn’t matter.
This type of liability protection, which is known as a hunting liability insurance, is a small fee compared to the cost of lease you pay for the farm land. Last we checked, for a 499 acre land you only pay $185 a year.
This should be thought of as a mandatory expense to save you, at the very least, from other people’s mistakes and to enjoy the outdoors without the risks!
In fact, many landowners won’t even lease you their property without you having one. And the last thing we want to do is keep landowners shying away from leasing their land. Hunting lease arrangements have been a huge boon to wildlife preservation and habitat on acres upon acres of private land across the country, and we all want to keep it that way.
The American Hunting Lease Association (AHLA) offers the best hunting lease insurance policy, both in terms of price (policies start at $185/year) and coverage (up to $2 million in aggregate). They also give you a free lease agreement that is customizable to your needs and property of choice (a big time saver). Not State Farm, QDMA, or even the NRA can match that.
Get a FREE Quote from AHLA
Hunting cabin insurance is a form of homeowners insurance. In fact, your homeowners insurance should be sufficient enough to provide cover with an additional premium for the type of use the cabin is for. I know that’s not ideal, but paying the extra fee would provide extra liability as well. Something your need.
To be clear, you should definitely let your insurance company know the purpose of the home, even if you are rarely there and is mainly used for vacation purposes. You should also inform them on how many firearms you have, what types, and how are they stored.
Your part of a club. One member has insurance while the rest don’t are you covered? Absolutely. As long as you are named in the policy. You can each have a land lease agreement (you can get one for free from AHLA with any policy) and the hunting club insurance would protect all hunting activities in all acres you hunt in for all the members in the club and guests.
To be so, you must let the insurance company know how many TOTAL acres you and your club have leased. This is critical as it’s how a club policy is priced and risk adjusted so that all parties including the landowners of the land you leased from are protected from any accidents or negligence by guests or anyone for that matter.
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Outfitters insurance is in the same category of a tour guide insurance. You run a business after all, and as such you need a commercial business insurance, typically a small business insurance. As a hunting guide you know well that beginners and pro hunters alike can make mistakes, and when mistakes happen, so do accidents.
Hunting guide insurance covers:
This type of cover, from the right company, can be a huge benefit without breaking the bank.
Hunting and fishing guide insurance cost can vary. Some commercial insurance companies can be competitive in this area, but for the right type of coverage, you should definitely work with a specialist that can price the policy right with their experience and familiarity with professional outfitters such as yourself.
Regardless if you run a hunting lodge, a deer hunt trip in Alaska, a fly fishing guide in Montana, or a fishing boat operator in California, an outfitter insurance is a must.
Our friends use AHLA. Their outfitter insurance policy helps takes the risk out of running a guided hunt, at least financially.
Get a FREE Quote from AHLA
There are two types of personal hunting insurance you can consider… the first, is for the leased land you have.
Whether you are an individual or part of a group, a hunting liability insurance for the private land you are leasing will cover you all the same. The difference is that you have to pay for the whole premium on your own.
It’s not much mind you, especially when compared to the cost of leasing the land. Which can easily run in the thousands, from $2K to $20k a year, depending on the acreage of the land and where it is located.
The second, is travel insurance for individuals…
The best way to see a hunting trip insurance, is as an upgraded travel insurance. The basic coverage is there but with the added benefits of additional protection for your expensive equipment, cancellation by the outfitter or the flight itself, license fee refunded in case of any cancellations or interruptions in your hunting trip.
Hunting trips are expensive. You carry additional pricy gear such as crossbows, guns, knifes, and GPS unit. You are dependent on many outside factors that are out of your control, including the outfitter, fees and permits, and medical expenses.
For the little extra in premium, it’s definitely worth getting a hunting travel insurance. And for the traveling outdoorsman, Travelex is the best choice hands down. It’s what we use as our go to travel insurance for hunting trips.
They has a specialized sportsman’s upgrade package for hunters & anglers. It comes with an increased claim limit to an already beefed up cover, such as trip cancellations, delays and interruptions, medical care, baggage lost, equipment damage, and accidental death.
Save on your trip insurance with TravelexWith so many different types of insurances and legal considerations, it might me difficult to make a clear decision on which one you need before your next hunting season. Clearly they overlap each other and in some cases are just named differently.
The good news is that the additional hunting club liability insurance isn’t expensive and is very affordable especially when you are a member of a club and can share the expenses of hunting in someone else’s land.
So instead of over complicating it, get an idea of the costs and details involved to keep you, your club, and your landowner covered. Even if it means reaching out to your NRA rep for suggestions or your home insurance company like State Farm. Get some answers and be safe out in the wild.