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Permalink Reply by Skip Peel - Mineral Consultant on August 5, 2025 at 12:16

Please understand how the timing of leasing works.   First this area getting new lease offers is at this point strictly an Aethon play so there is no competition for leases.  Aethon already operates a good number of Haynesville Shale wells in the township 15N-8W.  Hunter Energy, a land company, is leasing on behalf of Aethon.  Aethon will need to lease enough acreage by section to then applied to the state to form drilling and production units for the Haynesville formation.  All this will take some time so the initial lease offer will be low for most mineral owners.  The initial leases I have had reported are for a three sixteenth royalty.  That is low by Haynesville standards.  For anyone with meaningful acreage, a quarter royalty should be standard.  How much you own and where it is located in the section will determine your ability to negotiate better lease terms.  I always suggest a "no surface use" clause for all land owners.  That doesn't foreclose the possibility of using your surface but it does put you in position to negotiate the price per acre to be paid and where roads, rights-of-ways and pad sites will be located.  Everyone should be letting  others know what is going on and the best money that a mineral owner can spend is on an experienced O&G attorney to review and amend any lease you plan to execute.  Not just any attorney will do.