Buy my own land

[Tod osier]

2. If you stay the hell out of most of it most of the year/season. There's a good chance that with certain winds hunting the property will primarily ruin things and you'd need to have discipline to not hunt it when conditions are wrong

2 hours to drive out there to have crap wind for the limited places you can effectively hunt would get old fast.

 

[Yoder]

If I bought 20 acres it would be to build on. I would hunt on it, but for me it would get boring. I could see a few hunts a year or maybe taking the wife or kids out. It would be something I would do when I got too old to hunt public land.

 

[TAArrowood]

At one point I had the same dream of owning my own hunting property, but learned very quickly that it was a loosing proposition if it is relatively small=unmanageable and far away=minimal usage.. When you consider the cost, taxes, insurance, expenses to get there and maintain it you'd be better off to determine what your total cost of ownership might be and take half of that, find you a good lease (with or without partners and invest the other half of the funds into a good solid investment.. That way you don't have a long term comittment that you may/may not get your investment back and if things don't work out, your situation changes, better opportunity comes along you'll be flexible enough to take advantage of it... I had a great lease that was two hours away and very quickly found that locals hunted it way more than I could, yet I was the one paying the owner.. The owner was reluctent to say no to his neighbors/buddies and I was left with game that they hadn't taken... Find something that is close enough that you can visit it like it were your own and get a leasor that will honor his side of the deal and lives on the land so that folks know it is being watched.. Good luck with your decision.. Not an easy one and always understand the comiottment and term of that committement..













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[hh76]

is there public land nearby the property? If so, it opens a lot of other opportunities.

I can't imagine driving two hours and not being able to do anything but sit in a stand. On only 20 acres you wouldn't be able to use most of it for months of the year for fear of messing up deer patterns. I need to be able to wander around and scout a little, too.

Our property is 2.5hrs away, and only 10 acres, but surrounded by public land. It's nice to be able to let the wife and kids wander and play without worrying about scaring deer.

 

[30338]

I own 80 acres and I won't camp there a month before or during archery season. Considered a small building converted to a bunkhouse but still not sure. It holds good deer during season and I can hunt different spots based on wind patterns. Family likes the place, we cut some firewood there in spring and summer. Its a deer oasis in the middle of crop country. And hopefully it goes up in value. If not, not too worried about it.

Long term plans include future grandkids getting to harvest deer and turkeys there with no competition. Teaching them to trap coons and plant trees. Taxes run me right around $100 a year on it. I won't sell it. Both my kids are hunters so they can sell or not, won't matter to me at that point lol.

To get this place I had bought another place in 2008. Held it, sold for slight gain and took stock profits and bought this one. If 20 was what I could afford now, I'd buy it. If you are stuck with it, worse things. If it goes up in value, upsize in 10-15 years.

 

[cross timber]

The only reason I'd buy 20 acres 2 hours away is if I got a smoking deal on it and knew I could make some improvements, hunt on it a year, then flip it to help buy something closer. I bought an 80 15 minutes from the house and I can't imagine having a property 2 hours away to go work and hunt on. Would spend 4 hours on the road each time you go to do a little bit of work. I completely understand the desire to buy land. I thought i'd be satisfied with my 80 but already scheming on how to buy more..

I'd invest what money I had saved up and continue to save to get something closer, honestly. If you commit to finding something affordable closer you'll make it happen. Go to every auction, don't be afraid to ask a seller if they are willing to split their listing (mine was 160 acres that was unaffordable to me but they agreed to split it into two 80s). Best of luck.

 

[wind gypsy]

I own 80 acres and I won't camp there a month before or during archery season. Considered a small building converted to a bunkhouse but still not sure. It holds good deer during season and I can hunt different spots based on wind patterns. Family likes the place, we cut some firewood there in spring and summer. Its a deer oasis in the middle of crop country. And hopefully it goes up in value. If not, not too worried about it.

Long term plans include future grandkids getting to harvest deer and turkeys there with no competition. Teaching them to trap coons and plant trees. Taxes run me right around $100 a year on it. I won't sell it. Both my kids are hunters so they can sell or not, won't matter to me at that point lol.

To get this place I had bought another place in 2008. Held it, sold for slight gain and took stock profits and bought this one. If 20 was what I could afford now, I'd buy it. If you are stuck with it, worse things. If it goes up in value, upsize in 10-15 years.

Good points.

I wouldn't want to stay on a 20 overnight if you're hunting it. I have a nice prefab building on my 40 but i wont even park on my land during season much less sleep or hang out there.

 

[WCB]

There is ZERO "management" on 20 acres. If this was a place you were moving to with a house and were living their 20 acres would be nice. Just to hunt and tie up your money and possibility of doing other hunts.....no way am I making that purchase.

 

[Whisky]

There is ZERO "management" on 20 acres. If this was a place you were moving to with a house and were living their 20 acres would be nice. Just to hunt and tie up your money and possibility of doing other hunts.....no way am I making that purchase.

I agree, I live and hunt on 20 acres. I've had decent success. But like you say, there is no management. You are at the mercy of so many things. I got very lucky, but I'd still never buy only 20 acres 2 hours away for hunting.

 

[cuttiebrownbow]

20 acres, 2 hours away? Not worth it IMO


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[roymunson]

Gonna be tough sledding to find the right spot within those parameters.

I'm blessed to own some land and have a hunting partner who owns land next to me. Together we have about 330 acres or so. And its not enough. We generally think the same on how we do things, but i don't get confrontational if we don't see eye to eye, and i generally defer to keep the peace. But if you don't have guys willing to lay their agendas down, or who are goin to be selfish, it won't be worth it.

the right 20 acres can be great. but 95% of the time, you won't get the right ones. And you don't own enough land to manipulate the habitat to really make a difference. We have a couple homebody bucks, but even those are on the neighbors land regularly. Last year they killed 5 or more deer that we'd designated to "let walk" on our side of the line. And we have roughly 15x the land you're talking about. It can be done, but it's tough

 

[Nomadx2]

At this point in time I would say "no". It s top on the market price wise and interest rates will continue to rise. For that size parcel you are competing with all the hobby farmers, retirees, millennial paradise seekers, organic hippies, and off the griders. For a good, not great 20 acre deer hunting you will probably pay around $5k/acre.

I think guining/lease will limit you to about 1 hunter and how much will 1 hunter pay for a lease? Unless you can prove some success rate on mature deer, what are you offering.

Also agree going in with friends is a recipe for disaster. Remember when you are going into a business deal with a friend, you are also inheriting a spouse who can create issues.

 

[fatlander]

You’d have to pay me to go on a 20 acre guided hunt. One sit on the wrong wind can ruin 20 acres.

Invest the down payment, pay into that account what your monthly mortgage would be, and go on some cool hunts down the road.


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[KyleR1985]

Paying cash? If so, what portion of your net worth would that represent? If you couldn’t sell it fast or sold it at at 25% loss, could you survive?

Does the above math seem to equate to the joy you’d get out of it?


If you’re going to take on a loan on a depreciating asset right now, and you’re not in the top 1% of earners in the country, you’d better be doing so for a really, really good reason. Why am I saying depreciating asset? Because we are actively depressing real property values right now. Your land will be worth less than it is now in the near future. If it is for fun, wait 12-24 months(or whenever values have sunk considerably and interest rates have changed trajectory), save your money, and buy then. Then use the cash you saved on the deal to buy a little cabin to stick on the place.


Or just ignore owning property and take advantage of an amazing opportunity of public land in this country. For 40-200k, which is what I’d assume you’ll be paying, you can buy lots of fuel, tags, gear, and make just as sweet of memories. And you still do it on land you “own”.

 

[Der Hund]

I dreamed of buying my own land to hunt for years. This spring I bought 160+ acres of eastern Oklahoma, 1000ish miles from where I live (cash). Nothing closer really made sense. I wanted land with no deer tag lottery, a conservative population, and feral pigs to harvest if all else failed. I'm so glad the property has a barn to store a brush hog and anything else one would rather not haul back and forth. If not for the barn, I'd buy the largest shipping container I could find to keep stuff in. Things to look for in a property, especially if you are considering building are fencing, clear legal access, availability of power and rural water. I'm also pleased my place is big enough that things like deer feeders, blinds, and hog lights are far enough from the road, nobody is going to see them. Good luck on your decision making and property search.

 

[roymunson]

For a good, not great 20 acre deer hunting you will probably pay around $5k/acre.

We had a couple land only auctions nearby this month where vacant land for hunting went for $15k+

I'm glad im into mine for what I'm into mine for

 

[Timwinjr]

I’d rather have the RIGHT 20 acres vs the wrong 200 acres. I just finished building my house on a small 13 acre piece of land in SC - I love having the flexibility to jump in the stand after work and it not consuming alot of time to and from since I have small children. I have a 2300 acre lease about 45 min away so it’s nice to break it up. From a financial perspective, especially where I am, land has doubled in the last few years so it can be a great investment in the long run. If the land is in a good location and somewhere you could see yourself living, I would seriously consider it. I’ve killed turkeys, mature bucks, and coyotes all from the little 13 acres. Luckily, it backs up to 400 acres of unhunted private land! (For now)

 

[switchback7]

any websites youd recommend when looking for land online ? or how did some of you find the land you bought? just drove by a For Sale sign ?

 

[coloyooper]

any websites youd recommend when looking for land online ? or how did some of you find the land you bought? just drove by a For Sale sign ?

LandWatch is really the only one I'm aware of other than like WhiteTail Properties

 

[switchback7]

LandWatch is really the only one I'm aware of other than like WhiteTail Properties

Alright cool. I am aware of both of those sites, just didnt know what others were using for finding land.