General Hunting Discussion
hunting land purchase
2/12/13 @ 11:29 AM
Displaying 1 to 15 of 19 posts
I agree with the statement about buying land next to big parcels,lot fewer neighbors.I do not agree with buying land right next to public land,lots of trespass problems.My first hunting land that I bought was 80 acres with half swamp in the back that is surrounded by miles of swamp,it is almost not hunted at all.The land has a field in the front that I put food plots in.This land has produced some very nice bucks both gun and bow.My next property 40 acres with a cabin surrounded on three sides by a loggers land.I was very nervice when I bought that property,to far back for power with an easement road going to it.But it has ended up to be the best purchase I have ever made.Great deer and turkey hunting plus know neighbors.I am in the process of selling the 80 but I will never sell that isolated oak 40.
An often overlooked feature is elevation change. It is nice to have some some varied topography. You don't need 30 foot hills but if you have some lowland and highland it gives you more options and hunting opportunities. I will also second the proximity comment. I had some land that was an hour and 45 minutes away on state and county roads. Those county roads made for a tough drive home. Current land is 1 hour and 5 minutes from my office. WAY better for day trips and chores like planting and cutting wood. It is a lot easier to get away for a day than a whole weekend. Much over and hour and a half makes day trips tough. Mrt.
Scout the property , take note of any natural travel corridors and pinch points or funnels. If the property is lacking these features, look elsewhere unless you plan to exclusively bait, and if that is the case expect that baiting will not be an option in the near future. Not all 40's have equal potential. Location,
Never buy land that is on a private road. County will not snow plow it. Road maintenance is expensive.
Can you put it in conservation ( to minimize taxes) ?? If there is oak wilt, they will make you cut them down.
Taxes in Adams County are high. Taxes in Bayfield are low. More deer in Adams, more bear in Bayfield.
If the asking price is 40 grand, offer 30. The longer the listing is on the market, the more willing they might drop the price. Find out why it has not sold.
Trouter
when I bought mine I looked at some bigger less expensive pieces that were farther away. Then I decided on a smaller piece that was closer. I looked at the additional cost of further travel and that it was something I could use more. I can sneak away for a day and a half hunt or at 2hrs and 10 min from door even a 1 day hunt during the rut. 4 hours round trip is not bad but 8 hour round trip is another story add gas at 4 per gallon one trip cost an extra 50 bucks you could put to the purchase per month and get more use. That is what I have to add. I am an hour west of Madison. Big bucks lots of turkeys great duck hunting in the sloughs and lots of public grounds along river for squirrel and pheasant . I quickly became an out west guy verses a up north guy.
It all depends what you are looking for. IF you are just looking for a place to build a permanent stand and sit a few days a year than it should not be too hard to find something. If you have dreams of building a big buck mecca you need to be much more picky. Location is very important but neighbors in my opinion can ruin a great piece or make a crappy piece good. If I were interested in a chunk I would stop and talk to the neighbors and see how the hunting is in the area. You may find out some things that persuade you one way or another. Nothing beats a good walk through of the property. Good luck
Check deer movement. My father inlaw bought a 20 that was loaded with tracks. I was getting hundreds and hundreds of photos all fall. Numerous bucks. Problem was, they come through at 1 a.m. This has swamp, is all wooded and surrounded by a huge parcel of land. I saw a minimal amount of deer all season and have never sat so long.
I've purchased 3 different parcels of land (sold one) the last 9 years and have had some success doing as others have already stated. Find a piece with large parcels around it like 120 acre or more pieces surrounding. Too many 20's and 40's in the area is not good. 2. Do not overlook marshy/cattail parcels with smaller chunks of woods as those are cheaper for the most part and hold more deer. 3. Look thru local classifieds in the area you may want to purchase as buying direct from the landowner is better in my opinion. 4. Look at parcels in the winter (January/February) If it holds deer in the tough Wisconsin winters it will have good amounts of deer year round for the most part.
Wisconsin Outdoor News and specialized sites like Whitetail Properties and Mossy Oak can lead you into some good parcels as well.
Neighbors can be the biggest problem. We learned during rifle season that our neighbors surround our property. They were spread out about every 100-150 yards. It was a war out there!
The other thing to look at is where are the deer coming from and where are they going? Does your ground have the food, the cover, the security? What does your land have that the neighbors doesn't. If you are the bedding cover, how will you hunt it? If you bump the deer and they jump the fence to the neighbor, you are SOL.
Think about travel through out your property and how it lays out as far as getting in and getting out of the woods. Does it have a driveway, a road access and so on. Can you reach your stand without having to walk through the whole property.
haven't actually met the neighbors but i was told one guy is a professor and both sides have nice homes on them. it is close to a really large wildlife area but doesn't share a border with it. it will never be a residential area. a very small portion is a designated wetland (whatever that means) thanks for tip on survey the agent is sending it to me. some mature trees were taken out not that long ago to "thin" the woods.
One shot one kill makes a great point about development.
My dad had the most beautiful hunting 40 I've ever had the pleasure to hunt until I was about 25 years old. It had everything a deer could possibly want or need and we saw tons of deer every year. About 5 years before he sold it, people from the nearby town started moving to the country and a lot of the parcels around our property got bought up and sold as lots. Pretty soon I could see big new houses from my deer stand and the new neighbors became very concerned that someone was hunting so close to their house. We were given notice that our 40 was going to be rezoned and that we were not going to be able to hunt there anymore. We fought it at town meetings and won the first two years but the third time was the charm for the new neighbors. We sold it to a rich guy from town who wanted a playground for his kid and his 4-wheeler. We put the money into a lake lot but I still miss that piece of property.
Displaying 1 to 15 of 19 posts
