Hunting land prices.....

[Wi transplant]

I know from experience the "right" 40 or 80 acre parcel will out produce tracks much larger in size !!! It does not take a 1000 acres to hold big deer !! ( if that is your goal ) Take a look at any section around the deer are not evenly dispersed through. out the area . You need to purchase or make. Your pc where they want to be !! how the tract is laid out , sorounding land , prevailing winds , neighbors and access ! Mean everything !! So dont think you need lots of acres to get started !!! Start small and work your way up in size and enjoy your investment along the way !

Sent from my RS501 using Tapatalk

 

[Ishi]

This is kinda off topic but not everyone can own land but that doesn’t mean you can’t kill mature deer so there’s hope!

You have to be willing to drive to areas that produce mature deer. It takes time with many hours on stand and scouting. You might have to spend many nights in a motel or camper and save as much vacation as possible to hunt the rut.
I’m sure the satisfaction is great on killing a trophy buck that came from your own land but the satisfaction is just as great on killing a mature buck doing it the other way!
If you want it bad enough it can be done.

 

[Deer&Ducks]

for those of us that do not own land, but very much wish to do so. let's talk about your loans for your land. how much did you need to put down? how many yr Loan is it? im a dad with 2 children 2 and 5. next month i will finish off paying my student loans, which was $550 a month. I own both my vehicles a 2006 ford fusion for a work vehicle has 225k on it, and a 2001 dodge ram as my hunting vehicle. I would basically have hardly anything to put down. I pay more in child care than I do in my mortgage. I have the drive, let's here some advice.

Familiarize yourself with the markets so you know a good deal when it comes along, I looked and dreamed for almost 10 years before I bought. And while you’re looking and dreaming.....save, save, save. By taking my time before buying I was able to put half down in cash and finance the rest at 4% on a 10 year loan through FCS. Scope out all the big rec ground and ag ground companies for listings but don’t neglect the small town realtors and auction services for hidden gems. I have zero regrets about buying, good luck!

 

[Jdubs]

Wi, great point. My brother has a 20 that will out produce any big parcel in the section. It's situated "just right".

 

[Bowtech84]

This is kinda off topic but not everyone can own land but that doesn’t mean you can’t kill mature deer so there’s hope!

You have to be willing to drive to areas that produce mature deer. It takes time with many hours on stand and scouting. You might have to spend many nights in a motel or camper and save as much vacation as possible to hunt the rut.
I’m sure the satisfaction is great on killing a trophy buck that came from your own land but the satisfaction is just as great on killing a mature buck doing it the other way!
If you want it bad enough it can be done.

This is the reason I don’t really have the desire to own land. Killing a buck over food plots just doesn’t do it for me. I like the challenge of the hunt more so than the kill. I’m fortunate enough to be able to hunt decent ground and plenty of it at little cost. I may never kill a 200” or a 190” or even a 180” but I’m content with what I have. No need to work 6 or 7 days a week to shoot deer. I also have all the things listed as depreciating assets. Truck,boat,camper,sxs etc. but at this point in my life I believe myself, my wife and kids get way more enjoyment from the things listed above than a piece of dirt. If it was just about me than dirt might be more of a consideration. Does it make more sense financially in the long run........... pry not but it works for us. Maybe someday when the kids are out of the house my views will change but until then, I’m living it. There is more to life than working 50/60hrs a week especially if you have a wife and kids. I strongly agree that anyone who wants to own dirt can do it but there will always be sacrifices. I’m not willing to make those sacrifices, especially to kill a deer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Daver]

This is the reason I don’t really have the desire to own land. Killing a buck over food plots just doesn’t do it for me. I like the challenge of the hunt more so than the kill. I’m fortunate enough to be able to hunt decent ground and plenty of it at little cost. I may never kill a 200” or a 190” or even a 180” but I’m content with what I have. No need to work 6 or 7 days a week to shoot deer. I also have all the things listed as depreciating assets. Truck,boat,camper,sxs etc. but at this point in my life I believe myself, my wife and kids get way more enjoyment from the things listed above than a piece of dirt. If it was just about me than dirt might be more of a consideration. Does it make more sense financially in the long run........... pry not but it works for us. Maybe someday when the kids are out of the house my views will change but until then, I’m living it. There is more to life than working 50/60hrs a week especially if you have a wife and kids. I strongly agree that anyone who wants to own dirt can do it but there will always be sacrifices. I’m not willing to make those sacrifices, especially to kill a deer.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It sounds like you have reasoned this out very well and your thoughts are great. If you and your family are happy, then you are doing things right IMO. Just an FWIW as it relates to me and my family and farm, etc...The priority I place on killing a giant every year has fallen way down the list as the boys have gotten older, etc. I often give them, or even their friends, the best stands and opportunities, preferring to see them have a chance to kill a giant. I certainly will shoot a target buck and be glad to do so, but I have also passed MANY nice ones in the hopes that they will get bigger for next year and/or another lucky hunter will get them. Many, many great family memories are associated with our farm. Killing big deer is a small part of the equation for us...but we do like to get the big ones too.

For me, nowadays, owning the land allows me to plan and think about what I am going to do next to make it better. I LOVE improving the habitat and "creating" preferred areas for the deer. When I first bought my place I think there would probably be fewer than 10 deer on it at any given time...now...18 years later and untold hours of improving things...it's disappointing to not have 10 deer within 40 yards of a stand on a given hunt. I think I am being reasonable when I say that there are probably 5x the deer on our place now as there were back then...probably more.

All I am trying to say is that there is A LOT more to having a place than just having a good place to kill a big deer. Shoot...I even built a pond a couple of years ago and I am fairly confident that there is more fish structure in that pond than 99% of all of the ponds ever built in Iowa. My grandkids will be reeling in big bass, cats, crappies and gills years from now based on the work that I have put in it at this stage. (Quick aside...I am in an area that has been drought ridden for 2 years running. My pond has gained almost as much water in the last 7-8 weeks than the previous 2 years! So it is now, finally, only 4' away from being full.)

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

This is the reason I don’t really have the desire to own land. Killing a buck over food plots just doesn’t do it for me. I like the challenge of the hunt more so than the kill. I’m fortunate enough to be able to hunt decent ground and plenty of it at little cost. I may never kill a 200” or a 190” or even a 180” but I’m content with what I have. No need to work 6 or 7 days a week to shoot deer. I also have all the things listed as depreciating assets. Truck,boat,camper,sxs etc. but at this point in my life I believe myself, my wife and kids get way more enjoyment from the things listed above than a piece of dirt. If it was just about me than dirt might be more of a consideration. Does it make more sense financially in the long run........... pry not but it works for us. Maybe someday when the kids are out of the house my views will change but until then, I’m living it. There is more to life than working 50/60hrs a week especially if you have a wife and kids. I strongly agree that anyone who wants to own dirt can do it but there will always be sacrifices. I’m not willing to make those sacrifices, especially to kill a deer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is the other side of the perspective, but is SPOT ON. Not a single thing to argue about with this. We all get one life and we all get to make choices on how we spend our time and money. It's a beautiful thing.

for me personally... I get great joy in owning ground and having the opportunity to change the landscape from a habitat perspective. Going thru that process is actually probably more enjoyable to me than actually hunting. I find the process very gratifying.

 

[Ishi]

Amount of farms owned by anyone in my family = zero, then and now.
Saved up/earned my own money to fund purchase of farm = true, every penny.
Amount of money given to me from family members = zero...in fact, my parents took money from me while I still lived at home and I was paying for virtually everything I had from 16 years old on.
Wife = one, who worked her way through college as well, no debt when graduated. Me...I owed some, but paid it back years ago.
Kids = two. Both of whom also graduated with high honors from college and had zero debt when done, as they used savings, worked and earned scholarships too. As parents, we did help them some, but in the main, they paid for their own way.

Seriously, it is possible to do everything you mentioned above, bolded, BUT...and here is where people differ...you probably cannot do all of the above AND combinations of the following...
Drive brand new cars/trucks, live in $350k on up houses, spend significant funds on: booze, girls, clothes, shoes, CELL FREAKING PHONES, video games, motorcycles, expensive boats, fancy furniture, expensive vacations, high end home electronics, etc, etc, etc. (BTW, I am not saying that you do any of these things, as I do not know you. But I do know multiple people that do a combination of these things and then complain that they have "no money".)

Choices. Drive. Hard work. It can be done.

Please don’t tell me you still have a flip phone??

 

[Daver]

Please don’t tell me you still have a flip phone??

LOL. No flip phone, but my monthly plan is far less expensive than some others that I have had people tell me about. I will admit though that as an "angry old man", I am more bothered than I should be when I see "kids" with their nose glued to a phone 24x7. The ability for many youngsters to talk to someone eye to eye, etc, is all but lost it seems. I do participate on social media too...but it isn't my life and it concerns me to see so many people so tethered to their phones these days and willing to pay big bucks every month for every possible option, etc. Rant over.

 

[Jdubs]

All very good points for and not owning. I for one would love to see my kid's faces when they inherit my farm in 30 years. If they don't appreciate it now they will then. Lol.

 

[isu22andy]

This is the reason I don’t really have the desire to own land. Killing a buck over food plots just doesn’t do it for me. I like the challenge of the hunt more so than the kill. I’m fortunate enough to be able to hunt decent ground and plenty of it at little cost. I may never kill a 200” or a 190” or even a 180” but I’m content with what I have. No need to work 6 or 7 days a week to shoot deer. I also have all the things listed as depreciating assets. Truck,boat,camper,sxs etc. but at this point in my life I believe myself, my wife and kids get way more enjoyment from the things listed above than a piece of dirt. If it was just about me than dirt might be more of a consideration. Does it make more sense financially in the long run........... pry not but it works for us. Maybe someday when the kids are out of the house my views will change but until then, I’m living it. There is more to life than working 50/60hrs a week especially if you have a wife and kids. I strongly agree that anyone who wants to own dirt can do it but there will always be sacrifices. I’m not willing to make those sacrifices, especially to kill a deer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Brown goat you mean.

 

[2-bucks]

While slightly of topic..this is a great civil constructive conversation and the type I come to the site for. Kudos to all involved.

Like many others here, I completely understand and support others decisions to put time, money and effort into whatever is best for them and their family. Hunting property, ski boat, vacation home in Florida, dinner out every day of the year, or wild women and booze...it's all up to each of us. One of the great things about our country is that there are many "right" ways to go about making our lives happy/better and we all get to decide what that way is.

 

[Ishi]

LOL. No flip phone, but my monthly plan is far less expensive than some others that I have had people tell me about. I will admit though that as an "angry old man", I am more bothered than I should be when I see "kids" with their nose glued to a phone 24x7. The ability for many youngsters to talk to someone eye to eye, etc, is all but lost it seems. I do participate on social media too...but it isn't my life and it concerns me to see so many people so tethered to their phones these days and willing to pay big bucks every month for every possible option, etc. Rant over.

Good to hear you have a smartphone! Part of the reason I can’t afford land is because I have to much compassion for mankind
I mean golly geez I’m already on the hook to get 6by6 a chair just glad I don’t have to help buy you a phone

 

[Earnhardt]

What are you landowners with hunting land, paying for yearly taxes on your hunting land?
Can you break it down for us for % ?

Example...160 acres...75% tillable...25% wooded. = $___ taxes per year, on the 160 acres you own/hunt
Or 80 acres of 100% wooded, grassy land?...

I know taxes vary by county, but you can at least give us an idea?
Thanks

 

[Daver]

What are you landowners with hunting land, paying for yearly taxes on your hunting land?
Can you break it down for us for % ?

Example...160 acres...75% tillable...25% wooded. = $___ taxes per year, on the 160 acres you own/hunt
Or 80 acres of 100% wooded, grassy land?...

I know taxes vary by county, but you can at least give us an idea?
Thanks

180 acres, 1/2 tillable, 1/2 timber, Davis County, $2100 annually. I choose not to enroll the timber in timber reserve, although I could and then not be taxed on that part of it.

 

[Bowtech84]

Another thing I’ve often wondered about land ownership is............ do you guys only hunt/fish your farm or do you hunt/fish others. I see guys with 20,40,60,80 or even 100 acres and wonder if there can even be enough sets with the right wind directions to be productive? I hunt one farm that’s 320 acres and there is no place to put a stand for a north wind due to deer bedding/travel and enter/exit access. Now this is a good size farm and if it was my only place to hunt I guess I would have to make due if I wanted to hunt but at the risk of blowing deer out for a mediocre sit at best. I usually take 10 or so days off during the rut and typically see about every wind direction in that time frame. If I get a north wind I just head to a different farm better suited. If I owned my own farm would I still have that option?

Reason I ask is my family owns a 240. Great hunting potential but since I’ve been a little guy anybody was allowed to hunt or fish as long as they were respectful. Growing up it wasn’t a big deal. I was catching fish and killing critters with a smile on my face. Once I hit my teens I started seeing ppl taking bigger fish or bucks off the 240 and it kind of ate at me a little. I thought “this is our farm I should have the rights to those things over these ppl?” When I expressed my feelings about it I was told “is this the only place you want to hunt and fish? How can you expect to tell others no but expect others to say yes when asking permission?” That’s stuck with me. Now if I bought a small piece of dirt and tried keeping everyone out except a select few I feel I would be restricted to that farm. So how do you guys do it? Do you all have good deer, pheasant, turkey, fishing etc. on your 20/40/60 acre farms or do you still rely on other properties? Do you solely deer hunt and not participate in other outdoor activities if you can’t do them on your ground? Do you hunt/fish public? Do you restrict your kids to only hunting/fishing your property or do you feel ok about having your own special spot and allowing your kids to hunt/fish wherever with permission. With my line of thinking owning ground closes more doors than it opens. What say you?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[isu22andy]

Another thing I’ve often wondered about land ownership is............ do you guys only hunt/fish your farm or do you hunt/fish others. I see guys with 20,40,60,80 or even 100 acres and wonder if there can even be enough sets with the right wind directions to be productive? I hunt one farm that’s 320 acres and there is no place to put a stand for a north wind due to deer bedding/travel and enter/exit access. Now this is a good size farm and if it was my only place to hunt I guess I would have to make due if I wanted to hunt but at the risk of blowing deer out for a mediocre sit at best. I usually take 10 or so days off during the rut and typically see about every wind direction in that time frame. If I get a north wind I just head to a different farm better suited. If I owned my own farm would I still have that option?

Reason I ask is my family owns a 240. Great hunting potential but since I’ve been a little guy anybody was allowed to hunt or fish as long as they were respectful. Growing up it wasn’t a big deal. I was catching fish and killing critters with a smile on my face. Once I hit my teens I started seeing ppl taking bigger fish or bucks off the 240 and it kind of ate at me a little. I thought “this is our farm I should have the rights to those things over these ppl?” When I expressed my feelings about it I was told “is this the only place you want to hunt and fish? How can you expect to tell others no but expect others to say yes when asking permission?” That’s stuck with me. Now if I bought a small piece of dirt and tried keeping everyone out except a select few I feel I would be restricted to that farm. So how do you guys do it? Do you all have good deer, pheasant, turkey, fishing etc. on your 20/40/60 acre farms or do you still rely on other properties? Do you solely deer hunt and not participate in other outdoor activities if you can’t do them on your ground? Do you hunt/fish public? Do you restrict your kids to only hunting/fishing your property or do you feel ok about having your own special spot and allowing your kids to hunt/fish wherever with permission. With my line of thinking owning ground closes more doors than it opens. What say you?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agree 110 percent . Look, I might of went off on a little rant earlier in the thread and exaggerated some things, I apologize, I do tend to be sarcastic at times too. Buying grounds not in my playbook anytime soon unless something drastic happens like marrying a dr or hitting the lotto . I get it - you can, I can, probably make sacrifices to afford it even on a smaller salary.... The bigger question Ive always had is what Bowtech84 just said . 40 acres or 20 acres is it worth it ? Will it even hold a decent buck or will you just blow half the farm out everytime you walk in there ? What if the neighbors seem like great people , you buy it, then they are next door dumping 100s of AK rounds at it the moment you leave town... What about all that ground I ask permission for that ive roamed for years turkey, coyote, pheasant, goose hunting, mushroom hunting, crappie fishing, ect. What happens when they've given me free roam for all these years and they want to come hunt my 40 acre timber because I kill big bucks on it and I tell them no. Guess whose names getting thrown around the coffee shop in the morning , and guess whose permission is probably getting shut down for multiple acres probably across multiple owners....

Its odd that Bowtech84 brought this up, because a similar situation happened its to me when I was young . I was taught the same thing. My extended family farms also and remember growing up dad always took me fishing instead of brown goat shooting . Id say at the time we had over 15 ponds to fish , we asked to fish a pond that was one of my dads coworkers ponds and got told no. No problem they own the land the pond, they got their reasons whatever. Go on our way, fast forward - guess who calls up and wants to hunt the family ground the following year ? Guess who got told no because we didnt get to fish the pond. Well then it was well uh ya see well uh.... - Guess who never asked again....

Another thing Ive always thought is who am I to say I might buy ground now , and when my kids are old er all the sudden they dont give 2 shits about what lives on that 40 or what they can hunt on it. Ive seen it time and time again with farm kids growing up. Grew up farming hunting, get to highschool all the sudden its not the cool thing to do , it kinda waivers a little, they go to college and soon dads retiring - they have the keys to the farm and turn it down to go live in the city. How do you know your kids no matter how much you try to mold them into deer hunters are going to want to be deer hunters ? The only thing they might care about is , when your worm chow , whats that timber worth at the local realtor so they can put into their downtown Iowa City Loft while wearing a man bun .

Food for thought.

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

Some of the demographics and stats I made reference to earlier.

• Sixty percent of Iowa farmland is owned by people 65 years or older and 35 percent of farmland is owned by people 75 or older.

• Eighty-two percent of Iowa farmland is owned free of debt, which represents a significant increase from 62 percent in 1982 and 78 percent in 2012.

• Forty-seven percent of farmland is owned by women. Thirteen percent is owned by female landowners over the age of 80.

• Fifty-three percent of farmland is leased, with the majority of farmland leases being cash rental arrangements.

• Twenty-nine percent of Iowa farmland primarily is owned for family or sentimental reasons.

• There is a continuous shift away from sole ownership and joint tenancy to trusts and corporations, which accounted for 20 percent and 10 percent of land, respectively, in 2017.

• Over half of Iowa farmland is owned by someone who does not currently farm: 34 percent is owned by owners with no farming experience and 24 percent by retired farmers.

• Eighty percent of land was owned by full-time Iowa residents, 7 percent was owned by part-time residents and 13 percent was owned by those who do not live in the state.

 

[loneranger]

As an owner of 40 acres I must agree with some of what I read. Difficult to get to a stand without leaving scent all over. Neighbors and what they are doing have an effect on a small property as apposed to a large tract. Even so I have enjoyed my small land. I have small food plots and have planted many dwarf oak and apple trees. Improved what I have for wildlife. I also grow a garden,,grapes,,berry bushes for myself. I have enjoyed my Small parcel very much. And I have not done too bad with taking 4 and 5 yr old bucks. Even though I have been told by many I picked one of the poorest most poached areas in Iowa to purchase land. Small parcels can be enjoyed..

 

[sep0667]

I'm really enjoying this thread. Keep it going. I love hearing peoples thoughts and personal stories/backgrounds. It is great motivation. I am 29, next year at this time my house should be paid off and I'll be debt free. Really hoping landownership in a few years is a reality. Its been a dream for about a decade now. So great to hear that not everyone just fell into owning land through inheritance or family help or is working a six figure job.