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Minimum amount

sep0667

sep0667

Land of the Whitetail
If you were going to buy a property for deer hunting, specifically archery, what is the least amount of acres you would consider purchasing?

Of course it depends on what your goals are, if it was just to shoot a deer I would just stick with public. My goal would be to try and attract and retain some deer on the property and ultimately try and have a realistic opportunity at an older more mature class buck. Obviously neighbors being on the same page is huge and perhaps need to look at how many landowners are in the immediate area. If the area has a bunch of property owners with 20, 40, 60, 80 acre peices and multiple people hunting that would not be as ideal as landowners owning 160, 240, 400 etc acre chunks in the area.

Also the the landscape of the area has an impact too. Is the immediate area mostly all timber, or a lot of ag ground too? Is there a water source like a good creek flowing through?

I've always wanted to own my own ground, but as I get closer to being able to actually seriously consider buying the more I begin to lean towards just sticking with the couple small private places I have permission and public.

I run through whitetail properties, land watch, etc a few times a week. It really makes me wonder too on who buys all those big properties for upwards or over a million dollars.

Any thoughts? Things to consider/suggestions?
 
I think owning any acreage in relation with what you can afford is better than not. That said my dream would be to own a square mile which is about 600 acres. In that area one can shape their age structure. Unfortunately, I don't have the financial resources to own that much so I focused on several factors to buy the 130 acres I do have.

I did have an additional 80 acres that was not connected to the 130, too far from my first piece , that I and ended up selling due to rushing the purchase and not doing my homework.

The property had to have a good mix of timber, crp and foodplots. My place has 10 acres of food plots, 30 acres CRP and 90 in timber. Also, I believe there must be flowing water, not cattle ponds, but a constant running source. I am lucky to have a spring fed creek running through most of the property feeding a larger creek. And of course I examined the neighborhood the best I could looking at feeder properties and neighbors. At the end of the day it worked out pretty well. I have great relationships with my neighbors and good hunting.

That said, my brother has 20 acres that is situated perfectly, in the ideal location, that produces as many bucks as my property does that is 6x larger. I think perfect property trumps size every time.
 
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I would love to own a full section or square mile size as that is a deers typical home range, but I don't think that will ever be realistic. Realistically I will likely be able to purchase 80-150 acres one day. If I do make the decision to purchase I will certainly try a meet the neighboring landowners to get a feel for them and try and be sure to have a diverse property in regards to timber, water source, tillable etc. Also how many different setups do I think I can get for different winds and being able to access those sets. I know 80 acres can get over hunted pretty quick by just one person.
 
One last thing. You mentioned Whitetail Properties. Great company but I think they inflate prices compared to using a smaller more local real estate company in the area you are looking.

You know I think some properties hunt larger than the actual acreage. On my place I have 8 really good setups and a couple other marginal stands for bowhunting. Gun hunting is a bit different with 3 awesome blind sets. Keep in mind we don't drive deer, only sit and wait.

I'm happy with the sets compared to the acreage. If you buy with all the characteristics mentioned above the property provides different feels and looks. Some stands are along water, some on food, others bordering bedding, and yet a couple more between CRP and timber. I think the property feels bigger than it is.
 
I do not think WP over inflates prices . It's more likely the case the landowners want the price that is being asked. I do know that some WP guys have turned down listings because the asking price the owners wanted was way beyond market value. And you don't have to pay the listing price but if it's a good enough property there's plenty of people in line.
 
I do agree with the above statement that the right small property with the right components can be better than a larger property on occasion. Kind of hard to figure this out before you buy a lot of times but they are out there.
 
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chipterp said:
I do agree with the above statement that the right small property with the right components can be better than a larger property. Kind of hard to figure this out before you buy a lot of times but they are out there.
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X2. Definetly. Location, Location, Location. If I were to buy any property, I'd first talk to the neighbors and get their take on what kind of deer movement they've witnessed and what kind of hunting activity is in the area typically. Pretty much any property I'd buy I would plan on doing a bunch of habitat management and restoration. So, It wouldn't be exactly a deal breaker if it isn't in the most ideal spot. Near a city/town wouldn't be a bad idea as the deer get pretty accustom to sounds of people and cars going by. I hunt a property like that and it's a Gold mine because it's connected to a funnel and is a bedding area. So, I get the best of both worlds. Things to consider also is... Is It near a wildliferefuge?... Is it near public? etc.
 
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Location is right. There are 17 acres that I would kill to own but can not seem to get the landowner to part with it. I could have 2 stands and have an opportunity there every year I believe.
 
camo658 said:
X2. Definetly. Location, Location, Location. If I were to buy any property, I'd first talk to the neighbors and get their take on what kind of deer movement they've witnessed and what kind of hunting activity is in the area typically. Pretty much any property I'd buy I would plan on doing a bunch of habitat management and restoration. So, It wouldn't be exactly a deal breaker if it isn't in the most ideal spot. Near a city/town wouldn't be a bad idea as the deer get pretty accustom to sounds of people and cars going by. I hunt a property like that and it's a Gold mine because it's connected to a funnel and is a bedding area. So, I get the best of both worlds. Things to consider also is... Is It near a wildliferefuge?... Is it near public? etc.
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Yes, I have thought of that too. If you could find a piece for sale that borders or is near a refuge would be awesome, but that could take a long time to find one like that.
 
TeenageHunter said:
My plan is to buy a 160 when I'm out of college and have at least $100k saved up.
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If you can have 100k saved up by the time you graduate college after going to school full time I would suggest not going to school and just doing what ever you are doing to have that 100k so quick while going to and paying for school lol
 
sep0667 said:
If you can have 100k saved up by the time you graduate college after going to school full time I would suggest not going to school and just doing what ever you are doing to have that 100k so quick while going to and paying for school lol
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My thoughts haha

Sent from my XT1030 using IW
 
It would be easier to find a girl who's dad owns a bunch of ground. Just saying that's def the easier and more fun route to your dreams. good luck on that hunt:)
 
sep0667 said:
If you can have 100k saved up by the time you graduate college after going to school full time I would suggest not going to school and just doing what ever you are doing to have that 100k so quick while going to and paying for school lol
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I probably won't be paying for school. I'm saying afew years after I graduate. Not right after, sorry for not being clear enough.
 
sep0667 said:
Yes, I have thought of that too. If you could find a piece for sale that borders or is near a refuge would be awesome, but that could take a long time to find one like that.
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True, but you could also ask if there are any resident around that don't allow hunting on their ground. It's been my experience that these properties come up in conversations quite a bit because they have been known to hold big deer and word travels fast because it involves big deer. Search for properties that border these.

Also, If you get any properties with Pine trees, Cedars, etc. they offer a big time advantage for the later seasons. Some of the biggest Deer I've heard of or view on wall were taken on properties like this.
 
I think you should look at a 40 or 80 to start with

You can shoot nice deer on a smaller property in the right area.
 
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