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Non Resident Landowner Rant

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vacation

New Member
Hello all,

I am originally from Southern Iowa, but have moved to S. Missouri for work reasons, but I still own our family farm of 300 acres in N. Monroe County that is 2/3 row crop and 1/3 timber in which I have personally killed many 150 class and a 196 over the years. My frustration is that my crop feeds the deer, I pay the taxes and I dont allow anyone to hunt my farm, yet it is very difficult/expensive for me to obtain a tag to enjoy one of my favorite passions, deer hunting. I am limited to the very tiny deer in the Ozarks, yet am haunted by the thought of deer on my Iowa farm that I dont get to hunt.

Does anyone know if there is legislation currently in the works to allow nonresident landowners some basic rights/tags? I understand lots of you dont want out of staters buying Iowa land for the purpose of deer hunting for various reasons, but my family has owned this farm over 75 years and believe me have spent enough in taxes and sweat equity that we deserve the right to hunt.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what they would do in this situation to maximize the hunting opportunity and if so, what are the costs associated with it.

Thanks for your time.
 
vacation said:
Does anyone have any suggestions on what they would do in this situation to maximize the hunting opportunity and if so, what are the costs associated with it.
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The answer is simple, move back and enjoy obtaining 3 any sex tags a year:way:

The cost? Possibly a career change. Like the saying goes "can't have your cake and eat it too"
 
Dude, check back around February and you get all the advice, :moon:, you'll need regarding your plight. I'm also a NR landowner and have been here for nearly a decade. It's a great site, however, your timing (hunting season) is bad. I suggest you search the site threads with NR tags or NR landowners and you'll have enough reading to last until February. Good luck.
 
The point is to deter people from buying up land and then not supporting the state by not living in it. I get that you are a common man, but what most residents don't want to see is wealthy out-of-staters come in and snatch up all of the land and continue to drive real estate prices up. Locals want to see the land stay local or at least have new residents move to the state and support the state and it's economy (every school in Iowa would love to add another student at 6k a head).

Our small town communities are dying and we need residents not non-residents who buy up the land. I get you pay taxes, etc., but you don't live here that is the big kicker.
 
You got a tough situation. Not much you can do about it though. I know it would take one heck of a good job to make me move away from a farm like that. Makes a guy really think about his priorities in life. I guess mine are pretty far out of whack. I dont think I could move away even if I had a winning lottery ticket!
 
Find a job back in Iowa, problem solved. OR sell your farm and get one in MO. OR get a doe tag and use the party hunting loophole. No one said you cant hunt your land. It frustrates me when NRs play the "poor me, i own land but I can't hunt it every year because of NR hunting rules". That is simply not true.
I understand you pay property tax but I assume you are also making $ on the 2/3rds that is row crops(translates to me not feeling sorry for you). You are also not paying Iowa state income tax and contributing to the Iowa economy on a regular basis since you live in MO. I don't blame you for the way you feel but you wont get much sympathy from the majority of us who have to knock on doors or hunt public. If we allow NR landowners to draw buck tags every year, the days of knocking on doors and getting permission will be numbered, IMO. Lord knows it is difficult enough as is getting on decent ground without having to drop a boat load of $. IMO the restrictions on NR tags is one of the only laws preventing Iowa Deer hunting from becoming a rich mans sport. No offense to the OP and any other NR landowner with the same rant but it is clear to me it is all about the antlers and nothing more for you. If that wasn't the case you would have nothing to rant about. Get your doe tag and just be grateful you have 300 acres exclusively for you to hunt and no one else.
 
Obviously a touchy subject in which I see both sides. No I am not moving back to Iowa anytime soon, but have lots of family still there, its just I love all outdoor activities and the fishing in Southern Missouri is killer. I am a common man, not rich at all and yes there is income off the farm; however, I pay $10,000 a year in taxes and I also cash rent the farm out...BUT it is MY land, not the government's PERIOD. I am responsible for the taxes, liability insurance, fences, easements, right of ways, but when it comes to the wildlife which I have hunted most my life, then move across imaginary state borders the government says I have to pay over $500 for an any deer tag and only be eligible every 3 years is crap. Simply put, it is all about money, either in state revenue or trying to keep prices down so out of stater's wont buy up land, but honestly that argument doesn't hold much water with me in that prices per acre are already over $5000 for crop ground and that is fed by the advent of ethanol subsidies, not by deer hunters.

Heck, they law could state that in order to qualify for a NR landowner tag you have to own the land for 30 years, just make it make sense to so many of us that would like to come back to our boyhood home, take advantage of the land we own and stay at hotels in small towns, buy food, beer, gas, etc.. and boost the local economy when its needed most. I am not asking for sympathy, only asking that we NR land owners get a fair shake when we ARE paying our "fair share" in Iowa with taxes and providing jobs to thousands that make a living on our land in the form of cash-rent, share cropping or renting pasture.

Ok, rant over...carry on.
 
Iowa

vacation said:
Obviously a touchy subject in which I see both sides. No I am not moving back to Iowa anytime soon, but have lots of family still there, its just I love all outdoor activities and the fishing in Southern Missouri is killer. I am a common man, not rich at all and yes there is income off the farm; however, I pay $10,000 a year in taxes and I also cash rent the farm out...BUT it is MY land, not the government's PERIOD. I am responsible for the taxes, liability insurance, fences, easements, right of ways, but when it comes to the wildlife which I have hunted most my life, then move across imaginary state borders the government says I have to pay over $500 for an any deer tag and only be eligible every 3 years is crap. Simply put, it is all about money, either in state revenue or trying to keep prices down so out of stater's wont buy up land, but honestly that argument doesn't hold much water with me in that prices per acre are already over $5000 for crop ground and that is fed by the advent of ethanol subsidies, not by deer hunters.

Heck, they law could state that in order to qualify for a NR landowner tag you have to own the land for 30 years, just make it make sense to so many of us that would like to come back to our boyhood home, take advantage of the land we own and stay at hotels in small towns, buy food, beer, gas, etc.. and boost the local economy when its needed most. I am not asking for sympathy, only asking that we NR land owners get a fair shake when we ARE paying our "fair share" in Iowa with taxes and providing jobs to thousands that make a living on our land in the form of cash-rent, share cropping or renting pasture.

Ok, rant over...carry on.
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I am in the same boat, went round and round on here for several years. I have 120 acres in Iowa, but have only hunted on it a few times. I mainly bought it as investment, but starting to figure out how to use it (shotgun tags)

It is not a fair system, but it is what it is. Personally, I think this will probably change sometime, maybe not in the next 5 years, but 20-25% of the land in Iowa is owned by NR, so the state will look to that group as a potential income source (NR landowner tags).

Either way, I enjoy my farm, will probably keep it forever, and I respect Iowa deer management (December gun season) and enjoy seeing all the mature bucks!
 
10k in taxes? You are doing something wrong. Put the timber in the Timber Reserve program. Taxes on tillable in NE Iowa are about $10 per acre per year.
 
I'm on the other side of the glass now as a resident so I know how much it sucks. Id put our farms up against any in the state as far as whitetail quality and it was frustrating for the last 12 years having to wait 3 years to draw bow tags. I really wish the DNR made it easier for us to at least manage our herd, especially being next to thousands acres of no hunting. Sorry DNR, but at $150 a pop, we can't shoot the 25-30 does necessary to keep it in check.

I hate how people are so quick to paint NRLO's as bad people when we let a couple good guys bow hunt every year, not to mention the different residents hunting in our group during gun season. We're not looking to take opportunities away from anyone in Iowa, we didn't even buy our farms for hunting. We got them for the timber and the price was right.

And a final thought: you guys have nobody to blame but your own DNR. They push the video industry to pump up Iowa every year. That's what draws in the big money nonresidents wanting to buy land. Every GOVERNORS TAG given to Drurys, or the Realtree gang, or country music singers just exacerbates the problem. How are none of you outraged these rich/famous guys get a tag to hunt farms that would NEVER let any of you hunt, or buy/lease them out from under you? Its rediculous. Your(our) DNR made this monster what it is today, so quit blaming nonresidents!
 
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Is there a building on it of of some type? 10K? Ouch. I would think 2-3k tops for just land although may be different with various set-ups.

Other than moving back there is nothing you cn do but honestly, the shed hunting and habitat management is more fun to me now than the tags being punched.

I'd shotgun hunt, improve your land and enjoy that tag when you can get it. I understand you situation as I almost left too, but stayed in my home state, but again, you have to do what is best for your family.
 
kbnelson3 said:
Your(our) DNR made this monster what it is today, so quit blaming nonresidents!
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Our DNR has made this state the big buck state that it is today. We don't want our DNR to follow in the footsteps of Kansas and Illinois. Talk to any resident of those states, and they will tell you that hunting there is not what it used to be (at least for the average hunter in those states). Our DNR has their head on straight and realize that the 'quality' of our deer herd would decline if we had an unlimited amount of NR's hunting in it.

We all know that this is a pointless debate, and that we aren't going to change anyones opinion on IowaWhitetail...however, I think the Iowa DNR has done a great job, and I appreciate all of the good things that they've done for this state. Sure, I don't agree with everything, but when it comes to a deer herd, nobody is ever going to agree on ever aspect of it.

Personally, even if I moved away, which is possible.....I would still fight for what Iowa has....knowing that when I finally did draw, I would have a world class hunt that is no longer available in most parts of the country. :way:
 
vacation said:
I am limited to the very tiny deer in the Ozarks, yet am haunted by the thought of deer on my Iowa farm that I dont get to hunt.
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Hey, I am originally from southern Missouri, and those Ozark deer aren't that tiny. Heck, I've lived in Iowa for 7 years now, and still out of my top 5 bucks, 3 of them have come from southern MO. :grin:
 
Our DNR does a top notch job. They way the system is now is why Iowa is one of the best, period. Tamper with it and it will go down hill. NR landowner's have very little to offer the state, and even less to resident hunters. Maybe sell the farm in IA and buy in MO and manage that land. Why do you think MO deer are so small? I'll bet you a big reason is the gun seasons during the rut on NR tags available over the counter. Iowa would be no different if the regs are changed.
 
sureshot said:
Our DNR has made this state the big buck state that it is today. We don't want our DNR to follow in the footsteps of Kansas and Illinois. Talk to any resident of those states, and they will tell you that hunting there is not what it used to be (at least for the average hunter in those states). Our DNR has their head on straight and realize that the 'quality' of our deer herd would decline if we had an unlimited amount of NR's hunting in it.

We all know that this is a pointless debate, and that we aren't going to change anyones opinion on IowaWhitetail...however, I think the Iowa DNR has done a great job, and I appreciate all of the good things that they've done for this state. Sure, I don't agree with everything, but when it comes to a deer herd, nobody is ever going to agree on ever aspect of it.

Personally, even if I moved away, which is possible.....I would still fight for what Iowa has....knowing that when I finally did draw, I would have a world class hunt that is no longer available in most parts of the country. :way:
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I don't think the DNR should receive the big pat on the back that you are giving them...

#1-They supported more NR tags
#2-They considered moving the gun season into November
#3-They agreed to a January rifle season that kills countless shed bucks

The reason Iowa is a great big buck state is the December gun season, limiting NR helps...I personally would not ask for unlimited tags, a small portion of tags to NR landowners is the answer in my opinion.

Most of this argument would go away if you allocated a portion of the tags to NR landowners...6000 total tags, have 1500 go to landowners?

That being said, if nothing changes, I'm ok with it, and sureshot, I always like reading your post, so no harm meant, just pointing out
 
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