Buying property !!!!....... Well maybe not.

[oldrank]

I have this on going battle in my head every year or so. I convince myself I am going to buy some land. I get all pumped about it and start looking. Than it hits me... I can only afford maybe 20 acres around here, or maybe I find 50 acres or 100 acres further north. That seems so small to me and I give up. I just think I would feel to boxed in because I am used to hunting 1000s of acres. Anyone else have this inner struggle? Has anyone bought land and felt this way after?

I'm getting older. I really just want to have a good place to hunt for when I retire. What do you guys think is solid minimum acreage to not feel closed in?

[J Gilbert]

If I were buying land, I'd look for it to be near some prime public as well- no matter what you do, hunting the same 20/50/100ac all year long isn't going to be effective due to the pressure, so give yourself a solid home base near an area or two that really let you spread out and offer what you're looking for. Maybe you can find some property that acts as a major funnel or has some specific draw relative to the neighboring land and have some success hunting there a few times per year by keeping pressure low, but I don't think you'd have consistent success using a property of this size as a primary hunting ground.

[Hawthorne]

40 acres can hunt good for one guy with a lot of terrain features and in a good neighborhood. I own 23 and only hunt it 3-4 days a year. 2 during the rut. 4 years I’ve owned I killed 3 good bucks off it. I plan on retiring on it when I’m ready.

[DaveT1963]

I have this on going battle in my head every year or so. I convince myself I am going to buy some land. I get all pumped about it and start looking. Than it hits me... I can only afford maybe 20 acres around here, or maybe I find 50 acres or 100 acres further north. That seems so small to me and I give up. I just think I would feel to boxed in because I am used to hunting 1000s of acres. Anyone else have this inner struggle? Has anyone bought land and felt this way after?

I'm getting older. I really just want to have a good place to hunt for when I retire. What do you guys think is solid minimum acreage to not feel closed in?

When I moved from MT to N Texas it killed me - didn't even feel like hunting anymore. went from 1,000,000s of public acres (and numerous big game species) to virtually nothing within an hours drive and very, very little public land within 6 hours

[Redman232]

I'd take smaller acreage with lots of public opportunities near by over larger acreage with no other option close by. The best property I've ever hunted was 25 acres.

[headgear]

If I ever bought land I would live there, hunt it a little and still hunt public.

[Kraftd]

We have 60 acres and a cabin in central WI, with access to probably another 150 of private in the immediate area that should be pretty stable long-term. My dad is going to be 70 this year. For him this has been perfect. Our's happens to be a nasty swamp, so hunts larger than it is and is also surrounded by thousands of acres that is better and better managed each year, so plenty of deer and usually some good bucks around. I tend to hunt ours 3 or so times a year and hunt public and MFL around it more to give my dad space. That said, I'm thrilled that this is there for me when I start to get older after watching my dad get a little more localized and hunt more set stands.

I guess what I'm saying is, if you can find the right piece, with public nearby, it could be a great option as you age and even if the fire is there, the ability may not be there to be humping through swamps. My dad could not care less if he shoots aa deer at this point, but he loves being able to get out a bunch within a 10 minute walk from the cabin door. Lots more to see from a deer stand than dead deer.

[ODH]

Agree with J Gilbert and Hawthorne - I own two pieces of land (45ac and 75ac) and hunt a lot of public. But don't live near any of it. it's really nice to have a home base and a piece of land you can manipulate. One of mine is all bedding and the other holds a primary scrape and gets lots of traffic during the rut. From a hunting perspective those guys are right it's critical to have a piece which the deer have reason to be on, like bedding, funnels, etc. Neighbors matter, whether they hunt or don't.

I love having my own land even though I hunt it only a few days a season. Biggest joy is staying there and not having to get in a vehicle to go hunt. Just start walking. Given you are in no rush just take your time and search for the piece which fit's your need. Small parcels can offer great opportunities.

[Dewey]

I’m looking for something in the northwoods not so much for hunting but to build a retirement home. Haven’t found what I’m looking for yet but will know it when I see it. I would prefer 20+ acres for privacy with lots of public land nearby. If it adjoins that would be great but could also be a lot of headaches depending on the location. It sure would be nice to walk out the door and have walking access to 1,000’s of acres. Hunting is not great up there but I love the solitude. Some things are much more important than deer.

[Twenty Up]

When I was younger I always got hung up on buying thousands upon thousands of acres and managing it. It sounds great but tractors, plows, side by sides are all extremely expensive.

Then I found the Beast and realized I already own hundreds of thousands of acres as a public land owner.

Don’t get me wrong, it would be awesome to own my own back 40 and manage that for whitetail... but with the mindset I’ve got going on right now I don’t want to be confined to X amount of acres. I’m a peacock, you gotta let me fly!

[oldrank]

When I was younger I always got hung up on buying thousands upon thousands of acres and managing it. It sounds great but tractors, plows, side by sides are all extremely expensive.

Then I found the Beast and realized I already own hundreds of thousands of acres as a public land owner.

Don’t get me wrong, it would be awesome to own my own back 40 and manage that for whitetail... but with the mindset I’ve got going on right now I don’t want to be confined to X amount of acres. I’m a peacock, you gotta let me fly!

Right on!!!

[tim]

I’ve got 50 acres in the bluffs of western Wisconsin. I would have to be offered 10 times what it’s worth to sell it! It hunts big being bluffs and ravines and valley. It’s beautiful it has open on top for crops that transitions into overgrown pasture which transitions into the woods. Boring ? I disagree . I used to jump all over different farms and I’d kill bucks but now I focus on my 50 and another bigger farm when I’m up there. I haven’t hunted the other farms I used to . My main goal is taking a good one on my land every year now more than anything. My land sits right in the middle of a mile long valley.all land isn’t created equal you gotta find a piece you won’t be bored with.

[bowfreak8]

My old man bought 36 acres and it hunts much larger than 36. The best part of that property is it's minutes from 5,000 acres of public land, multiple private pieces we have access to and a large lake.

[wolverinebuckman]

For the past five years my buddy who owns a 40-acre ag field has let me hunt his property. There's a couple of nice tree-lined ditches that run through it, and then about a six or eight acre chunk of woods in toward the back. For the past five years I really have loved learning the property, figuring out how to hunt it.
But now after joining the Beast I know, more than anything, that I have way over hunted that piece of ground. I can't help it, I like to be out almost every day of the season if possible.

So fortunately for me, a buddy turn me on to some local public last year and I fell in love with it. I can't see myself ever really being content on a small piece of land again.

Now don't get me wrong, if I could find a nice piece of property to live on that offered me an area to hunt on occasion, and manage how I wanted, that would be great. Especially when the orange Army went marching in to the public!
But now I realize I certainly couldn't bank on some small piece of land being my go-to hunting spot, anymore.

[Uncle Lou]

Just because you own 20, 40, or 100 doesn't mean that is the only place you can hunt. There is nothing like owning a piece of dirt. I have very little up north and always want more. My little piece up north is just a base camp, with a lot of public and paper company close by