Deciding which property to buy! I found 2 pieces of property I like and can make work for hunting but can't decide on which one, both are in the same price range and below I listed each of the properties stats Property 1 57 acres with a house and a barn 25 acres of tillable with access from the top of the hill 2 ridges with good timber and places to put food plots The lower portion has a river that runs a portion of it. Property 2 85 acres with no buildings 35 acres of CRP that has a couple area's of mature trees in the crp The rest is mature timber The access is from the bottom of the hill and has 2 ridges that I would own both sides of It borders 225 acres of public land It has 2 potential spots for food plots 3 streams with year round water Building a barn would be tough but could be done adds about $50,000.00 to the cost.
The property line is so well marked that there would be no incidental trespassing. The way I look at it it just extends my hunting area and I don't have to pay taxes on it.
That's how I would look at it. State Game Land bordering to private adds value around here, especially if public access is limited near the location of the private parcel.
I work from time to time on the states most used WMA here in Minnesota and the boundaries are marked and every spring and especially fall there are complaints from property owners on the borders. Sure other states could be different.
Not knowing what you are looking for, and just going off what you described I would go with the 2nd parcel. Being the same price even though the first has a house and barn, my guess is the 2nd is better land and there is more of it. 57 acres sounds like decent amount, but when you are in the woods walking it, it is surprising how quickly you hit the boundaries and with a house and barn that limits the amount of hunting space even more. Plus the 2nd parcel has more potential should you decide to build on it also.
I know nothing about the neighbors. This piece was over 200 acres about a month ago, some guy bought 70 acres and is looking to buy more to connect the 2 two roads. In total there is 147 acres for sale I would take 85 of that and the other guy could have the rest and it would only be 1 neighbor.
I would save your money for a while and buy a bigger chunk you can do something with other than blow deer out one end when you walk in the other.
Is driving distance a factor? For me it would be. The closer the property the more time i can spend there. Ease of access, how easy is it to hunt? I like to have sanctuary areas and get in and out of stands with minimal disturbance. Will the prevailing wind make it easy to get in and out? What kind of shape is the house in? Is it going to require much maintenance? How much of my time and money is it going to consume?
Both properties don't have real close neighbors pretty similar. The road noise would be about the same not heavy mostly farm traffic.
I like living on the property I hunt. That gives a very big plus sign. After that I would have to get out there and walk the land and see what potential each has along with what is going on on the neighboring properties.
They are both the same drive time, access is the properties are opposite property one is at the top of the hill good for morning access and property 2 is at the bottom of the hill both are going to present challenges. The wind will be the same at both places there is a bigger bedding area at 2. The house is in good shape I like the barn but could live without the house.
