Sold half of what I owned and trying to sell the other half. I am planning a 1031 exchange and working on setting that up now there's also a Tust I have to deal with too. I think everyone would like more property hunt but for the most part the area I'm looking in is mainly large tracts or 80 or under pieces. It is hill country it does hunt larger then it actually is.
Couple things.... Correction: unless a high fence is involved NO 50-80 acre property is going to hold mature deer, actually hold them....LOL Only a very naive and/or novice hunter is going to believe a spot that size will contain a deer they are hunting 365 days a year. Entrance and Exit paths and strategy are the factor on this. I know folks that have killed booners multiple times or are hunting booners on properties 40 acres in size and have been for years....they are some of the most meticulous deer hunters I know when it comes to entrance and exit. Oh ouch...my heart...your childish dig at an attempt to appear like an internet macho man hurt me. Mods...my feelings are hurt, please punish him. If it makes you feel better to dig someone for the size of a buck they've harvested I feel extremely sorry for you...for you have missed not just the point of hunting but the aspect called human decency. IF you have children try to not pass that trait on to them to do the entire hunting world a favor. As clarity though, push your choice naivety aside and realize that not all properties are created equal. A 5 year old buck in PA is rarely if ever going to be the same size antler wise as a 5 year old out in parts of Iowa or Kansas...FACT. A 300 acre property holds no more value if poorly hunted than the nearby 20 which the guy hunts meticulously...FACT. Every property has a potential and it is up to the hunter to choose how close to it's top they feel like exerting the effort to achieve. My avatar buck was in no way the biggest buck I was hunting (nor the biggest I've killed)...however it was the first year on the land I'd just bought less than 7 months prior (only a piddly 22.2 acres...I know worthless). I might go on to kill bigger bucks (score wise) than that one, but in the end that is in many ways the most priceless buck I'll ever harvest from that piece of ground as long as I own it for being the first. Exactly.
#1 gets my vote all day long as long as the barn and house are in good shape. 25 acres of tillable land can be rented out for income, put into CRP for income or use it as a blank slate to add whatever you want.
The good news is a property doesn't have to hold mature bucks to be able to kill them. The land adjacent to the property can be just as important the property itself. In my area, there just aren't very many large tracts of timber, it's mostly large ag fields with wooded ditches and draws. The largest block of timber within 3 miles of me is 60 acres, yet we have mature bucks. They use the available cover to survive. I've often caught these mature bucks entering or leaving from a two acre island of trees in the middle of a hay field on the neighboring 40 acres. Not all properties are created equal, but you can be productive on a small property if you learn how the deer are using it and use that to your advantage. My property is a measly 40 acres. In reality, only about 25 acres of it is huntable as the front 15 is a hay field and my house. Most hunters wouldn't even bother, it's trashy timber that had cattle running on it for years, leaving mostly hedge and honey locust trees. It doesn't have any ridges or ditches, just a creek that tends to flash flood during periods of heavy rain. Over the last 4 years, I have taken 3 mature bucks off this small, pretty much worthless to some property. The year I didn't kill one on this property, I killed one on public land in early October and didn't even hunt it during prime time. Those three bucks were all killed during different times. One was killed in Late October, another was killed the second week of November and the other was killed in early December. The common thread was they were all three the largest, and most dominant buck on my property. While they didn't spend all their time on my property, it was clear that they used it frequently and was very aggressive protecting that territory as theirs. Must be something about it that they like, even though it's small.
If you have no plans to live in the house would renting it out for extra income be an option? Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
I have been thinking about that. The rents there for a house is going to top out about $500 a month. Yeah I would make some money but I would have to find the right renter one that doesn't like to go outside and has no dog. Or I could keep it for me instead of building something in the barn to live in. If I lease out the crop land I have no bills to pay out of pocket with that income coming in. My mangina is really taking over my ability to make a decision
There are a several guys here that know how to hunt deer and have the ability to do so without blowing them out of the woods. If you have the patience and ability to learn, stick around and soak up some of their knowledge. Sounds like you could really benefit.
Personally, it's a no brainer for me...I'd take property #1. Biggest drawback is if you're not going to live in the house, it'll be a pain to maintain. I'd still take it as opposed to bordering public land. Why #1? The shop and accessibility from the top end and the tillable land. If it's already tillable then no cleanup and you can do what you want with it. You can grow cover but it's hard to clear cover to do food. If you're going to do anything with a tractor, that shop will be invaluable. If you're not really close by, the house will be nice as a hunting cabin. Not a lot of difference between the size of the properties...I'd prefer to have the shop and house. I might be of a different opinion if I walked the properties but from this POV now, I'd say #1.
Even without the house just having the barn for storage and spending nights out of weather is worth the choice of #1 to me. Top it off with a rentable house you can be patient and "find" a renter of your choice for some significant side income.
I have been shopping for land here in west MI and both sound good to me for different reasons. Having buildings will typically raise the tax base, but it gives you a place to stay if it is not a close drive from your residence. Are you planning on moving there if you buy #1? Having water on both makes the decision more difficult, as #2 offers you more ground to work with in the long run. However I agree with Sota that bordering public land is likely to cause you grief in the future. Even if folks honor your fencelines for hunting, what about trailing a deer that flees to your side of the property line? What if they wander through your best spots by flashlight and gut a deer near your most productive rut stand? THAT would be a significant concern to me and nudge me towards the first choice....the rest being a wash.
Yup, maps make me lean more to #1...still not having walked take it for what it is worth...but I am just a peasant of a man and these are worthlessly small properties anyways to some.
I like #1 mostly as it has more funnels and terrain features that help. What I don't like about it is that you will be fighting west winds a lot and access is going to be a ***** because of it. #2 sets you up perfectly for that typical NW November wind.
Brad brings up a valid point...which is why one of the first things I'd focus on if #1 is purchased is cutting access/quad trails around perimeters (good time for signage) and plan those long routes in advance....while West winds will not be the best using the perimeter will allow you to slip behind em if you follow.
Just see the map I'm would lean towards property 1. Also what is great that house and barn are on the property line, not out in the middle. So it leaves the whole property separate from the house.
We use Orexco for our 1031 exchanges. For true legal 1031 to be allowed by the IRS, make sure you have the right company before you sell any piece of property to purchase another. You can handle none of the money. Good luck. hope the new purchase works out well!
I was leaning more towards property number 2 because more land and no need of house. But after seeing how the land lays to the road and with the house and barn I would pick property #1. But I would not rent the house if it was me. That just my 2cents from what I've read from the post. Both look like good pieces of land. Good luck on whatever choices you make and let us know which one you choose.
Is that a home/private property on the northern edge of the public ground? Either way the proximity of the road to the public ground might make me a little nervous about activity levels. I like option #1 a little more now that I'm looking at it. The barn would be a plus for sure.
