Wouldn't you get bored seeing the same 100 acres year after year for the rest of your lives? No. Not even close. I look at if differently. I want to be in that place relieving the memories I've created and be in my little honey hole up north where I have total control and can do what I want. Don't you long to see more of this amazing world? Yes. But not hunting wise so much. Maybe do an Elk trip out west someday. But I love the Wisconsin North woods more than anything other than my family. That is where I want to be. I might change it up by hitting the million of acres of public land if I need to. That would be more than enough for me. Don't you long to explore and see new things? Yeah but again not in the hunting sense so much. I'm perfectly content at my place where no one can bother me. Disclaimer: This is coming from a guy that did not see any deer the first 6 years I gun hunted. I am self taught. I don't have any family that hunts. I had no teachers. I just bought a gun and head into the woods by myself, saw nothing, went home alone. I learned everything myself. I hunted public land that received extreme pressure and on opening day typically looked like a pumpkin patch. I believe because of my hardships that has changed my outlook on things.
Great post, Brad. I have already seen a lot of this amazing world. I've snowshoed the mountains of Italy by moonlight and skied them by daylight. Been in the forests of Belgium, Germany and Norway. Spent some time in England. Was in East Berlin before the wall came down and partied in Munich until dawn. Seen many states and lived in a few. Been to Canada and Mexico. And you are right, there are amazing things to see, amazing things. With all that said, I was out behind my house a few nights ago afterfreezing rain. The trees were covered with ice and there was drips and drops every where. The gray foxes were barking and I was trying to get one to come in. Very exciting and a bit surreal all at the same time. That night, and many others right behind my house, was just as amazing as anything I have seen in all of my travels. If I had a lot of my own land I could share it, the experiences on it and the amazing things it would have to offer with a lot more friends and family than I could share my traveling with.
Very cool and I totally understand Bruce. I guess my question was more geared towards those that have not traveled. I can understand after seeing a lot of places one would want to settle down. One other question....to those answering land, do you already own land or is it a goal?
First Danno.. my chum.. first you have to understand where I come from.. much like understanding where any man comes from. I've been hunting for the past 15 years all over (like 60+ different pieces of ground).. never had a single piece of ground all to myself until 2 years ago.. and thats 7 acres.. woop woop. I've moved around so much all over Illinois on some of the crappiest properties known to man.. really. Each year I literally start out with NO land.. and have to rebuild all over again. And.. I made do. Sink or swim I guess. But its getting old. Your family has land Dan. And a ton of it. So you are used to having land.. in some way. I've never had it. Ever. I share land with bird hunters.. deer hunters.. good hunters.. naive hunters.. what have you. I want my own after all this time. But not just my own.. my own that my own house is on. I want to know that when I come in from the cold.. my wife will be there huddled around the television waiting with a cup of hot cocoa. (sappy i know). I want to design the property how I see fit then let my friends hunt it any way they wish when they come out to hunt it. I just want to design the land. Know the bucks on a yearly basis. Plant the trees that inhabit it.. etc etc. Take the pics of them (my chums) behind the buck. I want land cause I've always wanted to take inner-city youth on hunts.. be a part of make a wish.. do things bigger than myself. Promote hunting in my community.. something in my area.. where hunting is frowned upon by so many. Travel. Yeah.. I love to travel. But between the 2 choices.. I'll take the land and save the travel for my wife and kiddo rather than not have land and travel without them. That's just me. I think a lot of other guys/gals can relate to this.
Great post Mike, completely agree. I've had access to my family's land, but the land out the back door thing.....that's the dream.
Goal for me. I am fortunate now in that the land behind my house, approx 40 acres (and a lot more that is "open" to use), is just hunted by me, walked by me, mostly used by me but, it's not mine so I am still limited.
Thanks Ben. You'll be invited to hunt it one day and take a buck I've known.. sheds.. pics.. it all. I'd like to add to that post.. I guess its the freedom of my land I want. No one telling me when I can hunt it or when I can't.. no one telling me where I have to hunt.. No one controlling my season. For once in my life.. behind the bow.. I just want my freedom. Freedom to hunt when.. where.. and however and whenever I wish. I set my limits. Something once again.. I've only gained through this one little piece.. and even then I cannot hunt it entirely like I want. For fear of loosing it. Do you know what its like to fear loosing 7 little acres? Cause if you do loose it.. you have nothing. Ya.. owning land. Hands frickin' down!
Dawg, Based upon $1500/acre and 100 acres, I can do a lot of traveling and hunting with the $150,000 (excluding taxes, insurance, and interest payments) I pay for land. I have zero risk (flood, forest fire, etc.) and zero liability (a bonehead trespasser falls into a hole and breaks his back-you're sued for the farm or at least must pay attorneys to defend it). No sir, owning land isn't the gravy everyone makes it out to be. Here's a great example. I have a super good friend who recently purchase land in Nebraska. It's a prime piece of property along the N. Platt River; it's roughly the size we're talking about. As an avid/eager bowhunter, he closed on the property and went to further inspect his holdings. Upon doing so, he was told, "get off my property" by a neighbor. The neighbor apparently felt he "adversely possessed" said property. Scott, my friend, ended up spending another $30,000 trying to reclaim what he thought was his (attorney fees). In the end, he lost half of that which he owned. There was zilch recourse from the previous owner. Sadly, crap like this happens all the time. Now check this out: If you were to put $10,000 down on a $150,000 property paying 5% interest over 30 years, upon completion you will have paid $130,550.11 in interest payments alone. Add another $30,000 in taxes (might be a low figure) and $10,000 for insurance. Your total land investment over thirty years would be approximately $320,550.11. That's a huge chunk of change, and we have yet to toss in the cost of a house! A modest $190,000 home will cost you roughly $1000/per month over 30 years. It would more than likely be similar to a home you put on the above described land/property. If you were to purchase that nice little house without the land, it would essentially free up $10,000/year over 32 years to use for hunting anywhere in the world you desire. If you invest that $10,000 wisely each year (at 4% compounded one time annually), then it quickly becomes $650,000 over 32 years. When your ready to retire, you could hunt off of the interest exclusively ($13,000 at 2%)-never touching the principle, and you could leave a nice nest egg for your children. Here's the math for $5000 invested wisely and $5000 for hunting expenses annually: $5000 original principle, $5000 contributed annually over 31 years at 4% interest=$325,337.01 Simple interest at 2% on a $325,337.01 principle=$6506.74 $6506.74 per year? Now that's a great hunt just about anywhere! Mike save your money and come hunt with me.....
I had 61 acres to do what I wanted with for 3 seasons, it was incredible. Felt like a part of me died when I found out I would be loosing it. I had friends visit, planted what I wanted, just wandered, etcs. The opportunity to have that again, for keeps is something I will look for, for a long time.
Will, I understand where you are coming from but I wouldn't be able to leave all those great hunts to my kids. They would die with me. The land, though, could live with my kids, their kids and so on. Or they could sell it and use the money to go on a bunch of great hunts and that would still be my gift to them :D.
Again, I totally understand Mike, my buddy ol pal. Yes, my family has 560 acres now here and WI. Honestly, I haven't used it much in the last 10 years. This year, as you already know, I plan to spend a lot more time there and start hunting with Jill again. The reason I haven't used it in the past was because I had/have a burning desire to explore. I've also traveled, a lot. Not just hunting trips either. Jill and I used to get in the vehicle and drive....and drive. I'm looking forward to doing the same with my kids in the near future too. Show them that there's more to this world than our back yard. Like I've said in other threads, its the traveling and seeing new places that I enjoy, the hunting is just a bonus. Hell, most of the hunts I went on were unsuccessful, because I was there for the adventure....but I loved every second of them. If I had to give up hunting, just so I could take my kids and show them the world, I would. Again, its never been about the kill for me, its the adventure. I guess I've seen both sides of the coin and have been very fortunate in that aspect. I guess that's why I feel the way I do. Even if that was 1000 acres, if it prevented me (and my family) from enjoying the world, I would give it up in a second and not think twice about it. Really, I have no problem with what anyone wants to do with their lives, never have. I'm just trying to figure out why people feel the way they do. That's all.
The greatest part of owning land is the ability to use it every day of the year, I can train my dog every evening, I can spend the weekends with family and friends fishing cooking out and just relaxing. I get to spend most evenings with my wife, my dog and the peace and quite that it all affords me. Not to mention the checks I get from oil and gas leases or the value of the timber that increases every day along with the rising value of the land that some day my daughter will own and her family will be able to enjoy. I've traveled enough to know I love my family life a lot more than the two weeks of enjoyment I get from a hunting trip.
And there's nothing wrong with either of our opinions on what we.. ourselves.. would rather have. I respect your decision to travel.. and for you.. it makes sense. You asked a Q.. I gave my reasons for the later. Cause man.. not having any land blows. And I'm the king of not having it. Doesn't help that I probably live in the crappiest place to be a hunter in North America.. -sigh- ps.. i missed you and miller this past season.
I guess another reason I have traveled a lot the last few years, with out Jill and the kids, is because we spend nearly every minute together. Because of the career we have, we would rarely get any time apart. Now that the kids are getting older, I'll be hanging around home a lot more. I guarantee, if I was in the situation you are, I would feel the same way. ps......I missed you too......and if I didn't travel, I never would have gotten to know you.
Travel. Having land would be great, but the hunting honey hole part is not one of the top reasons for me. Someday, I likely will own some land of my own. But I much prefer traveling. I like seeing different areas, chasing down different animals, trying different foods, meeting different people. I like balance. I don't want to be a globe trotter and never settle down any one place, but I certainly don't want to be restricted to a homebody my whole life either. The way I see things, I will probably travel 2-5 weeks a year for the rest of my life. Some hunting trips, some family vacations, and some both. If I decide to invest in land along the way it will NOT hinder the traveling plans or I won't do it. Too many places out there that I am interested in seeing.
