Hahaha. I was waiting for that. Obviously it is different then I envision. No middle would be tough to overcome.
I bought 10.5 acres back in '92 in the middle of 800 acres,built a small one-room cabin on it and have had the best hunting I've ever had. I see plenty of deer and a good many decent buck,it's loaded with turkey,small game and grouse,and even see the occassional black bear. I have access to hunt the 80 acres next to me and there's a hunting club on the other side of me that's 440 acres and it costs $100 for the year(I don't hunt that)
I bought 11.25 acres when I got my house, and it's not quite enough, but it IS huntable. If the owners of the property to either side of me were to sell, I'd love to buy more. My land had 3 separate little hollows, that make it huntable for a couple people, but if the deer aren't here, they just aren't here, and there are plenty of woods around me for them to be in. Access to the 10 - 20 acres to the north of me would be IDEAL for me, but I'll sit tight on what I have for now. Were $$$ not a factor, then I'd be all over a couple farms for a sale locally that are in the 90-120acre range that are good properties, big enough to have 3-4 people hunting them. One 113 acre farm local to me netted out over 10 150" bucks over a period of about 15yrs, but it's "developed" now!!! Unfortunately, I never killed any of those bucks, only a handful of does, but it WAS a great piece of property until about 5 yrs. ago!!!
Location first, then amount of timber and adjoining timber...but another very important factor I have learned is topography. I own 35 acres with my Dad...it "hunts bigger" than most 80 acre properties I've been on. It's triangle shaped, 30 of it is wooded, and it is VERY Steep terrain. I have 5 stands on it - could still use a couple more...and 5 gun hunters can hunt it and never see each other - or the same deer for that matter. I will also add - I enjoy this property SO much that is bothers me to think we almost didn't get it at the auction. Which leads me to believe the right 20 acres would even be enough for a couple hunters, deer kills, and plenty of enjoyment. ...obviously if you start to factor in Mature Deer movement and them making a home on your property...large acreage is the ticket...
It depends. 1-4 weekend warriors or 1-4 avid hunters...There is a world of difference there. I'd say you want to look for 50 or more. It also greatly depends on how the land lays.
I have a 3 acre spot in my neighborhood that would more than likely produce a nice buck every 1-2 years if hunted properly. But I tell you guys, if I am able to buy land and hunt it, that will be a day that will forever imprint its essence upon my soul. I envision that day, and the day that I am able to pass on that treasure to my children.
I totally agree with the location factor. I have seen some 400 acre farms that hunt very hard and some 5 acre pieces that are gold. I know of a couple of pinch points that dont amount to an acre that you could hunt everyday during the rut and never burn it out. A lot depends on the neighbors too. I have a friend that owns a 40 in the "right" spot and you would never believe me if I told you about all the bucks he has killed there. Take your time in making a decision and find out everything you can about the neighborhood.
One thing you need to keep in mind on small parcels of land, is that if anything changes around it, Deer movement may/can be altered drastically.
Check out surrounding areas. Is it linked to larger tracts of woods? What does the topography look like? Heck, it could be 5 acres and that would be prime hunting, if it connects to a funnel or bottle neck.
