size of property

[Buckeeboy]

Hey all, I have a question.
What would you consider the smallest size of property suitable for hunting? I know location is everything but have an opportunity to purchase 30 acres of woods with one side bordering an agriculture field.
I just want something myself and maybe two others could hunt and wondered if its too small for us. We probably would not hunt together a lot so maybe one or two at a time.
What are your thoughts? Thanks for your input.

[T Lail]

Tom, my son's property here in NC is 32 acres......last year I took an 8 pointer and he took a large 8 and a doe......so far this season we have sighted deer every time the property has been hunted.....it is mainly hardwoods with a large creek bottom and we have left all the jungle we can.....we are surrounded on all sides by agricultural property.....we are anal about wind directions and have only four stands at this time.....works for us.......

[MCNSC]

I would say it depends on what kind of cover the property has, and what kind of property borders the other side. If the property is too open it could be a problem. That can be remedied though.  
I have been hunting a 50 acre property. With one or two others occasionally hunting there. Some places I don't hunt because of barking dogs.  The best looking place I found this year I did not hunt. If the wind was right to hunt it was blowing toward a house and their dogs would smell me and bark.

[dbd870]

A person can hunt 5-10 acres if it's the right one. I could see 3 people on 30acres if the lay out was right. I could also see it being too tight.

[jamesh76]

My buddy has 2 acres. Just make sure adjoining land overs are ok for recovery on their property.  Kill several out there.  Most I hunt though are 10 to 40.  A one over 200.

[Sam McMichael]

My property is 65 acres. Fortunately, I am surrounded by additional wooded property, but I do not have access to any of it. Yesterday afternoon I saw 12 deer. If a location has deer traffic, it is big enough to hunt. The only problem I see is hunting a lot that is surrounded by houses. If you shoot a deer that falls dead just outside some little old lady's dining room at breakfast time, you might get some pushback.

[Jerry Jeffer]

As long as the neighboring owners are cool with you possibly retrieving a deer. No problem.

[tomsm44]

Depends on a lot of factors:  layout of the 30 acres, layout of adjoining properties, hunting pressure on adjoining properties, deer herd, access, what your goals are (# of deer, size/age of bucks, you want to see, etc.), and many other things.  It can definitely be done, but results may vary.  I hunt on over 900 acres in N La that only has 4 people hunting it.  But it's primarily young pine plantations that are so thick with undergrowth that you can't walk through it.  The area around it has an extreme amount of pressure and nobody has any type of management plan, so deer that reach 3 1/2 do so by being very reclusive.  Up through last season, the area around it was hunted using dogs from the first part of December through the middle of January, which is prime rut time down here.  We typically kill one or two 3 1/2-4 1/2 year olds in a year, and that's archery and gun combined, with me being the only trad archer.  If a deer gets older than that, all you'll ever see is a few night time pictures.  And the crazy thing is, since I went to primarily trad, I've focused on a couple of small hardwood areas, maybe 20-30 acres each, and I'm now seeing a lot more deer than when I used to primarily hunt long shooting lanes through the thickets with a rifle.  So, if your 30 acres is the right 30 acres, it could even be better than a 200 acre property next door.

[JohnV]

Three guys on 32 acres is pretty darn tight.  Especially when you consider the need for multiple stands for different wind directions.

[Buckeeboy]

Thanks all. Its mostly hardwoods, some thick cover in the back that borders more woods, maybe 50 acres or more. The front is the road, not a lot of traffic but people do live along it on the other side.
I don't see a problem with retrieving deer, as long as they stay on our side of the road...

[ChuckC]

I have 35 acres and don't even go onto about a third of it normally.  The deer move thru it all the time.  As above, it depends on a lot of things.  I personally would LOVE to have 3,000 acres, but that isn't in the cards.  35 is enough for me.
ChuckC

[30coupe]

Originally posted by MCNSC:
I would say it depends on what kind of cover the property has, and what kind of property borders the other side. If the property is too open it could be a problem. That can be remedied though.  
I have been hunting a 50 acre property. With one or two others occasionally hunting there. Some places I don't hunt because of barking dogs.  The best looking place I found this year I did not hunt. If the wind was right to hunt it was blowing toward a house and their dogs would smell me and bark.

If I didn't hunt because of barking neighbor dogs, I'd never hunt. My experience is that, unless the dog is nipping at their heels, the deer pay NO attention to barking dogs.

I've watched the closest neighbor's blue heelers stand and bark at deer fifty yards up the hill from his house, and the deer would look at them occasionally, but gave no other reaction. This went on for 15-20 minutes until the deer just finally moved out of sight of the dogs. Both the deer and the dogs knew the dogs couldn't catch a deer from that distance, but it didn't stop the dogs from barking or the deer from browsing.

I'd say, if the wind is right, go hunt unless you think the dogs are going to come and bark up the tree at you.

BTW, I have 36.5 acres with woods, CRP, and ag land all around me. With a small area, there are times I see deer, often actually, and times I watch the squirrels. Then again, I could say the same about some of the large tracts of timber I've hunted.

To the OP, there are lots of variables with a small area, wind being the most critical. With the right wind, both of my boys and I can hunt my place. With the wrong wind, none of us can...at least not effectively.

[Krex1010]

Depends, the right 5 acres may be more desireable than certain tracks that are much larger, if the surrounding properties don't look like good hunting grounds than I would pass, on the other hand 30 acres surrounded by lots of good land could be a gold mine. Also look at the trends in the surrounding land.....try and find out who the landowners are, is land held by families that may sell etc......don't want to buy 30 acres and then find out a developer is trying to buy the adjoining property.

[dirtguy]

Here in CT 30 acres would always have some deer coming through and generally be more than enough.
A friend of mine has ten acres that is very well located and we see several different deer come through.

[23feetupandhappy]

Deer need to feel safe and have food reasonably close with Safety being their top priority.

It sounds like you have the potential to have that!

Open hardwoods is nice for people wanting a park like atmosphere but not for Deer Habitat!
30 acres of timber has potential to break up into sections ( a couple thick bedding areas would be nice or one big one) and provide some edges for the deer to work along ( deer love edges ).....

When you have a piece of property that isn't holding deer very well due to it being to open then you have one of the easiest/cheapest scenarios to make into a deer haven  

A chain saw and a plan is all you need to do the work needed.

You may have logging potential that would help break things up as well as provide some $ at the same time!

30 acres is a sizeable chunk and with some
work/determination on your part can be turned into your little piece of heaven!!!

I can dive into this further if you so desire  

Habitat Improvement is a passion of mine  

[Gordon Jabben]

Personally I think I would get bored with much less than 80 acres although you certainly could take a lot of game off of an acre or two.  Distance from home would be a major consideration also.

[RJonesRCRV]

The agricultural land would likely be a plus, as the deer may use the 30 acres as a travel corridor.  If there is some good cover for them, and you see deer sign, I would go for it, taking into consideration the convenience of access, other options for hunting land, etc.  Your own property allows you to set up as necessary, and after a few years you can develop it as you see fit with added cover, food plots, or feeder systems.  Just make sure your buddies are on the same page as to your plan for management and hunting pressure.

[Hummer3T]

I would not consider property size as much to what is around it( all ag land, state forest, wood lots, etc), where animal movement tends to be and what animals and population (1 per square mile compared to 10) are in the area and what you are trying to hunt.  Also habitaat on your peice -does it offer cover,food, water, etc. that can or cant be found anywhere else.)