Your Huntin' Land...let's see it or hear about it...advice needed.

[SKITCH]

OK....so I'm back in Oklahoma and thinkin' that with some work I might be able to put aside a little cash and handle a payment for some land to hunt and play on.  There are certainly some affordable options here...but how many acres does a guy need?  Now, I'm a working stiff with an "average" income ... how much is enough and what isn't???  Would love to hear from those of you that have done this and learn from your experiences.  What did you look for, what do ou like or dislike about where you are and would you have done differently if you could do it again, etc.?  What is everyone's experience with looking into this and what do YOU look for in a piece of property that you can take your bow out and have some fun on.....maybe build one of those nice little "hunting" cabins that we've been seeing on the other thread.    Any opinions or advice would be appreciated and I'm sure I'm not the only one that would love to see a few pictures of your little piece of paradise!!

[Stumpkiller]

Here's the view from the front.
   

Here's the view from the back.
   

Here's the middle
   

Half a mile deep and surrounded by five square miles of woods.  My little bit of heaven out the back door.

[SKITCH]

Charlie,  Nice backyard!

[agtex42]

In my mind an ideal hunting parcel would be in the neighborhood of 350-500 acres.  This would allow me to really manage the habitat to promote health of the herd and provide sanctuary while at the same time giving me options for stand placement and the ability to play the wind on any given condidtions.  Smaller tracts would work, but your often at the mercy of your neighbors hunting practices and it's not always easy to keep the deer on your property.

Depending on where you buy, this amount of land can be quite the financial burden.  Almost to the point where it might make more sense to build on a smaller tract that offered privacy from neighbors and lease or hunt public land.

Good luck finding something that works, can't wait to see everyone else's places!

[AWPForester]

I would love to have several hundred acres of my own.  I do not.  I do have 12 surronded by national forest.  It is good hunting and I love it, but it is tough as we are on the top of the mountain and must drag up.  I haven't done it for several years now and not real sure I could handle it now.

But if you did this you wouldn't need the large payment.  But you wouldn't have the land to manage the way you want with plots and stuff.  A thing to consider, if you do find a bigger piece, look for value in it in other ways.  Timber, Leasing pasture, farming etc... to help off set the payment.  It should give you a tax break as well.

also look into regional and federal cost sharing programs that will give ou money to plant trees, natural food plots, establish water, etc...  I am unsure how the ecnomy has affected this but from what I can see our government is spending more, not less.  Just check with your local forestery department and agriculture extension.

Good luck and God Bless

[Onehair]

Skitch I do most of my hunting on a lease in Roff OK. You know what that looks like, Some how the pics just never do it justice.

[Hoyt]

Just move into a National Forest that's what I did.  Looking out my bathroom window those trees on the back side of the soybean field are Shawnee National Forest.
 

Looking across the road in front the hill on the back side of that pasture is Shawnee..I can hunt the private land the pasture is on also..never have though. I haven't even hunted that part of Shawnee..but may this yr.
 

[SKITCH]

Hoyt.  That's a good idea. Something to
Look into.

Onehair....I understand.  

Keep the advice and opinions coming.

[Hoyt]

Skitch, look at this section on the Plat Map to see what I'm talking about.
Buy 20 acres and get 381 acres of Shawnee with no public access unless by boat from Ohio River. Places like this all around.
 

[MnFn]

Yes, I bought 120 acres because it bordered six square miles of county & state land. This is it with my neighbor.

[Michigan Mark]

Right now in this economy it is a buyers market. your only limited by your budget or your families budget. The type of property depends on your area and its potential for meat for the table or Big Bucks. Nice spreads Guys. Myself I have a little 20 acre piece in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. 4 Years ago I had 11 acres clear cut so the aspens and young forest habitat would help the wildlife. Also having 3 acres of hardwoods thinned so the Oaks and Maples would benefit.
A look from a stand second week of October about 8 years ago.
 

[waiting4fall]

Here's a very recent scouting trip.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs3mTtrHwrA&feature=plcp