Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Considering buying hunting land in Michigan rather than Ohio.

Bigcountry40

Bigcountry40

Member
4,573
127
So I know this should probably go in the "out of state hunting" category but its summer, its indirectly tied to Ohio hunting and I want as many people to see and tell me their opinion as possible. We all know that Ohio hunting land is becoming ridiculously expensive and even though my wife and I do make a decent living currently 100k together, I don't think I will ever be able to afford anything decent in OHio. My wife's family owns property (20 acres) in Huron national forest in Alcona County Michigan (5 half hours drive). I have heard mixed reviews about deer hunting in the lower peninsula. There is also a lot of state hunting land, atv/snow mobile trails and pike fishing in the area, I also would biulding a cabin and use this as a family vacation camping retreat. I have seen 10 acres for 20k, 40 acres for 59k while doing minimum research so far . Am I stupid for thinking about buying land in Michigan and not Ohio? Please be honest and give me some feed back, feel free to be harsh if anyone thinks I'm an idiot.
 
Bigslam51

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
Don't know much about the hunting in Michigan except the stuff I've read over the interwebs. Mostly sounds like an overcrowded jungle where not many bucks reach maturity. I'm sure there's good pockets of hunting just like everywhere else though. I wouldn't do it just because it's a ridiculous drive every time you would want to enjoy your land.
 
finelyshedded

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,893
260
SW Ohio
Bigslam51 said:
Don't know much about the hunting in Michigan except the stuff I've read over the interwebs. Mostly sounds like an overcrowded jungle where not many bucks reach maturity. I'm sure there's good pockets of hunting just like everywhere else though. I wouldn't do it just because it's a ridiculous drive every time you would want to enjoy your land.
Click to expand...

Ditto to everything Chad stated here Jon.
 
Bigcountry40

Bigcountry40

Member
4,573
127
Bigslam51 said:
Don't know much about the hunting in Michigan except the stuff I've read over the interwebs. Mostly sounds like an overcrowded jungle where not many bucks reach maturity. I'm sure there's good pockets of hunting just like everywhere else though. I wouldn't do it just because it's a ridiculous drive every time you would want to enjoy your land.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the drive is the biggest issue, but being located in north central western ohio, there is not many options of buying lands without driving 1 half plus for any decent size woods. Everything where I am located is small patchy woods and agriculture fields are going like 7k an acre. I want own some property in a woodzy area for cabin, funny thing is my wife and I just moved from the Mohican area because she got a new job.
 
Mike

Mike

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,847
223
Up Nort
Hortontoter said:
IMO five hours is just to far away to enjoy the ownership. To my place is a 70 minute drive from home and sometimes I dread that short drive.
Click to expand...

Ditto. Mine is about 55 minutes door to door and I hate that. I'd buy in Indiana before Michigan.
 
finelyshedded

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
Supporting Member
31,893
260
SW Ohio
Yes or continue looking in SE Ohio or South Central Ohio. Gotta be something out there in a decent price range.
 
Quantum673

Quantum673

Black Hat Cajun
Supporting Member
5,921
181
In the Neighborhood
If buying it mostly for hunting I agree too far.
If buying it mostly for vacation with family and bonus would be to hunt it occasionally then its borderline.
We have a place in Tennessee that is 4 1/2 hours door to door. For me that is too far to be my hunting land but perfect for me and the wife to spend our downtime. Dont get me wrong I plan on doing some hunting there eventually but no way would it be my primary spots.
 
Buckmaster

Buckmaster

Senior Member
14,374
191
Portage
My spot is 135 minutes and 115 miles door to door. The drive is about perfect most of the time.

3 hours would be my max drive.
 
Bigcountry40

Bigcountry40

Member
4,573
127
Quantum673 said:
If buying it mostly for hunting I agree too far.
If buying it mostly for vacation with family and bonus would be to hunt it occasionally then its borderline.
We have a place in Tennessee that is 4 1/2 hours door to door. For me that is too far to be my hunting land but perfect for me and the wife to spend our downtime. Dont get me wrong I plan on doing some hunting there eventually but no way would it be my primary spots.
Click to expand...

I was thinking more in the lines of your Tennessee property, my in laws have 20 acres in a rural wildlife development association(its hunt clubs, cabins and vacation homes) all dirt roads, 2 small lakes (great pike fishing). I could buy 10 acres prolly for 15-20k range, I may buy 10 and keep looking for the hidden nugget in Ohio. Plus the area has TB out break in the deer population, which is not good.
 
jagermeister

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,079
223
Ohio
For me personally that kind of drive would just be too far. The property would suffer because getting there and back would be a burden. I think it'd be more worthwhile to save more and find something closer to home.
 
motorbreaker

motorbreaker

*Supporting Member I*
1,542
63
North of Toledo
I hunted the Huron national forest from 1980 to 2003. We only heard of one deer that tested positive for tb. The deer were way to over populated. The mdnr because of these things lowered doe permits to $5 as many as you wanted. The deer on public land were wiped out. Hunter numbers then dropped a lot. My buddies that still hunt up there tell me there is not as many hunter as there use to be.
most of the northern lower Mi. is 4pt on one side for bucks. Up there a 120"-140" buck is as good as it gets that I know of. And 3.5 year old bucks are up to 35% of the kills in the area.
The biggest difference in that area compaired to Ohio is that there is WAY more to do. Not just hunting. Mushrooms are huge in that area. Snowmobiling is the funnest thing i've ever done. And theres snow sports galore. Great fishing lakes and rivers that you can see to the bottom hundreds of feet down. For so many different types of fish and fishing.
That area is beautiful imo. I love pine trees and there are a lot of them up there.
It is a 4 hour drive for me and I use to do it every weekend I could to hunt fish and snowmobile. There are areas where you can buy property for 1k an acre.
As far as Ohio goes ive seen property in Highland and Adams county go for as cheap as 1500 an acre. Larger tracts are less common then in northern Michigan. Lot of 10 acre plots for 25k-30k. Since I like killing big bucks I now drive 4.5 hours to camp in southern Ohio.
Its all in what you want. Bottom line is you have to go where there are few people to get a good price on land.
 
A

antiqucycle

Junior Member
506
36
East Ohio
My opinion is I would not be happy buying less than 75 acres and it would need to be somewhat hilly and wooded and away from neighbors. 10-25 acres will see enough trespassing to drive you nuts! You dont know neighbors till a couple years go by unless you live there.

If you must buy small get relatively close to lots of public hunting land. If you have 10 acres, any deer you arrow will end up on someone elses property.

The one good thing happening in Ohio is gas and oil leases are hitting the 5 yr point and a lot will not be renewed,
I have hunted a lot of small properties and it was just a waste of time and a lot of run ins with persons hunting or poaching next door.

The next problem is spending money once you pay for the property, like tractor for mowing, a gravel driveway, a chainsaw, shovels, then a shed that someone will break into. maybe some drain pipe, building a pond etc/
 
F

Flathead76

Junior Member
85
16
Athens
I have hunted Michigan for years. If you want to kill a big deer you are wasting your time. I have a friend that manages his 80 acre farm. To give you an idea he has owned it for 35 years. I killed the biggest deer off his farm ever. It scored 129" gross. When I first saw it I was going to pass on it. Had a 135 dollar tag burning a hole in my pocket. Was the last evening that I was going to hunt so I killed it. It would have won the buck pole if I brought it into town. A 3.5 year old deer is a very rare beast in Michigan. Your combo deer tag is stupid expensive now for what your actually getting. Does are like shooting rats there. Last year on opening day I saw 38 deer by 930 that I could have shot.
 
Bigcountry40

Bigcountry40

Member
4,573
127
antiqucycle said:
My opinion is I would not be happy buying less than 75 acres and it would need to be somewhat hilly and wooded and away from neighbors. 10-25 acres will see enough trespassing to drive you nuts! You dont know neighbors till a couple years go by unless you live there.

If you must buy small get relatively close to lots of public hunting land. If you have 10 acres, any deer you arrow will end up on someone elses property.

The one good thing happening in Ohio is gas and oil leases are hitting the 5 yr point and a lot will not be renewed,
I have hunted a lot of small properties and it was just a waste of time and a lot of run ins with persons hunting or poaching next door.

The next problem is spending money once you pay for the property, like tractor for mowing, a gravel driveway, a chainsaw, shovels, then a shed that someone will break into. maybe some drain pipe, building a pond etc/
Click to expand...

I have thought of that deer always dying off my property scenario, from majority research thus far, bow hunting isn't that competitive in MI like in Ohio, I would have to check out the bordering properties before buying and talk to neighbors etc. As for the small deer flathead speaks about, I am well aware of the buck size compared to Ohio, I just want to have something I am in complete control of and don't have to wonder every year if I am going lose it to Amish or nonresident offering twice as much. I am on the fence on this idea, I know I am going to lose the property I am hunting in Ohio in Tuscarwas, my buddy is almost 70 and he doesnt have the patients to bow hunt anymore and sees dollars signs. I want to have something of my own, but am getting impatient (my wife and I had rough couple of years when the economy took a shit in the late 2000's it sort of set our lives back 5 or 10 years with our financial goals ) but good things come to people that wait and are patient.
 
Hortontoter

Hortontoter

Senior Member
5,485
144
Live in Portage County - Hunt in Carroll County
I'd be patient and wait for an opportunity to pop up closer to home.

As far as deer dying off your property, I wouldn't be that concerned. My 10 acres has less than 350' of width at the widest point. Only a small section is narrower than the rest of the property. I've taken 7 or 8 deer from this property, all but one was shot with my crossbow, the other with my .410. I've never had one die off my property yet, will it happen someday, who can say. A deer that is not pushed seldom goes far with a lethal hit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.