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2 Farms or 1?

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,944
139
Just been doing a lot of thinking recently and wondered

1. if given the opportunity would you buy more land connected to your current farm and try to improve the hunting

2. have 2 separate farms that you owned and could do whatever you wanted to them.



Thanks,

Albert
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
All depends on where Farm #1 is located in regards to genetics, overall herd condition, and a host of other aspects. How good is Farm #2 in relation to those same items? Does it offer something I can't get at Farm #1?

Applying that to our 80 acres, I would buy the 50 acres I call Hippie Ridge in a heartbeat as opposed to spending similar $ elsewhere in the state. Add to that the 20 acres that sits adjacent to Hippie Ridge and our farm, it is a no-brainer what I would do. With those two parcels I have zero doubts I could hold A LOT more deer and it would mean more deer, bigger deer and increased opportunities come hunting season. All 20 minutes from my house.

That said, those purchases would run well north of $150K for 80 acres and I probably wouldn't get the minerals. It would come with a nice house sight on a main road, which is a perk to me considering it is tied to the farm. Would $150K buy me 150 acres with no minerals in a place unlikely to be drilled? Possibly. Might even get that with minerals somewhere this boom hasn't driven up prices. Would it get me a place that also had waterfowling opportunities? Lots of questions to be answered.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
I would think having two properties would simply double the problems with being a landowner; twice the issues with trespassing, etc. I would think keeping those type of issues under control would be much easier with one piece of ground. Then again, I really enjoy a change of scenery. Some days I hunt in hill country, others in the most gawd-awful flat ag country a person could find, still others I hunt between the two types of ground. I love 'em all, and hunting just one would take away some of the charm of hunting season for me.
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,944
139
Jesse that a great point! Brock good points as well.

So since we have owned our place the hunting has gotten better every year. I am working on MAYBE (really far out) buying the surronding land. Much of it is clear cut, so it holds deer already. I would own much more, spread way away from my 1 and only neighbor and I think be able to really have something special in years to come. The acreage we own now already has a home, and we own the rights on those so if we didnt own the mineral on the other acreage, I woudlnt be too disappointed if price was right.

Heres the situation. I was talking to a buddy who owns land in Harrison county, 1 hour from my farm now. It has no home or anything. He jokingly said to me, you can buy my place. Now his place is loaded with Deer. They see 20+ does some nights.

IT just go me thinking because I know I could get up there, run a tractor, get plots in, etc. However would I really be getting chances to hunt it?


This is all assuming I move back to Ohio ( I believe will happen someday)
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
For me, the reality of hunting a place I own an hour away is slim. That means it would probably be a pain to maintain, keep out trespassers, run cameras if I wanted, etc. Unless the price was too good to be true AND I could afford it, I would probably pass. Two properties both within 10-20minutes of the house? Tougher question for me.
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,944
139
For me, the reality of hunting a place I own an hour away is slim. That means it would probably be a pain to maintain, keep out trespassers, run cameras if I wanted, etc. Unless the price was too good to be true AND I could afford it, I would probably pass. Two properties both within 10-20minutes of the house? Tougher question for me.

I think you are right. Although tempting because I know this other property is GREAT. I just think that the total investment with all the extras would be a lot of money. I think I am going to hope to buy adjacent to my current place. J
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
I think you are right. Although tempting because I know this other property is GREAT. I just think that the total investment with all the extras would be a lot of money. I think I am going to hope to buy adjacent to my current place. J

I look at everything from a business perspective. Don't get me wrong, the right property I WANT for personal reasons would be bought if I could swing it. Any other property I look at long term. What is the return on my investment? What are my intentions? Long term appreciation possibilities? Can I get an immediate return on my investment or would the return be pleasure and fun? For me to buy hunting property an hour away, I think I would need to feel it had long term appreciation possibilities along with instant gratification in the hunting department. In other words: Could it be timbered, sell mineral rights, or developed down the road? If not, the price better be right and the hunting better not disappoint. lol
 
For me I would absolutely love to own more property that joins up with ours. You can begin to manage it the way you want to, to try to hold deer. I couldn't imagine having more land that I would have a whole set of new circumstances with neighbors, trespassers, etc. like the others have mentioned.
 
My hunting property is about a 70 minute drive from home. Many times I jump in the truck for an evening hunt and drive back home when the hunt is over. So I drive 140 minutes to hunt for 3-4 hours. The drive time and fuel cost doesn't even enter my mind. Value is in the eye of the beholder. Investments can be looked at from many different perspectives.

I think one larger property would be better than two small ones. But, if it is TOO big it would be hard to keep unwanted intruders off. I think a good small hunting property is better than a larger property that offers mediocre hunting.
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,944
139
thanks for all the insights! really opened my eyes, another reason why I love this site!

hortontoter I agree with you bud, currently I have to drive 1.2 hours just to hunt, then drive back. This is in Texas, and the hunting just isnt good/available where I live currently. Its fairly common for people to do what I do, and honestly it keeps me sane.
 

Mooosie

Junior Member
162
32
If I might add I have 70 acers an hour and 15 minutes from home it has a farm house that is rented cep land that needs to be bush hogged each year all I all it keeps my son and I busy taking care of it since I am only in the state in the summer what I would consider if your buddy's land is available really cheap and you think you could resell it and make money you could use that profit to purchase land adjacent to what you now have . Another possibility buy the land sell hunting leases use the lease money to pay for new land or at least pet part of it and sell for profit later