# Pros Vs. Cons of owning hunting land



## Hunting18 (Jul 16, 2014)

I am considering purchasing 20 acres with a friend strictly for deer hunting. We are undecided on the better choice of purchasing, or continuing to lease land?

We have ran all of the pros and cons that we can think of. 

What is your opinion on this?


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

Con: Owning land with a friend.


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## Hunting18 (Jul 16, 2014)

Luv2hunteup said:


> Con: Owning land with a friend.


While I agree 100% this is the only friend I would ever consider this with. He is pretty much my brother. I have grown up with him all of my life and have hunted with him for years.


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## ridgewalker (Jun 24, 2008)

There are some pros: usually having control over how much hunting pressure exist on the property, control over what areas are hunted, not having to fight for a spot on opening morning, being able to adjust the habitat, and having the possibility of more permanent blinds.
cons: taxes, trespassing concerns, and being limited to the deer on or passing through the property (unless one hunts on nearby public land occasionally).


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

One friend that I would consider throwing in with offered half the costs on a parcel I looked at.
We would have written an agreement that should one party loose interest ,the other would buy the original half interest at original cost.
The parcel did not appeal as much as another did in time though...and I went solo.

For what you will spend on taxes if no offset or revenue covers them... you could spend a similar amount on hunts each year in a variety of places over time if you are young and have itchy feet.
Guarding the property from theft or abuse can be a stress.
If you only deer hunt it ,that' s a lot of year you are spending on not to hunt.

If you like focusing on one site only ,buying a site can be a better fit.
Scratching in the dirt can be nice too ,if it suits your interests.
Habitat improvement , personal set ups to hunt from , controlling hunter pressure all are a pro..

Finding the right parcel in the right spot at the right price can be 3/4 of the deal....
Having an agreement in advance should things go wrong , or some one relocate far away ,or become ill or worse ,or who can invite whom for how long and in how many numbers needs sorted out.
Kids can factor , or a relative or special interest... and suddenly the acreage starts to shrink..


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## LWCClub (Oct 20, 2011)

Since I'm pretty sure you have the "pros" adequately covered here are a few cons or not so glamorous things to think about from a current solo landowner and former group land owner:
1)I agree with Luv2, owning with a friend even as close as a brother can really change things, no matter how close you are..this is because money is involved and more than likely a deep passion for hunting so prepare yourself and be surprised at nothing.
2) eventually you'll find yourself feeling tied down and bored with it, so occasionally get out and hunt some different spots, state land or otherwise. At the very least you'll appreciate what you've got, but you'll also develop new perspectives and things to try on your land
3) get all the rules written down and ironed out ahead of time with your partner and stick to them. Never change mid season, only alter them in the off season...in otherwords agree to them in advance and stick to them. If you don't think you need rules, re-read #3 first sentence again and again and again.....if someone breaks said rules, be upfront and deal with it immediately. 
4) figure out ahead of time how you'll handle family, guests, expenses, etc and stick to it.
5) implement a buy/sell agreement and liability insurance. Life happens, what if someone decides they want out or God forbid a partner dies? Then what??
6) strongly consider waiting a few more years and buying on your own and invite your best friend as a guest. 
7) back to #3, if your partner calls you out on something, own up to it and fix the problem.
8) for better or for worse, you'll be locked into your neighbors. Vet that out the best you can. I've been very fortunate to have great neighbors.


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## tdejong302 (Nov 28, 2004)

Con's 1. Taxes , And 2. you can't control neighbors. I talked to 3 adjacent neighbors before buying mine. All said no one hunts. Now I have 3 blind within 100ft. of 2 of my lines. And I only bought 10 acres. Huge fields around me but the deer are so skittish nothing comes in in the daylight. 3. You can't hunt it togather. Not big enough. The only way I would ever invest into hunting parcel again was if it was bigger parcel.


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## Sasquatch Lives (May 23, 2011)

You are restricted to a small piece of land. If the deer get spooked your hunting will suck. Try scouting out some public land. There are thousands of acres and free to hunt. If your area gets spooked, you have many more acres to move to. I have three different spots miles apart that I hunt with pretty good results and if I want new scenery, I just move to the next spot.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

Will you be parking a small camper on the property ? Much EHD a few years ago ? How long of a drive to the property ?
The right 20 can produce some nice bucks if you plan for success. Assume that the 2 of you would limit your hunts and also have other places to hunt.
What's the worst that could happen, you sell in 5 years ? This could also work real well and the 2 of you might be open to purchasing connected land if any became available in the future.

L & O


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## Hunting18 (Jul 16, 2014)

Liver and Onions said:


> Will you be parking a small camper on the property ? Much EHD a few years ago ? How long of a drive to the property ?
> The right 20 can produce some nice bucks if you plan for success. Assume that the 2 of you would limit your hunts and also have other places to hunt.
> What's the worst that could happen, you sell in 5 years ? This could also work real well and the 2 of you might be open to purchasing connected land if any became available in the future.
> 
> L & O


Travel is about 10 minutes for me and 20 minutes for him. As of right now we would not be parking a camper due to us living so close. But that could change.

We both will have alternative properties to hunt so we won't over hunt this property.

We would have no problem selling and making money down the road if we chose too. Also like you stated chances are good we would try to add on more property to this parcel down the road.


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## MichMatt (Oct 24, 2008)

Money and investments make people funny, some people real funny, and I don't mean haha. Heard the horror stories about families being estranged over money. I wouldn't do it unless solo.


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## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

Seems like a relatively small parcel for two people to comfortably hunt, especially if the neighbors hunt the borders. Speaking of neighbors, might there be a reasonable possibility of the safety zone law putting a crimp in the primary purpose of ownership? If a residence, hunting camp, or even a farm building goes up close to your border, the safety zone could remove up to 9% of your huntable area. Buildings on two sides and a real issue ensues. FM


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## Lumberman (Sep 27, 2010)

It's weird how negative some folks are on buying land. 

1. You almost can't go wrong financially. Unless there super weird circumstance land always go up in values

2. Are you interested at all in habitats improvement. It's become a hobby in itself for me. 

3. Hunting and having success on your own property is very rewarding to some. 

As for cons 

There really aren't any. Now understand you're not buying legends ranch. If your expectations are in line with reality it should be great. 

Some people think you can buy a few acres, put a foodplot in and B&C bucks will be wandering all over. It's not true at all. 

Having a partner can be tough for sure. Make sure you have all your ducks in a row and consider worst case scenarios. 

Like when he hooks up with the secretary and now you own the parcel with his wife. Yikes!


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## cotote wacker (Jun 12, 2012)

Never ever partner up with family or friends...it will eventually turn into a problem that will be tough to resolve....

20 acres is not very much property for 1 person let a low 2


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

20 acres may seem small at first blush but it is very doable for two. Habitat (think cover, cover and more cover) will be the key imo. Is it already there? Can it be implemented for the future? Small property can "hunt" bigger with the right cover. You both would definitely have to share the same goals. It helps if those goals are in the ballpark with your neighbors as well. I have 40 acres and can tell you there is nothing like the feeling of being able to do what you want how you want. That never gets old. I have mostly good neighbors so I'm lucky. I truly do not get tired of hunting my small property. Even when it seems like a down year, I sit my stands thinking of ways to improve the habitat. Now if I can just get permission from the land owner...oh yea!


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## steelyspeed (Apr 10, 2016)

Hunting18 said:


> I am considering purchasing 20 acres with a friend strictly for deer hunting. We are undecided on the better choice of purchasing, or continuing to lease land?
> 
> We have ran all of the pros and cons that we can think of.
> 
> What is your opinion on this?


The only ship that doesn't sail is a partnership...

If you can't buy it yourself, don't buy it with somebody...


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

The only con to me would be not purchasing alone.


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## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

My brother in law and I split a 40 years ago. Just split it down the middle, each own a half of the parcel. A least you should have one neighbor you can get along with.


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## Hunting18 (Jul 16, 2014)

Wow, I never thought purchasing land with a friend would cause so much distrust... Is there anyone out there that this has worked for? 

For the people saying that 20 acres isn't much, you should see what we hunt on currently....


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## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

Hunting18 said:


> Wow, I never thought purchasing land with a friend would cause so much distrust... Is there anyone out there that this has worked for?
> 
> For the people saying that 20 acres isn't much, you should see what we hunt on currently....


5 acres can be enough if it's the right 5 acres. Just requires a thought out plan.


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## mal (Feb 18, 2002)

Gamekeeper said:


> Fight that.
> Go down to your assessor and tell them that your growing trees is a "Use by right" for AG land, and as such, you want your taxes reduced to reflect the agricultural use.
> If your house is on the land, you can end up with an R1A use. If it isn't you can get A1.
> And all that entails.


Thank you...I will look into your suggestion.


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## Gamekeeper (Oct 9, 2015)

Keep saying, "USE BY RIGHT"
It's in your zoning ordinance and everything allowed under A1 will be spelled out.
A1 is a very broad category that has a protected status under "Right to farm" legislation.

They can't change your zoning on a whim.
You'll have a zoning board of appeal in your township. Appeal it.
Been there, done that.


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## Scottygvsu (Apr 19, 2003)

Go for it man! You can't predict the future. You seem confident that you guys can make it work, so I'm confident you'll make it work. Get the easement deal worked out, sign the paperwork, get stands hung.


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## thebellcompany (Jun 16, 2017)

I hunt 20 acres with my dad and brother, and it's small. If the whole 20 were thick brush it could hold more deer. The secret to keeping deer around is if they don't know they have company, they think they're all alone. My dad and brother don't seem to grasp the idea that we can't hike all through the area every time they visit the property but I can always tell when somebody's been up there because there will be a 2-week absence of deer on my trail cam.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Luv2hunteup (Mar 22, 2003)

I'm sure money is coming into play with your decision to purchase this property with a friend. When I was your age I joined a hunt club in the NLP due to lack of funds to buy my dream camp. It made financial sense to buy in and pay dues. It gave me hunting and fishing access to ~10,000 acres plus all the other club amenities. It might be worth a look. Many hunt clubs are looking for members.


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## Hunting18 (Jul 16, 2014)

Luv2hunteup said:


> I'm sure money is coming into play with your decision to purchase this property with a friend. When I was your age I joined a hunt club in the NLP due to lack of funds to buy my dream camp. It made financial sense to buy in and pay dues. It gave me hunting and fishing access to ~10,000 acres plus all the other club amenities. It might be worth a look. Many hunt clubs are looking for members.


I have looked into this but anymore Hunting clubs are more expensive than purchasing land.


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

Luv2hunteup said:


> I'm sure money is coming into play with your decision to purchase this property with a friend. When I was your age I joined a hunt club in the NLP due to lack of funds to buy my dream camp. It made financial sense to buy in and pay dues. It gave me hunting and fishing access to ~10,000 acres plus all the other club amenities. It might be worth a look. Many hunt clubs are looking for members.


I think this would make more sense if he didn't list Ionia as his home and that the land he is looking at is only a 10 minute drive. Not many large hunt clubs with 90 minutes of Ionia.

L & O


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## Hunting18 (Jul 16, 2014)

Thanks for all the great replies everyone. Just a followup on this property. We walked the property and spoke with the neighbors. All of the neighbors seem great and I actually know the owners on two sides. ( small world ) But after walking this property it is lacking the woods we were expecting from the satellite aerial. The property is also very mucky everywhere you walk. I love hunting swamp but this was a little extreme and very hard to get around. We are going to pass and keep looking! As of now I am going to look at leases in Missouri next weekend for this upcoming hunting season!


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