# How much land is enough for hunting?



## CricketGreen (Nov 30, 2020)

I’m not sure how relevant this is, it’s probably variable depending on what you are hunting; but how much land is considered a “good” number?

Public land can span several hundred acres; yet, private land leases may only allow a couple acres. I’m wondering this because I found a leasing opportunity at a great price, problem is that it’s only 12 acres. Now, I haven’t seen the land yet, but the guy claims it has plenty of animal signs, so I’m optimistic. But, is that enough land?


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## Tilden Hunter (Jun 14, 2018)

My opinion is based on my experience. My experience is in northern woods with no crop lands. That said, I consider 1 hunter per 40 a maximum. More than that is cramped and awkward.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

CricketGreen said:


> I’m not sure how relevant this is, it’s probably variable depending on what you are hunting; but how much land is considered a “good” number?
> 
> Public land can span several hundred acres; yet, private land leases may only allow a couple acres. I’m wondering this because I found a leasing opportunity at a great price, problem is that it’s only 12 acres. Now, I haven’t seen the land yet, but the guy claims it has plenty of animal signs, so I’m optimistic. But, is that enough land?


You need the room the deer is standing on. And legal authority to shoot in at and around it.

The right twelve could be a sweet spot that makes you giggle.
The wrong twelve could make you kick the dirt on the way out off it.

i'm on a smidgen under twelve. And delighted still.


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## Cjoform (Dec 3, 2020)

Id say it really depends on who and whats around it. I hunt two places. Wifes grandpas 60 acres of crop field and about 30 acres of woods. Used to be the best hunting Ive ever done. Amish bought an adjoining 60 acres and Ive had no luck this year and tons of trespassing and tons of gunshots heard. Im guessing the deer are all over there for some reason. I counted 4 pop up blinds all on one fence row that runs about 600 yards. Who knows how many more are in the woods. On the 90 acres Im on I am the only hunter supposed to be there. Another property I hunt belongs to my mother. Its a 2 acre "peninsula" of brush, thick grass and trees with a swamp behind it. This peninsula juts into the center of a corn field. I have permission to retrieve deer on all sides but not to shoot deer on the properties surrounding what I call a peninsula. Between my brother, myself and my wife we have taken 4 deer there opening week. So because the larger property is over pressured I am not seeing much. The smaller 2 acres only has myself on it and the surrounding properties has 3 this year. Both surrounding properties only let their family hunt the land and theres usually only that many. On one side theres 80 acres, the other 70.


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## CricketGreen (Nov 30, 2020)

Waif said:


> You need the room the deer is standing on. And legal authority to shoot in at and around it.
> 
> The right twelve could be a sweet spot that makes you giggle.
> The wrong twelve could make you kick the dirt on the way out off it.
> ...


Well said!


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## CricketGreen (Nov 30, 2020)

Cjoform said:


> Id say it really depends on who and whats around it. I hunt two places. Wifes grandpas 60 acres of crop field and about 30 acres of woods. Used to be the best hunting Ive ever done. Amish bought an adjoining 60 acres and Ive had no luck this year and tons of trespassing and tons of gunshots heard. Im guessing the deer are all over there for some reason. I counted 4 pop up blinds all on one fence row that runs about 600 yards. Who knows how many more are in the woods. On the 90 acres Im on I am the only hunter supposed to be there. Another property I hunt belongs to my mother. Its a 2 acre "peninsula" of brush, thick grass and trees with a swamp behind it. This peninsula juts into the center of a corn field. I have permission to retrieve deer on all sides but not to shoot deer on the properties surrounding what I call a peninsula. Between my brother, myself and my wife we have taken 4 deer there opening week. So because the larger property is over pressured I am not seeing much. The smaller 2 acres only has myself on it and the surrounding properties has 3 this year. Both surrounding properties only let their family hunt the land and theres usually only that many. On one side theres 80 acres, the other 70.


I think I’m picking up what you’re laying down


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## reddog1 (Jan 24, 2009)

I own 10 acres 5 of which is my beagle running pen that is thick and nearly in places with Norway and Black spruce planted 20 feet apart in various rows throughout the pen. I don't hunt in my pen but deer get in there to bed down at times . My house and yard are on 3. That leaves me with 2 on the backside on the pen that I hunt. Where I hunt is a tall grass swail mixed with pockets of thick dogwoods. 








This years buck. 








2016 buck








2015 buck. 
So to answer your question, in my opinion. It's not the size of the property but how it's managed. I don't have food plots but the swail is an area for the deer to bed down and hide during the firearm season with the pen being the same. You also have to consider the connecting properties. The 2 acres that I actually hunt is only a part of a 10 acre swail that is partly owned by my neighbor to the north and the rest is owned by the farmer who also owns the 120 acre crop field that butts up to 3 sides of the swail. 
Reddog


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## bill Head (Nov 8, 2019)

I hunt a woods that if I set in the middle of it I can shoot all 4 corners with my crossbow. Got a good 8 last year and a good 10 this year. It is a woods that they use as a travel lane. Just have to be there when they come through. This woods is usually between 9am and noon when they use it.


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## Chromelander (Oct 1, 2011)

Keep in mind you'll probably need the neighbors permission to track deer on there property. With a property that small they will definitely affect the hunting where your at. Most likely in a negative way. I think a minimum of 20 acres would be something to look for. Not saying small parcels can't be great. Maybe this one is.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Back in the late 70's my parents lived on 10 acres in NE Macomb County, with a 1 acre pond and 6 acres of swampy woods. The lot was narrow and 1/4 mile deep. I took some monster bucks out of there, not to mention innumerable bunnies. But the neighbors on either side didn't care at all if I wandered over to their similarly sized lots. Most of the deer actually came right at the wood edge by the pond.


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## bill Head (Nov 8, 2019)

Chromelander said:


> Keep in mind you'll probably need the neighbors permission to track deer on there property. With a property that small they will definitely affect the hunting where your at. Most likely in a negative way. I think a minimum of 20 acres would be something to look for. Not saying small parcels can't be great. Maybe this one is.


I have permission to track and the farmers around me only shoot the big bucks and a bunch of does. I’ve seen some big bucks in this area. The 10 I shot this year was 4.5 years old.


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

I keep telling my wife that I need a half section for hunting and all I get is the eye roll.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Martin Looker said:


> I keep telling my wife that I need a half section for hunting and all I get is the eye roll.


That's not a no. Go for it!


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## buggs (Jan 21, 2011)

"Get the right 10 acres and it can hunt like its 100." "Get the wrong 100 acres and it may hunt like its only 10".


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## Mole Hill (Jul 15, 2020)

How much land is enough for hunting? For me you can't reach the point of having enough land for hunting but make do with what you have access to. I used to set in the morning, walk and spot all day, and set in the evening. Never heard of trespassing we were friends, neighbors, and family. This was 60's and 70's and gone in the 80's. Would love to have the ability to hunt those sections again.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Waif said:


> That's not a no. Go for it!


Pretty sure my wife has a "no" tattoo on the back sides of her eyeballs.

I think it strongly depends on neighbors. It would feel weird to EXPECT to be tracking on other properties, but then again it might be an area with a lot of small parcels and be perfectly acceptable/normal.


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

We used to be able to hunt everything around our house years ago except during deer season. It was too easy to get shot in those days


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## LG1 (Sep 8, 2008)

If you ask anyone’s neighbors whatever number it is it’s not enough since they sit along the fence line and hunt the other persons property anyway


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## GATORGETTER (Jan 31, 2008)

My mother in-law owns a 20 with a barn and cabin near Manistee. We use it as a base camp and hunt the thousands of acres of Manistee National Forest most of the time. Something else to consider.


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

All you need for a hunting camp is a small wood shed with a couple windows built in bunks and a stove. The Amish build them and can have them delivered. That will turn your 20 into a small hunting camp.


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## DirtySteve (Apr 9, 2006)

sureshot006 said:


> Pretty sure my wife has a "no" tattoo on the back sides of her eyeballs.
> 
> I think it strongly depends on neighbors. It would feel weird to EXPECT to be tracking on other properties, but then again it might be an area with a lot of small parcels and be perfectly acceptable/normal.


I grew up in a neighborhood where tresspasing was unheard of. Everything was just open to everyone. Nobody thought anything about it. Sometimes I wonder when we got so anal as hunters/landowners. 

Today I hunt at a buddys farm. He is an old school farmer and the farm has been in the family since the 1880's. His place sits on 200 acres and we hunt the back portion of it. About 1/4 of the deer we shoot go onto the neighbors. He has many neighbors and Some neighbors are 10 acre parcels some are larger. I remember the first time we were tracking a deer and the deer went into a neighboring property that was a smaller parcel. I stopped and asked my buddy if we had permission to track there or needed to ask. My buddy looked at me like I was nuts. He said look this is my land you are hunting and they are my neighbors. I aint going up to no house at 9pm and interrupting their evening to ask about retrieving a deer. If they have an issue I will hear about it and it will be on me. To my friend bothering someone over something as simple dragging your deer 75 yds across their land was the dumbest thing he had ever heard of. I don't think it ever crossed his mind that someone could possibly have issues with it. Seems so simple when you think about it that way.


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## martini77 (Jan 13, 2009)

Like others have stated it depends on the location, what you want to hunt and if that is deer is it trophies or meat? I have 10 acres, surrounded by private land. At a few parts of my property I can see 3 blinds on the neighboring properties. So the hunting pressure is high and some folks shoot anything, to each their own. So with that I know there are no trophy bucks around, but the occasional basket 8 shows up. So I tend to just hunt for meat, some years it takes me longer than others but I usually do end up getting a deer, most years it's a doe, which is fine by me. I am lucky enough that my property is between the bedding are of the swamp and where they want to be at night, so they come through mornings and evenings. So yes, 10 acres can work, if it is the right location.


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## ducksarge (Jul 3, 2011)

I own 22 acres and have shot deer, turkey, ducks, squirrel, and rabbits on it. I often think about getting more land, but then I think why ? Really no need to. About half the property I keep as a sanctuary, so I am really only hunting about 11 acres. As others have said, talk to your neighbors and try to get permission to recover game if necessary, then reciprocate in kind.


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## CricketGreen (Nov 30, 2020)

ducksarge said:


> I own 22 acres and have shot deer, turkey, ducks, squirrel, and rabbits on it. I often think about getting more land, but then I think why ? Really no need to. About half the property I keep as a sanctuary, so I am really only hunting about 11 acres. As others have said, talk to your neighbors and try to get permission to recover game if necessary, then reciprocate in kind.


Have you always owned land or did you buy it later in life? I’m 34, city dweller, looking to get some land- so my base knowledge is strictly learned from hunting and reading.


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## LG1 (Sep 8, 2008)

I don’t think it matters. Doesn’t matter how much someone owns they will hunt the fence or property line next to you anyway.


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

Things are always better on the other side of the fence.


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## ducksarge (Jul 3, 2011)

CricketGreen said:


> Have you always owned land or did you buy it later in life? I’m 34, city dweller, looking to get some land- so my base knowledge is strictly learned from hunting and reading.


I bought it later in life. I am 53 and bought it about 5 years ago. I had hunted my family's property before, but it is 2-3 hours away. The property i bought is about 15 minutes away. Honestly was not looking to buy any, but it was my wife's idea.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

ducksarge said:


> I bought it later in life. I am 53 and bought it about 5 years ago. I had hunted my family's property before, but it is 2-3 hours away. The property i bought is about 15 minutes away. Honestly was not looking to buy any, but it was my wife's idea.


Don't slap me , but I like your wife!


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## trucker3573 (Aug 29, 2010)

Depends on how many people? If it were just me a tree with my effective compound bow range radius around it would be sufficient. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## tdejong302 (Nov 28, 2004)

Try leasing it. If it doesn't work out as planned have a back up spot if needed. That way if you have issues w/ tresspass or hunters you have another spot. Can't be that expensive. Like a guy mentioned on here before.... you can have a 10 acre honey hole or 100 acre desert.


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## LoneWolfArcher (Mar 13, 2015)

Chromelander said:


> Keep in mind you'll probably need the neighbors permission to track deer on there property. With a property that small they will definitely affect the hunting where your at. Most likely in a negative way. I think a minimum of 20 acres would be something to look for. Not saying small parcels can't be great. Maybe this one is.


Depends on his shot placement. Shot a nice 9 this year with a bow, he went 25 yards and dropped within 20 yds of the stand I was in. Took a picture of him laying there while I was still on stand.


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## mjh4 (Feb 2, 2018)

I own 27 acres pretty much 50/50 swamp and hardwoods just two of us hunt it and it hunts way bigger than 27acres. Just depends a lot on the terrain and cover for deer.


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


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## CatfishKurt (Dec 12, 2017)

I hunt 5 acres and have gotten deer off it 2 of last 3 years. Didn't have much neighboring pressure until this year. But now with the extra pressure it seems deer activity has dropped. A rabbit hunting trip the other day in a fresh snow has confirmed this.


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## Justin (Feb 21, 2005)

I live on four wooded acres and see deer nearly every day. The only thing that keeps me from shooting one is that it's just too easy. I hunt nearby state land.


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## bombcast (Sep 16, 2003)

Like someone else said, depends on the habitat, etc. I have 24 of my own, big mature woods and food plots. No bedding cover at all. I co-own another 18 with my sister that adjoins, which although I could hunt I leave alone, except for one destination food plot. This 18 I treat as sanctuary. Hunting success (sightings, activity and maturity of bucks) has increased steadily since the addition of the sanctuary pieces.


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## KinOfDarwin (Jan 10, 2021)

W


CricketGreen said:


> I’m not sure how relevant this is, it’s probably variable depending on what you are hunting; but how much land is considered a “good” number?
> 
> Public land can span several hundred acres; yet, private land leases may only allow a couple acres. I’m wondering this because I found a leasing opportunity at a great price, problem is that it’s only 12 acres. Now, I haven’t seen the land yet, but the guy claims it has plenty of animal signs, so I’m optimistic. But, is that enough land?


 my party hunts on a 45 acre plot that is surrounded by farms. We have a swamp with soft tall grass that looks comfy to even me and two cleared areas above it with trails and tall grass. We did four hunters this year and triangulate our positions to drive the deer toward each other in case someone got a shot. We got two doe and two bucks. Everyone took more than one shot at deer but we hadn’t fired our guns that year and mostly missed!

in that fourty acres I can hear who shot and what the bullet did (hit branch, sailed, stopped). Even so, We’d see deer run right towards where a shooter would be, and that person never saw or heard a thing.

we have zero hunting pressure in the region seemingly because everyone who missed their shots reported the deer just standing there wondering what the bang sound was.

it could be just great conditions, but our fourty is like a dream come true. This was my first year and I am so jacked for next season it hurts.


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## on a call (Jan 16, 2010)

GATORGETTER said:


> My mother in-law owns a 20 with a barn and cabin near Manistee. We use it as a base camp and hunt the thousands of acres of Manistee National Forest most of the time. Something else to consider.


Exactly what we did in SE Ohio. Macksburg area.


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## usedtobeayooper (Feb 13, 2008)

KinOfDarwin said:


> Everyone took more than one shot at deer but we hadn’t fired our guns that year and mostly missed!


Sorry, but I got hung up on this. If you can't hit it, don't shoot at it. If you don't know if you can, practice.... or at least, for the love of God, sight your gun in so you know it can. 

[End rant]

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


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## on a call (Jan 16, 2010)

usedtobeayooper said:


> Sorry, but I got hung up on this. If you can't hit it, don't shoot at it. If you don't know if you can, practice.... or at least, for the love of God, sight your gun in so you know it can.
> 
> [End rant]
> 
> Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk


And....be sure of your target.


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## Martin Looker (Jul 16, 2015)

I have 38 acres that is pretty good hunting but if I had a choice I would have at least a thousand acres. The only problem with that much land would be trespassers.


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