Buying bare dirt land - worth it?

bgusty

5 year old buck +
So there's a larger parcel near me in MN that I'm kind of eying. I've never bought a piece of land strictly for hunting/ habitat improvement. My plan has been to save for a few more years then find a spot in SW Wisconsin with a cabin since its a 3 hour drive (and my wife requires a bathroom so it can't be a 10k amish cabin with no plumbing).

This parcel near me is only a 30 minute drive, so it has me considering going that route instead. It used to be ag land, and it was put into a permanent conservation easement, so at this point it's basically just prairie grass and some scrub trees in a couple patches. My understanding is that I can make changes/ improvements to the land within reason as long as it isn't commercial ag land. Because of the fact that it can't be used as ag land and can't be taken out of the program without approval/ paying a penalty, it is incredibly cheap compared to most other recreational land.

So here's the way I see it.

Pros:
- MUCH larger tract of land than I could otherwise afford (3x or more). It's a seriously large piece of ground.
- Being within 30 minutes of my house means I wouldn't need to have a cabin/ residence there and could realistically get out there more often.
- Could be good turkey/ pheasant hunting for the foreseeable future while waiting on trees to grow.
- Blank canvas to do what I want within reason (would need to look into it more to make sure I can plant some sections of trees etc). I really like the idea of being able to shape where I put fruit trees and where I plant switchgrass for bedding and where I plant hardwoods and evergreens. It's basically blank dirt right now.

Cons:
- No cabin/ not the bluff country plan we had initially.
- Potentially limited on what we can/ can't do in terms of habitat improvements/ changes.
- Can't rent out ag to offset costs.
- Limited useful deer hunting habitat initially since there are only a few patches of scrub trees right now. Would need to mostly ground blind hunt to start. Looks like they've shot a few good deer over the last few years even just in the grassy areas.

What else do I need to consider? Would you guys say it would be worth it? What would be my fastest way to improve habitat in the next 5-10 years (specifically what would be some of the best trees to plant that would grow so I could hang a treestand in it 15 years from now)? Other general thoughts/ opinions/ comments welcome!
 
If it’s WRP I would recommend to stay away. No trees can be added in most WRP contracts.

You can find out how much the current landowner was paid if you do some digging.
 
If it’s WRP I would recommend to stay away. No trees can be added in most WRP contracts.

You can find out how much the current landowner was paid if you do some digging.
WRP/ RIM I believe.
 
RIM will allow trees. Can I ask what county? I know the programs pretty well in MN.
 
Last edited:
Neighbors... 'nuff said. :)
 
Factor in how much the landowner was already paid for the easement, then what the asking price is now.

It depends on if you ever need the money as it will not be generating any income, and may not go up in value.
 
One of my properties is mostly in WRP, I have had zero problems with the state not agreeing with any improvements I've wanted to do. That said politics vary from state to state on how they want to see it managed and used. Anything planted on mine has to be native be it grasses/shrubs/trees/flowers, get a look at the contract on the property your looking at to see exactly what it says, restrictions vary.
Pretty much everything I wanted to do for my property the state also wanted too so it has been a win-win in my situation, you can't look at the property with farmers eyes...look at it with conservation and nature in mind and there will be less chance it would disappoint you.

Having a property close for you is a big bonus, so is a good price with more acreage than you thought you could purchase as long as you can get the family enjoyment out of it that you want.
 
One of my properties is mostly in WRP, I have had zero problems with the state not agreeing with any improvements I've wanted to do. That said politics vary from state to state on how they want to see it managed and used. Anything planted on mine has to be native be it grasses/shrubs/trees/flowers, get a look at the contract on the property your looking at to see exactly what it says, restrictions vary.
Pretty much everything I wanted to do for my property the state also wanted too so it has been a win-win in my situation, you can't look at the property with farmers eyes...look at it with conservation and nature in mind and there will be less chance it would disappoint you.

Having a property close for you is a big bonus, so is a good price with more acreage than you thought you could purchase as long as you can get the family enjoyment out of it that you want.

Right. I’m no farmer so for me any improvements would be strictly aimed at wildlife anyway.

Probably my bigger concern is that there’s just nothing really there right now. I think there’s like 2 trees total that big enough to hang a stand in. Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Don't be afraid to offer much lower than they are asking. I saw a WRP parcel for sale in Iowa and it started at 2500/acre and it has now dropped to $1000,-all grass no trees......but the agent said they will take much less. For non hunters it is a burden to own.
 
Don't be afraid to offer much lower than they are asking. I saw a WRP parcel for sale in Iowa and it started at 2500/acre and it has now dropped to $1000,-all grass no trees......but the agent said they will take much less. For non hunters it is a burden to own.

Good call.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Hard to believe wildlife paradises could sell as cheap as $1000. Location location. If it's appealing to you, it's likely appealing to other outdoorsmen as well. I wouldn't be afraid of ground blinds for good hunting, unless you're strictly a bowhunter. All but 1 of our trophies have come from ground hunting.
 
Hard to believe wildlife paradises could sell as cheap as $1000. Location location. If it's appealing to you, it's likely appealing to other outdoorsmen as well. I wouldn't be afraid of ground blinds for good hunting, unless you're strictly a bowhunter. All but 1 of our trophies have come from ground hunting.

I am pretty much strictly a bow hunter at this point. Haven’t used the shotgun in probably the last 10 years.

I don’t know that I would call it a wildlife paradise. At this point it’s more of a potential piece that would need a good amount of work to be anything more than a pheasant and turkey hunting patch.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Is raw/bare land worth it? Yes! But there are issues with buying raw/bare land...most banks require a much larger deposit on it to begin with (expect some banks wanting 50%)

As for the no cabin/toilet thing...there are many creative ways to get over that. For example, if you have electric look into an Incinolet for a toilet. They are small enough you can put in those tiny Amish Sheds/Cabins...

You will always want more land...so something 3x larger than you dreamed of might be worth it. I bought 160 acres in South Dakota and already wish I bought more (maybe oneway I can buy 40 acres off a neighbor).

Having limits on your own property just sucks. That might be enough for me to walk away. Look into what the limits are on the WRP. Weigh them carefully. If you determine this was a bad move..it may equally be hard to sell to someone else.

Having property down the road has to be a huge plus. I'm sure a lot of us can tell you the horrors of owning land far away...not just from you..but from anything and everything. This past summer I was working on hooking up a water tank on my property in South Dakota. I bought the pipe fitting by driving 2.5 hrs (to Rapid City) round trip only to figure out when I got back that the fitting wasn't adaptable to my pump. But now it was after 2PM and the plumbing store was closed for the weekend. So what I was hoping to be a few hour project ended up taking 3+ days to complete. (Sure blame me, but you'll find out how much it sucks when you get to your place and realize you accidentally forgot something - these things happen).

But having land down the street also has it's drawbacks...there is no uniqueness about it. I live in Maryland...I have a friend who lets me hunt on his parcel in New York, and in return I have invited him to hunt on my parcel in South Dakota. Having "uniqueness" goes a long ways. I find most of the guys I enjoy hunting with don't have that land down the street, but rather take me to a place I would not ordinarily be able to go out and hunt.

Just some thoughts...
 
Can you plant things without anyone finding out?
 
If I had to run 3 hours to get to my land, I'd never be there.
 
About where in the state is the land?
 
The other thought is what is around it: are you surrounded by woods or are you out in the plains , is there roll to the land/hills and is there water like a stream or a pond or a spring? .... water is like gold! 3x the land is like gold! Terrain will help with breaking up the land as your habitat improves. A rollie piece of land that is bare is something that would be fun to work. A Flat land parcel would present some additional challenges if you were up for it.

How young are you and do you care... habitat takes time but its a labor of love. Are you passing the land on to kids or family? There are a lot of factors to consider. Being close is a huge bonus. That fact alone makes it very appealing. The blank slate is pretty cool and everything you gain will be your doing. Short of this property being out in the middle of some flat treeless plain I would tend to lean towards it over a chunk 3 hours away.
 
How many acres? Large enough can overcome a lot of other sins in my opinion
 
I would be 100% certain as to what you can and can't do with the land. Not some... "I think you can..." type of stuff. You need a written copy of the rules of the program...black and white. As long as that is 100% to your liking...then the rest comes into play. Closer to home is nice and more land is great, but it can takes trees a LONG time to grow into deer habitat. Planted trees could take 20 or 30 years... Also look at the big picture....the area in your square mile or so. I am not sure if the hunting rules being different between the states makes a difference to you or not...but it might.
 
Top