What do you think of this land?

[willy]

Weston, that is such a great feeling hunting on land you own and knowing it is a blank slate. With that being said, I would learn how the deer travel/use it before jumping into projects. It will probably take a couple years to get to that point if you haven't been hunting it prior to ownership. You have a lot going on around you based on topography and habitat. Access will be key, knowing how you're going to get to a stand before putting it up will be big. Keeping from bumping/alerting deer they are being hunted makes hunting so much more fun.

Good luck and congrats!

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I'm curious, going through some negotiations for buying some land right now and was surprised by the interest rates I've been quoted. 5.25% is the lowest I've seen for ag real estate, regardless of loan terms and with multiple lenders. I have nearly perfect credit and was told this is the lowest I will find anywhere. Do you mind sharing what you were able to get?

 

[Booner21]

Yes so exciting. I hunted it yesterday and really had to remind myself i was hunting because I would catch myself just standing there with a million ideas circling in my head. Trying to figure out where to start might be difficult!


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Speaking from experience don’t go crazy foe the first year or so really get an idea how the deer use the property before blowing it all up. It is much easier to enforce than chance behavior. I spent years 4 and 5 undoing what I did in years 1 and 2


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[westonwhitetail]

I'm curious, going through some negotiations for buying some land right now and was surprised by the interest rates I've been quoted. 5.25% is the lowest I've seen for ag real estate, regardless of loan terms and with multiple lenders. I have nearly perfect credit and was told this is the lowest I will find anywhere. Do you mind sharing what you were able to get?

My loan is a recreational land loan and is 3.25%. It’s adjustable so we’ll pay it down as much as possible over 5 years and see what rates do in the meantime. Does the land you are looking at have a higher percentage a ag on it? Maybe ask about recreational land loans too? For fixed rates I think the best were around 4.0. The bank is Royal Credit Union.


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[westonwhitetail]

Thanks Willy and Booner. I will try to keep to minor improvements until I learn the property better. For year one I am thinking adding some screening and plots in existing hay fields. Also a couple apple trees also those plots. We will see what else the planning this winter brings


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[Dukslayr]

I'm curious, going through some negotiations for buying some land right now and was surprised by the interest rates I've been quoted. 5.25% is the lowest I've seen for ag real estate, regardless of loan terms and with multiple lenders. I have nearly perfect credit and was told this is the lowest I will find anywhere. Do you mind sharing what you were able to get?

For what it’s worth I just bought a place with my credit Union at 3.5% on a 5 year ARM. We will pay it didn’t and refinance or sell it before then. My other farm the same credit Union just refinanced into 15 year fixed at 3%.

 

[Dukslayr]

Thanks Willy and Booner. I will try to keep to minor improvements until I learn the property better. For year one I am thinking adding some screening and plots in existing hay fields. Also a couple apple trees also those plots. We will see what else the planning this winter brings


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Congrats on your purchase!! What a great feeling. For what it’s worth I was in a very similar situation on my first farm. It was 80 acres of timber in AG country but laid in an hourglass shape and I was at one corner. The best hunting was at the far other corner. No road frontage (rad dead ended into my place) and no way to get from my camp through the farm to that back corner. I got to know both of my neighbors well and the second year got permission to drive my ATV through his pasture, park and hop the fence to access that back corner. He and I became friends over the years and I always enjoyed great access to all of my farm by using his land. Lots of beer, bourbon, and helping keep his cows in his pasture kept me access to my place through his the whole time I owned it. He was bummed when I sold it. Said I was the best neighbor he’s had and was worried who would be coming in next. I still stop by once a season and say hello, even though it’s an hour from my new farm.

 

[J B]

Weston- Congrats on your purchase! There’s no feeling like buying hunting land and then being able to manage it! I see you are from Dunn County. It seems like a lot of really nice bucks have been harvested up that way this year. What have you seen gun hunting so far? I’d use that info to start building your plan for winter and spring.

My view is a little different than some of the others that posted. I like to jump in with improvements right away. Many habitat improvements take time to grow and I don’t like waiting. Sure, you could do something wrong, but I think you will do more right than wrong if you have some habitat knowledge already.

#1- Access is not great. I wouldn’t plan on neighbors giving the new guy on the block access. Start working with neighbors now and maybe it will be an option someday. I just wouldn’t bet on it. I’d make sure that I had a good trail system on the west side to get back to the back field. I’d also use an ATV, so the deer get used to that traffic. Maybe improve a spot to park it by the back field where it will not alarm deer.

#2 Meet with a forester and see what your options are. Ideally, a timber harvest or TSI to thicken up the woods, so the deer do not blow out every time that you enter the property. Otherwise, if you are comfortable running a saw, I’d start my own tsi.

#3 Screens- I’d be planting conifer screens anywhere there was room to block others from seeing in and to help deer on the property feel more secure. Trees take time, I’d have some ordered and a tree planter lined up. What is the soil like in the back field? It’s probably worth pulling some soil samples before winter where you think you may plot in the future.

#4 Apples trees- I’d be trying to order some good varieties for your area on good rootstock if you could find any. They will take 10 years with good soil and care to produce in any numbers. They have been a big asset to me. They are also fun to work on and to enjoy the fruit of your labor. I’d probably add them to a big food source in the back field. I would not plant food or apples close to the property line. Maybe a 3 acre destination plot in the middle of the back 40 if the soil and slope is good there. Who farmed the back field before? Maybe the farmer to the west? I’d try to work a deal with him to plant soybeans in big open field. Work a deal to keep 3 acres standing
In the middle of that 40. I wouldn’t agree to a multi year deal unless you want row crop history and the chance for crp in the future. I’d frost seed the rest of the back field in switch grass next winter. This will get your good cover quick if the soil is not sandy.

Last, but not least, keep your improvements to the offseason and make sure you are extremely low impact when hunting. Hunt the edges and leave every inch that you can for a sanctuary.

Good luck! Make sure you add some more pictures, so we can get a better idea for the habitat that you already have.

 

[westonwhitetail]

Congrats on your purchase!! What a great feeling. For what it’s worth I was in a very similar situation on my first farm. It was 80 acres of timber in AG country but laid in an hourglass shape and I was at one corner. The best hunting was at the far other corner. No road frontage (rad dead ended into my place) and no way to get from my camp through the farm to that back corner. I got to know both of my neighbors well and the second year got permission to drive my ATV through his pasture, park and hop the fence to access that back corner. He and I became friends over the years and I always enjoyed great access to all of my farm by using his land. Lots of beer, bourbon, and helping keep his cows in his pasture kept me access to my place through his the whole time I owned it. He was bummed when I sold it. Said I was the best neighbor he’s had and was worried who would be coming in next. I still stop by once a season and say hello, even though it’s an hour from my new farm.

Thank you Dukslayr! Sounds like a very similar situation here, the most promising deer sign is on the north end. The farmer to the west/northwest of me has pasture that boarders me. He seems like a real nice guy, I've spoke to him on the phone twice and he was friendly and wanted to meet sometime. So hopefully I can build that relationship, help him however I can so I can walk across his pasture to hunt that northern piece instead of right along my woods.

 

[westonwhitetail]

Weston- Congrats on your purchase! There’s no feeling like buying hunting land and then being able to manage it! I see you are from Dunn County. It seems like a lot of really nice bucks have been harvested up that way this year. What have you seen gun hunting so far? I’d use that info to start building your plan for winter and spring.

My view is a little different than some of the others that posted. I like to jump in with improvements right away. Many habitat improvements take time to grow and I don’t like waiting. Sure, you could do something wrong, but I think you will do more right than wrong if you have some habitat knowledge already.

#1- Access is not great. I wouldn’t plan on neighbors giving the new guy on the block access. Start working with neighbors now and maybe it will be an option someday. I just wouldn’t bet on it. I’d make sure that I had a good trail system on the west side to get back to the back field. I’d also use an ATV, so the deer get used to that traffic. Maybe improve a spot to park it by the back field where it will not alarm deer.

#2 Meet with a forester and see what your options are. Ideally, a timber harvest or TSI to thicken up the woods, so the deer do not blow out every time that you enter the property. Otherwise, if you are comfortable running a saw, I’d start my own tsi.

#3 Screens- I’d be planting conifer screens anywhere there was room to block others from seeing in and to help deer on the property feel more secure. Trees take time, I’d have some ordered and a tree planter lined up. What is the soil like in the back field? It’s probably worth pulling some soil samples before winter where you think you may plot in the future.

#4 Apples trees- I’d be trying to order some good varieties for your area on good rootstock if you could find any. They will take 10 years with good soil and care to produce in any numbers. They have been a big asset to me. They are also fun to work on and to enjoy the fruit of your labor. I’d probably add them to a big food source in the back field. I would not plant food or apples close to the property line. Maybe a 3 acre destination plot in the middle of the back 40 if the soil and slope is good there. Who farmed the back field before? Maybe the farmer to the west? I’d try to work a deal with him to plant soybeans in big open field. Work a deal to keep 3 acres standing
In the middle of that 40. I wouldn’t agree to a multi year deal unless you want row crop history and the chance for crp in the future. I’d frost seed the rest of the back field in switch grass next winter. This will get your good cover quick if the soil is not sandy.

Last, but not least, keep your improvements to the offseason and make sure you are extremely low impact when hunting. Hunt the edges and leave every inch that you can for a sanctuary.

Good luck! Make sure you add some more pictures, so we can get a better idea for the habitat that you already have.

Lots of good advice JB, thanks. Yes Dunn county can produced some good bucks, if there was a more consistent effort in management I think it could be as good as anywhere in the state!

I hunted the new land twice this last weekend. I heard some deer move through before daylight, shot a coyote on my way out and also saw a fisher, which was cool. No deer seen during daylight but the second weekend of gun season can be tough. There was a real nice 9 point on camera one night so that's encouraging. He was headed north, where there's a 750 acre swamp about a 1/2 mile away. I would bet many deer are laying in it right now. I think improving the cover on my land might help hold them when the pressure is on. I'm thinking about NWSG mixed with patches of pines/spruce in the 15 acre northern field to help hold deer closer to me. I'm not gonna start there, but just an idea right now. For next year it will stay as an ag field until I learn more. I also like the idea of late season food up in this field, but it appears the 40 to the north or me hunts it pretty hard. I'm not sure if they shoot everything that moves or are selective, so that will play a factor. I wouldn't want to plant that in solid food for them to pick the deer off on the edge every year.

I am going to jump in to some improvements like you said. Apples and screens come to the top of the list for the first year because the need for screens in some locations seem obvious. I also want some apples to get started right away so we can enjoy in a few years (looking forward for that day!) There are some open areas that I can start apple trees without changing a thing. If they are on the edge of plots or future NWSG's, that shouldn't hurt.

That back field is farmed by someone that farms to the east. Good idea to see if they're will to leave some beans and I can broadcast brassicas or rye into it for a damn good food plot. Like I was talking before, I'm not sure what the long term plan for this field is gonna be yet. Most likely a mix of cover and food, but I don't know how to break it up. Standing corn sounds great, it would provide both, but you can't do that every year. If I could get paid to put it into prairie with warm season grasses that would be a good option too. I don't know how those programs work as far as planting food plots, trees, pines, etc into it though..

I will start organizing some ideas into a plan this winter and get some pictures next spring for a land tour. Hopefully you guys can help me out with more ideas then!