How many acres?

[MoLandOwner]

Batman, You had a large chunk already, that you turned into a great property from what it sounds like. Then you sold it.

Now, you want to try an experiment, that with that kind of money to lose you are hoping everyone follows the rules? People are born to break rules, I give your Idea 10% chance of working with no way to enforce the rules, along with 10 years of misery. Would not be my choice for a project.

Wish you the best if you go through with it!

 

[sandbur]

I tend to agree with John. Too much work and headaches.

Goals change for people,people die and others inherit property, People sell. Wolves move in....bad winter...

Not enough flexibility for me. Plus I just like to do my own thing.

 

[shawnv]

I believe they tried something like this by Black River Falls, WI and it failed (I believe it's still for sale) but they built several cabins so the overhead was high. The cooperative land mgmt can have some success, seems to have improved in the Tigerton area of WI.

 

[Gator]

I wouldn't even consider this from a hunting standpoint. If the goal is simply to make money, then my opinion changes. I'd just buy a huge chunk and manage as you see fit.

 

[shawnv]

I think this requires more control to manage properly, better to be a club with members. At this point it would not be someone's full time job to manage.

 

[Satchmo]

If you just want to be part of a Co-op, here is a link to a 2560 acre chunk of Potlatch ground that is leased to and run as a hunting club. No waiting list either. In fact they have been trying to round up members for years. I would think that whoever starts up these kinds of things in MN ends up with all the risk and all the headaches that will inevitably follow. That will take the FUN out of your hunting and/or land management in a hurry.
http://www.pchhuntingleases.com/mn/tracts/1423411-1.pdf

P.S. -- This one is right smack dab in the middle of prime wolf country as well, so hunting opportunities abound.

 

[Jameson]

How many acres does one need to go from shit hunting to good stuff when regulated by the hunter vs the state?

500 to see a measurable improvement. 3000 to be like the TV shows.

80 or 160 acres parcels would be way better than 20's.

 

[foggy]

^ Interesting post Satchmo.

 

[West Branch]

I have been working on convincing my brother to give up his cattle pasture area for deer hunting. The area would be 200 acres with 3/4 mile of creek bottom. Good thick cover, lots of oaks, access for almost any wind, 2 20 acre fields would still be farmed by him, at least 3 spots for 1+ acre food plots, . My ideal situation would be one other person leasing with me for deer and turkey hunting for $2,000 a year, so 1k each. Also, split costs of food plots and similar stuff. Use my cabin as a base. There are already a fair number of deer for our area on the 200, get rid of the cattle and after a couple years there should be a lot more deer. I think this situation could make for some fun hunting. Sadly, in my friend group the people interested in hunting don't have the money, and the ones with the money aren't that interested in hunting.

To have good deer hunting+make some money I would think at minimum you would want 500-600 acres if the property was layed out good. 1,000+ would be ideal. My brother talks about trying to make the farm into much better deer hunting and trying to make some money with some sort of leasing deal, but once I tell him he needs to give up a few acres of fields for things like hedgerows, conifer screens etc. he balks.

 

[West Branch]

If you just want to be part of a Co-op, here is a link to a 2560 acre chunk of Potlatch ground that is leased to and run as a hunting club. No waiting list either. In fact they have been trying to round up members for years. I would think that whoever starts up these kinds of things in MN ends up with all the risk and all the headaches that will inevitably follow. That will take the FUN out of your hunting and/or land management in a hurry.
http://www.pchhuntingleases.com/mn/tracts/1423411-1.pdf

P.S. -- This one is right smack dab in the middle of prime wolf country as well, so hunting opportunities abound.

http://ladenlakergc.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=96&Itemid=122

According to this, 18 members that can bring up to 2 guests... could be up to 54 people. 47 acres per person with total area ends up being even less when you look at what is actually huntable, with wetlands, lakes, sanctuary. IF I was involved in something like that I would want 60-80 acres a person.

 

[Powder]

I think you need to decide the main purpose of the land. Allowing 4 wheeling, bird hunting, hiking, fishing, etc. will not be helpful in keeping deer on the property. It will help you get people to buy it early on...until they see how others' priorities don't mesh with theirs and interupt their enjoyment of the land.

IMO land is very rarely GREAT at providing multiple outdoor experiences. You almost always have to sacrifice a few lower priorities to create one great thing.

 

[Freeborn]

If you just want to be part of a Co-op, here is a link to a 2560 acre chunk of Potlatch ground that is leased to and run as a hunting club. No waiting list either. In fact they have been trying to round up members for years. I would think that whoever starts up these kinds of things in MN ends up with all the risk and all the headaches that will inevitably follow. That will take the FUN out of your hunting and/or land management in a hurry.
http://www.pchhuntingleases.com/mn/tracts/1423411-1.pdf

P.S. -- This one is right smack dab in the middle of prime wolf country as well, so hunting opportunities abound.

I like the concept but wonder how many members they have per year. I would assume anyone who hunts would need to be a member unless they have family memberships. This would be attractive if a person had a cabin on a local lake but wanted quality hunting.

 

[bat man]

I think you need to decide the main purpose of the land. Allowing 4 wheeling, bird hunting, hiking, fishing, etc. will not be helpful in keeping deer on the property. .

I have found the opposite can be true with a solid property layout plan. 4 wheeling and bird hunting your borders can create a black and white line for the deer on human vs non human areas. No surprises. Set up the food cover and water inside your boundaries and the deer stay within the lines (to a degree). Opposite is true if you are hunting deer that bed on your neighbors.

And in areas where the deer hunting is on the toilet you can still enjoy the parcel, and have better hunting than the neighbors if you have a solid plan that is executed to help dictate deer activity.

 

[foggy]

I like the concept but wonder how many members they have per year. I would assume anyone who hunts would need to be a member unless they have family memberships. This would be attractive if a person had a cabin on a local lake but wanted quality hunting.

I dunno.....but it seems to me that set-up would be a hell-ova lot lower-cost....than the way I do things. Not sure about the hunting results......but if your short on time....this seems to be a fair option.

 

[West Branch]

I like the concept but wonder how many members they have per year. I would assume anyone who hunts would need to be a member unless they have family memberships. This would be attractive if a person had a cabin on a local lake but wanted quality hunting.

See my post at #32, they have a website where it says each of the 18 members can have 2 guests. Each lessee can get 3 deer, which includes the guests. Ends up being 12+ deer allowed to be killed per sq mile.

I dunno.....but it seems to me that set-up would be a hell-ova lot lower-cost....than the way I do things. Not sure about the hunting results......but if your short on time....this seems to be a fair option.

It also says that they expect each member to participate with upkeep with food plots, trials, and other "chores".

http://ladenlakergc.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=96&Itemid=122

Another thing:

During the non-hunting seasons you can bring as many guests onto the property as you want for camping, picnics, etc.

Sounds worse and worse the more I read about it. But I can still see how this may work best for some people.

 

[bat man]

^^^that's been you riding the atv and bird hunting the border. What about when you have a dozen different people doing it?

From what I have seen the setup would work better than a normal Joe hunting his 40 like most do now, blundering through every part of the piece scouting sign and chasing birds. A guy can do a decent job of housing deer on a 40 if its the right piece and you set it up properly. I really believe I could let a dozen guys bird hunt my borders where I set it up to be a daylight barrier and it would not make a difference. The current distance is longer than a square 40 can provide but the concept would seem solid. The deer are buried in the heart of the parcel and don't care that guys are walking the border, shooting grouse. And the deer avoid that border until after dark. Older deer more so than yearlings.

I think the bulk of new land owners are city people.

 

[Powder]

I wish you luck as well but this would not be of interest to me. In theory I like it, but maybe it's because I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to things like this. I view this as a resticted public lands hunting situation. You can't control where people go or what they do and need to hope they will be respectful.

IMO, these types of setups work best in a 'hunt club' situation where there is a manager that has more strict authority over the activities that go on. Members can be kicked out or not renewed on an annual basis if they don't follow the rules.

Trying to compare this to a neighborhood association is not an accurate comparison. If the swings at the neighborhood park are full my 5 year old will wait her turn. It doesn't work that way when my favorite deer stand is occupied in the middle of the rut.

 

[MN Slick]

From what I have seen the setup would work better than a normal Joe hunting his 40 like most do now, blundering through every part of the piece scouting sign and chasing birds. A guy can do a decent job of housing deer on a 40 if its the right piece and you set it up properly. I really believe I could let a dozen guys bird hunt my borders where I set it up to be a daylight barrier and it would not make a difference. The current distance is longer than a square 40 can provide but the concept would seem solid. The deer are buried in the heart of the parcel and don't care that guys are walking the border, shooting grouse. And the deer avoid that border until after dark. Older deer more so than yearlings.

I think the bulk of new land owners are city people.

Deer maybe but I doubt mature bucks would tolerate that kind of activity. At best they would move after dark.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

1000+ acres. I think you could have above average hunting with that plan, but the thought of any kind of restrictions on your own land would turn off a lot of guys. You'd likely need to stay away from wolf country for that plan though since a pack of wolves could quickly mess up the sanctuary at the center of the property. You might be able to make some money on that type of plan, but it could also turn into a giant pain in the butt.

If your goal is to have hunting land and also make some money in the process, why not just pick up a bunch of decent priced 40-160 acre properties and give them a little TLC. Keep them if the hunting is great and sell them if the hunting isn't as good as you hoped. Cast a wide net and get properties in a couple different states when the deal is right which would allow you to hunt multiple states while you work on them.

 

[bat man]

Deer maybe but I doubt mature bucks would tolerate that kind of activity. At best they would move after dark.

I have watched 3.5 plus bucks hold up within 60 yards of my grouse hunting trail more than once. They waited till dark on land I never walk during season and then moved east to the bigger ag fields. Nothing is always, but the the process works on my piece.