Angus 1895
5 year old buck +
What is the ditch looking thing that runs south?
Land butting up against 18 houses?
- Thread starter hunts_with_stick
- Start date
hunts_with_stick
5 year old buck +
power line row.
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
Not as bad as I was imagining. You can use all the houses birdfeeders and gardens as your food plots
You will just have to think about your tolerance level of that much human activity that close.
j-bird
Moderator
No. People suck!
BoazBooner
Yearling... With promise
Long story, I live on 18 acres of basically the most varied topography in the county. House and such is up top, river is below me with 12 house butting up to me. I got yelled at and belittled on here for questioning whether I should report the 4 houses that bait deer with large feeders (illegal in this WI county), so I haven't reported them and try not to worry about it. There are big bucks that may not always bed on my property, but definitely cruise through every year. We've had at least one 140"+ each of the four years I've lived there. I cleared a plot on the top and does love it there, that's obviously the key. We bought the property for basically the price of the house, so 17 acres as a bonus that I've cut trails on and take the kids out on voyages is worth it in my mind. We netted $14k in a select walnut harvest last year and have other timber that could come down. I have posted signs up every 50' but still see neighbors every now and again, just try not to worry. Plug a Cuddelink home into an outlet in the garage so don't have to pay for a plan.
Now this is all fine and dandy and I can sleep at night because I co-own pure hunting land with a buddy a couple hours away. Makes it easier to say, why would I spend all that money on recreational land and shoot bucks in my backyard? First world problems I am aware, and am very blessed. It's a blast watching everything on the property but if a 180" shows up that's when the sleep stops and I'll probably lose my mind, throw deer fence up and ruin my relationship with everyone. Kidding, but only because I haven't seen a monster heamer running around yet.
Short story, if it was your main hunting property, I wouldn't do it, way too much hassle and worries. But as has been said before, it's usually a good investment and can bring invaluable experiences and memories along the way. Best of luck!
Now this is all fine and dandy and I can sleep at night because I co-own pure hunting land with a buddy a couple hours away. Makes it easier to say, why would I spend all that money on recreational land and shoot bucks in my backyard? First world problems I am aware, and am very blessed. It's a blast watching everything on the property but if a 180" shows up that's when the sleep stops and I'll probably lose my mind, throw deer fence up and ruin my relationship with everyone. Kidding, but only because I haven't seen a monster heamer running around yet.
Short story, if it was your main hunting property, I wouldn't do it, way too much hassle and worries. But as has been said before, it's usually a good investment and can bring invaluable experiences and memories along the way. Best of luck!
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Game laws are game laws. I wish everyone would call in their neighbor if they were cheating the law.
Angus 1895
5 year old buck +
Have you walked the woods, looking for scrapes, rubs beds droppings?
I would also see how much dog sign is in the woods.
I would also see how much dog sign is in the woods.
bigboreblr
5 year old buck +
Could be worse...........
I'd be weary of the power line access as much as the neighbors. With 300 channels youtube and playstation, most people dont mess with woods.
If you have other places to hunt that are not nearby and this one is close, could be worth it....
I'd be weary of the power line access as much as the neighbors. With 300 channels youtube and playstation, most people dont mess with woods.
If you have other places to hunt that are not nearby and this one is close, could be worth it....
Bill
Administrator
Who ever did that better start belittling me because I turned one of my neighbors in for a bait pile 75 yards from my line. And I would do again in a heart beat. Not only is it illegal, but they were obliviously trying to pull deer off me into that hay field. screw them....
hunts_with_stick
5 year old buck +
all great points. I already have 12 acres, this property would be on the way there. This would be a bonus property. Access would be the power line and a smaller section that boarders the one road. I might try and walk it tomorrow to see what kind of sign there is. If I see big buck sign and no climber or tree stands, might be worth considering.
Natty Bumppo
5 year old buck +
Not as bad as I was imagining. You can use all the houses birdfeeders and gardens as your food plots
You will just have to think about your tolerance level of that much human activity that close.
My same reaction.
Seeing the pics it looks not as bad...and might have some potential for the right price.
I have a feeling you're going to find all kinds of stands back in there when you walk it. Love to hear about it though.
Angus 1895
5 year old buck +
I remember Gene Wenzel wrote in his book I read early spring scouting is very enlightening.
most buck sign remains
most buck sign remains
I suggtest you have way more than 18 houses to worry about; probably 40+ within a mile who could provide mischief makers and poachers. In addition, I'd bet you'll eventually see residential lots all along the western side also ... the road - or base for a road - in already exists, no clearing is necessary and the parcel runs almost the entire length of your west side. If you live close by, or are willing to pay someone to be a caretaker it might work. Still, I suspect you'll need lots of sinage, gobs of cameras in trees, and an inventory of all the fence-sitter blinds/stands the week before bow season. Do some homework .... like find out if any houses close by have recently sold and talk to the selling agent; s/he may know something about the land/area. Talk to the owner about the hunting history of the land; if buying it will push 2-3 or more locals out, you better consider that possibility. Pick a warm, sunny day and drive through the area; if you are lucky and folks down the road are out in the yard, stop and say you are interested in the area and would appreciate their description of living there ... are there any problems or drawbacks, etc. See if you can find out how many of those homes (in the area - not just the 18) have been built in the last 10 years / 5 years ... was it a single developer or were lots sold and folks brought in their own contractor. If it's a desirable area, you might get all your money back selling off the front third (assuming there are no easement problems ... you don't indicate how you access the property). I'd try to be as informed as I could before I bought into a situation like you describe. Lastly, BEST of luck!
PS ... my bad, you do indicate ingress
PS ... my bad, you do indicate ingress
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yep, stick and string is your only choice, and even with a perfect shot, when it ends up in someone's yard, you're going to quickly find out what your neighbors beliefs are. And, if those neighbors are the "ones", next time a dog goes missing....
You might check the town or county hunting laws, too. In my town where there is some great suburban hunting opportunities, they've had a law on the books for many years that says you can't legally hunt unless you own 10 acres or more within the city limits.
Troubles Trees
5 year old buck +
I probably wouldn't hesitate much to buy that, we all see things differently but I grew up without land to hunt so compared to State Land this would have been a dream spot for me lol Make a clearing in the middle and put in a small food plot with fruit trees on the sunny side and some browse around the rest. There are cures for some things, a bunch of stories come to mind but to keep this short.
I had a spot similar to this and only had one spot to access it. One of the houses had a dog that was very nice.. but always wanted to follow me into my stand. The guy that owned the land wasn't going to do anything about the dog so it is what it is. It was always a great doe tag filler and once I shot a doe and gutted it there which was ok with the land owner agreement. The next time I hunted there, the dog owner approached me all ticked off that his dog had rolled in the rotten gut pile, had been throwing up and insisted I pay the Vet bill and take gut piles with me in the future. After a heated argument he threatened to call the authorities, I was young, I didn't care and politely told him as much, well he did. The officer waited by my vehicle until I got out of the woods and accused me of trespassing, the dog owner lied and told him I didn't have permission to be there. I had the land owner meet us and explain what I had already told the officer, that he owned the land and he gave me permission and if anything the dog was the trespasser. The officer couldn't do much for us but seeing how all this played out, he did issue a ticket to the dog owner for not obeying the leash law lol
(Insert Billy Mays "but wait there's more!) A few months later I was in the Dunkin Donuts drive thru and noticed a cop car a few cars behind me so I paid for his order and left a note with the cashier simply saying "thank you for your service". A few miles down the road I get pulled over, it was him and he wanted to thank me, he then realized I was the hunter dealing with the dog a few months ago and we sat there an hour or so telling deer stories. We have been friends ever since and although I don't see him often these days, he will occasionally ask me to go hunt his honey hole with him. He also made me a custom box call for turkey!
So sure these kind of spots can be a major pain, and they can be a MAJOR pain, but they do make for some good stories, not often but sometimes produce good friends, and witnessing karma do a U-turn is sometimes priceless :)
I had a spot similar to this and only had one spot to access it. One of the houses had a dog that was very nice.. but always wanted to follow me into my stand. The guy that owned the land wasn't going to do anything about the dog so it is what it is. It was always a great doe tag filler and once I shot a doe and gutted it there which was ok with the land owner agreement. The next time I hunted there, the dog owner approached me all ticked off that his dog had rolled in the rotten gut pile, had been throwing up and insisted I pay the Vet bill and take gut piles with me in the future. After a heated argument he threatened to call the authorities, I was young, I didn't care and politely told him as much, well he did. The officer waited by my vehicle until I got out of the woods and accused me of trespassing, the dog owner lied and told him I didn't have permission to be there. I had the land owner meet us and explain what I had already told the officer, that he owned the land and he gave me permission and if anything the dog was the trespasser. The officer couldn't do much for us but seeing how all this played out, he did issue a ticket to the dog owner for not obeying the leash law lol
(Insert Billy Mays "but wait there's more!) A few months later I was in the Dunkin Donuts drive thru and noticed a cop car a few cars behind me so I paid for his order and left a note with the cashier simply saying "thank you for your service". A few miles down the road I get pulled over, it was him and he wanted to thank me, he then realized I was the hunter dealing with the dog a few months ago and we sat there an hour or so telling deer stories. We have been friends ever since and although I don't see him often these days, he will occasionally ask me to go hunt his honey hole with him. He also made me a custom box call for turkey!
So sure these kind of spots can be a major pain, and they can be a MAJOR pain, but they do make for some good stories, not often but sometimes produce good friends, and witnessing karma do a U-turn is sometimes priceless :)
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
No clue if the property is right for you or not. If I owned it I'd put a plot in right behind the houses then hunt the trails going to it. Most deer you shoot will turn and go back the way they came (away from the houses). Plus some neighbors may grow to like watching deer and become supportive of what your doing.
thats an awesome story with a great ending!
i hated to admit it, but i found out about the "own 10 acres to be able to hunt" law the hard way. was a tech for gm in my mid-twenties, and had been working on a game rangers state truck, and got to know him a little, nice guy at the time. while talking hunting w/ him, showed him a pic of a nice buck i'd taken. he asked me where i got it, and i told him. no big deal cause i was told for years that this property, (which was about 300 acres of wetland due to the constantly flooding creek that surrounds it), was owned by the corps of engineers, which was legal to hunt on. Big mistake. his whole demeanor changed, and started telling about this, unknown to me, county law, then started to question me like i was a poacher, then threatened to arrest me on the spot if he saw me hunting anywhere in our county. I know he couldn't see the invisible halo over my head, but I always followed the law back then, and still today. Naturally i was stunned by his reaction, and upset. Nothing ever came of that, but, I had been working on his rig, putting him in front of other customers because i wanted to get to know him. No more preferential treatment after that for that dickhead, and he got the message. Checked with the mayor, and indeed there was a law on the books, and was told that this land is usually duck hunted on by several elected county ppl, possibly including the game ranger himself. The dickhead did get his bluff in on me, and I never went back. Several years later, that area got designated as a wildlife reserve, so no hunting for sure any more. Too bad, cause its had some 180+ class bucks that get hit on the road every couple of years.
ps-to be clear, obviously this was a one off deal with this ranger. I always try to get to know the rangers in my area, and for the most part, they're super great guys, and I support them 100%!
i hated to admit it, but i found out about the "own 10 acres to be able to hunt" law the hard way. was a tech for gm in my mid-twenties, and had been working on a game rangers state truck, and got to know him a little, nice guy at the time. while talking hunting w/ him, showed him a pic of a nice buck i'd taken. he asked me where i got it, and i told him. no big deal cause i was told for years that this property, (which was about 300 acres of wetland due to the constantly flooding creek that surrounds it), was owned by the corps of engineers, which was legal to hunt on. Big mistake. his whole demeanor changed, and started telling about this, unknown to me, county law, then started to question me like i was a poacher, then threatened to arrest me on the spot if he saw me hunting anywhere in our county. I know he couldn't see the invisible halo over my head, but I always followed the law back then, and still today. Naturally i was stunned by his reaction, and upset. Nothing ever came of that, but, I had been working on his rig, putting him in front of other customers because i wanted to get to know him. No more preferential treatment after that for that dickhead, and he got the message. Checked with the mayor, and indeed there was a law on the books, and was told that this land is usually duck hunted on by several elected county ppl, possibly including the game ranger himself. The dickhead did get his bluff in on me, and I never went back. Several years later, that area got designated as a wildlife reserve, so no hunting for sure any more. Too bad, cause its had some 180+ class bucks that get hit on the road every couple of years.
ps-to be clear, obviously this was a one off deal with this ranger. I always try to get to know the rangers in my area, and for the most part, they're super great guys, and I support them 100%!
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