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Property ?

Skunkworkx

Skunkworkx

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2022
Messages
392
Location
HdG, Harford County, MD
So, my little residential spot is gone, owner passed away and house is being sold...was a GREAT spot for years.
I will talk to new owned here in near future and see how it goes...let them get settled in first.

This farm close to my house is loaded with deer, and I've knocked on the door half a dozen times with no answer...finally seen someone out yesterday as I was making a beer run, so I stopped. I asked about BOWHUNTING ONLY their one field area, guy asks how much ? I said property size, I have no idea, he says no, how much to hunt it ?

So, now MAY be looking at a lease of sorts...NO idea on costs since I've never rented/leased a property before and he wouldn't give me a yes or no or amount.

198# dressed.................................137# dressed
1685274612396.png 1685274653936.png And many more but not on laptop.

 
That's a tricky question. If I were going to entertain the idea of paying to hunt it, I would make it part of the deal that I had exclusive rights to hunt it and it would not just be bow only. I'd make it an all or nothing proposition if I were going to pay good money. I'd make it a lease in writing.
 
That’s a bummer man, been there done that multiple times.
Things to take into consideration:
You’re my N/NE neighbor (NOVA here) so I’m assuming hunting property is a premium like it is here. Factor that in. Do some googling and figure out how much leases are going for in your area and MD in general. Factor in features such as access to water, bedding area, forest, access to the parcel ie roads/trails, etc. Are there terrain features such as valleys, benches, etc that attract deer, turkeys, etc? Are there farms or Ag crops next door to attract wildlife? All these things will effect the price per acre. If it’s a mediocre parcel consider that. Seeing as how the owner doesn’t really have any clue do your research and price accordingly but don’t be afraid to walk away. I had to walk away from a parcel that was 15 acres but the owner wanted $4k. Hit up some of the other MD folks here like @GCTerpfan and @Bigterp and see if they have any exp.
Alternatively, throw up some details here and let the hive mind percolate on it. I will say whatever your research points you go in armed with facts, a detailed plan/proposal and keep it brief. Most farmers I know are short on patience and time
 
I would go for exclusive year round hunting access as well, including trapping. Certainly make your offer competitive so that when the first lease is up the owner is happy with your behavior and payment and doesn't want to deal with looking for another good tenant, if the property seems worth holding on to. I'd also ask to walk the property before closing on the lease, map scouting is only so good.

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I would agree if you are leasing then it should be exclusive rights. Secondly, you didn't mention how big a piece of land you are leasing? I have leased a whole farm for $200 only because laws change from "a neighbor is hunting my land" to "a legal binding agreement with money exchange". I have also paid $100 an acre for a 1.5 acre spot in an urban neighborhood that I took my biggest deer to date off of. Also how many days do you plan on hunting this season. I would have come out the gate to the farmer with $750-1000 depending on average. Are you going to hunt it once, not worth the money. Are you going to hunt it 20+ times? That is $50 a hunt of your own private sanctuary that you are not doing any maintenance, upkeep, pay taxes......
 
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Exhumis said:
That’s a bummer man, been there done that multiple times.
Things to take into consideration:
You’re my N/NE neighbor (NOVA here) so I’m assuming hunting property is a premium like it is here. Factor that in. Do some googling and figure out how much leases are going for in your area and MD in general. Factor in features such as access to water, bedding area, forest, access to the parcel ie roads/trails, etc. Are there terrain features such as valleys, benches, etc that attract deer, turkeys, etc? Are there farms or Ag crops next door to attract wildlife? All these things will effect the price per acre. If it’s a mediocre parcel consider that. Seeing as how the owner doesn’t really have any clue do your research and price accordingly but don’t be afraid to walk away. I had to walk away from a parcel that was 15 acres but the owner wanted $4k. Hit up some of the other MD folks here like @GCTerpfan and @Bigterp and see if they have any exp.
Alternatively, throw up some details here and let the hive mind percolate on it. I will say whatever your research points you go in armed with facts, a detailed plan/proposal and keep it brief. Most farmers I know are short on patience and time
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Wow! I might BUY 15 acres for $4K but a lease for that it better have a 14 foot game fence around it and the Rompola buck's boys better be off in there, lol.
 
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NMSbowhunter said:
Wow! I might BUY 15 acres for $4K but for that it better have a 14 foot game fence around it and the Rompola buck's boys better be off in there, lol.
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15 acres for $4K? Hahahahahabahahahahabahaha not around here! At a minimum, 15 acres of prime hunting habitat with mineral and timber rights starts at $30K. Most are going for a grand more an acre than that!
 
NMSbowhunter said:
Wow! I might BUY 15 acres for $4K but for that it better have a 14 foot game fence around it and the Rompola buck's boys better be off in there, lol.
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Lol yeah, this fella was mighta proud of that parcel. I mean it well equipped being situated right between two Ag fields and had a small creek but sheesh.
 
Last spring I was the closest I had ever been to a honey hole here at a great price, 33 acres all successional forest but surrounded by ag hadn’t been timbered for 50 plus years Forester friend of mine and another buddy who owns a great property I hunt on both walked it with me I was ready to offer $68K as I heard another party offered $60 but the owner is my uncles friend and he would have rather sold it to me as the other party was going to essentially aggressive cut on it but his son is a lawyer and apparently they had already signed some kind of agreement and he didn’t want to renig on the deal. I actually offered another $4 on that but he still didn’t l! I was bummed to say the least. My forester said there were acres in that parcel that were worth $4k in timber value several others in the $2k range and at a minimum the rest in the $1k range. I was heartbroken to say the least. It would have been my first ever hunting property purchase!! Even my wife was excited for me!!
 
Do you guys have a law in MD similar to ours in VA? Here it is: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title29.1/chapter5/section29.1-509/

The TLDR version is that the landowner is protected, by law, from anyone they give permission to hunt on their property. That "by law" guarantee changes (goes out the window?) when money and/or services are exchanged for permission to use their land for recreation.

Anyways, I bring this up in the hopes that MD has an equivalent and you, therefore, have a possible angle to negotiate hunting access for free...if that doesn't work, gift them a couple hundred dollars worth of hostas to add to their landscaping and after the deer destroy them offer to solve their pest problem for free....
 
woodsdog2 said:
15 acres for $4K? Hahahahahabahahahahabahaha not around here! At a minimum, 15 acres of prime hunting habitat with mineral and timber rights starts at $30K. Most are going for a grand more an acre than that!
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Yeah, it's a bit out of the realm of likely (not impossible) but when I start considering $4K for a lease it would have to be a section (640 acres). A few years ago, I passed on buying a 15 acre swamp the guy wanted like $12K for. That was his asking price. It had zero timber value and no development potential. I passed because it was land locked, and thought there was an easement, I heard the guy who owned the land the easement crossed was a bootie.
 
NMSbowhunter said:
Yeah, it's a bit out of the realm of likely (not impossible) but when I start considering $4K for a lease it would have to be a section (640 acres). A few years ago, I passed on buying a 15 acre swamp the guy wanted like $12K for. That was his asking price. It had zero timber value and no development potential. I passed because it was land locked, and thought there was an easement, I heard the guy who owned the land the easement crossed was a bootie.
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That makes much more sense now that you explained it.
 
Skunkworkx said:
So, my little residential spot is gone, owner passed away and house is being sold...was a GREAT spot for years.
I will talk to new owned here in near future and see how it goes...let them get settled in first.

This farm close to my house is loaded with deer, and I've knocked on the door half a dozen times with no answer...finally seen someone out yesterday as I was making a beer run, so I stopped. I asked about BOWHUNTING ONLY their one field area, guy asks how much ? I said property size, I have no idea, he says no, how much to hunt it ?

So, now MAY be looking at a lease of sorts...NO idea on costs since I've never rented/leased a property before and he wouldn't give me a yes or no or amount.

198# dressed.................................137# dressed
View attachment 85315 View attachment 85316 And many more but not on laptop.

Click to expand...

Do you know how big the property is?

For sole access to property with good potential to shoot 4-5 deer a year with a bow I’d think a few grand/year would be a no brainer for something in the 100 acre range. We own acreage and pay that just in taxes. I probably spend another few thousand just to maintain roads, plant plots etc.


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woodsdog2 said:
Last spring I was the closest I had ever been to a honey hole here at a great price, 33 acres all successional forest but surrounded by ag hadn’t been timbered for 50 plus years Forester friend of mine and another buddy who owns a great property I hunt on both walked it with me I was ready to offer $68K as I heard another party offered $60 but the owner is my uncles friend and he would have rather sold it to me as the other party was going to essentially aggressive cut on it but his son is a lawyer and apparently they had already signed some kind of agreement and he didn’t want to renig on the deal. I actually offered another $4 on that but he still didn’t l! I was bummed to say the least. My forester said there were acres in that parcel that were worth $4k in timber value several others in the $2k range and at a minimum the rest in the $1k range. I was heartbroken to say the least. It would have been my first ever hunting property purchase!! Even my wife was excited for me!!
Click to expand...

Sorry, that stinks.

I was close to closing on a good property too, a few years ago. Spot nearby a spot I had access to but lost due to the property owner passing. Never even took a buck there actually, but had close encounters with a few really good ones. I was especially conservative with my shot selection due to the neighbor being a bit of a mad hatter, and it surely cost me.

Ultimately, sale to me didn't work out, and the guy who got it shot a huge buck right out of the gate. Felt a little like salt in the wound, but hey, good for him. Seems I just can't buy a buck, lol.

I'm fine with hunting public. Actually, I like the freedom of it. But, it's just longer drives for me and something a bit closer would be convenient for more time in the woods. 30 years ago private was pretty accessible to about any hunter in my area...no longer.

I used to think undesirable hunter-hunter scenarios was an isolated public thing, which made me want my own slice. But more and more, it seems the big buck craze has made private land ownership a battleground in desirable deer areas...and public.

More and more, I'd rather just enjoy my hunts than be in on the hotly contested "big buck" spots.
 
Skunkworkx said:
Roughly 35ac. best guess searching google and real property... I was only asking about the woods and field at the top half of the red outline.

View attachment 85417
Click to expand...

You’re in the best spot to determine what it’s worth to you. If you have time, offering to help with maintaining the property could be an option. If the landowner is set on the money route I probably wouldn’t offer less than $500, even on a small place. The right 35 acres could be worth significantly more if it’s convenient to you and offers what you’re looking for.

If you’re in a high deer density area I’d think that main wood lot strip will offer opportunities.


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