Steve from Indiana asks,
I currently own 80 acres (51 tillable 29 woods) and recently bought the old farm house on it in a short sale. The landowner next to me owns 97 acres (57 tillable 40 woods with a nice house). He allows me to hunt there and have become great friends. He would like for me to buy the farm. The house would sit right in the middle of the combined 178 acres. I don't "need" the house but would be a great place to bring the family on weekends. He won't sell the acreage without the house. My farm is paid for and the combined income for cash rent will eventually pay for the farm. Questions: 1) Thoughts of having a house in the middle of the property vs on the fringe, 2) thoughts on investment side of buying acreage with house if don't "need" the house and with in being in middle of property renting and cutting out house and few acres doesnt seem appealing to me. Land rarely comes up for sale around me and with this connecting to me.., it seems like my one chance buying this farm. I'm trying to dream big to eventually buy this farm then the 40 acres from the other adjacent landowner. thoughts
Bill responds,
Topic: Buying Hunting Land with a Home Site in the Middle:
Having a house right in the middle of your hunting property is not ideal, but as long as you aren’t disturbing the deer when you are there and avoid staying there during the season (unless you can walk to your stands from the house) you won’t impact deer behavior or your hunting success noticeably.
Steve,
While it is not ideal to have the house in the middle of the property, I think this purchase is still a no-brainer. This is your one chance and the fact that the combined tillable will pay the mortgage makes it even more attractive. I would not waste any time worrying about that house.
If you use it occasionally and mostly stay out of the woods, the deer will get used to you being there once in a while and will still move naturally when you aren’t there.
For that reason, I might not stay there during the hunting season (just to keep them more relaxed in the immediate area of the house), but visiting on weekends and short stays the rest of the year should not make the deer avoid that area.
In fact, it might be fun to have a food plot out the back window where you can watch the deer during the off-season. It is an obvious green light in my book. Good luck. (3/17/22)
Steve, I ran into a similar situation on our family farm. My dad purchased a neighboring 40 acres of prime bedding and insisted on putting a cabin (we regularly stay in) in the middle of it. I was worried at first, but realized the deer quickly adapt. We put a small clover plot in a funnel less than 100 yards from the front porch and it’s one of the best stands on a 300 acre farm. We’ve taken multiple mature bucks out of that plot and cameras show even mature bucks are comfortable moving around in daylight close to the cabin.