It’s the dream of most whitetail hunting fanatics to buy a piece of dirt to call their own. The problem is, land prices seem to be outpacing the salaries of most hunters I rub shoulders with, keeping it just fantasy for the majority of us. But what if there was a way the average hunter could afford land, enjoy taking great bucks off it, and even turn a few bucks in the process? Though it may sound too good to be true, there is a path others have trod to own a bit of hunting heaven and turn a profit on it at same time—all without winning the lotto. If you’re willing to think outside the box and put in some sweat equity, you can follow in their footsteps. Here’s how.
Make a Mental Shift On Owning Deer Hunting Property
I talked to “Wisconsin Land Man” Neil Hauger recently, an expert at buying, managing, and selling hunting properties for profit, to see exactly how this can be done. He says there’s a couple mental hurdles to jump first, as his method is not your super-conservative buy-and-sit-on-it-for-30-years approach. Neil buys and owns his properties for an average of three or four years before selling. He looks for ground he can quickly improve, hunt a bit and enjoy, then move on to the next. Then he uses the profits earned to buy a slightly better property and repeat the process.
“You can’t get caught wanting it to be your forever property,” says Neil, “or wanting to making it perfect. That’s a sure way to get stuck and not create the wealth you could.” With his method, you have to keep from getting attached to a piece of land so you can move on to the next, much like house flippers do. “Some people think you can’t enjoy land like this, but that’s not the case in my experience” he says. “You just have to be OK with the idea of moving on every few years.”
A second common hurdle is how some people think about money, which keeps them sidelined right from the start. “A lot of hunters I work with get stuck in the negative mental approach of wondering How can I afford land?” says Neil. That is, they assume they can’t. “Instead, you need to shift your thinking to a more positive angle of How can I afford land?—like a challenge—which sets you up to find a way.” One client he helped began with buying, fixing, and selling a trailer he found online, then taking the profits and rolling it into a bigger one until he had enough for a small down payment on 20 acres. So, you might not be able to start with a huge property—or even with land—but don’t let that stop you. Over 20 years ago, Neil started the same way and has worked his way up to a property worth over a million dollars. Investing your profits and embracing the game of flipping properties every 3-5 years are the key first steps to owning and creating wealth from hunting land.
Related: 10 Proves Ways to Grow Giant Bucks on Your Land
Key Factors for Finding Profitable Deer Hunting Properties
Once you’ve changed your thinking a bit and feel ready to begin the land search, you have to know what you’re looking for in order to make it a success. Neil stresses understanding your finances and getting an experienced hunting-land expert in your corner that understands your goals and this process. And not all land is well-suited for a flip. Here are five boxes you’ll want to check in order to be confident that a piece of land is up to snuff.
- It’s on a Geographic Travel Corridor. Finding land buried deep in the country may get you good hunting, but not necessarily property that hunters will flock to buy. Most people in the United States live in cities or their outskirts, which is also where most of the money is. So, finding land near well-traveled freeways, or the spiderwebs of major human travel corridors easily seen on maps, will allow the most people with money (your future buyers) to access it.
- It’s in a Demographic Growth Zone. Not only should you look for land that the largest number of people can easily access, but you also want an area that is growing economically. If things are booming, this translates into buyers with money burning holes in their pockets and land value increasing, even in 3-5 years. Being just outside a city, where sprawl and growth is creeping into the country makes these properties a hot buy.
- It’s a 30 Minutes Drive or Less for You. Driving for hours just to hunt or put in a food plot after work is not practical, and even difficult on the weekends. According to Neil, the sweet spot is 30 minutes or less from home, with a maximum of an hour drive. “If we’re honest, most of us get crabby on long drives or just can’t make those kinds of trips often to use a property. The longer the drive, the less usable it is.”
- It’s Just Off a Main Drag . If a property is 30 minutes or less from a major population center, don’t expect potential buyers to want to travel a labyrinth of dirt roads once they exit the freeway to find it. According to Neil, 3-5 miles is the sweet spot. “Getting away from the bustle a few miles lets things calm down and is where you start seeing wildlife. That’s what people want, but don’t make them go too far to get it.”
- It Meets the Rule of 3s. Monocultures of one habitat type are not appealing to humans or deer. Therefore, Neil encourages clients to look for diversity. “I call it the rule of 3s, which simplifies the idea of finding land that already has diversity you don’t have to create.” Habitats of mature woods, overgrown fields, and low swampland, or even an existing house with field and woods work well. Established diversity creates a better opportunity for having a listing that won’t linger on the market when you sell, and is less work for you.
Once you find a qualified property that meets all or most of these factors, it’s important to focus on improvements that give you the most bang for your buck and to avoid those that won’t. Here are some improvements our land man recommends to make the most of your time and resources.
Related: The Best Food Plot Seeds
Quick Land Improvements for Greatest ROI
- Get a Land Plan from a Pro – This is a worthwhile investment to help you identify what to fix for optimal deer hunting, and also a nice selling point to pitch to the next buyer as “turnkey and highly managed” land for hunting.
- Clean Up the Junk – This can be anything from eyesores like old buildings you can tear down, junk or brush piles you can quickly remove, old farm equipment rusting away that can be hauled off, or even homemade blinds that can be replaced with newer models. “Renting a small excavator and dumpster isn’t as expensive as most think, and in a couple days you’d be amazed at the progress you can make on a property ”
- Take Pictures Early & Often – A big selling point is the land’s story, or how it has been transformed. Take pictures right away so you can show the before and after of improvements you’ve made, the caliber of deer showing on cameras, and the trophy bucks you’ve taken. Even getting a nice wrought iron gate and naming the property is a cheap upgrade that goes a long way to taking a plot of land from generic to upscale hunting destination.
- Establish Food Plots and Water Holes – To stand out from the crowd, go with “regenerative” plots which forgo the harsh chemicals most managed properties use, and try establishing a diverse mix of more native seeds instead of the standard monoculture plots.
- Establish Groomed Trails – Although deer prefer soft edges, humans like nice lines and plop down cash for them. So you may have to bend on this a bit and groom the land toward the human eye. Neil says for every dollar spent here expect to add $3 to $5 dollars of value—a pretty good tradeoff for a few days work with a skidsteer or tractor.
- Utilize a 1031 Exchange – To prevent you from losing your shirt to capital gains tax when you move on to the next property, this tax advantage allows you to defer taxes as long as you sell and buy a new property within 180 days. Again, a qualified land specialist will help you navigate this process seamlessly and keep money where you want it—in your pocket.
- Don’t Worry About Perfection – At the end of the day, most hunters don’t need a Booner buck collage or a perfectly groomed property to sign papers. If you can change a few mindsets, and are OK with combining hunting with the world of investing, this may be an approach to boost both your land and wealth portfolios.
The post How to Make Your Deer Hunting Property Pay appeared first on Field & Stream.
Read the full article here
