more bad news and a ? for you all

[hunterace]

some of you know that over 3 years ago i was injured at my job and now i have severe photo sensitivity and a chronic headache. this has been a tough couple of years and my head isn't getting better.
now to add to my fun...
i head up to where i hunt and find out my dad is selling the land  :( . i just want to cry. it was my plan to teach my futre children to hunt this land and so on. this land was purchased when i was really young by my grandparents. when my grandmother was about to pass on it was her wish for my dad to own the land then pass it on to my brother and i. if my dad ever sold the land(which was fully paid for) the money was to be split between my dad and the 4 grandchildren. unfortunately due to many different factors it is being sold and it appears that it will get my dad out of debt(which is good) but that will be about it.
enough of the sob story and on to my ?
figured i'd ask here because most of my hunting has been done on that 168 acres.
now i am looking at trying to buy some land for myself, possibly split the cost with my brother which would increase the chances of more acres. i'm looking in wisconsin, if that really makes a difference.
this is all just a dream at this point, but i have to start somewhere.
? what's the minimum # of acres i'd need for a decent hunting area. i know the bigger the better, but what in your opinion would be the bare minimum?
i really, for the most part, only care about bow hunting, however i like gun hunting almost as much and want to do it also.
bow season 1 hunter most of the time, but 1 - 3 people
gun season 1 - 4 hunters

thanks for your opinions....Jay

[straitera]

Had a GF whose mom had 20 acres in the country. Plenty of deer passing through until the area was subdivided and houses built. Look for something remote bordering a large tract of timberland or Nat'l/State Forest. Call me when you get it.

[ChuckC]

Don't just look at the piece you are buying, but also around it. If you are looking at a 5 acre woodlot in the middle of a couple thousand acres of crops, it may not be a great idea.  

Sure, it is the only trees around but once you spook the animals out they are gone.  A woodlot that is contiguous with others, especially if a creek or ridge creates funnels, might be much better even if only a few acres are involved.

Property is getting pretty expensive in WI.
ChuckC

[hunterace]

i know land isn't cheap here, but i'm not moving out of state   . also because of the poor economic status of the state it's actually cheaper now than it will be in 5-10 years

[Orion]

Have you explored the possibility of buying some of the land that your dad is selling?  There's lots of state and county land in the northern part of the state.  If you buy land near it, you can hunt the public land, any you won't need much private land at all.

[xtrema312]

It is not so much how big, but how good.  5 ac. can be a gold mine hunting in the right area.  A 100 ac. field may not be much good.  Look at what is around it.  Look for properly that funnels deer from one place to other places so you are on a travel route in the area.  The best thing I think to have is properly next to a protected area like a park, private conservation area, or other tracks of undeveloped land where deer thrive and they don't get hunted.  I know a guy with a 10 ac. Like that and he shoots a lot of big bucks when they travel in and out of a land conservancy.  For 4 hunters I would want a minimum of 40 ac. And 80 would be better.  Again the quality of the land and what is around it makes a big difference in how close you can hunt 4 people and not impact each other's hunting too much. I hunt one little 10 ac. Property and shoot as many deer there as the 200 ac. Farm I hunt and the 80 I have with my dad.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

The land will dictate how many hunters it will comfortably hold.  

You may want to explore properties before you get set on a size.   Be open to as many options as possible.  

I second looking at pop's place, it has more value than cost to you from the sound of it.

[Paul Mattson]

Check up North, I have 40 arces in Iron Cty.  I  have  access to 1000's of acres of Cty and Open Forest crop land, that is just across the road.

Like Orion said, I would look into buying from your father first.

[joevan125]

I once had a 1,800 acr lease and 95% of my hunting was done on a 15 acr tract. It was a small woodlot surrounded by planted pines and a swamp with a good size creek running through it.

Lots of oaks in a very small area that dropped throughout the year and during the rut those bucks always walked up and down the creek.

I lost that lease due to a large amount of timber being cut, man i really miss that spot.

[Jon Stewart]

Don't buy land with anyone including relatives.  Try to buy it yourself.  The reasons should be obvious.

[hunterace]

well i'd love to buy the and from my father, but as i said this is just a dream at this time. i am just trying to get a plan started and if i can swing it then get some land. if i had the money i'd buy the land from my dad right away. my uncle and his 3 daughters, my brother and i talked about possibly buying it, but even with all of us we can't afford it.
plus if i get something myself, then it's mine, i make the rules, i say who can and can't and so on.

[jhg]

Since you are young there is plenty of time to find a nice parcel. Or not.

I wouldn't rush the process- take your time. Find something special you can afford.  You do not want to find yourself having  to sell it if you don't want to. Plan wisely.


Joshua

[swampdrummer]

Like others have said.You can get away with a pretty small piece of land if its in the right spot.
I've only got 20 acres. 660'X1320' roughly but its in the middle of hundreds of acres. I live on this 20 acres as well which cuts down on the huntable area somewhat but its big enough to keep the freezer full between deer and hogs.  

A little hint. Start looking around on google earth. Find someplace that appeals to you and start doing online searches. "real estate for sale" If you can find a road name close by that will help as well. Thats how I found this place. Saw the cabin on google earth and googled "real estate for sale gator creek road"
Good luck!

[L. E. Carroll]

Why not remind your Dad of your Grandparents wish and ask that he deed some of the property to the grand kids mentioned..... I realize you said he had some financial set backs, but perhaps it does not all have to be sold to "Bail him out".  Seems it was intened to be part your inheritance too... I think I would remind him of their wishes.  What do you have to loose? Keep in mind, you did not cause his financial difficulties.

I realize I may sound calouse... however, if I was in your shoes I would stand up and let my feelings be known.      

[bowmaster12]

a really good option in my opinion is to buy a small track that is butted up to national forest or some public land there is a bunch of this out there and alot of it never get hunted you can save some money and "get" a ton of land if your interested in this option i can hook you up with a guy that specializes in this tip of land let me know and good luck sorry to here about the family land getting sold

[lpcjon2]

If you can find land and find the deer on that land then you can get an idea as to how much area they travel and how much you need.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

Why not just buy your Dad's cut.
If you and your brother are gonna buy some ground anyway why not just buy him out?
it will save you both money and you'll still have your same place.
JMO

[Steve H.]

Theres thousands nd thousands of square miles of public lands if you know where to look.

[thunder1]

I have a place that is only 12 acr and has 3 people hunting it. We have averaged 3 deer per person for the past 4 years.

[Uncle Buck]

mybe you can secure hunting rights from the new owners, if they are not buying it for hunting they might consider it as part of the purchase contract.