Current State of the Land Market

[gjs4]

I listened to Sligh on podcast the other day and the host was from Ohio and they talked about lack of public land.Saw yesterday that Ohio is going to buy close to 25,000 acres for public access for outdoor activities including hunting. Wonder if more states will do this?

There still is TONS (600k+) of forested public. I own in seOH. There is a ton of public, more coming BUT there is a bunch (of Wayne NF) that was just opened up for mineral exploration. Like most states OH is pretty diverse, NW is flat and all ag, central is mixed hilly and ag, NE is flat mixed ag, se is hilly and very little ag. People who whine about OH public want to be in the central area where land is 10-15k an ac hunting giant bucks in the burbs but on "free" public. The azz kicker hilly to MTNCMBR stuff of seOH only has a random big buck or two because no one wants to be in there or they cannot physically get in there. Like IA, OH offers me zero advantage for being a NR owner. I purchased in another state that did and just for that reason.

I listen to every Skip pod, have friends that live and/or own in IA. Be careful on wanting more public as it draws more attention, that attention has slipping standards when the outcomes dont align with expectations. One of the biggest issues in all of hunting, and one that isnt shared much, is the number of criminals we have in our fraternity. These folks will roll the dice with trespass, poach, etc. after they realize their free public land is nothing easy like they anticipated. Embrace the draw and challenges. Also embrace that if you dont own premium IA re, you can go to some decent states around you as a NR yourself. While NRs can be bad folks, they can be great ones. I would suspect most landowners from out of state dont get enough credit for what they provide and bring(this doesnt include hunt clubs) and it feels like outfitters are the folks that always get off the hook despite drive the culture like a stolen car.

Never compare with a bait state.....that chit is the lowest common denominator and will ruin everything as the gateway into poor regs and way too many "hunters".

Recently saw an acreage cost report (from an farmers magazine) that showed land prices slightly dipping. While oranges and tangerines to rec land, i havent seen any "good hunting areas" go backwards other than some random sale that likely has a backstory. Another thing noted is both the podcasts and MLS reality of less known areas in popular states pulling up. Not sure if theyre just investors, blue collar dreamers or just trying to beat the wave but 2500-5k ac land with deer, anywhere, now has a following/purchase crowd despite a lesser trophy grade or lacking provisions/civilization. Id suspect any area with firearm restrictions and unique barriers will be a hot subset for deer ROI

 

[gjs4]

One of the biggest mistakes deer hunters have made in general is not having a national deer organization. Look at Pheasants Forever, they have purchased thousands of acres for public hunting

A big deer organization could have been scooping up hunting parcels all over the country .

QDMA was that....and NDA is the exact opposite of that.

Would be great to see again but I dont see it happening as there is so much information out there now. Back in the day the QDMA forums was the best source of info for like minded deer dorks. Corn pile, cell cam, crossbow guy doesnt need help......or want to learn, let alone leave things better.

 

[Hardwood11]

QDMA was that....and NDA is the exact opposite of that.

Would be great to see again but I dont see it happening as there is so much information out there now. Back in the day the QDMA forums was the best source of info for like minded deer dorks. Corn pile, cell cam, crossbow guy doesnt need help......or want to learn, let alone leave things better.

I meant organizations that use money to buy public hunting land . Did QDMA buy land ?

Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, Nature Conservancy. They buy land with money they generated, &/or with sponsorship money .

 

[Trapshooter1]

"Here" in my county in NEIA. Im on the edge of the bluff country where the real good deer hunting is. Here the cover is mostly river bottoms, and the county Here has been buying as much of it as they can get there hands on. As a direct result of the county buying it up, the public land Here is pretty disappointing. And the hunting pressure is immense on those public lands. The deer are heavily hearded up on the private land.(especially in the winter). I hear often about how few deer people see or get on the public land.......maybe if they didnt shoot everything they would have more......but Im just speaking on deaf ears.

 

[newfarmer]

"Here" in my county in NEIA. Im on the edge of the bluff country where the real good deer hunting is. Here the cover is mostly river bottoms, and the county Here has been buying as much of it as they can get there hands on. As a direct result of the county buying it up, the public land Here is pretty disappointing. And the hunting pressure is immense on those public lands. The deer are heavily hearded up on the private land.(especially in the winter). I hear often about how few deer people see or get on the public land.......maybe if they didnt shoot everything they would have more......but Im just speaking on deaf ears.

My county has been buying some great pieces- then they quickly turn to garbage because the gun groups slaughter everything since it’s not super rough country

 

[CottonwoodCanyon]

I think public lands are extremely important and should be maximized, it's a uniquely American thing we have and should be cherished. That being said, the "tragedy of the commons" situation is a real thing in human psychology and small tracts get hammered...

 

[booneriverbucks]

I think land is high here.. then I talk to my friends in Wisconsin and Illinois and get reminded we have it pretty darn good. Absolutely crazy what people are paying for chopped up stuff. It’ll be awhile before the worst of it hits Iowa but it’s probably coming. Whether it’s land prices or hunting regs, whatever is happening east of here gives us a good idea of our potential future

 

[Daver]

I think land is high here.. then I talk to my friends in Wisconsin and Illinois and get reminded we have it pretty darn good. Absolutely crazy what people are paying for chopped up stuff. It’ll be awhile before the worst of it hits Iowa but it’s probably coming. Whether it’s land prices or hunting regs, whatever is happening east of here gives us a good idea of our potential future

FWIW...I traveled to extreme southern Texas in around 2005 or so. Land segmentation, leasing, etc. were very prevalent there then. That was my first "in person" experience with the phenomenon.

I had similar thoughts to yours at the time. I wish I had come back and bought three farms!

 

[Windlooker]

How many threads on this site have we had over the past 20 years plus about land prices. They aren’t going down. Bought a piece in 2019 for 3100. Bought my last piece two years ago for 5600. All we hear is the land market adjustment. Not happening. Buy when you can.

 

[Windlooker]

The problem, which is now unfixable, is the attention brought to Iowa by videos, the increase in value because of it, and the breaking apart of large chunks into small ones for affordability causing more hunters per square mile that has destroyed the age structure.

It’s an Iowa did it to themselves thing. Can guys buy smaller chunks back into big chunks, sure, but it takes a long time. It’s taken me 23 years to buy 4 contiguous pieces into one larger piece.

 

[Daver]

The problem, which is now unfixable, is the attention brought to Iowa by videos, the increase in value because of it, and the breaking apart of large chunks into small ones for affordability causing more hunters per square mile that has destroyed the age structure.

It’s an Iowa did it to themselves thing. Can guys buy smaller chunks back into big chunks, sure, but it takes a long time. It’s taken me 23 years to buy 4 contiguous pieces into one larger piece.

I would contend that "the breaking apart of large chunks into small ones for affordability..." is definitely a factor...just not the only, or even the dominant, factor is reduced age structure across many areas in SE Iowa over the past, say, 10 years or so. There are multiple human factors that have collided over the years that are holding things down, IMO. I would see it something like this..

Greatly increased hunter knowledge and skill. 25+ years ago very few guys really understood what it took to consistently take older bucks just about every year. Lots and lots of guys just went "deer huntin'" and as often as not, just hunted "their stand"...whether that stand had been burned out from over use and/or was wrong for the wind that day...it didn't matter. The first legal deer, or for some discriminating hunters, the first racked buck, was taken out on the first opportunity. This indirectly let a lot of Mr. Big's escape year to year.

All kinds of videos, pod casts, blogs, seminars, etc, etc, have produced an awful lot of very knowledgeable hunters over the years...WAY more than back in the day. I remember when I first started passing bucks and no one that I knew could believe that I would do such a thing. Nowadays, it is super common for guys to be much more selective.

The ability to be so selective is greatly aided by technology these days, first trail cams running on batteries and regular film that had to be developed, etc. This cost money, but the "surveillance ship" was launched. Now...we have cell cams that need not be visited in person for long periods of time and provide 24/7 surveillance, drones, super accurate and detailed maps available on a hand held computer (smart phone) that almost everyone utilizes, etc.

The land is getting "smaller" via segmentation, yes, but also by much more astute hunters, in greater numbers too, and electronics. It makes it really hard for a buck to get to 5, 6, or 7+ unless someone(s) let him do so.