Buying land in Minnesota?

[Hnthrdr]

I would be realistic with the use of it. I am always looking for land. Wether it’s here in Co, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana… problem is good hunting land comes at a premium these days, Midwest deals can definitely be found, but realistically how often will you go? I have a place under 3 hours away that I make it to as often as I can which is sometimes 1once a month for 4-6 days. Hunting season is longer and a couple weeks in the summer. Realistically I wouldn’t be able to really care for any other property let alone a home on said property until I’m retired or my kiddo has flown the coop. I hate to be a downer but it’s good to go in with open eyes. Plus have a plan to cash flow or at the least minimize your taxes on the place, owning a spot that rarely gets used and then having to pay on every year sometimes doesn’t sit will with the ladies. I always see value in owning something tangible, but it’s work. Gotta remember the more things you own the more they own you…

 

[mnhoundman]

We live 10 minutes from Perham, about 40 miles north of Fergus falls. If you're looking for deer hunting this is a great area, I see land for sale quite often. But alot of pretty much just hunting land. RDO has alot of the farm land around Perham for potatoes. Not alot of farmland comes up for sale, all though sometimes a complete farm with house and all, and you could easily find someone to rent the tillable lan

 

[EZduzIT]

I would be realistic with the use of it. I am always looking for land. Wether it’s here in Co, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana… problem is good hunting land comes at a premium these days, Midwest deals can definitely be found, but realistically how often will you go? I have a place under 3 hours away that I make it to as often as I can which is sometimes 1once a month for 4-6 days. Hunting season is longer and a couple weeks in the summer. Realistically I wouldn’t be able to really care for any other property let alone a home on said property until I’m retired or my kiddo has flown the coop. I hate to be a downer but it’s good to go in with open eyes. Plus have a plan to cash flow or at the least minimize your taxes on the place, owning a spot that rarely gets used and then having to pay on every year sometimes doesn’t sit will with the ladies. I always see value in owning something tangible, but it’s work. Gotta remember the more things you own the more they own you…

I love this. My eyes are really starting to open from everyone’s comments on this. I think I’d be better off buying cash flowing assets and using it to fuel my hunts…

 

[EZduzIT]

We live 10 minutes from Perham, about 40 miles north of Fergus falls. If you're looking for deer hunting this is a great area, I see land for sale quite often. But alot of pretty much just hunting land. RDO has alot of the farm land around Perham for potatoes. Not alot of farmland comes up for sale, all though sometimes a complete farm with house and all, and you could easily find someone to rent the tillable lan

There’s one in Ogema I’ve been looking at. 275 acres. Good game cam photos as well. I believe this is somewhat close to you?

 

[FarleyMcJohnson]

Definitely sounds like a place to get a good amount of an acreage. I definitely am not looking for trophy deer necessarily. Just a place to call my own and put a few stands on and steward the land the best I can. Thank you for the information. The fishing sounds great. Considering we own a fly fishing business this is up our alley

There's "decent" fly fishing in the North Shore area, brookies, rainbows, and steelhead mainly. The steelhead are the only ones with any size that I've seen. But I like fishing the lakes up there for rainbows.

 

[mnhoundman]

There’s one in Ogema I’ve been looking at. 275 acres. Good game cam photos as well. I believe this is somewhat close to you?

About 50 miles north, that's alot of open country and flat up there, I believe they have the prairie chicken's up there

 

[mnhoundman]

40's and 80s come up for sale quite often around here with a cabin, but usually for a good price. Lots of swamp, but great whitetail hunting, bear, turkey, and stuff like that

 

[Scottyboy]

Fergus falls to the Perham area is probably your most promising for hunting and actual land value.
Bemidji to Duluth is in that area I’d lose interest in, unless you know for a fact there is some kind of hunting,there are a lot of dead zones.
The further North and East you get the worse the wolf issue is becoming. I’m an hour south of Bemidji and the changes in the last 2 years I’m seeing are pretty disheartening.
My step brothers bought 80 acres around Effie about 10 years ago because it was cheap, and to this point I don’t think they have literally killed a deer on it.
The Fringe areas between the real agriculture in the state and lake country probably hold the most promise for what you’re trying tp do.

I have a buddy with a place in between Effie and big falls, wolves have taken over for sure. They have 10-15 people in camp for all 3 weekends and average 2 deer on a good year. It was fun though the short time we had a wolf season.

 

[Scottyboy]

I'm from central MN, I have a cabin up in Voyagers (International Falls) and spend a lot of time in the North Shore\Arrowhead area. Land in central MN (decent hunting) is going for 8-10k and acre.

The wolf thing is prob legit (I dont do much hunting up there) but that wouldnt stop me personally from buying property. They have just as many if not more wolves in wisconsin and they seem to shoot plenty of deer. But again I dont live or hunt deer in the northern part of the state so take that whith a grain of salt. I personally would look to the Iron Range (Between Bemidji and Duluth) because thats one of the cheapest area to buy land in the state. I would just be more of a fisherman than a whitetail hunter (plenty of great lakes to fish in the whole state). You can still hunt bears and do all the same outdoor stuff, and it's not like theres NO deer, just not great deer hunting, and eventually we'll prob be able to shoot wolves again? I dont know, thats just my opinion.

I wish your last statement would ever come true. But we have Hennepin county and it will forever and for always screw up everything hunting related. (And not to get political, but the same as the last election, that single county dictates what we do as a state)

 

[Silveroddo]

That Ogema/white earth area is interesting, land can be cheap, but be cognizant of its proximity to the reservations. I can stereotype because my dad owned property over there with another guy, and stereotypes apply. The Joke was when they purchased it that if the cabin got burned down the insurance would pay for the property. In reality the cabin sustained smoke damage, didn’t burn down, and was considered vandalized, which was not an event that was covered by the policy.
Could be good hunting, but definitely some local conditions to investigate and be aware of.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I love this. My eyes are really starting to open from everyone’s comments on this. I think I’d be better off buying cash flowing assets and using it to fuel my hunts…

I think you can figure out a way to cash flow and have land, or hunting property, just have to be creative, still think land/ real property is a great investment. Nice to be able and to see and stand on something that you own

 

[Djacker]

I'd say don't waste your time. I currently live in MN. Have access to great land in the metro and central MN. Yes I shoot good deer every year but... you better have deep pockets to buy a place that will produce every year. I'm currently looking for my own property, good pieces go fast, and for top dollar.

 

[Wolf_trapper]

If you have to ask about water in MN you need to look what you're getting into.

Buy some ground up by Isabella! Or washkish you can thank me later.

 

[EZduzIT]

I think you can figure out a way to cash flow and have land, or hunting property, just have to be creative, still think land/ real property is a great investment. Nice to be able and to see and stand on something that you own

I really hope so. It’s a dream of mine.

 

[EZduzIT]

If you have to ask about water in MN you need to look what you're getting into.

Buy some ground up by Isabella! Or washkish you can thank me later.

I guess I’m just a bit confused. I’m not the brightest. Riparian rights and Minnesota water law blah blah blah. What does it mean if I buy a piece of land with several small lakes or ponds completely surrounded by my property lines.

 

[houghton_hunter]

Live in MN currently, but finally, FINALLY am working on getting out of here, to move west.

Making money off the land, let alone just covering your costs, with any activity is hard, especially if you are trying to be an absentee land owner. Generating income almost always involves giving someone other than you access (a logger, farmer, tenant etc), word gets around about when you are there and when you are not. You think you have a private hunting spot, maybe, while you are there.

Unless you live nearby, visit frequently, or have someone to help keep an eye on things, your property is gonna be hunted a lot, just not by you.

 

[roosterdown]

I live in MN and own a farm in the Driftless (across the river in WI)....so not the North/Arboreal forest. It's an ag-driven area and land prices are high. We've never been able to get the place to cash flow (not even close), but it is very hilly (415 feet of elevation change from the top to the trout stream in the bottom) so the amount of real tillable is limited to about 30% of the acreage and it's broken up into a dozen small pieces. Hell, I can't even find someone to crop what acreage I have any more. We were literally fallow in '22.
My experience is that getting a land investment to break even is very challenging if you are not personally farming it and if you carry any debt.

 

[bushman76]

Have in the last year had conversations with 2 farmers, one Kansas, one Iowa about their returns on cropland. The Kansas farmer is a large corporate wheat and milo farmer, 12,000 acres. The Iowa 1500 acres most in corn,soybeans some in crp. Both netted 2.5-3% after all expenses. Neither has much land debt, if debt were present returns would be non existent. Compared this with our Iowa farm, 600 acres, corn and soybeans 200 acres of crp. No land debt. 2.5% return. Compared with a value based investment philosophy with dividends and conservative stock appreciation why would anyone buy farmland particularly at todays prices. Cant offer any opinion about timber except we have had old walnut trees cut and hauled off in the middle of the night by unknown timber thieves on remote property. Both farmers said you make your money in farming when you sell your land presuming the market is up when you sell.

Great information. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[EZduzIT]

Live in MN currently, but finally, FINALLY am working on getting out of here, to move west.

Making money off the land, let alone just covering your costs, with any activity is hard, especially if you are trying to be an absentee land owner. Generating income almost always involves giving someone other than you access (a logger, farmer, tenant etc), word gets around about when you are there and when you are not. You think you have a private hunting spot, maybe, while you are there.

Unless you live nearby, visit frequently, or have someone to help keep an eye on things, your property is gonna be hunted a lot, just not by you.

Sounds like this is the consensus. That’s unfortunate about the trespassing…

 

[EZduzIT]

I live in MN and own a farm in the Driftless (across the river in WI)....so not the North/Arboreal forest. It's an ag-driven area and land prices are high. We've never been able to get the place to cash flow (not even close), but it is very hilly (415 feet of elevation change from the top to the trout stream in the bottom) so the amount of real tillable is limited to about 30% of the acreage and it's broken up into a dozen small pieces. Hell, I can't even find someone to crop what acreage I have any more. We were literally fallow in '22.
My experience is that getting a land investment to break even is very challenging if you are not personally farming it and if you carry any debt.

Makes sense now after reading all these posts. Thank you for the info.