If you could buy elk hunting land........

[miteybucs]

if you could buy a ranch out west, where would you look? I am looking at sites over and over and have started talking to some brokers. Personally, I love to be in valleys with mountain views. Would love 500+ acres. I am looking at 10-15 year window for sure. Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and NM seem to be the states to consider?

 

[rob86jeep]

I know NM just changed their rules so you can hunt unlimited Mule Deer and Antelope on your property as long as you own at least 160 acres (look this up before you quote me on it though). Thats a pretty big incentive for land in NM.

I believe CO has a similar law. I'm pretty sure antelope require 160 acres, but am not sure if they include deer tags in that as well.

 

[bobr1]

Neverland

 

[txhunter581]

In colorado if you have 160 acres or more you can get preference on drawing tags but no gurantee you will draw. So your best bet there would be for an OTC area on winter range and plan to hunt the later seasons.

 

[Indian Summer]

The term “elk hunting land” is VERY broad. Valley properties usually won’t have elk on them during hunting season. They only winter there. The exception is if you own a couple thousand acres with diverse habit that elk can get accustomed to as a refuge. I know of several places like that but like I said they are thousands of acres. 500 acres isn’t big enough for elk to call home.

A really big part of the equation is what is going on with the adjacent properties. Are they big? Do they hold elk? Are the properties restricting access to public land behind them? That’s a really big factor. Who is hunting the neighboring properties? Do they allow public access? Lots of questions.

My advice would be to find a property with good deer hunting which is a reasonable goal, that also offers you access out the back door to good public land elk hunting. You will need that anyway because you’ll need to give your land a break from time to time and elk just won’t always be there anyway. Good luck.

Oh and.... can I get permission to hunt your place? I figured I’d be the first to ask.

 

[AGPank]

Not sure on your budget, but seems in CO, that could easily push $1M. The ultra wealthy have driven up properties. I could put you in contact with a realtor in Moffat County. Great elk, deer, and antelope hunting.

I looked into buying a cabin on 35 acres a few years back. At the time I couldn’t figure out how to rent it out when not in use to make the numbers work. With new things like AirBNB, maybe you can figure out how to monetize the property when not in use.

One of the best hunting properties I’ve seen is listed around $8M.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BullElk]

here you go..
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/-Bearmouth-Legacy-Ranch-Drummond-MT-59832/2096045402_zpid/

 

[TimeOnTarget]

here you go..
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/-Bearmouth-Legacy-Ranch-Drummond-MT-59832/2096045402_zpid/

Yuck

 

[Marble]

I cant do something that large, but a million dollar property is definitely something I'll be looking for eventually. Doesnt have to be that price, just needs to have all the features I want.

And as far as what state, it wouldn't matter much to me. I wouldn't cross any off the list you mentioned. I would have a set of parameters that needed to be met first, then I would worry about which state it's in.

 

[Riplip]

It would certainly not be my first choice, however New Mexico is generally going to be your most affordable option when comparing the States you mentioned. However a lot of other factors will come into play as well.

 

[805Bowhunter]

Definitely move to California...out of control property values, a near ban on guns, limited hunting and drastically reduced wildlife, traffic in a lot of the state and neighbors that are not welcoming.

Believe me, you'll thank me later

 

[ncina]

I live in Wyoming and I’d buy some land in the bighorn mts!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[wytx]

SE Wyoming, I know a nice place with loads of elk and deer.

 

[Pigdog]

If I could buy elk hunting land... I’d go for a tree farm on the Oregon coast. Ideally something that has half in maturing timber and half that has recently been logged and replanted.

 

[ahlgringo]

In Colorado, 160 contiguous acres located all in one unit gets you 1 application in the land owner draw- For deer, elk, lopes. But- there is only landowner draws for restricted (draw not otc) units. Your land must also be used by the species drawing for- for a “significant” portion of the year. You also are able to enter the leftover landowner draw with your app- where you could acquire 1-3 “less desired” tags.

Now the good thing is- that tag is good Unit wide- not just your land. If you get up to 640 acres I believe- you get one unit wide and one private land only application. Its not until you get over 1000 acres that you get more than 1 unit wide. In CO, you will never find 1000+ acres for less than multi- millions that also qualifies for good tags.

Each unit is different as to how many tags are allocated to the landowner draw (its a straight percentage of overall tags). And also each unit has a varying number of qualifying parcels.

What I did for fun one day was to look at all the units on CO that had landowner draw tags- then figured out the point level each took to draw in the public draw vs the landowner draw. If you do the same you will find out quickly there are a couple very high ratios that you could hunt a great tag every or every other year, but not many units bear this out (2 in my calculations). The good thing though I guess is that landowner tags are pretty immune to point creep unlike public. “The aint makin any more of it” so unless a big ranch subdivides into a bunch of 160+ acre plots- the number of qualifying parcels will remain constant.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cgasner1]

Could buy a lot of guided hunts and cool adventures and not be tied to and worried about a piece of ground in another state


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Indian Summer]

No kidding. Elk hunting is in part about exploring and finding the spooky holes that elk stink up with panoramic views. I did a private land hunt at the base of the Bighorns a few years ago. Only paid $1500 to hunt it and that included a nice mobile home for accommodations. Elk hunting was good and I killed a nice mature 6 point bull about halfway through the hunt. There were some ok views. But I cannot imagine hunting a place like that every year. I felt like I was a prisoner not being able to go glass for elk in some higher country. The big thing was on the ranches it’s like deer hunting. You let them come to you. It’s a waiting game. In the mountains you go make it happen. To each his own but I found low country elk hunting in the heat to be boring.

 

[Akwoodchuck]

My old man bought a little town lot in Yellow Pine, ID...something ridiculous like 1/10 of an acre, built a little cabin on it...he flies down there, jumps on the four wheeler, and blasts one about every other year...

 

[dgarrett]

I would probably go on guided hunts instead of buying my own land in the west... 500 acres makes it hard unless its surrounded by desert and the only green alfalfa field in miles...

 

[txhunter581]

$1M in a decent investment earning even 3%. = $30,000/ year. 4-5 guys could go on some great hunts every year for that amount of money.

But I understand the urge. I recently bought a cabin in colorado after dreaming about it for 20 years.

That said $1M is not really in the ballpark for most good hunting properties.