Thoughts/advice on buying land

[Coopsdaddy]

Ill just tell you my opinion as i have owned 74 acres for 22 years thats 15-20 minutes from me that i would lime to build on one day.Its about 75 percent wooded and all the surrounding land is a mix of cattle land,woods and about 10 smaller propertys in the mile section.Everyone hunts but not to many problems because it is in a decent area and most of farmers have lived around here forever.I dont even bother with trail cams or try to manage any more.I usually have a very small plot i let my father in law hunt over and i have a corn feeder that gets used for 3-4 months straight.About once every few years i see a decent buck and about once every 7-8 years i see a real good buck or here of one getting killed that was close.I have come to just enjoy my own little ponderosa,between me and my son,father in law and a few friends have took well over 100 deer off this property,including a double bobcat kill with a friend,coyotes,a hog,3-4 turkey.While its some maintenance a few times a year its the absolute best thing I've ever bought.I just enjoy the harvest and over the years i have come to enjoy the meat way better than the antlers.
Now we also bought a little lake cabin that was my wife’s grandfathers thats 2 hours 10 minutes away and while I absolutely love it and live being there she hates it because its a pain in the ass,we have three kids and its just two far for what it is,its being sold .May use the proceeds for a cabin on my hunting property.
Who can afford 500 plus acres now days,at least in a decent area?

 

[Pony Soldier]

Being from the west I have a differant perspective. When my Dad died I kept a lot off of his place that had a trailer on it. It is 3.5 hours farther west and provides me a place to stay when I want to return to where I grew up to hunt elk as well as geese.

With a house in town I can hunt the National forest within a 1-2 hr drive of the trailer and not be tied down to a remote camp. Before wolves I had been getting my elk near my ranch and then driving west for some deer hunting. Then in December I jump shoot geese along 90-100 miles of river. The variety is pleasant.

 

[FLATHEAD]

I'm in the same boat with the same issues. Looking at buying maybe 80-100 acres.
But all I keep finding, within reasonable driving distance is either pine plantations
or was a pine plantation and has been scalped down to the ground.
I just went on an invite to hunt a friend's lease that was 2.5 hrs away.
He wants me to get in with him and lease more land.
Either buying or leasing:
*Both too far to sleep in my house at night so I would need to buy a small camper.
*Both mostly pines w/food plots & tree stands.
*How many times am I gonna go?
*Leasing is cheaper but cant do much with the property. (other issues)
*Not sure I wanna drop 6 figures on 80 acres. I'm afraid hunting the same stands
repeatedly is going to get old quick. I grew up still hunting NF land and still prefer
that. I can sit a stand some, but not all the time.
*I have to make some changes though, because if I have to keep hunting State WMA's, I think I would just rather fish.