Envision yourself after an all-day sit, tracking a sparse blood trail through thick brush. You know you’re getting close, yet uneasiness clouds your mind. You briefly glance up, if only to gather your bearings. There he is. His grubby, whitish antlers piercing the sky. You rush forward and grapple with the exposed bone to marvel at his magnitude. Buck of the year. Down. Your rapture squeals into the night sky as you realize this plump specimen will soon be on your wall.

But first, you gotta figure out how to get him out of this 1,000-acre section of public land.

If you’re a public land hunter, you’re familiar with the trials of game recovery. Deep, nested, unkempt timber may be prime locale for a dandy buck, but it sure doesn’t help you get him out. Because of this, and numerous other reasons, many hunters set out to purchase a private recreational wonderland. But what does that entail? What property features should you look for? How do you evaluate the investment’s long-term value? These are just a few of the tough questions facing recreational land buyers.

To help answer these questions, I spoke with a seasoned Whitetail Properties Land Specialist, Billy O’Connor. A recreational landowner himself, Billy’s knowledge comes from both personal experience and spending his days immersed in the land-based real estate machine. He’s darn-neared seen it all, and here is a snippet of his advice on approaching the land buying process.

Prioritize Your Requirements

When looking for a plot to purchase, each buyer starts with an initial list of must-haves. Food, water, cover, and travel routes are standard deer hunter land requirements, according to Billy. Suppose future plans include building a house or dream home. The list expands to include onsite or nearby amenities, such as a water meter or electricity. The problem is, the longer the list, the harder it is to find a match.

Further complicating matters, the list of requirements grows during the property search. “After looking at multiple properties, buyers will add to your wish list of what the perfect property is,” Billy says. “I’ll show a property with a decent pond, and then another with a quality brush patch. Now, the buyer is looking for a property with both.” The previously long list of must-haves could start creeping into the unattainable.

When a buyer’s list of land requirements becomes so extensive, they muddle the selection process and potentially skip a suitable option. To combat this, Billy recommends prioritizing your list of land requirements, then evaluating each property against that list. “Avoid paralysis by analysis and realize you may not find a property that meats all of your ideal requirements,” says Billy.

Be Pre-Qualified

Imagine finding the perfect piece of property. It has most of the features you’re looking for and is reasonably priced within your budget. You decide to take a leap and formally submit a purchase offer. Sounds great, right? The problem is, an offer without pre-approval doesn’t carry the same weight as a pre-approved offer. Your non-approved offer could be outright denied or simply beaten out by a competing pre-approved offer.

“A pre-approved offer will most likely be picked over the non-approved offer,” explains Billy. “The same can be true even if the non-approved offer is higher.”

The situation intensifies in aggressive markets. When good recreational properties are hard to come by, you could have multiple buyers bidding on a single property. A pre-approval letter will help funnel your offer to the top of the seller’s list. “If the market is hot, you’ll want to be prepared to make a solid, pre-approved offer,” says Billy.

Understand The Effort

I asked Billy to describe common mistakes made by recreational land buyers. At the top of his list is when a buyer doesn’t fully grasp the effort required for responsible land management.

“Many buyers don’t understand the amount of time, money, and effort required to take care of the property,” Billy explains. If you plan to clear some trees, know that the work isn’t over after felling the wood. You also need to pile them, burn them, and then treat the stumps. And, unless you are Paul Bunyan, know that you’ll need tools beyond an ax and an ox to perform the job.

“An alternative is to buy land with a farm lease,” says Billy. The farmer will maintain the usable land and reduce the ongoing land management effort. As a bonus, they might even lend you a tractor or relay valuable scouting information.

Develop a Five-Year Plan

What’s the best piece of advice for recreational land buyers? According to Billy, each buyer should approach a land purchase with a five-year plan. “It gives your investment time to mature,” explains Billy. The investment is two-fold, including both personal enjoyment and financial.

In terms of personal enjoyment, five years provide you with a needed history of the property. You’ll start to understand what wildlife exists, along with their travel routes, where they bed, where they eat, etc. Without spending the time to understand these details, you could be leaving valuable enjoyment on the table.

Financially speaking, five years dramatically increases your chances of seeing a return on your investment. “Not many properties won’t sell for a profit in five years,” says Billy. Suppose you turn around and sell a recently purchased property. If the ownership window is too short, it’s hard to financially offset the costs associated with selling the property. Five years of ownership removes this concern.

Additionally, if you adhere to a five-year plan, you can have more flexibility on price. “A slightly over-priced property will usually end up a good investment in five years,” explains Billy. “Time makes most land purchases a good deal.”

Conclusion

Owning a private recreational oasis is any hunter’s dream. However, it’s a complex process that requires significant upfront and ongoing effort. Whether you’re planning to join the landowner club or looking to upgrade your current acreage, take the time to prepare. Prioritize your requirements, get pre-qualified, understand the effort involved in land management, and approach every purchase with a five-year plan. You’ll be sure to reap the maximum return on your personal and financial investment.

-Tyler Wolf, Fall Obsession Field Staff