New Mexico hunting land to buy.

[Bruz]

First of all, I have been too busy my whole life to hunt (except quail). Thanks in part to you all I am now ready to get my priorities straight. Been reading in the posts that New Mexico is one of the best areas to hunt. I was looking up outfitters and hunting clubs and found out how much it costs to hunt! For just a decent hunt your looking at $2,500.?! OK, I admit I am cheap, and yes the season is short so these guys are not getting rich, especially the ones that own the hunting ranches, which brings up my question...

Has anyone bought land to hunt on? My thinking may be strange, but being a real estate Broker (no I am not looking for anymore clients) I tell clients all the time, "Why rent when you can buy?". If I am going to do, say only 4 hunts per year, and I am going to also pay for my son, and soon my daughter, at $2,500. bucks per, thats $20,000. per year? That easily makes payments on a $200,000. piece of land! Please edumacate me on what I am missing. Also, anyone that knows the area can you give me an idea on where to look or who I can talk to. Thanks!

 

[Greybeard]

I worked on a "hunting cabin" in a pretty remote area last summer for some guys who live in DFW area. They had bought around 35 acres in SW Colorado. Land cost (I think) somewhere around $2,200 an acre. I believe several more places like it for sale. Nearest town is Delores. 7,000 to 9,000 ft. altitude. Properties close to or backed up to San Juan Nat. forest (huge). Of 10 guys who went there the week my brother went (Oct. 18?), they got 2 cows, 2 bulls and 2 mulies. 3 primary owners planning to selectively rent cabin to recover investment. It might take me a little time to research, but if interest in land and/or cabin rental, I can likely locate more particulars in project file. If not aware of price of non-res. tags, ya might wanna check out Colo. parks and wildlife web site. PM as needed.

 

[Bruz]

"they got 2 cows, 2 bulls and 2 mulies. 3 primary owners planning to selectively rent cabin to recover investment.

Thats what I am looking for! I will of course be doing my own research, but any help you can provide would be much appreciated! If I could get some land with two units on it would be perfect...one to rent and one to have when I hunt (then I can slowly move in ).

 

[Art Eatman]

A "Great Game" in the western states is the sale or purchase of small tracts of land which border on public lands. This is part of the reason for high per-acre costs. Legwork can find some pretty fair deals, but it takes a good bit of driving and looking...

Art

 

[Greybeard]

"a good bit of driving and looking... " is right, even if given "directions" to this place.

About 8 miles from nearest "public" (park) road. 4-wheel drive required, possibly snowmobile only this time of year - altho developer poured some big bucks into buiding interior roads. Initial bulldozer driver obviously had far, far bigger cajones than I.

Accessible in summer via 2-wheel drive, but more than one spare tire suggested (roads built with overly large "gravel"). One hunting party in October got in and out OK in motor home. Lumber salesman early last summer tho had one flat too many and was walking for help - until he came across bear eating calf. Deputy sent looking found him next day sleeping in car.

At least one "full timer" known to have built in area. Another very expensive "cabin" planned near top of 9,000 ft. mountain. Pucker factor was bad enough in my 5-speed Nissan. Would certainly not want to have to drive concrete truck, but I guess somebody will. (Not sure if brain is getting bigger or balls just getting smaller.)

Somewhere in file I think I've got realtor name and phone. IIRC, maybe a female type who was showing properties and managed to drive into one wicked area going up, but prospective client had to take over driving of her vehicle to get down! Will try and remember to look up more pertinent poop when in office later in week.

 

[Bruz]

Thanks again...gee, all the roads look great in the pictures. Art, so it was not a coincidence that so many properties back up to public land eh...what do yall think would be the minimum amount of land to own in order to have successful hunts? Of course it would depend on the area, but assuming it was in a good area with plenty of food and shelter?

 

[wun_8_seven]

how bout western oklahoma? white tails, quail , turkey, varmints & the occasional wild hog. bought 640 acres for $275 an acre. 187

 

[Art Eatman]

To be able to hunt on your own land in "good" deer country, there is a safety issue as well as "just" acreage. I know some few places where folks can safely shoot deer within their ten acres. Other, less densely wooded and/or more settled country, 100 acres would be barely enough.

Various folks have different views as to what is hunting. For instance, I know one area where people buy small tracts alongside a big ranch, and then put out feeders to attract "his" deer onto these smaller tracts...

I dunno. 'Bout all I can suggest is do a bunch of travelling and looking, and learn the game laws of those states which seem attractive...

Central Texas is overrun with whitetails. If you get away from popular areas within 50 or 75 miles of places like the Dallas Metroplex or the San Antonio-Austin Corridor, you can probably find land for $1,000/acre or maybe less.

Along Hwy 90, west of Del Rio, some tracts of a few hundred acres or more sell for around $135 an acre, but the game populations are not very dense.

IMO, if you have cash right now and hang on to it, land prices in many areas will be quite a bit less in a couple of years...

Art

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

The wife and I have been looking at land north of DFW; it's dang disturbing to see creekbeds and floodplains going for upwards of $3500 to 10k an acre and the high probability that within 5 to 10 years there will be a 'planned development' next door. Lots of old-timers' kids are bailing out of the old family farms at the first whiff of greenbacks from landmen and advance teams from development companies. A good example is Frisco, Texas 5 years ago. Nice blackland cottonfields and hardwood stands not too long ago. Now it's concrete and brick, with the oldest tree standing maybe 8 years old in lots of places.

Most of North Central Texas (and Central Texas) has been developed into walled 'communities' like they're expecting the Comanches and Kiowas to sweep down across the Red River and raid again.

My best last hope is a sudden and unexpected collapse in overinflated real estate values, perhaps preceeded by an economic collapse in the already weak tech sector around here. Granted, I work for one of the biggest boys on the block, but I'd be just as at home out in the woods on my own, on my own place, making my living from the land. By the way, don't get the idea I'm some post-apocalyptic nut job; I just have a thing against runaway development and 2 acre ranchettes with deed restrictions and homeowners associations. Right now, I know of a fairly good deal per acre on some land adjoining a friend's dairy in SW Oklahoma, but who in their right mind wants to live in Oklahoma? <G>

My wife owns 220 acres kinda sorta near Roswell in Roosevelt Co. NM. No water or electricity available. Mostly just rocks and blowing sand. I guess we could move out there and open a 'Eco-Tourist' camp for the city folks who want to get out and 'see what nature is all about' or look for bug-eyed little grey thingies. Maybe buy some tipi's for them to stay in. Listen to the (recorded, if necessary) coyotes sing. Feed them bean curd and let them daub sage smudges and let them look for ley lines. Take their money. Buy land in Archer City and hunt doves, pig, and deer or something.

Regards,
Rabbit.

If you put a loose cannon on a deck, you cannot then say you are not responsible when it starts rolling because you didn't predict the particular wave which caused it to roll. - Henry Kissenger, Der Spiegel, July, 1978.

 

[Bruz]

My brother lives in OK and is moving over here...as yall said the prices are incredably low, but as also said I do not know if I could see myself living there. Not sure why though if I am looking just for land to hunt...with the mention of different States to hunt, I think I'll start a new thread. Looking through all the old post I thought NM was mentioned most, but that was on another forum, Thanks all.

 

[Greybeard]

Bruz - If interest in land mentioned above, I think more is obtainable from Collean (sp.?), Colo. Land and Ranch. 800-814-7024 or 970-739-0300 (cell?).

 

[G21NE]

If you like whitetail deer, come here! Good god, we can't give these things away.

They are all good sized, since they eat corn and soybeans (I am in farm country if you're curious. ) These things dressed out look like sides of beef. No kidding. Corn fed deer, nothing like it. Further west, they are smaller and sagebrush fed, yuck.

Also, if you like ringneck pheasants, they are plentiful here too.
Coyotes? Hell yeah. And if you shoot prairie dogs, they are 3-6 hours away, depending on if you want to leave the state or not.

I will bet you $1,000,000 that anyone you talk to here has hit at least one deer with their vehicle in their lifetime. We really want people to kill deer. Really. (btw I have hit a deer if you are wondering.....)

The only problem.. I live in Nebraska, where property tax is king. You may want to take that into consideration. Our human population (about 1.5 million) makes it such that property tax funds pretty much everything for the state. DOH!!!!

 

[rbrowning]

GE21NE

"If you like whitetail deer, come here!"

Would you be so inclined as to give us some indication where "here" is?

 

[G21NE]

Read the last part of my post again, where it says "I live in Nebraska..................

 

[Bruz]

Thanks Greybeard and G21NE, I'll check em out!

 

[jmrobbins7]

hunting land in OK

We have about 500 acres of hunting land in South Central Oklahoma that may interest you. And Oklahoma really isn't a bad place to live...

 

[Polishrifleman]

Taxes is a good thing to look into as mentioned above as well as access. Can you get in when you want and will other people avoid the area?

Make sure you pull a title report to find out about mineral rights etc...

I purchased some land last winter for recreation, hunting, and just fresh air. No water or electricity, it is in a forestry tax classification so taxes don't kill me each year.

Big city banks won't lend on it in a traditional fashion, you will need more money down and be charged a higher interest rate than conventional financing because they see it as higher risk in the event they inherit it from you (unless it has a big house/ranch attached to it which also means higher taxes).

You will want to build something at least an outhouse so what is that going to take and do you have the time and money to do it or have it done. You will want to leave some stuff behind because you will be sick of hauling it, water jugs, an axe, meat pole, whatever it is, is it ok for it to be taken or vandalized?

Just some food for thought, I really enjoy our place and it is a great escape from Seattle to go hike, shoot, get dirty and especially watch my sons get involved with the outdoors with scat, tracks, bugs, game, throwing rocks, sticks and just being boys.

Good luck and if you think I might be able to add any more shoot me a pm.

 

[Roboshred]

Go North young man!

Has anyone bought land to hunt on? My thinking may be strange, but being a real estate Broker (no I am not looking for anymore clients) I tell clients all the time, "Why rent when you can buy?".

Yes I have and don't be surprised when I tell you that you can buy incredible
properties in California for much cheaper than you can in the midwest or southeast. I bought 125 acres with 1.5 miles of water access with PUEs done
1 hour north of Sacto.. I paid $1800 per acre on average less than 18 months ago. I bought 40 acres for $45k in May which was already subdivived into 4-10's. There are deals in and around Lake Oroville and the north state. Email
me and I will direct you. The easiest thing to do is use the internet to find properties via Realtor.com etc.. My property surrounds Lake Oroville and has
a variety of wildlife on it. (bald eagles;golden eagles;hawks;mountain lions;black bear;bobcats;squirrels;rabbits;mountain quail;mourning dove;Canadian geese;mallards;pintail;widgeon;grouse;black tail deer; etc..)
Oh by the way, I can handle your financing if you need a cash out. RB

 

[MCgunner]

When I've hunted New Mexico, I've taken my camp gear and roughed it. I know lots of folks don't like the roughing it thing, but I've always enjoyed the tent. However, I am getting along in years and can see the end of the road to the tent thing. We run down to what south Texans call "the land cut" in boats now and then and overnight on the beach of the intra-coastal there. That's a fun thing to do close to home and about as far out in the sticks as you can get. There's legal whitetail hunting down there, but we're always after ducks.

In the Guadeloupe's, S.E. New Mexico, there is one little settlement called "Queens", the only gas for over 50 miles. There was lots for sale there, but no water at all. You had to bring your water. I rented a trailer there for 35 bucks once. We were out there 9 days without a shower and just couldn't handle it anymore, LOL! Guy that ran the store there rented it to us. It was right next to a canyon, beautiful. Lots of wild land there, all public hunting, and huge amounts of mulies, but no legal elk. Don't touch the elk herd there, the law is real protective of 'em.

I've often though of having such a mountain retreat, but, heck, I just gotta figure, how much would I actually get to use it? I've got some land here to hunt I haven't used in 2 years. I guess it'd be fun if I could live up there and make a living some how, but NM is an income tax state. That alone will keep me out of it. And, my wife'd go nuts without cable TV.

 

[Bruz]

Wow, talk about resurrecting a thread

My property surrounds Lake Oroville

We have family in that area, Chico and Paradise and have done a little looking at the lake, any help you can give since you live there would be helpful and much appreciated!

We ended up buying more property locally as the values were still increasing at ridicules rates but would not be adverse to selling and reinvesting there.

Thanks all once again for the info, one thing we have pretty much decided on is buying in either California or the States that are closer to us since it would be easier to travel there...

 

[ReadyontheRight]

IMO, if you have cash right now and hang on to it, land prices in many areas will be quite a bit less in a couple of years...

Art -- I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

Being a post-Baby Boomer, all I seem to see is the Baby Boomers spending way too much for every bit of vacation land and driving up the prices.

Maybe prices will drop when they all move into the nursing homes, but that's quite a ways off.

If you have a different perspective on this, I'd like to finally buy into a market BEFORE it goes up in price.

 

[MCgunner]

Art -- I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

Being a post-Baby Boomer, all I seem to see is the Baby Boomers spending way too much for every bit of vacation land and driving up the prices.

Maybe prices will drop when they all move into the nursing homes, but that's quite a ways off.

If you have a different perspective on this, I'd like to finally buy into a market BEFORE it goes up in price.

I ain't goin' to no nursing home. I don't think they'd appreciate my gun collection there, or my doing wheelies on my bikes up and down the halls.

 

[dracphelan]

I think I know where some people are coming from on property price drops. In some areas of the country you have people paying $150-200000+ for 700 square foot homes. Often, this is done as speculation with loans that pay interest only. If we have an economic downturn, many people aren't going to be able to afford their mortgages. This will result in lowser prices as foreclosure properties hit the market.

 

[Roboshred]

Wow, talk about resurrecting a thread

My property surrounds Lake Oroville

We have family in that area, Chico and Paradise and have done a little looking at the lake, any help you can give since you live there would be helpful and much appreciated!

Bruz; give me a call on my cell phone at 916 475 4727. I can give you some highlights of the area and what to look out for. The prices have settled down in the $7k-15K/acre with water views which is still a heck of a deal considering it's in CA;it's spectacular; and it's 1 hour to SACTO. Metro airport and 20 minutes to Chico. Did I mention it parallels the pacific flyway! There were lots of geese and ducks working last weekend. Just an FYI, I live in SACTO and invested up there.The former CFO of Safeway USA owns the section next to my largest parcel. He says it's his family's retirement for the next 3 generations. I think you'll understand living in CA..

 

[Art Eatman]

I"m one of those who sees the housing boom as a bubble. I foresee some hard economic times in the next couple of years. If I'm correct, the ripple effect from any notable downturn in the economy will lead to a slowdown in sales, and thus lower prices. IMO, right now is a time to accumulate cash and positions in commodities.

For instance, yesterday in Alpine, Texas, talking to a realtor about the sale of my mother's house, he commented that while some are asking $350K for a house, they're actually closing at $250K. He said ranch land is similar in behavior.

This won't be uniform everywhere, of course. Some places will continue to see prices rise...

Art