Noggy, since you aren't a cattle fella, any reason you're leaving the hay field alone?

http://www.seedranch.com/mobile/product....CFQiUaQodQ2AAPw

Just trying to spend your money during antler growing season. Beats Shana's suggestion.

I'm not saying buy or don't buy. Lease or not lease. But answer this. Where can I get a sizable piece of land to purchase with excellent hunting with the improvements I get on the lease I'm on for the price of $250/month?

You talk about investments but at my age, having had two heart incidents and a family history of not making age of social security the thought of the investment is not there for me. It would be for the pure satisfaction of owning my own land to hunt, raise a critter or two and live out my days in the country.

Factor in a lack of support from the other half of the finances in the house and it makes you question what is the best move.

I'm just saying you can complain about the cost to lease land but realistically the cost to own land is much higher. In time as well as money.

I trade the hay for a great older man to keep the place up, watch it, keep it mowed, clear fallen trees, plant food plots, etc. Some years it's a great deal for him, some not so much. But it all comes out in the wash. Peace of mind is worth a lot. If Tammy and I ever relocate I am germinating several ideas. Just added that one to the mix.

Therein lies the conundrum, for a city slicker wanting to buy a plot of land with principle purpose of hunting, unless you have a bit of "cash flow" as Trophy puts it; it rarely pays to purchase land to simply have it sit "idle". The land has to be worked/improved likely involving livestock to generate sufficient ROI. A bit hard to do though if you live in the city, 200 miles away. Unless you are willing to employ a ranchhand full-time to run the place.

I'm not saying buy or don't buy. Lease or not lease. But answer this. Where can I get a sizable piece of land to purchase with excellent hunting with the improvements I get on the lease I'm on for the price of $250/month?

You talk about investments but at my age, having had two heart incidents and a family history of not making age of social security the thought of the investment is not there for me. It would be for the pure satisfaction of owning my own land to hunt, raise a critter or two and live out my days in the country.

Factor in a lack of support from the other half of the finances in the house and it makes you question what is the best move.

I'm just saying you can complain about the cost to lease land but realistically the cost to own land is much higher. In time as well as money.

It all depends. I just figured it all up on my property based on the ongoing discussions here. How much does my 240 actually cost me? I will start by saying I didn't buy as an investment. I bought to have some land to retire on, build a house, and have enough land to hunt for me, wife, and two kids. Appreciation is just an irrelevant side-consequence.

Currently, the land sits idle, but there are a couple of barns on the place as far as improvements go. However, about 2/3 is in CRP and that really helps. After looking at that, mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities (co-op water and electric), my place costs me about $550 per year or abut $46 per month. I currently have about 75% equity in it. I've owned it for five years and I've never lived closer than 500 miles to it.

The only other money I spend is on corn for feeders, batteries for trail cams, food while we're there, and gas to get there. We stay in our travel trailer while we're there.

The point is that it can be done, even on limited income (our family is single military income), and with a few good blessings from the Lord.

One last point for those investment-minded folk, you make your money on the buy, not the sale.

Now color me solidly in the landowner group.

Pretty much described my exact business plan. Accumulated many thousands of acres buying raw land, leasing the grazing AND hunting (of course I retained a few deer for me), and turning it into gold after a few years. Actually lived over 300 miles and 7.5 hours to 8.5 hours away. Talk about sweat equity... Those two day weekends were rough building cabins, putting in food plots, blinds, and feeders. But very lucrative. And I never had a ranch hand other than my wife and kids and friends.

Yep, I busted my hump and made it work great.

However, explaining just how that works to you and the fledgling RE agent, would prove a task too large. Suffice to say, I'm a pretty happy camper that you never were my accountant.

That's cool I never wanted to be an accountant for a land baron of your supposed stature that gains pleasure in sharing all the inner secrets of land acquisition. When's the book coming out?

Agreed. It has to be a priority that you stick to, and while good deals are few, they ARE out there. But, you have to look at things differently too. People rarely go to where the land is. They want their land to be "in their neighborhood" to quote an HGTV-ism. Our dream was to be in the Hill Country. Well, we're not even close to the Hill Country and couldn't be happier. Most people couldn't imagine immigrating to a dying one-horse town and county area, but we love it.

We wanted to be so far out that when we went to the store, we wanted to call it "going for supplies".

To be honest, if it's not in our neighborhood in Texas it's not getting bought. Thinking of other family being close, top notch medical care close, sticking with roots and locating properties close in hopes our kids will stay closer to each other and have some interest in it instead of putting it on the auction block as soon as we're 6' under.

profitable ranches are NOT the norm

profitable ranches are NOT the norm