this has been a crazy 5 years or so. I have a little experience, but wanted to compare my notes with others.

2012 bought decent hunting ground in SE Kansas for $1175, sold 12 months later for $1675, last year after improvements new owner selling for $2700.

2010 or so southern Oklahoma seemed the area land about $900-1,000, we bought year ago $2,100, and now our area nothing under $3,000. Talking to our agent if not too far from DFW (we're 1:05 drive) and 35 (we're 10 miles) the prices have continued to skyrocket. 500 acres to south of us is under contract for $3,500.

Man, wish I would have bought that less than $1,000 stuff all up 5+ years ago.

I think farm ranch land has pressure not to go too high as they need to make a profit, but hunting land seems to be upwardly mobile as baby boomers and etc get that little place of their own out of the city.

May be against the grain, but I think the outdoor channels and hunting industry has had a lot to do with land demand and prices have followed.

I think you're both right. Population is skyrocketing and a relatively low barrier to entry for recreational property is also increasing demand and bolstering rural land prices. If OK would have a deer season that mirrored that of Texas, it would be a windfall for Oklahoma counties within a 2.5 hour drive radius of FW/D.

Bought our small place (88 acres) 10 years ago and paid $2650 per acre ( thought that was high) and it's all over at $5000 up out here for acreage. Southwest of La Grange Tx. Crazy. Ours has a Creek on back 1800 foot run and that adds to the price. Our's is up for sale as we speak. Republic Ranches/Buckner Creek Ranch. In another 10 years sky is the limit. Don't know how people afford things.

I heard they discontinued land and no longer make it. Just a rumor, but that might have something to do with it.

I think the value/cost of N. Texas land is driving people to buy in Oklahoma. Good news for me when I go to sell my place but will have to leave the area completely

yep, and so many larger ranches have been cut down and sold off for stupid high $/acre. My dad kicked himself in the butt for years for passing on buying 750 acres laced with artisan springs just SE of Burnet in the late '60s/early '70s for $32/acre. Can't touch anything under $5k in that area now, likely more for smaller tracts.

Its not getting any cheaper either... ever

Land is almost always "high" at the time you want to buy it, LOL, when you look back on it years later.

Actually it did drop from '08-'11. But long term you are right.

It may drop again in Texas as oil prices drop.

The wife and I made a bet that that would happen back in '96. Decided our investment strategy would be to own as much land as possible when the boomers decided to invest their nest egg in land.

It's served us pretty well.

Talked to the Jack Tax Assesor's office last year and they told me the smaller places 5-15 ac are really driving the price up. People are breaking up larger tracts into the little ones and were getting 4-4500.00 an acre. Only reason I called them was because my taxes jumped a good bit and I thought it was a mistake...it wasn't.

gonna keep doubling every 10 years - ALL land (faster within couple hours of any major city or I35) - till they start selling it per-square-foot like in Manhattan ! right now a bargain if you can buy for less than 10K per acre (within couple hours) on smaller tracts. Wait till it's 25K or 50K per acre !!!

Friend looking around Tioga/Aubrey said its $20k per acre.....right down road from me I know they were asking $15k per acre, 15 acres total and sold in 2 parcels of 5 and 10 acres each.....flat ground with zero trees or improvements

and in Grayson county neither one will qualify for ag exempt, too small when house added to the 10

$2700 per acre would be a steal down here in my county. Even now after the oil boom has so greatly declined.

I think we all got stories like this. Was given first option to buy a lease I had on the Pease River back in '99. Buddy and I floated a bid of $550 per for 1300 acres which was all the land bank said it would appraise for. Rancher decided to entertain a couple more bids and a couple dentists bid $650. He said if we would match it it was ours... we declined thinking they were paying crazy money. The ranch is listed right now for $2100 an acre and if I had the money I'd buy it in a heart beat. Great hunting ranch with white tale, mulies and turkey galore... and not a bad cattle operation.

http://www.landsoftexas.com/property/8137-HWY-83-Paducah-Texas-79248/902600

Yep I have an almost identical one in east TX. Sold for $600/acre in 1999. 1000 acres. Would probably sell for 3K/acre now (if the buyers hadn't clear cut it and turned the most beautiful hardwood bottom you ever saw into trash land).

hunting in texas is big business....

i have also heard that recreational land is increasing in value faster than ag land

I may have my place on the market in 2017 when Toyota moves 4,000 people to Plano

wait till they show up with wads of cash from selling their places there and Toyota is maintaining them at the California wages....

do those liberals hunt?

I've got a 30 acre horse farm so I don't care if they hunt but just raise the land costs, then I'll sell out and move a long way away

A lot of them do

they can't wait to get to Texas to buy more black guns and usually the first game
on their minds : Hogs

Didn't have the money when younger, know can't afford cause to old.