I've been putting some thought into purchasing hunting land out of state. As much as it costs to hunt in Texas I might as well try and buy some. What state do you think? I'm leaning towards Wisconsin or Iowa

You price per acre in Iowa will out pace TX, especially west of 35 very quickly.

Oklahoma use to be a steal but that's quickly coming to an end.

Check with state laws an residency. Lots of states will put you into the NR pool even you own land there. State residency status is required

Im not trying to hunt west of 35. I'm trying to hunt east of it. Northeast Iowa or Southwest Wisconsin

Is your time worth anything?? I drive 500 miles to N. Ok. it takes me 8 hrs,,, 16 hrs round trip. at $100 an hour that is $1600 plus $.75 a mile is another $750--------- it costs me $2350 just to make the trip. AND you dont use it as much since the trip is so formidable. I went 6 times last year, $14,000 just to travel there. Just something to think about.

Are you a truck driver? Because if it costs you $100 an hour to drive somewhere you might need a new vehicle

The economics of leisure time vs work time are quite different. I suggest your model is a bit rich.

We've been getting some different opinions on here lately. Very. Different. Opinions.

what did the 5 cop cars rolling in cost ya then? 5 cop cars rolling in thread

lol------- I only drive 8 mph over the speed limit in Tx,,,, where the limit is 75------ in OK it is 70--I still go 83-- so I am subject to tickets, but there are very few , if any cops the way I go.

ALSO -- hunting time ---- on a 5 day vacation, you only get to hunt 3 days. just things to consider.

My vacations were always at least 9 days; 2 weekends on each end of M-F.

Not sure I buy into this logic. How can you put a price on drive time? In order to make the drive you have to be off work and if you're taking vacation time (a logical conclusion) then you're not losing wages. If you're not working and have all kinds of free time then you're time isn't worth $100 an hr in the first place. And if your vehicle costs you $.75 a mile then you need to replace it because your gas mileage sucks. That means you''re burning $45 in gas per hr and if your vehicle gets 20mpg, which is what my diesel truck gets if I'm not towing a load, then you're paying a heck of a lot more than the $2 a gallon fuel costs right now.

I go back to my native CO every year to hunt deer and I don't consider time spent driving to be any expense. The fuel yes, but not the time. As to the OP's question, if I was looking for land for hunting to buy I'd check out either AL or MS. Both have reasonable priced land and very generous deer seasons.

My thought is that if you are buying the land for a long term investment and you have done the research that it will hold its value or increase in value over time, it's a great way use of your money. If you are in love with a certain area and just want to be there as much as you can, then it makes sense on an emotional level.

But for a hunting only investment, I've found that for what it would cost to buy enough land to have some good hunting on it, I'm better investing it and using what I earn off of that investment to go on a hunt. I've also found that a great place to hunt rarely remains a great place over time. I also like to hunt different areas and different animals, so being tied to just one location isn't very appealing to me personally.

Why not book a hunt in one or both of those locations you are interested in and see what is involved with being there during deer season? Travel, time off from work, and what happens during deer season in the woods there. I've been on vacation to some amazing places that when I went back to during hunting season where hell on earth for me with too many hunters and guns going off non stop. I had found an awesome ridge in Idaho that had some great mule deer and elk in it during archery season. I never got close enough for a shot with my bow, so I went back during rifle season. I was up on the ridge well before daylight and there wasn't anybody else around. Then just as the sun was starting to break, the four wheelers started up. For the first hour of sunrise, I bet close to hundred ATV's drove past me, under me, or near me. That was one of the worse hunts of my life!!!!

Might consider Alabama or Tennessee.

New Zealand

Here is something I haven't heard mentioned. My property is in Red River County, Texas. It takes me about 2 hours to get there from my house. I'm there a minimum of once a month and usually a lot more than that. I have some very good neighbors that help keep an eye on my place. BUT, there are just as many that see me as "that dang outsider that comes here and buys a piece of land and thinks he owns the world." "My granddaddy used to know the guy who owned that place and he said I could hunt there when I was a kid, so, I don't care who owns it now. I've always hunted there and I'm going to keep hunting there." I have heard this multiple times from multiple people. I LOVE my place. I own it outright and enjoy the freedom that ownership provides. I know that I am truly blessed to have it. However, I truly cannot imagine what would happen if I could only make it out a couple of times a year. You would have to hire someone just to keep the property usable...roads clear, camp cleaned up, blinds de-wasped, etc.. Not to mention someone taking your stuff, tearing up your stuff, etc.. These would be my concerns for having property that far away. Just my
Thanks!!
Matt

The Goverment est costs at roughly $33hr (fuel, wear and tear,etc)

Drive time is an individual thing. I hunt CO because it affords me an additional two days of hunting compared to if I drove to Idaho.

Me personally, 6.5-7hr(one way)drive is my limit for a weekend trip. Anything over I need to take a day off and extend my weekend to 3 days.

My ranch is 8hrs(depending on weather), my lease is 6-6.5hrs. The lease I can make a weekend trip, my ranch I need to burn vacation to hunt.

Only way Dunes numbers make sense, is if he is taking a cab............Maybe he drives a cab?

flags,,, if you think your gasoline costs is what it takes to run a vehicle, you havent factored in everything.. factor in mileage toward oil change, wear and tear and depreciation on a vehicle,etc ------ if its not $.75 cents a mile, it is close.
I cant believe anyone would buy a place and go one time a year during his 'vacation'---------- land takes maintenance, you have to go all year long ------ again I would think you would hunt AT LEAST 5 or 6 times ---- so you would have to take off work on Fri and MOn to hunt Sat and Sun ----- I used the word vacation to mean 'hunting' -------- I value my time at $100 an hour ----- others may value theirs at $0------ I guess its how you look at it.
My lease in OK, I only go there to hunt --- the OK guys take care of it all year. If I had to go up there all year long I might have to rethink the whole thing.

Yep, no way I'd own land so far away I could only enjoy it a couple times a year. Pay land taxes just so locals can poach your place, no thank you.

Gonna have to agree to disagree here.

I don't think a round of golf costs me $100 an hour plus green fee and cart at the muni. Nor do I think a Rangers game is $100 an hour plus tickets and refreshments. And let's not forget the $.75/mile.

If you keep confusing leisure time with bill rate you'll get to where you never leave the clients office... Costs to much to leave.

That said, I don't think I'd ever buy a place 8 hours away just for hunting. To each his own though.

We all value our time differently, as it should be. I value my time more than many that I work for and give advice to. I always remind my clients that once the seconds turn to minutes, and minutes to hours they are GONE and never coming back. So I think you should value your drive time, as usually it eventually becomes boredom.

So if it were me, I'd only buy out of state with a long drive if I could take off at least 2-3 weeks to hunt on that property. If I were buying I would seriously consider Missouri. They have some great deer, OTC license and land that can be purchased at reasonable rates. You could have a good chance of buying a small farm that you could lease out to a farmer to help offset the cost of the land. I would look at central to northern. There are some honey holes near the Iowa border. I drive to the northeast border to bow hunt each year. Not a bad drive at all if your staying at least a week or more. Monster bucks.

And I would have to agree to disagree with your post. I value my time at that rate and charge accordingly. There are many that charge much more than this. IMO YOU are the only one that can value YOUR time and whatever that is is up to you to decide.

This northern MO land you speak of - is there a crossover country of large bucks and pheasant?