Anyone a owner on the YO Ranch Lands program. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Sounds ok, but not great.

Biggest worry would be that you would buy your land and then everyone around you would put up high fence. I would think that would be counter productive.

pm me

i own property similar in another development done by the same people that did yo ranchlands

can share some perspective

We looked at buying some land in the YO Ranchlands years ago....and wished we would have (before prices went up). If I remember correctly, you weren't allowed to put up anything but a 4 ft. fence....but that might have changed. It was probably 7 or 8 years ago when we were looking at a place there.

the only way you could put up a high fence without getting sued is if you got approval to amend the bylaws or if you moved out all the animals and fenced it in with nothing.

our bylaws dont prevent you from building a high fence, but you would be lacking intelligence if you did so.

1. it would keep animals from moving into your place more than it would keep them from leaving since most animals would not be on your place.

2. it would really hurt your resale value.
3. as mentioned above, if you didnt move all animals off first, then you would be subject to damages from your neighbors for taking their share of the animals without consent.

not a great legal explanation, but hey... i am not a lawyer.

they do have a new development going up near ours. it is 3,000 acres and will have an exterior high fence with inner roads and deeded parcels inside the fence.

pm me if you want the contact info for the developer. i still talk to him every so often

Don't forget, you'd also have to get approval from Architectural committee and there's no way that would happen.

You really don't need to worry about your neighbors hi-fencing their property.

There have been several properties listed in YO for some time now. Before you buy, make sure you PM Rsquared or I as to per acre price.

Our situation is kind of a wierd one.

Parents are retired have a decent income and really don't want to live in Wyoming all winter. The winter month of April and May really are the problem November through Jan 1 they love the snow.

They have a show place there and they want to down grade move closer to the mountains and buy a second someplace warm with good hunting.

The YO type system might work for them as they would have some reasonable assurance with the YO Rangers (buy our way of thinking anyway) that they aren't getting robbed blind during the time they aren't there.

The only positive I can see about high fencing within the ranch is that you have the gated security of the YO Ranchlands and the ability to run whatever exotics you want on your own place.

I think the YO Ranchlands HOA are fallow, sika, axis, blackbuck, aoudad and whitetails. I think it is kind of silly with the prices of other exotics coming down not to open up the program to include others. They could raise HOA fees by a bit to cover some breeding stock and have a no shoot for 4 years rule on them.

Roo Basher, I'm not sure what your question is but I'll address your statements:

As to security, you're talking about a hi-fenced developement with a security gate. You don't have to worry about your neighbors trespassing or vandalizing so it's the same as if you had any ranch and weren't on premises all the time...something could happen but that's just the risk you take with any second home.

Exotic prices have come down but at this point I would imagine the Ranchlands is probably at max carrying capacity with the animal population the way it is. Adding more species would mean that something else would have to go and getting all landowners on board with replacing a species can be done but it will be difficult. A general rule I like to follow when thinking about exotics on our ranch is KISS (keep it simple) and don't overcomplicate it with super-exotics.

FWIW I have a place in a similar development and absolutely love it and use the heck out of it!!! Hunting is great, kids have a blast, and it has changed the life of many of the guests we've brought along. If you want your own hi-fenced ranch but can't afford >1000 acres it is the absolute best alternative! You split the cost with like-minded individuals, have your own dedicated property to hunt on, and you have neighbors that you can socialize with. Some of my neighbors have become my closest friends.

Good luck,

Scott

YO Ranchlands is a very secure developement because of its remote location in addition to everything else mentioned. I've only had to go out there a couple of times over the years and only once for something serious.

So, how is the amount of game harvested controlled? Are there restrictions on the number of guests who can come onto your property and hunt and what amount of game is taken off? If no rules apply, I would be concerned about unscrupulous neighbors shooting everything in sight. Wife and I are considering buying land and this might be a good option for us too. Thx

We are also in the process of looking for land where we can build and retire.Safety is number one priority because we might be traveling for long periods of time. You guys can pm as well.

Each landowner has a quota of animals based on the number of acres owned...for example owning 50ac may allow you to take 3 males and 3 females. That's your quota and whoever you allow to take them can take them, be it guests, family members, other neighbors, you can even sell them...that's your quota to do with as you please. Obviously, it's possible that some unscrupulous landowners may harvest more than they're allowed however that's not real likely since everyone has a very vested interest in protecting the value of the ranch and hence their investment. Why kill all of your own animals? It just doesn't make sense. Now, that's not to say that problems won't arise, because they will but in my experience they are very manageable and arent a significant factor. Nothing like a lease!!!

Again, as to security, it's about the best scenario possible: your entire ranch is hi-fenced, there's a security gate, neighbors help keep an eye on things and are on the lookout for strangers that don't belong. How could it be any better? My own house here in town is much more at risk of a break in than my ranch. Plus I have security cameras all over the place.

It's a great setup!

Regards,
Scott

Bear Creek,
Thanks for the detailed explanation. Can you pm me the current acre prices or point me a web site where I can find them?
Thanks
Al

x2

Thanks all, we are looking at it for all the reasons you have listed. It kind of makes sense.

My wife and I are trying to move back to Alaska for a few years so I can finish my masters while I teach school and get a doctorate then our plan is to move back to Germany. With the parents at the YO (or someplace similar) we would have a great family situation.

Ideal situation would be to end up with one of the 100 plus acre properties. The more land you have, the more you can hunt.

Since YO Ranchlands bases the quota per ranch owner on the size of the ranch. You would have to have 150+ acres to take 4 bucks. So a half a million dollar investment if not more, to shoot 4 bucks a year. That's kind of the hard part to swallow.

I guess you have to look at all the factors. Security is probably our biggest concern, hunting 2nd, and that my parents are happy is the 3rd.

PM sent to both Otto and Goldstein