Advice & referrals for buying some undeveloped hunting land in Wyoming?

[VikingsGuy]

Looking over the next year or so to buy some land in a decent hunting unit (with either option for landowner tags or in an area where easy NR draw). Open to anything from 20 acres to 200. Don't want it as part of a recently subdivided ranch with a bunch of neighbors with matching parcels. Looking for off the grid, but cell service would be a plus. Don't want anything pre-built and don't need well or septic. Prefer for it to border significant public lands - even better if they are currently "land locked" by other private. Also interested in a referral to a realtor who is knowledgable in finding this kind of land. Also hoping to stay on the east side of the continental divide and below 8,000 feet elevation. PMs likely the best way to share specifics.

Thanks in advance.

 

[BigHornRam]

Here's a good link to give you some ideas on what is out there.

Wyoming Land for Sale - 2,123 Listings | LandWatch

LandWatch has 2,123 land listings for sale in Wyoming. Browse our Wyoming land for sale listings, view photos and contact an agent today!

m.landwatch.com

 

[ccc23454]

Landowner tags start at 160 acres i think, budget going to be key

 

[wytex]

Some areas still have a drawing for landowners tags too, not a guarantee.
And thanks for not buying a divided ranch, we have one next to the ranch we work for, bunch of poachers and trespassers to go with the good folks that were looking to get away.
Your elevation requirements will limit you to certain parts of the state.
Land is not cheap anymore in Wyoming.

 

[SaskHunter]

Here's a good link to give you some ideas on what is out there.

Wyoming Land for Sale - 2,123 Listings | LandWatch

LandWatch has 2,123 land listings for sale in Wyoming. Browse our Wyoming land for sale listings, view photos and contact an agent today!

m.landwatch.com

Damn, some of those parcels are CHEAP! Even with my shitty Canadian dollar, 40 acres for $15,000???

Land is not cheap anymore in Wyoming.

While you can easily get in the millions, I'd like to know what "cheap" is because some of that stuff is cheap.

 

[antlerradar]

Good luck on your search. Don't forget to look into mineral ownership and water rights.

 

[BigHornRam]

Good luck on your search. Don't forget to look into mineral ownership and water rights.

There's water in Wyoming?

 

[rwc101]

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Regulations/Regulation-PDFs/REGULATIONS_CH44
"Any lands purchased or subdivided for the primary purpose of obtaining landowner licenses shall not be eligible for landowner licenses."

No idea how they prove that though. I looked in to buying a small chunk of land a while back, but it didn't make much sense for me. I'll be a caretaker for your plot though. Very reasonable fees.

 

[Wildabeest]

Might as well put an outhouse on it and claim it as your primary residence. No income tax, resident tag fees and guaranteed OTC tags. Not that I’d know anything about all of that...

 

[Little Canyon Creek]

Be careful where you end up buying land, because you can end up in a bad situation. There are some people from Chicago who bought land on the other side of some public land that borders our family friends place, and I think they have parcels advertised for sale. They have been a nightmare and frequently trespass. They aren't too smart about it either, as one time they told our family friend to his face that they had permission to hunt on his land. It didn't go well for them. Another time our family friend let us on so we could hunt the public land between the Chicago guys and their place. A while after we got to the best glassing knob on state land two of their troop came up to us and the guy from Chicago with a eastern European accent proceeded to tell us that we were hunting on their land. It was really surreal, watching a guy who was bragging about his factory in Chicago try to tell my dad, who trailed cows all across that country as a kid, that he didn't know where he was. Trying to get him to read the landowner GPS map didn't do much, and only him radioing some of their guys back at camp convinced him we were on public land. This guy seemed to be a special concoction of rich, arrogant and dim witted.

I have spent a lot of hours glassing their side of the canyon and I can say it is remarkable how few deer and elk I see over there.

One fun thing I learned while googling them was that they tried to sue the county over some zoning of their land, presumably to lower taxes. They took it all the way to the Wyoming Supreme Court and lost. Our family friend was really happy after learning this.

 

[mtmuley]

Get a vehicle registered and plated in Wyoming. Then you won't be "that guy from Minnesota". mtmuley

 

[JLS]

I'd be really careful if anyone has designs of buying land and claiming to be a resident for the purposes of hunting and fishing. There are usually separate requirements one must meet that are above and beyond owning a chunk of land. Check with the G&F office in the appropriate state and be very up front with them what you are doing and what your hopes are.

 

[MTLabrador]

There's water in Wyoming?

Yes, it just happens to be fall in the form of snow.

 

[mtmuley]

I'd be really careful if anyone has designs of buying land and claiming to be a resident for the purposes of hunting and fishing. There are usually separate requirements one must meet that are above and beyond owning a chunk of land. Check with the G&F office in the appropriate state and be very up front with them what you are doing and what your hopes are.

I think double residency is pretty tough to pull off these days with all the online info that is used. mtmuley

 

[MTLabrador]

I'd be really careful if anyone has designs of buying land and claiming to be a resident for the purposes of hunting and fishing. There are usually separate requirements one must meet that are above and beyond owning a chunk of land. Check with the G&F office in the appropriate state and be very up front with them what you are doing and what your hopes are.

One continuous year of physically residing in Wyoming to become a resident. And it’s a long year...

 

[madtom]

Wednesday on Hunttalk: “the Lander one shot hunt needs to go away so tags can be given to people fairly following the North American Model!!”

Sunday on Hunttalk: “where should I buy land so I can make sure I get a tag every year instead of waiting my turn like all the poor people?”



I kid, but seriously.

 

[QuazyQuinton]

A couple thoughts. I'm currently looking for something similar on the east side of my home state, but haven't found the right one yet. This means I have some experience, but not necessarily knowledge.

1. Legal access is key. What is the value of owning land if you can't get to it? I know exactly which parcel I want, but I don't believe it has access at this time, so I have work to do before I make a move. I don't know Wyoming laws, but in Oregon, a landowner is guaranteed access to his land. The problem is that if it's not in the deed, it's a court process to establish it. I would probably spend more on obtaining legal access than I would pay for the property I want. Perhaps not insurmountable, but you certainly better be aware ahead of time. On the other hand, it would be in the surrounding landowners' best interest to work out an acceptable access agreement without going to court, but that kind of handshake agreement would not be legally protected.

2. Read up on the zoning laws that will affect your property. From my experience in Oregon, the parcels I've looked at are generally zoned for farm use. Camping on your land is restricted. Staying in an RV on your land is restricted. Building a "storage shed" within the appropriate size restrictions is allowed, but sleeping in your storage shed is not allowed. All of these rules are vague, however, and getting a hard answer on exactly what the limits are seems to be impossible. Then if no one from county enforcement sees you and no neighbors complain, you would fly under the radar. Still trying to figure out how to handle this.

3. How big of a parcel do you want? It sounds cool to own some land where you could hunt, but a lot of the west is wide open country. Unless you have a very strong draw for animals to your property, 20 acres is nothing. In fact, 200 acres may not be worth much. You essentially own a private camping spot to hunt the surrounding public land. If you had an irrigated alfalfa field or a year-round water hole, the value of the property for hunting would be higher, but even then you're basically restricted to that one spot, especially with landowner tags.

My plan has evolved to be looking for a camping/vacation spot rather than a hunting spot. We hunt in several areas, so no matter where I would buy, it wouldn't be convenient for most of our trips. Even the parcel I found on the border of the unit we hunt most is an hour drive to where we actually hunt. Instead, I think I'll camp on public where I hunt and look for a parcel in an area with a variety of activities and treat it mostly as a place to go for fun outside of hunting. That's where I've come out, anyway.

QQ

 

[mtmuley]

QQ makes a good point about size of the parcel. Myself and two others once had two private sections that we were the only hunters on. Legally anyway. Then a guy brought his wife. Then a guy brought his daughter. 1280 acres got small quick. Access to public would be a must if I were looking. mtmuley

 

[Wildabeest]

On the other hand, it would be in the surrounding landowners' best interest to work out an acceptable access agreement without going to court, but that kind of handshake agreement would not be legally protected.

You could also do a private easement agreement and record that with the county recorder’s office such that it’s attached as an encumbrance to the grantor’s property and “runs with the land” - meaning it survives any sales or transfers of the properties. If there’s a good chance that you’d win in court on a prescriptive easement claim, the other land owner may agree to this to avoid the costs of going to court with the possibility that he’ll lose. You could even offer them some level of compensation for it to sweeten the deal.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Wednesday on Hunttalk: “the Lander one shot hunt needs to go away so tags can be given to people fairly following the North American Model!!”

Sunday on Hunttalk: “where should I buy land so I can make sure I get a tag every year instead of waiting my turn like all the poor people?”



I kid, but seriously.

So, if you had 300 qualifying acres you wouldn't apply on principle?

Also, engaging local landowners seems much more consistent with NA Model than $100,000 tag auctions. But to each there own.