Looking for help - What would you potentially pay for a VRBO/airBnB type hunt

[seeth07]

So I have a potential opportunity to invest in a 145 acre property. I would occasionally use the property myself during peak waterfowl movement (mainly the month of October around here) but I'm looking at this more as an investment than a personal playground.

On the property is a nice little hunting cabin and due to the deer hunting options I already have nearby here in WI, the property wouldn't draw much interest from myself for deer hunting. A assuming a few day bow hunt, the deer hunting quality is probably a 8/10 for opportunity to harvest a deer and 3/10 for mature buck quality. The property borders a bunch of public that actually doesn't get hunted that hard. I've personally hunted the public and have shot a turkey, rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, coons, waterfowl and a deer off of it. Some of it is pretty nasty walking and thus keeping a lot of pressure out of it.

I know the crowd here isn't entirely the "lease to hunt" type but thought I would propose this question anyways - "What would you be willing to pay for a rental of the cabin and hunting grounds for a 3 night stay (Thursday-Sat night) with hunting allowed Friday, Sat and Sunday. All hunting on the property but waterfowl would be allowed but the main target and interest I'm sure will be for deer. Obviously your free to use the public for whatever and can use the property to access the backsides of the public. Limit of 4 people, price is for all 4. I would likely establish some baseline rules to make the property sustainable. I.e. I can't have 4 guys showing up every weekend and taking 10 deer total each weekend.

 

[Bryerific]

I can see why you are interested in waterfowl hunting it

While I’m spoiled with millions of acres of public land here in the west, I could see why a group of midwesterns would be interested in something like this. It seems like just the housing would be worth at least a $100 bucks a night and the private access should more than double the value. But I have no local knowledge or awareness of that market so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I did do a quick glance at LandTrust and some of the listed daily prices are pretty high.

 

[Treeshark]

From those pictures, I’m seeing more value as a duck camp and not so much a deer camp- which could make it tough if you also want to duck hunt the property.

 

[seeth07]

From those pictures, I’m seeing more value as a duck camp and not so much a deer camp- which could make it tough if you also want to duck hunt the property.

The photo is deceiving because it's spring and water is high. There aren't that many birds there in the fall. I hunt the adjacent public. There is waterfowling but it's a few birds a day max type area. It's not in a good flyway of bird movement.

The thickets that are in and around rhe marsh along with the cattails hold a lot of deer.

 

[Bc1992]

I would only pay to duck hunt there.

 

[seeth07]

I would only pay to duck hunt there.

You would be largely disappointed. Would 3 days for 4 guys be worth shooting 10-15 ducks? 3 to 5 birds a day would be about it. I couldn't justify renting it to someone knowing they will leave disappointed

 

[Treeshark]

If this is near where I think it is, I know of another fairly large private hunt club that is similar to what you are envisioning. It’s pheasant fields for planted birds, edge-style deer hunting (surprisingly good), and pretty decent duck.

I don’t mean to keep steering this discussion to duck, but I think there is value there- especially if you could improve it a bit in that direction through DNR improvements (wetland scrapes etc if that’s an option).

That type of deer hunting isn’t my style, but my buddy belongs to that club and he does ok. If that’s the route you wanted to go, I think it would be more appealing if you could add a few food sources to the property.

 

[howl]

As is, $75/ night. Get some shooting houses up. Survey the deer population by cell cam. Then you'll have a better idea of what you are actually offering.

 

[Bc1992]

You would be largely disappointed. Would 3 days for 4 guys be worth shooting 10-15 ducks? 3 to 5 birds a day would be about it. I couldn't justify renting it to someone knowing they will leave disappointed

For me personally probably not but I’m cheap. I know people that pay 10,000$ to lease fields in Arkansas and kill 5 all year. Dead serious.
I know you and your wife are avid duck hunters and I really enjoy reading your write ups on here(probably my favorite)but if the duck hunting on this property is marginal and you are thinking of purchasing as in investment I would give every opportunity for someone to want to stay there and maybe make a little more ROI.

 

[seeth07]

For me personally probably not but I’m cheap. I know people that pay 10,000$ to lease fields in Arkansas and kill 5 all year. Dead serious.
I know you and your wife are avid duck hunters and I really enjoy reading your write ups on here(probably my favorite)but if the duck hunting on this property is marginal and you are thinking of purchasing as in investment I would give every opportunity for someone to want to stay there and maybe make a little more ROI.

I would potentially offer ducks but would not advertise it just simply because people would be disappointed. There are better private spots not far from here (just west of horizon you can rent field blinds for 200/day with 8 hunters max and get amazing limit goose shoots for example)

 

[FairWeather]

This is the kind of thing I wish was more common. I don’t want a season long lease, just somewhere to hunt for a few days. I think anything south of a grand is more than fair for 3 nights.

 

[seeth07]

This buck was shot on the property last year by my neighbor that had permission to bowhunt it. Pretty common top end buck around here.

 

[seeth07]

The one from the year before. He always got one with the bow every year around this quality. He was retired and could hunt a lot.

 

[Nick87]

This is the kind of thing I wish was more common

. Well your in luck because that's what it's becoming soon.

 

[Forkyfinder]

. Well your in luck because that's what it's becoming soon.

Hope more of it pops up!

Be nice for me to enjoy as a NR, and keep more of Illinois in Illinois.

 

[seeth07]

. Well your in luck because that's what it's becoming soon.

I had a feeling you would voice your displeasure with this lol

 

[Nick87]

I had a feeling you would voice your displeasure with this lol

 

[Derek44]

If it’s so terrible for waterfowl, why did you state in your first post that that is what you would personally use it for, and only allow your grungy guests deer. And why is it that Zillow has zero pictures of deer but tons of pictures of successful waterfowl hunters and many pictures of all the permanent blinds already set up on the water. Looks as though you’re just trying to get an income on your personal waterfowl spot if you spend the 645K for the property.

 

[seeth07]

If it’s so terrible for waterfowl, why did you state in your first post that that is what you would personally use it for, and only allow your grungy guests deer. And why is it that Zillow has zero pictures of deer but tons of pictures of successful waterfowl hunters and many pictures of all the permanent blinds already set up on the water. Looks as though you’re just trying to get an income on your personal waterfowl spot if you spend the 645K for the property.

Fair accusation based on the research you did but not at all the truth.

I know the seller that has it listed for sale. They purchased it with hopes and dreams for waterfowl hunting and are extremely disappointed with the results and so they are selling and looking to purchase a better piece further east in the Horicon Meca. They had the property leased to my neighbor for 6k/year to deer hunt it and were not given permission to use his photos of deer hunting (he was not happy they were selling his lease). Otherwise the photos I shared here would have been for sure used. The owners did only use it to waterfowl and last year their group shot a grand total of 11 ducks. You will notice that the photos of the successful duck hunts are older and before the entire area around here got massive amounts of drain tile put in. It isn't the same around here as what it used to be as a result.

Yes, if there are some ducks around using it, I do have some interest in using the property myself for waterfowl hunting. But I would absolutely not purchase the property for waterfowl hunting. Anyone who does so will be greatly dissapointed.

 

[BackofBeyond]

After living in Texas for 6 years, I’m with ya buddy.