Buying land

[Burnadell]

Sambo, I recommend you do NOT buy land like this.

Back in the '70s and '80s when I was a banker, I had a bank customer who lived in San Antonio and bought these 2,000-3500 acre ranches in the hill country to subdivide. We financed some of his deals, and he had a sales team to market the land to folks who wanted to own some land in the hill country. He advertised in magazines and the newspapers and targeted military families and others who had that dream. He would sell them whatever size they could afford and carry the note. I used to hunt with his son the ranches that had not yet been surveyed and sold, and it used to ake me sick knowing that these great ranches were getting split up and would NEVER get put back together, There are still land investors out there still buying and selling these ranches, continuing to split them up.

The small tracts will never provide the quality of hunting that buyers hope for, and they will be hard to resale.

[n51]

You have seen good reasons why it might be a bad idea and I agree with most of them. However, if there's a will there is a way. Be honest with yourself though. Its a long way from Van to the Rocksprings area. How often can you go. Can you afford feed and the time it takes to keep the feeders filled. You don't have to hunt the feeder, but I firmly believe out there, if you feed, they will come on to your place. Do you want a trophy or can you be happy with some deer meat in the freezer. Can you say no to friends and family that want to hunt there. Ponder those and if you still have the will, I think you can have a place to hunt and have a good chance for deer, dove, turkey, and even an exotic out there.

[sambo73]

You have seen good reasons why it might be a bad idea and I agree with most of them. However, if there's a will there is a way. Be honest with yourself though. Its a long way from Van to the Rocksprings area. How often can you go. Can you afford feed and the time it takes to keep the feeders filled. You don't have to hunt the feeder, but I firmly believe out there, if you feed, they will come on to your place. Do you want a trophy or can you be happy with some deer meat in the freezer. Can you say no to friends and family that want to hunt there. Ponder those and if you still have the will, I think you can have a place to hunt and have a good chance for deer, dove, turkey, and even an exotic out there.

All good points. I am not looking for a trophy, but wouldn't turn down one either....mainly looking for a good time and filling the freezer....but going that far would be the biggest issue.

[texan4ut]

I think there was a post on here this year from someone that bought 30+ acres down around Rocksprings. Might do a search using Rocksprings as a key word.

[bullets13]

I had some extended family that had 50 acres in rocksprings. He put 5 stands on it and would hunt 3 or 4 people at a time. he might go up there 4 or 5 times in a season and let 10-15 people hunt it over the course of a season. And that’s what his neighbors on both sides did as well. They’d divided a 2000 acre ranch into 50 acre places, so there were 40 people, plus their families, plus their friends, hunting 2000 acres. Someone on one of the ranchettes got in trouble for day leasing it. They figured out they’d taken over 50 animals on that guy’s place in one season. So needless to say, while it was a cool place to hunt for someone who was used to east Texas, the hunting was garbage. I’d be very hesitant to buy a place like that expecting good hunting. But if you want a cool place to go to see some different country, it’s a neat place

[Krivoman]

i would not buy anything in that area unless you can confirm that they were not in the antrax area.

[Atfulldraw]

The lower price per acre makes it so tempting to buy land down there, but after we calculated how big of a tract we would have to buy to escape the neighbor/HOA dilemma, coupled with the distance to get there, we ended up better off buying less land in the county we wanted.

[sharpstick35]

I've got 2 places there now and I'm always looking for more. some of the POA's has management restrictions that helps the deer get older. most people don't go out to hunt except the opening of gun season and thanksgiving, so it is usually quiet the rest of the year. Don't get in any of the newer subdivisions, try to get in an older and more established one. the owners that shoot the places out usually sell within 5 years. and there is ni anthrax in the eastern 2/3 of the county.

[Radar]

I went and looked at one of those busted up ranches two years ago near Camp Wood. Within 20 minutes of looking at the plat maps and talking to the broker, I knew it would be a bad deal. 200-300 acre lots with no water, an HOA , poor fences and fence hunters already in place. I made him some real low ball offer so he would not call me no more.

Some of Carta Valley looks like a third world country now, was such a beautiful remote place and today its littered with ratty old travel trailers and junk piled up.

[Dave W]

Anybody look at those Dominion ranches?

[rockspringshunt]

I’ve got 80 acres in rocksprings and most what people said is true. Don’t expect great hunting on 40 acres just get what you can afford and enjoy it. It became more about getting away when I bought land than hunting. I don’t see trophy deer but usually see deer every sit. A lot of people only go out there during gun season so rest of the year is quiet. Yes occasional exotics are nice but you have to have a place where they naturally like to be or be close to it.

[Tony Pic]

There hundreds of people doing the same buying "ranchets" or whatever they are called.

Comes down to location and if you want to hunt in a area where there are 10-15 others buying into the smaller properties thinking the same thing as far as "if i have a chance at exotics and a decent deer or two". Works solid for about a season or two and then proabably goes downhill real fast..

I disagree...I and many others have been hunting a 8 ac property for over 11 years and the Axis keep on coming. I also hunt a 6.52 ac piece that has given Axis and decent whitetail in about the same time frame.
My land is bordered by big ranches with low and high fences.
So they are anyones deer/hogs or Axis. You do not need a huge plot of land to have successful hunts. Location is everything.
Just do not be selfish and take many deer off of a small plot. It is legal, but not right I believe. Be considerate of other hunters.

[JONES45LC]

I have 72 acres in turkey creek (cr440) we have decent deer, we are surrounded on 2 sides by the davis ranches 5500 +acres . have seen aoudad and a few cow elk

[150class]

I disagree...I and many others have been hunting a 8 ac property for over 11 years and the Axis keep on coming. I also hunt a 6.52 ac piece that has given Axis and decent whitetail in about the same time frame.
My land is bordered by big ranches with low and high fences.
So they are anyones deer/hogs or Axis. You do not need a huge plot of land to have successful hunts. Location is everything.
Just do not be selfish and take many deer off of a small plot. It is legal, but not right I believe. Be considerate of other hunters.

So you disagree yet agree?

The big ranches part is what helps in your scenario and seems like a great set up. Now have those big ranches get split up into 50-100 acre lost where a majority like to hunt and see what happens to the deer and axis numbers. Once again its all about location and neighbors.

[Burnadell]

So you disagree yet agree?

The big ranches part is what helps in your scenario and seems like a great set up. Now have those big ranches get split up into 50-100 acre lost where a majority like to hunt and see what happens to the deer and axis numbers. Once again its all about location and neighbors.

^ This^

Tony, the Rocksprings area has hundreds of small ranchettes that were carved up from larger ranches. See my post #16 above. There are likely hunters on every 50 acre plot surrounding them. This is totally different than a small place adjacent to larger ranches.