Buying A Hunting Ranch? 5 Key Elements To Look For
Do you dream of starting your own hunting ranch? This potentially profitable enterprise combines a love of the sport with the desire to create a passive stream of income. And one key to success as a hunting entrepreneur is to choose the right location to get started in.
To help you as you shop for rural real estate, here are five important things to look for.
1. The Right Budget.
As with any new business endeavor, you don't want to overstretch your resources to buy the biggest and best piece of land possible. If you can get a good business built over a few years, you can always sell and reinvest those profits into a larger setup that will bring in more of the profit you want.
2. Varied Land.
Hunters like different terrain and different challenges. Does your land offer this variety? Does it include water, meadows, forest, hills, thick brush, thin undergrowth, etc.? This variety of environments helps you price out the hunting rights in different areas and provide an experience hunters will want to return to year after year.
3. Wildlife.
Of course, the most important aspect of any hunting facility is the quality and quantity of the wildlife living on it. Find out what interests hunters in your location, then assess the land's potential to foster populations of these trophy animals. Ideally, your land should be able to host game animals of all sizes and shapes — both with and without your help.
4. Accommodations.
If you will offer more than just one-day trips, the ranch must be able to provide some type of accommodation for hunters. For low- and mid-range hunting trips, this could be as simple as a hunting cabin and stable. If you want to lure in high-end hunters, though, you may want to include full and comfortable housing on the ranch. Larger ranches may need to provide more than one lodging option as well.
5. Other Income.
During the early days of your operation, you may need to generate some additional income while your business is growing. How can your desired land help provide this added income? You may be able to raise livestock, do some farming, or lease out some of the land for others to work. An attractive property could even serve as a "dude ranch" that provides a unique experience for families on vacation.
The right rural property can provide a lifetime income and years of enjoyment — for you and your guests. By focusing on the most important elements, you can find a piece of land that has everything you need to get started today.