Cheap hunting land is getting harder and harder to find, but check out auctions - especially when a mining company is auctioning off land.

My family (along with another family) was fortunate enough to pick up 60 acres in 2002 for $725 an acre from a coal company that was auctioning off parcels. (this is in Eastern Ohio) I think it went so cheap because at first glance it doesn't seem like much - half of it is reclaimed strip mine land and there's a lot of marshland as well. But we actually went out there and stomped around a lot of the parcels that were up for sale before the auction. This parcel actually seemed to have the most promising hunting possibilities, and I think we were right.

Since we bought the land, our 2 families have averaged 6-8 deer and 2-3 turkeys taken each year. We routinely see 15-20 deer a day when out hunting. Don't just look at the aeiral or satellite maps - go out and get your boots dirty to see what the land holds for yourself.