Is 8 acres big enough?
 

Fairly new to the sport, and my wife and I are looking to buy an 8 acre parcel with a cabin in cental Wisconsin. It's totally wooded and pretty close to miles of public land.

I want to be able to hunt deer and turkey on it. Is 8 acres enough?

And land in this area is selling for over $4000 an acre, so it's very expensive.

"Out of the woman comes the man, who spends the rest of his life getting back again". Peter Gabriel

RE: Is 8 acres big enough?
 

Scott,

Love the signature. Is 2000 acres enough? You never have enough. Depends on the terrain, water, food source, etc. If its close to much public land it could be good.

I do with 16 but am the only hunter in this square mile.

Go to microsoft.terraserver.com and pull an aerial photo and topo of the area?

Sooner

RE: Is 8 acres big enough?
 

I have 10.5 acres and I always have deer,turkey and bear coming thru.If the property has what the deer needs,it should be enough.

RE: Is 8 acres big enough?
 

Scott I have found it is not the quantity of the land, but what is on it. I am right now hunting one place that is only 2 acres, but it is the right 2 acres, I stand a strong chance of getting my first bow kill this afternoon because this 2 acres happens to be where the deer like to enter and exit a very large field and also has a lot of mast.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

RE: Is 8 acres big enough?
 

thanks guys. Nice to see some of you hunt on smaller parcels as well.

I'm new to the sport (kinda) and I know about tracking and scouting ahead of time. Problem is my state WI banned baiting not to long ago. The owner of the parcel said there are deer and turkery all over, and this part of the county has a reupation for being very plentifull of wildlife.

Problem is I dont' think there are too many farmfields around this area, so being next to a corn-field or other crops is not a luxury I will have.

Regarding baiting, we CAN plant gardens in the area. Any idea what turkey and deer look for in a forest?

Many thanks.

"Out of the woman comes the man, who spends the rest of his life getting back again". Peter Gabriel

RE: Is 8 acres big enough?
 

I hunt on 8 acres myself,actually i went out this evening and saw 19 deer total, 3 does together,then a herd of 16 bucks and does.too bad they were 70-80 yards away,and the bow was sighted in at 30 yards max.oh well,maybe next time. but i do have deer,turkey,squirrel,and rabbits all on this 8 acres of land. what's around this 8 acres of woods,a clear cut? more woods? a field? a pond or lake,any food sources?all of the before mentioned would help very much. walk through the woods,look for tracks,trails,runs,rubs,scrapes,shed antlers,deer crap,etc... mine are eating polk berries and acorns right now.the 3 main things are food,water,and shelter.Good Luck!

RE: Is 8 acres big enough?
 

I agree with the others....sometimes those small tracts of land are overlooked....they turn out to be real good spots because the deer are not pressured in them.

RE: Is 8 acres big enough?
 

8 acres of cover in the middle of farm fields is golden. 8 acres of open field is questionable.

Dan O.

RE: Is 8 acres big enough?
 

I agree with the other replies. It depends. I hunt 30 acres which holds plenty of deer.

I do allot of pheasent hunting during the shot gun seson in Iowa (bow closes during that time). It's amazing at plases I will see deer bedding or just hanging out while dodging flying shotguns slugs. Ofte I will see dee in a wooded area less than an acre surrounded by hundreds of acres of open field.

RE: Is 8 acres big enough?
 

P.S. to my earlier reply.

My 30 acres also bourders Public Hunting grounds. Often the heavy hunting pressure on the public grounds will push deer my way even though it may not be thier normal territory, especially the big bucks. The day after shot gun season is over I will be in my stand a day long because I know the shot gun huters have them moving.

It sounds like your setup is OK. You will have the prevideledge of hunting the public around your house. I would also be seaching for other land owners in the area to ask for permission. Normally neighbors have better luck when seeking permission than starngers.