Which state to purchase land? TN/KY/VA/WV

[whitetailhntr1]

Myself and a couple friends are looking to pool some extra cash and buy hunting property in either Eastern KY or TN, or western VA or WV. I have been looking through some of the game management websites for these states but can’t find much on how friendly the states are to non resident landowners in terms of license/tag fees, etc. Anyone in this situation care to comment on their experience or care to recommend one state over another for any reason? We are primarily whitetail hunters.

[BigIron]

I have no clue about the details of those states. But I have a ton of experience buying hunting land.

First, be VERY careful who you go into a land buying agreement with. No matter how strong you think your friendship is, owning hunting land together will stress it in ways you NEVER thought possible. And for that reason, I STRONGLY recommend purchasing with a fully divided interest.

Other than that, do ALL you can in the up front research of land values. LIVE on the web and understand that the research you do and the knowledge you gain in land values has the potential to be the most valuable thing you've ever done.

Here's a great place to start. landsofamerica.com. It has each state under landsofkentucky.com etc.

[mhouck06]

Im not 100% sure, but we were looking to hunt WV this year and when I was reading thru there regs, i beleive I saw something along the lines that land owners do not have to purchase licenses if they are hunting only the property they own.. Dont quote me on that, but it would def be worth looking into. Plus WV has some aggressive terrain, which I like for hunting. Its a pain to walk and access places, but the deer have no problem moving and its a lot easier to figure out deer movement. Hunting Maryland this year, it was primarily flat where we were and that was one of the hardest things I've dealt with. Usually where we hunt in PA OH and IN we use the terrain to our advantage.. Maryland, this tactic was much harder to use.

[shaman]

I would look seriously at ZONE 1 in KY-- an unlimited number of antlerless deer can be taken during season. Pendleton county is hot right now, but any of the Zone 1 counties offer great hunting. Where I am, Bracken County, is great, but Robertson and Mason are also good. Their harvest numbers are much lower, but that is probably due to fewer hunters, not fewer deer. Land prices are fairly cheap as well.

[whitetailhntr1]

Thanks for your responses guys, I really appreciate it. I'll look into those KY counties and if WV really allows you to hunt your own property without out of state licenses, it think that is something to really consider. Will do some investigating.

[retiredsailor]

If your read the WV Hunting regs carefully, you will see that it says, 'RESIDENT land owners may hunt their land without a license. I live in VA and own a small parcel of land in WV but since I do not reside there, I still put out upwards of $450 a year for hunting/fishing license and all the various stamps and a few extra stamps as well. Along with a friend, I also lease nearly 200 acres, which is where we do the majority of our hunting. Lots of deers in WV, and, as you have noted, there is certainly some rugged terrain. Fairly liberal harvest rules this year (and most years). The Eastern Panhandle area of WV has CWD and it is slowly spreading......neighboring VA counties have now detected it. We hunt smack dab in the center of the original CWD area and our party generally takes 12-15 deer a year, and we have - to our knowledge - never encountered a CWD infected deer.
Not many large (trophy size) deer in WV, but I don't hunt antlers, just venison. Have heard and read that TN does offer some decent trophy size bucks, in certain areas.
Just my two cents. Hope it helps some.
By the way, the earlier comment regarding making sure you have a firm, clearly specified agreement with your partners........very important. Although we didn't buy, only leased, we have had some issues that needed to be resolved by the wording of our written agreement.

[BigIron]

Here's an example of "lands of west virginia". You can use the same site for all the states you mention and search by county or other criteria. Good luck.

http://www.landsofwestvirginia.com/land ... id/1071863

[1Morgan]

You should look at South Carolina. Probably a farther trip but...deer season is 4.5 months long with no limit on antlered deer in the lower game zones. Non-resident fees are reasonable for the liberal seasons.

[DEER30]

Southwest VA and eastern WV has some huge bucks and a healthy herd. If you don't mind hiking the mountains, you'll find breath taking views and plenty of deer!