The Scoop

The Future of Forest-Recreation Lands in Wisconsin

Editor’s Note: Joel Braun of Princeton, Wisconsin, one of the newest members of the Mossy Oak Properties’ network, hopes to open 15 offices in Wisconsin during the next 5 years as he continues to notice a growing demand for forest-recreation property in his home state. Question: Joel, what’s the future of forest-recreation lands in Wisconsin? Braun: Even in what’s been described as a depressed real-estate market, investors are looking for prime forest-recreation lands in Wisconsin and purchasing as soon as it comes to the market. With the way land in Wisconsin has appreciated over the last 5 years, investors have proven that this type of property can provide a good return on their investments – whether they buy and sell it or buy and hold it. They also have the advantage of not having to worry about having places to hunt with their families. Also, with the price of corn increasing, even if they don’t want to hunt on the lands, the properties either can be farmed or leased for hunting. We have plenty of game here in Wisconsin. If you bowhunt, our bow season starts the second week in September and runs until January 3. We have an Earn-a-Buck program for our bow season, which means you have to shoot a doe to earn the right to harvest a buck. You either have to take a doe the year before or the same year you get your sticker for shooting a buck. You also can buy bonus tags for does. Read more...

Email:
Password:
Remember me

Forgot your password?
Learn more

City:
State:
County:
Zip:
Radius:


Advanced Search

Resources

The Scoop

The Press Room

The Future of Forest-Recreation Lands in Wisconsin

Gun season starts the Saturday before Thanksgiving and lasts until the Sunday after Thanksgiving, which gives us about a 9-day gun season. The week after gun season is muzzleloader season. Then, in December, we often have antlerless deer zones where you can take additional does, which is usually a 4-day hunt held in the T-zones. So, a hunter can take one buck with a bow and one buck with a gun unless you’re in a CWD zone. If you’re in an eradication zone, every time you harvest a doe, you can get a buck tag. Then if you shoot another doe, you can get another buck. We have two turkey seasons – one in the fall and another in the spring. But during turkey season, you have to apply for a tag and be drawn to take a turkey. In the fall, you can take a male or a female turkey. Our spring season has six seasons in it that run from Wednesday to Sunday. When you draw your tag, they’ll tell you which season you can hunt. If you draw a tag, you get to hunt Wednesday through Sunday during that season. Sometimes there are leftover tags for certain zones, so you may have the option of buying an extra turkey tag during the spring turkey season. Our 45-day waterfowl season generally starts on the first Saturday closest to the first of October. We have quite a few wood ducks, mallards and teal. Right next to where I live is the 10,000-acre Horicon Marsh, which holds a large number of all types of ducks.

Question: When people buy forest-recreation land in your area, what do they usually do with it? Braun: The first thing they do is decide where they’ll plant green fields and then plant them as soon as possible. Then they’ll usually rent the rest of the land to a farmer to plant crops on it, so they can immediately generate an income on the land.

Question: So, what are your plans? Braun: I believe in the future of forest-recreation lands and have numbers of people contacting me, looking for these lands. Our plans are to open 15 offices in the next 5 years to meet the demand. Now’s the best time to be in the real-estate business and buy and sell forest-recreation properties.

For more information on property in Wisconsin, you can write Joel Braun at Mossy Oak Properties of Wisconsin at W4695 State Highway 23/73, Princeton, WI 54968, or call (920) 481-0012, or email jbraun@mossyoakproperties.com.