Jason Smith Hunting Land - Farmland Farm and Hunting Land (712)592-8965

About 1 hour ago the newest Iowa Land Values report was released by Mike Duffy at Iowa State University. This years report has been especially anticipated given the current economic climate in the United States. The following chart sums up the current Iowa land market all in one glance. Western Iowa and west central Iowa came in strong in this years report with the strongest gains in farmland values with Monona County being the strongest at 19.9% increase in value.

A few interesting facts from this years report.

• The 2008 state average for all grades of land was estimated to be $4,468 per acre.
• The increase in the state value was $560 per acre from 2007.
• The percentage increase was 14 percent from 2007.

Analysis by Crop Reporting District.

• The highest land values were reported for Northwest Iowa, $5,395 per acre.
• The lowest land values were estimated for South Central Iowa, $2,573 per acre.
• The greatest percentage increase was in West Central Iowa, 19.6 percent.
• The least percentage increase was in South Central Iowa, 10.7 percent.

Analysis by Counties.

• The highest value was estimated for Scott county, $6,310 per acre.
• The lowest value was in Decatur county, $2,002 per acre.
• The greatest dollar increase was $891 in Sioux county.
• The greatest percentage increase was 19.9 percent reported in Monona county Iowa.

Analysis by Quality of Land.

• Low grade land in the state averaged $2,967 per acre and showed a 11.7 percent increase or $311 per acre.
• Medium grade land averaged $4,195 per acre and showed a 14.4 percent increase or $528 per acre.
• High grade land averaged $5,381 per acre and showed an increase of 14.8 percent or $695 per acre.

Investor Activity v. Farmers

• The majority of farmland sales, 69 percent, were to existing farmers. Investors represented 24 percent of the sales. New farmers represented 3 percent of the sales and other purchasers were 4 percent of sales.
• Sales to existing farmers by Crop Reporting Districts ranged from 83 percent in West Central to 55 percent in South Central and Southwest.
• Sales to investors were highest in Southwest (38 percent). West Central reported the lowest investor activity (13 percent).

I work with folks everyday that are buying hunting land and because I live so close to Iowa and Nebraska border I often hear the question "Should I buy hunting land in Iowa or Nebraska?" Set the property tax question aside where Iowa obviously wins, set the tag question aside where Nebraska obviously wins. If you question about where to buy hunting land revolves around only the quality of the deer, quality of the farms and the areas past production of trophy deer western Iowa wins out every time. Recently I wrote a post comparing western Iowa to western Illinois. Monona and Harrison Counties in Iowa are very similar to Pike and Adams Counties in Illinois. You can read post about the Best Iowa Hunting Land and see how the two places compare.

I've worked hard to let everybody know about western Iowa's Loess Hills and the huge whitetail deer hunting secret we have here in Monona and Harrison Counties. The truth is that its not that hard of a sell, the numbers prove it. Below is a graphic that was sent to me by a friend about the number of Boone and Crockett entries in the area.

This color coded graphic of the counties in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska clearly show the hot spot for trophy whitetail hunting in the entire region. Bordered by the Missouri River valley the Loess Hills in western Iowa are a clear producer of big trophy deer. Its no surprise to me, I live here in the hills and know Monona and Harrison Counties are some of the roughest, most timbered parts of the hills, as well as the least populated. When you factor in the proximity to Omaha Nebraska south of us, and Sioux City Iowa north of us it makes it an extremely attractive area to purchase hunting land. With Interstate 29 running through western Iowa it also becomes the ideal weekend get away spot with easy quick access close enough to both metro areas.

Joel Helmer ranked all the counties in the nation according to B&C eentries. Monona County tied for #4 in the nation for Boone and Crockett entries, tied with Adams County Illinois and only one place behind Pike County Illinois which was #3 in the entire nation. When you look at his work you'll see only two Iowa counties in the top 10 and none of them are southern Iowa counties! Allamakee and Monona Counties are the only two in the top 10. Read Joel's report and see for yourself.

Now look at the numbers at the bottom of the graphic and look at Monona and Harrison Counties numbers compared to all other counties in western Iowa. At 24 entries it has a significant lead over all other counties!

I think one of the most important criteria for choosing a piece of hunting land is the county track record. Stacking the odds in your favor by purchasing hunting land in a county that is already producing is a great first step. Not only does it give you a better chance to harvest exceptional whitetail deer, but an investment in a high opportunity area its certainly going to be more attractive to a buyer when you sell.

Deer Hunters Willing to Help <--From the Iowa DNR Website)

Iowa producers with chronic deer depredation issues (deer damaging crops) understand that deer numbers must be managed locally to reduce deer densities to acceptable levels. Producers realize that shooting antlerless deer is needed to reduce deer herd numbers and many producers are able to keep deer numbers on their lands to acceptable levels by hunting antlerless deer themselves.

However, there are producers who must rely on hunters to do the culling of antlerless deer for them, because they are not capable of hunting themselves, or because they need to take more antlerless deer on their farm than they can take for themselves. Producers can allow more access to land for deer hunting but unfortunately, many hunters are unwilling to hunt antlerless deer.

Some producers have asked the DNR assist them in locating hunters interested in harvesting antlerless deer, and have expressed support for a system by which they could contact hunters who are willing to harvest antlerless deer.

If you would like to have your name, address, and phone number supplied to requesting producers, log on to the Iowa DNR's wildlife damage management page at http://www.iowadnr.gov/wildlife/files/damage.html and click on the Landowner/Deer Hunter Registry link at the bottom of the page, then complete the information in the form. The Iowa DNR's depredation biologist will maintain and provide a list of hunters to requesting producers

In 2005 Tim Waldron of Honey Creek Iowa had an encounter with a deer that put him at the top of the Iowa Record Bucks. The photos of Tim's buck speak for themselves. This non-typical bow harvest measured 243 4/8ths inches. Tims Buck is the #3 non-typical bow kill in Iowa and #3 overall in the state records. Tim harvested this huge whitetail in Harrison County Iowa just a few miles from my house near Pisgah Iowa.

Southern Iowa and eastern Iowa get much attention as excellent deer hunting counties. I'll share a secret with you that others don't know. Many have said the next world record buck will come from western Iowa's Loess Hills. The Loess Hills in western Iowa are some of the most rugged terrain, large blocks of timber and a near duplicate of Pike and Adams County Illinois. When you compare Harrison and Monona County in Iowa to Pike and Adams County in Illinois you'll find many similarities....... including huge mature whitetail deer. Read my recent post Iowa's Pike County Equivelent - Monona County Iowa to learn more about this comparison.

Harrison and Monona Counties in Iowa have a combined 114 bucks entered in the record book bucks including 51 from Harrison County and 63 from Monona County. Including your buck in the Iowa records is voluntary so it leads me to wonder just how many have never been submitted!

The best deer hunting in Iowa is in western Iowa. For information on Loess Hills Hunting Properties For Sale visit my website.

Photos from Whitetail Adrenaline

QDMA Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Bogart, Georgia- September 20th will mark the 20th Anniversary of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), a national non-profit wildlife conservation organization headquartered in Bogart, Georgia. The QDMA's mission is to promote sustainable, high-quality, white-tailed deer populations, wildlife habitats, and ethical hunting experiences through education, research, and management partnerships with hunters, landowners, natural resource professionals, and the public.

The QDMA was founded in 1988 by wildlife biologist Joe Hamilton with the intent to promote the Quality Deer Management (QDM) philosophy in a 14-county area in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. From these humble beginnings as the South Carolina Quality Deer Management Association, the QDMA has rapidly grown into the most respected and influential whitetail organization in the nation.

The QDMA currently has 50,000 members in all 50 states, Canada and other foreign countries. QDMA has seen record double digit growth annually over the last 10 years. Within the QDMA's membership ranks are more than 1000 of the nation's leading wildlife biologists, researchers, and managers. These professionals enable the QDMA to remain at the forefront of whitetail research and management and provide this information to its members for improved on-the-ground management.

The QDMA is among the most active educational conservation organizations in the nation, conducting over 200 deer management seminars and workshops annually. The QDMA also is an active financial supporter of deer research and management projects to further our knowledge of North America's most popular big game animal.

Today QDMA's message is conveyed through a multimedia effort that includes Quality Whitetails magazine, Quality Whitetails TV on the Outdoor Channel, publications like the landmark book Quality Food Plots and the QDMA Web site.

The public is invited to a 20th Anniversary Celebration, Saturday September 20, 2008, at 6:00 pm at the National Headquarters in Bogart, Georgia. For more information call (800) 209-3337. Jason Smith Iowa Land for Sale in western Iowa's Loess Hills.