Contact Auctioneer Jason Smith 712-592-8965 for information
AUCTION: SATURDAY OCTOBER 17, 2009 11 AM CST LOCATION: 2702 VINE AVE VILLISCA, IA 50864
190 acres more or less with barn/lodge and 40x60 machine shed. Includes CRP, timber, food plots,2 large ponds, and 2 small ponds
Property is located near Villisca, IA
Barn has been converted into a hunting cabin with all wood interior. Lodge includes all the comforts of home with full bathroom, shower, and even corn burning heat
40x60 machine shed complete with electric doors, double lean-to's, concrete floor, water, and lots of storage space
14 food plots planted to clover, soybeans, milo, and oats
Several elevated box blinds with heaters overlooking the established food plots
16 additional stand sites are strategically placed for every wind direction
2 large ponds and 2 small ponds provide good water sources on the property
Good amount of mature timber with many mature walnut and oak trees
Property provides a good annual income from CRP
Some of the food plots could be converted to production of crops to increase the income potential of the farm
Good access to the property via gravel road. Roads on the north and east sides are both gated and buyer will have access through those gates.
This is a great opportunity to own a top notch turnkey hunting property in Iowa
Call Auctioneer/Agent Jason Smith for a private showing or for additional details at 712-592-8965
AUCTION October 17th, 11:00am on the farm
FSA INFORMATION: Farm #2987 Tracts 1784 and 2402
CRP 34.2 acres pays $2736 annually, Farmland 185.0 acres, DCP Cropland 49.8. Alfalfa 12 acres, switch grass seed production 30 approximately acres.
15 years of hard work have gone into this incredible 190 acre deer hunting farm. It will be offered at live public auction on the farm near Villisca, Iowa in Montgomery County October 17th at 11:00am.
This farm truly is a one of a kind, top notch hunting farm that has had management practices in place for many years. Designed and hunted by a whitetail hunter, this farm's purpose has always been hunting. It has never been used for commercial activities, strictly for family recreation.
A barn on the property has been converted into a hunting cabin. The photos show what a great job was done in coverting the barn. The all-wood interior adds warmth to the space that includes everything you could possibly need including full bathroom, shower, hot water, washer and dryer hook ups, kitchen, refrigerator, corn burning heat, ceiling fans and more.
A new 40X60 pole barn has been recently added to the property with electric doors on each end, double lean-to's, loft, concrete floor, water and lots of storage space.
The property itself is as magnificant a property you will find, tailored for the whitetail hunter. 14 food plots planted in Clover, Soybeans, Milo and Oats provide acres and acres of nutritious food for the deer living on the property. Many of the food plots are overlooked by elevated blinds with heaters. An additional 16 stand sites on the property are strategically placed for every wind direction. 2 large ponds on the property and 2 small watering holes provide a good water supply at all times. The timber has many mature walnut and white oak trees throughout.
The property earns good income from CRP and the sale of switch grass seed grown on the property. Many additional tillable acres are available on the property, and some of the food plots could be coverted to production of crops to increase the income. The possibilities for boosting the already good income are endless.
Access to the property is very easy via rock road. The roads on the north and east sides are both gated and the buyer of this property will have access through those gates. Only the 4 bordering landowners have access to the gates on Willow Avenue and 265th Streets.
It would cost many thousands of dollars to re-create this property if you started with raw land. This is an opportunity that will not come around ever again. Montgomery County ranks very high in Iowa's whitetail record books and is always well represented at the Iowa Deer Classic.
Don't miss this opportunity to own this turn-key hunting property in Iowa at what could be a great price. Call Auctioneer Jason Smith for a private showing or additional details.
NOTE: This property could sell prior to auction if an acceptable offer is presented. Please check our website or call Jason Smith to confirm availability or to place your proxy bid.
We've been busy since last Turkey season putting this together! Brand New in 2009 the Iowa Deer Classic Auction will be the ULTIMATE sportsman's auction. Don't miss your chance to bid on unique one of a kind items and opportunities. A link to the sale catalog is above, be sure to check it out.
It just doesn't get any bigger than the Iowa Deer Classic when it comes to whitetails and deer hunting. We will be selling items donated by outdoor celebrities, manufacturers and pro staffers to benefit the Iowa DNR's Mentored Outdoor Experience program.
The proceeds from the auction will benefit the Iowa DNR's Mentored Outdoor Experience (MOE) Program at Springbrook. This program introduces youth and their mentor to deer hunting with the educational experience culminating in an actual deer hunt at Springbrook. I will be partnering with my good friend and fellow Auctioneer Cory Behr to help support the future generations of hunters in Iowa and ensure the continued success of this great program.
Come by the auction booth located near the Hall of Fame at the Iowa Deer Classic where all items will be on display during the show.
ABSENTEE BIDS WILL BE ACCEPTED! Call 712-592-8965 to place an absentee bid on any item. Credit card information will be required to place absentee bids.
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.
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
While showing a hunting land property in Harrison County on September 27 (2008) I came across a set of locked bucks. The two bucks were dead, but had not been dead long. My estimate would be less than 24 hours judging by the condition of the bodies. Both were floating in about 7 feet of water which proved not to be much of a challenge to a determined agent that was going to show the bucks to his clients. I did end up soaked and muddy but it was the right thing to get the animals that would begin to decompose in the water out of the water. I just wish I'd thought to take my cell phone out of my pocket before I let my enthusiasm take over.
With the permission of the landowner I separated the dead bucks to get a look at the size of the deer and to get photos. Its a sad way for a couple of promising 2 1/2 year olds to go, and especially strange they are so aggressive so early in the season. These two were only 3 weeks out of velvet and ended up in the fight of their lives. Most likely when they locked they ended up drowning each other in the pond. It took over 10 minutes to pry the antlers apart. When you look at the photos below I can pinpoint the problem. In the second photo the deer to the right had its right main beam completely around and under the neck of the deer on the left. That was where they were locked and it really took some prying and twisting to get them apart.
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!
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.
Looking for an outfitter and guide in western Iowa's Loess Hills? Here is a list of active guides and outfitters serving Monona, Harrison and Woodbuy Counties in Iowa.
Timber Ridge Outfitters Paul Ranft - Owner/Operator 2325 Lake Street Niles, MI. 49127 Phone: (269) 683-1240 Cell: (269) 930-6301 www.timberridgeoutfitters.com
McCall Hill Country Outfitters 21276 Orange Ave Castana, IA 51010 BOOKING 712-353-6762 CELL 712-420-1494 www.mccallhillcountryoutfitters.com
Western Iowa Trophy Hunts 18995 Oak Road PO Box 28 Castana, IA 51010 Office: (712) 353-6354 Tim:(712) 353-6360 (Home) Mike:(712) 353-6510 (Home) http://www.westerniowatrophyhunts.com
Iowa Trophy Whitetail Hunts Judd Cooney Operator Postal address PO Box 808, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147 Telephone 970-264-5612 http://www.juddcooney.com Whitetail hunts in Harrison and Monona County
There is no doubt that if you are an avid whitetail hunter like myself you have heard of Pike County Illinois. I've been there many times, in fact our main office is located in Pittsfield Illinois right in Pike County. While there for meetings and training we always stay at Hadley Creek Outfitters north camp in southern Adams County Illinois. Pike County and Adams County are two of the most well known whitetail hunting counties in the United States. The terrain there is as flat as can be coming off of the Mississippi River valley and eventually grows into rising timbered ridge lines with long draws mixed with agricultural fields making some great habitat. The rough and rugged terrain of Pike and Adams Counties along with fertile river valley soils makes a great place for bucks to get proper nutrition and provides them with the security needed to grow big. All of these are great things to consider when evaluating a hunting land purchase but maybe you don't know that Pike and Adams have an Iowa equivelent.
Now that I've told you all about Pike and Adams Counties lets take a look at a few statistics. Joel Helmer wrote a Geographical Analysis of Boone and Crockett Whitetail harvests in the United States. Joel used a computer program to enter all of the B&C records to find a visual representation along with some hard facts about where the most trophies are coming from. If you click on the link above you can read his report but I'll quickly summarize what you will find in that report. When the numbers were entered Iowa was #1 in B&C entries of all time but I think the most impressive part of his report was in the break down by counties. There are only two Iowa counties in the top 10 counties across the United States and they were Allamakee County in Northeast Iowa and Monona County in west central Iowa. In fact both Iowa counties in the top 10 of all time were tied for 4th place with Adams County Illinois. Pike County Illinois was #3 on the list of all time B&C entries. Depending on which time period you look at on Helmers report Pike County Illinois and Monona County Iowa are only separated by 1-2 entries for that time period.
In fact Monona County Iowa also has a neighboring county or its equivalent of Adams County which is Harrison County Iowa. Harrison and Monona Counties in Iowa are the equivelent of Pike and Adams in Illinois.
If I was to give you a description of Monona and Harrison in Iowa like I did Pike and Adams in Illinois above I could copy and paste it here but I'll save you the trouble. Instead I'll tell you the differences in the two areas. In Pike County Illinois you will find rock bottom creeks and in Monona County Iowa you will find dirt and sand bottom creeks. In Monona and Harrison Iowa you will find Loess soil towering nearly 300 feet above the face while in Pike and Adams you'll find more limestone bluffs. In Monona and Harrison Counties you'll find a much more rugged terrain that provides an even greater degree of security for whitetail deer. In the western Iowa counties instead of the Mississippi River valley you'll find the Missouri River Valley.
To illustrate the very similar nature of Monona and Harrison to Pike and Adams I've put together a few terrain maps to show you how similar they are.
ILLINOIS
ABOVE is a terrain map from Pike and Adams County Illinois. You can see to the left (west) the flat Mississippi River Valley and then as you move to the east the land abruptly changes to a rough terrain with river valleys and the work of many years of erosion down those valley's creating many fingers that if you looked at an aerial photograph are heavily timbered.
BELOW is the equivalent in Monona and Harrison County Iowa. Again to the left or west you see the flats of the Missouri River Valley and as you make your way east across the graphic you notice they rise into steep ridge tops that have been weathered by erosion over thousands of years creating the same timbered ridges and valley's as you see in Pike and Adams County Illinois. This rough terrain stretches from northern Iowa all the way into Missouri along the western edge of Iowa.
IOWA
West Central Iowa has some of the best whitetail habitat on the face of the earth hands down and its a huge secret that's likely to stay that way for some time. Despite the heavy horned deer here in the Loess Hills it doesn't have the reputation or fanfare other location get. What does that mean to the recreational land buyer? It means there is somewhere else you can buy Pike County quality land with Pike County quality deer at a smaller price tag and certainly less crowded gravel roads. Thats enough to set any whitetail hunters pulse racing right?
Did you notice there was not one southern Iowa county in the top 10 counties of all time? I spend my days stomping around the Loess Hills in Western Iowa hunting and marketing hunting properties in the Loess Hills which gives me the chance to put my feet on literally hundreds of farms and I know the deer that are out here.
In fairness I have to mention other counties in west central Iowa that border Harrison and Monona because as you know county lines were not drawn along the lines of whitetail habitat when they were drawn. On thing you will notice about west central Iowa is that when you draw a line about the hot spot Monona County is the county that holds the larger piece of it. Woodbury, Ida, Crawford and Shelby also produce B&C entries as well, they just hold a smaller piece of the pie when you look at it.
Finally I will leave you with this excerpt from and Iowa Department of Natural Resources brochure called White-tailed Deerthat I was reading the other day. This excerpt will give you an idea of the deer roaming the Loess Hills in Western Iowa. "Fawns weigh from four to seven pounds at birth and will gain 80 to 100 pounds in their first six months of life. Adult males reach an average weight of around 240 to 265 pounds at about four and one- half years of age while adult females average 140 to 160 pounds. The largest deer ever reported in Iowa was a 440-pound buck taken in Monona County during the 1962-hunting season."
Jason Smith is a Land Specialist and Auctioneer for Whitetail Trophy Properties specializing in hunting properties and farmland. WTP offers a marketing program that is unequalled in the industry. Watch for our properties on our popular TV show Whitetail Properties TV.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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 
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 
QDMA Celebrates 20th Anniversary
is a list of active guides and outfitters serving Monona, Harrison and Woodbuy Counties in Iowa.
Illinois. I've been there many times, in fact our main office is located in Pittsfield Illinois right in Pike County. While there for meetings and training we always stay at 
were Allamakee County in Northeast Iowa and Monona County in west central Iowa. In fact both Iowa counties in the top 10 of all time were tied for 4th place with Adams County Illinois. Pike County Illinois was #3 on the list of all time B&C entries. Depending on which time period you look at on Helmers report Pike County Illinois and Monona County Iowa are only separated by 1-2 entries for that time period. 
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