Am I crazy to consider buying hunting land in California?

KonoctisWigwam

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I'm in a holding pattern until December 3rd, when the Buckingham Park Water District will hold their quarterly meeting for the board of directors. The prosecuting attorney believes the board will approve our settlement offer, this is the biggest event in my life, so the next 3 weeks will put me on pins and needles until this is settled.

After I get this lawsuit out of the way, I am planning to keep looking for hunting property within an hour drive from my property. I'm currently renting an In-Law quarters in the basement of a house that is 1/2 miles away from my property.

What I have learned is that if you leave property undeveloped, it's actually not very expensive to own. It's when you start to add living space and buildings that require building permits and inspections, but if you leave the land undeveloped, the taxes will be based on the purchase price.

In Lake County, where I moved to, you can find said property for about $1,000/acre in 100 acre lots. I'm looking for land that I could leave undeveloped, and if there is any cabin or structure to live in, that would be ideal. At $100k, taxes would only be approx. $1,000-$1,200/year. My current property is based on square footage, as I'm an owner-builder, and it's based on $120/sq.ft. of assessed value. I had about $40k added to the assessed value based on the 30x40 shop I built. It is my intention to figure out something I can build and sell in the shop, and gunsmith work is one such product to be able to work on, but that's for a later decision, after I get the shop setup.

This is actually cheaper that some other states that are free states, such as Idaho or Montana, those are 2 states I've considered, but the property is more expensive, it's much colder in the winter, and I ponder if it makes sense to buy property elsewhere? I have always felt that I love living in California, I have been here most of my life, and it looks like I'm gonna die here. So, I ponder, would finding hunting land in NorCal be a better option, given the fact I will hopefully settle with water district and live here for the remainder of my like, however long that may be.

I have seen reasonably priced property in Redding area also, that would allow for hunting, but it's starting to be several hours from my property, hence why I'm looking in Lake County, where it also legal to shoot/hunt on property. Ideally, I can find something with a seasonal creek/pond in it, so game will be attracted, and would also like to find something with a small structure to stay on, but if the property is within an hour, I think that would be moot as I could just drive home and sleep there.

What do some of you folks think about that idea?
 
Redding has got to be one of the hottest places on earth. I had a friend who moved up there, and encouraged me to move up there close to him. Before I could sell, my house, he returned back to SB County due to the heat.
 
Redding has got to be one of the hottest places on earth. I had a friend who moved up there, and encouraged me to move up there close to him. Before I could sell, my house, he returned back to SB County due to the heat.
Yeah, but so is Clear Lake. Unfortunately I'm on the Central Valley side of the Mayacamas, and it get hot here in the summer. It might be raining right now, but I've been here when it was 114 degrees in August, so it gets hot. The only thing I can do is plan to have some type of AC, but the oaks keep my property pretty cool, so may not need it...it still gets hot, even if there's a breeze in the afternoon.

The other problem is as you get into higher elevation in the Sierras, the prices go up a lot of the property, and it's really hard to find hunting land. I did grow up in L.A. area, and even out where you are in RC is frickin' hot...

Where would you suggest if someone wanted to spend $200k tops? Or would you look out of state?
 
I have seen 80a going for 120k near my retirement house. If I get enough for the ranch, a shed is all I will need for my quarters.
Another 8 miles and I could be in a freer state.
 

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