# How big is 20 acres???



## Retch (Jan 6, 2006)

Anybody with experience hunting a property roughly 20 acres? 

The total property is actually 24 acres, but let's assume the house/yard area would comprise 4 acres. The remainder would be roughly 80/20 wooded to fields. Surrounding area would be similar size homesites with some agriculture. I would have to assume that I would not have permission or access to the surrounding properties.

I would be hunting alone most of the time. However, at what point does 20 acres feel crowded? 2 hunters? 3?

Who's "been there, done that?"

Thanks for your input!


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## Retch (Jan 6, 2006)

Dadgummit.....shoulda been in the bowhunting forum. Please feel free to move it.


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## JAVI (Jun 19, 2003)

Depends... deep tightly wooded or open timber... Open timber I'd feel cramped with only me hunting... Tight, thick stuff not so much... 

But I feel cramped on 10,000 acres of post oaks and prickly pear...:wink:


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## sagecreek (Jul 15, 2003)

Bowhunting, about 3 hunters.

Rifle season, 1.


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## GSLAM95 (Oct 31, 2004)

1 hunter only and very limited activity in and out if you are hunting a mature buck.




> Dadgummit.....shoulda been in the bowhunting forum. Please feel free to move it.


Consider it moved to bowhunting as well. :wink:


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## rembrandt (Jan 17, 2004)

My dad has 10 acres and a big buck strolls accross his pasture almost every day. One area is completely secluded and a natural hunting area. My guess would be that 20 acres would be ok for maybe two hunters with a bow and one during rifle season.


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## Jayhawkhuntclub (May 25, 2004)

Depends on the lot. I hunt a 26 acre lot that my sister/brother-in-law have their house on. It has a creek as a boarder and lots of old timber and a small bluff and an open pasture (I'm really lucky). I'd say any more than 2 hunters would be pretty crowded. A lot of it depends on how the hunters interact. Get two type-A A-holes on 25 acres and it'll end in a least 1 murder. Having people that respect each other and have some common sense would make it a lot easier.


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## bob101 (Sep 2, 2006)

If it were square 20 acres would be 933' or so on each corner. So let's say 300 yards.

Personally when I hunt in wooded areas I like to figure one hunter per 100-150 acres.

I'd have to know someone really well to want to hunt with them on 20 acres...like out of the same box blind or something.


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## cynic (Jan 25, 2006)

I have had 3 hunters at one time set up on one of my 15ac tracts.. 2 of the 3 took a doe the other opted to pass.. None of the three could see or hear the other... It is a funnel that deer travel going to a corn field.. Rural Residential funnel. The key is to locate stands to give optimal coverage with the least amount of disturbance..


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## findog (Aug 1, 2005)

The land would depend on what's on it and around it. Food sources, topography, cover. Is it a crossroads, bedding area, good transition area? How much pressure around from others? Just things to consider. This would also help determine how many to bowhunt it. Good luck on you venture.


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## bob101 (Sep 2, 2006)

Does TN have a law stating how far you have to be from the property line. I see it in certain places in Texas people get 4 acres in the right spot and try to hunt it.

If you have such a law you could wind up with technically a lot less than what you started with to actually hunt on.


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## -bowfreak- (Oct 18, 2006)

871,200 square feet.

All kidding aside, my friend had <20 acres in Ohio. He killed ann 8 point from that property that grossed over 150 and it had like 5 or 6 inches of main beam broken off. If it is good land, you can kill bucks on it regardless of how small it is.


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## letemgrow (Dec 18, 2004)

GSLAM95 said:


> 1 hunter only and very limited activity in and out if you are hunting a mature buck.


I agree 100%. If you are wanting a mature buck and even if you are not on that small of an acerage the does will have you patterened if you hunt it too much and are not careful with scent control/entry-exit to the stands. That being said 20 acres might be all you need if it is in the right area with good surrounding farms also.


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## ESMO-Joe (Oct 18, 2004)

We have 10 acres that is 50/50 timber/open grass field with a creek running thru it in a rural community. It is 1/4 mile deep and 120 yards wide and has similar tracts on three sides. I see deer all the time on ours and know that they have bedding areas above the creek but the biggest buck I have seen has been a basket 6, not to say bigger ones aren't coming thru at night. I would say if I were to put in a good food plot that I would see a lot more but since I don't deer hunt I don't put out food plots.


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## old Graybeard (Nov 3, 2005)

I wouldn't want to have anyone but myself on that amount of land to keep from dipping the deer off. The more human intrusion the less deer your going to see. I have one piece of ground that is only 4 acres and I have taken bucks from it with very limited use by me. You need to limit things and it can work out great.


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## JPE (Feb 1, 2004)

One of my spots is about 26 acres. We've had as many as 4 bowhunters but it's typically only 2. It's pretty heavily wooded though.


For anyone having trouble picturing how big a property is, just keep in mind that a football field is roughly 1 acre (not exact, but close enough).


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## joesandi (Jun 5, 2006)

I have 23 acres. At times I have had 3 bow hunters or 2 shotgun/muzzle loader hunters. I get pics of big deer all the time and see them during the season. I know everyone worries about scent control, which I do during the deer season, but I try to walk through once a week to put the scent in the woods so the deer get used to it. We usually get at least 2 does and shots (Dad has missed a few) at nice bucks. One thing, my 23 ac. is 80 ac. deep. I own 33' from the road back 600' and then it widens out. 486' wide at the narrowest.


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## OHIOBUCK (Oct 25, 2006)

About 275yds. x 350yds.


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## scottnm (Jun 18, 2007)

1 hunter on 20 acres would be ok 1 day. imho I grandfather has 100 acres with whitetails back east. 2 hunters max.


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## Red Rocker (Jun 24, 2006)

We've got 17 acres, there were two does and two fawn's in our yard Satuday evening. My land is heavily wooded with lots of cover.


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## OHIOBUCK (Oct 25, 2006)

An acre is 208feet x 208feet.


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## pinshooter (Jun 11, 2004)

I'd feel crowded if there more than me hunting it.


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## Dredly (May 10, 2005)

IT all depends upon the actual layout of the land and how well everyone works together. Me and 2 buddies hunt at my buddies house and hill on the other side of the road and we are all fine. The deer move in several different directions on several different trails so most of the time the deer that one guy would see the others wouldn't.

If the deer are only on one trail through the property I would say one, if they come and go from multiple locations I say go for it. You could easily put 3 or 4 guys on a 20 acre spot depending on the deer activity and noone would have an issue.

I cannot even imagine having 100 acres of land / hunter. Not on the east coast anyway.


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## phillygunns (Jan 28, 2007)

*4 acres is alot*

for a single house. Most homes will fit on a 1/4 acres plot. your 20 acres will accomidate up to 5 hunters if it is heavy woods. This will all depend on how you choose to hunt it. All the hunters will have to agree on the tactic you pick to use. If any hunter veers off the plan you will have troubles. Where I hunt we stay in our stands and do not stalk or still hunt at all. we let the deer do what they normally do and hope we get a shot. New york is not an easy state to hunt in any way so by covering more areas with hunters we up the odds in our favor. Some of our stands are only 200 yards apart but the woods are thick and you can't see each other. Survey your land well, plan out your stand positions and formulate a hunting tactic. Then you can figure out ho many hunters your land could handle and how many you will want to have hunting.


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## tomthompson1453 (Aug 11, 2021)

Dredly said:


> IT all depends upon the actual layout of the land and how well everyone works together. Me and 2 buddies hunt at my buddies house and hill on the other side of the road and we are all fine. The deer move in several different directions on several different trails so most of the time the deer that one guy would see the others wouldn't.
> 
> If the deer are only on one trail through the property I would say one, if they come and go from multiple locations I say go for it. You could easily put 3 or 4 guys on a 20 acre spot depending on the deer activity and noone would have an issue.
> 
> I cannot even imagine having 100 acres of land / hunter. Not on the east coast anyway.


Thank you for this advice... I noted that...


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## jlh42581 (Oct 21, 2009)

My buddy has exactly that amount of land, all timber, a creek in it. You can get 3 guys on it at once but it feels like at that point youre just stepping on each other. I only hunt it maybe two sits a year but he lets whoever wants to come on any wind come so I rank it almost equal with public land.

If I had 20 acres of iowa creek bottom surrounded by ag... well then


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## jlh42581 (Oct 21, 2009)

Dredly said:


> I cannot even imagine having 100 acres of land / hunter. Not on the east coast anyway.


I know quite a few with more access than that on private. Public in PA is simply unmatched from what I have seen. I live between 50k acres of public and prob have another half a million or more within an hour drive.


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## thirdhandman (Nov 2, 2009)

Unless you are stalking 20 acres of land can be a lot. Remember to keep your shots close and use a big broad head. Killing a deer and keeping it on your allowed property is key. You end up tracking one on the neighbor who is a tree hugger and you could lose everything.
I have permission to hunt three small tracts of land in fact two of them are only 10 acres I have three stands on each one of them and occasionally hunt with a friend of mine. Gives me a choice of stands to have three of them up but it also keeps others from putting stands near where I'm going to hunt.
If you are the only one who has permission to be on this property I would be very selective about who I ask to hunt it with me. The friend that hunts with me is from 400 miles away, so generally I hunted by myself until he comes into town.

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## djaandy (Jul 12, 2016)

you can attract deer from a square mile if you manage it right.


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## dougell (Aug 29, 2014)

I live on 20 acres that I can kill a deer on it just about any day but I haven't killed one her in about 8 years.There's just no adventure in it and it's not why I hunt.


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## horsehands (Jul 25, 2012)

I live on twenty and have two or three does living here. 5 or 6 nice bucks cruise through in late season, a couple knot heads early season. I keep a food plot for them, but I dont hunt here. Cant have a feeder for the dang bears tearing em up.


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## dougell (Aug 29, 2014)

Unless you are stalking 20 acres of land can be a lot. Remember to keep your shots close and use a big broad head. Killing a deer and keeping it on your allowed property is key. You end up tracking one on the neighbor who is a tree hugger and you could lose everything. 

I have to disagree with this completely,other than taking good shots.A big BH won't drop a deer any faster and there's no reason you can't drop a deer on 20 acres.I also don't understand how you van lose anything let alone everything is a wounded deer runs on someone else's property.


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## sinko (Dec 1, 2004)

I hunt a 8 acre plot.


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## Predator (Jan 18, 2003)

20 acres is small and I wouldn’t want more than one on it. You can’t just hunt the same stand over and over, morning or evening on any wind. You’ll educate the deer in a heartbeat and never kill a big buck. You need multiple options for each hunter and don’t know how you could reasonably have enough options for multiple hunters considering different conditions on only 20 acres. I suppose if it’s the perfect piece of ground you might occasionally pull it off with 2 hunters but that would be the max.


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## ForestPhantom (Aug 22, 2007)

1 hunter, manage your access and don’t over hunt trees. It’s enough to kill a buck every year if they are using it.


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