Hunting and Recreational Land Sales Also Hit Record Highs
August 20, 2020 (KANSAS CITY, Mo.) – This year’s hunting season is shaping up to be one of the biggest yet as Realtree United Country Land Pros say they’re seeing not only an increase in hunting ammunition, firearms and gear being purchased, but also a spike in hunting and recreational land sales across the nation.
“There’s been more interest in hunting in my neck of the woods than I have ever seen and I have been hunting since I was a kid,” said John Wilhite, Realtree United Country Land Pro and broker associate in Oklahoma. “We know that people are wanting to get away from the cities right now. Hunting and fishing allow you to do that. So, not only are hunting licenses being sold at record pace, but there’s also been an influx of demand for hunting land and other rural real estate nationwide.”
Wilhite said he believes there will be a big number of first-time or amateur hunters participating this year. A big reason is the lack of meat resources like beef and pork currently available in stores causing a significant rise in prices. By hunting, people can harvest their own meat in a short amount of time. But having a lot of untrained hunters in the field will require extra attention.
“How having all of these new hunters will affect the industry, I don’t know that answer, but I do know it will require experienced hunters like myself to help them along the way,” said Wilhite. “It’s also our job as Realtree UC Land Pros to educate those current and future land owners how to prepare their land for hunting so they can have a better harvest.”
Many Realtree Land Pros across the nation are echoing Wilhite’s observations.
“My niece is a parks and wildlife officer in Colorado. She said they have received 200,000 more hunting license applicants this year compared to last. We think this year will be big,” said Jack Canterbury, Realtree United Country Land Pro and real estate broker in Westcliffe, Colo.
“I’m an outfitter and we were booked solid a lot earlier than normal so we are definitely seeing the trend here,” added Loren Williams, Realtree UC Land Pro and avid big game hunter in Hotchkiss, Colo.
Not everyone believes this hunting season will be bigger than ever. There are those who are still struggling financially and also not able to hunt their normal spots due to restricted travel and other precautions currently set in different states or abroad. In Iowa, one expert said many early season hunts and big game hunts in Canada were canceled due to closed borders and state restrictions.
“We are seeing the opposite around here. Many outfitters have canceled hunts and flights are limited if you travel to hunt. I know the Canadian outfitters are really struggling this year,” said Nathan Lee, Realtree UC Land Pro and avid hunter out of Iowa. “With the current situation, money is tight for many people so why spend a lot of money on gear, ammo, etc., to go hunting? In some places, there is business as usual, but many are still struggling.”
With that said, United Country Real Estate recently reported over a 110 percent increase in website traffic of those searching for hunting and recreational land, country homes and off-grid property in 2020. Realtree United Country Land Pros and other United Country agents are also reporting that they are having trouble keeping up with the demand and need more inventory.
“August is normally our peak month for hunters looking to buy more hunting land,” said Wilhite. “But I fully expect that this year I will be selling hunting land well into the winter. This will probably be the best year I’ve ever hand in land sales.”
If you want to learn more about finding or selling hunting or recreational property, visit www.RealtreeUC.com to find a Realtree United Country Land Pro near you.
About United Country Real Estate
United Country Real Estate –is the leading, fully integrated network of conventional and auction real estate professionals. The company has been an innovator in lifestyle and country real estate marketing since 1925. United Country has a combined network that supports more than 500 offices and 6,000 real estate professionals, with a unique, comprehensive marketing program. The exclusive program includes the highest ranked and largest portfolio of national, state, office, agent and specialty property marketing websites, unequaled national print advertising, a comprehensive internal real estate advertising agency, an extensive buyer database of nearly one million opt-in buyers and additional proprietary programs to advertise properties more broadly.
