Why Invest in Ranch, Recreational, or Hunting Land Today
There’s no investment quite like land. Stocks may rise and fall. Common real estate may turn a profit. But land? Land changes you.
When I was a toddler, my parents made what seemed, on paper, a wild decision. We lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but they bought into a hunting outfitting business and ranch in Southwest Colorado. A two days’ drive from home. No easy flights. No cell service, cable, or internet. And yet, it turned out to be one of the best decisions they ever made, for themselves and for our family.
The property? A 640-acre paradise with a ½ mile of trout stream, a stocked trout pond, two rustic cabins, national forest boundary, meadows and aspen groves, patchy oak brush, and dense conifers, and an elk herd that could rival a National Geographic documentary. Hard to believe the price tag was only $250,000 in the early 90’s. Today, that might buy you a studio apartment in a city where you can't see stars at night. Initial investment has undoubtedly increased, but the long term equity growth remains proven.
But here’s the real kicker: beyond the 8% average annual appreciation my parents ranch earned over their 20-year ownership, what we gained was something you can’t measure on a spreadsheet. We gained time together. We gained perspective. We unplugged from sitcoms, video games, and city stress and plugged into something ancient and grounding: the land.
That ranch became the forge where our family was shaped. It's where my bond with my father was sealed. It built passion that has led to a fulfilling and exciting career in ranch real estate. It's where I learned what mattered and what didn’t.
Now, let’s talk investment. Unlike stocks or crypto, land is tangible, finite, and irreplaceably unique. The market might fluctuate, but the earth beneath your feet? That doesn’t lie. And unlike a portfolio, you can stand on this investment. You can fish its streams, hunt its hillsides, hike its mountains, watch your kids chase grasshoppers through its meadows, and toast marshmallows under a sky so clear it’ll make your phone feel irrelevant.
Sure, stocks may yield a higher return on paper. But when was the last time your 401(k) hugged your kids, reset your soul, set you amidst a herd of bugling elk, or left your boots muddy in the best way possible?
Apartments and commercial properties may churn cash, but they come with busted pipes, late-night tenant calls, and headaches you didn’t expect. Land, on the other hand, offers peace, pride, and a sense of permanence in a world obsessed with speed and distraction.
In a society more virtual by the day, land grounds us. While AI, algorithms, and screen time increase, the real world slips further away. But out on the land, it all comes back: the scent of pine and sage, the thrill of tracking wildlife, the sacred quiet of a crisp mountain morning.
Yes, you can take a vacation to experience all this, but vacations fade. The land roots.
When financial realities eventually forced us to sell the ranch, it broke our hearts. My dad couldn’t even bring himself to travel to say goodbye. Yet when my parents sold the house I grew up in that they designed, built, and lived in for 30 years, to a family intending to tear it down, my mom excitedly accepted the offer to take the first swing with the wrecking ball herself. She was giggling as the walls came down. But when we said farewell to the ranch she cried, we all cried. That tells you everything.
You don’t just own land. It owns a piece of you. And your children and grandchildren? They’ll inherit more than just equity, they’ll inherit a legacy.
So if you’ve been thinking about investing in a ranch, recreational land, or hunting property, stop thinking. Jump in. Because in the end, the financial return is just a bonus. The real reward is a life richer than any portfolio could ever promise. Your paradise awaits!