Yes "hunting" and real estate - do they go hand in hand? I'm literally talking about the act of "HUNTING."

I was watching my husband gather his "hunting" inventory - long johns, camouflage vests, orange vests, orange hat, boots, compass, rifle, bullets,  and a whole array of items that I have no idea what they are used for and do not want to know and I realized that I am about to become a hunting widow for a week or two -  that yes modern rifle hunting season starts this Saturday and the woods will be full of determined hunters! What's that got to do with real estate?  A WHOLE LOT due to the fact that they will be traipsing across through, around,  under every part of the county on VACANT LAND in search of that mighty buck.

The area that I work in is fairly rural and the outlying areas of town are extremely rural and can be fairly rugged. We have a lot of listings for acreage and potential buyers that are looking for that perfect remote, private piece of property. And 9 times out of 10 it is dead smack in the middle of a legal hunting area.

Hunters are very thorough, dedicated, safe, knowledgeable characters that probably know the lay of the land better than you and I, but occasionally there may be a stray one or two that ends up "mis-directed" (do not even try to tell one of them they are "lost") and on the piece of property that you have listed or are showing potential buyers to and there's that hunter- rifle in hand, all decked out in hunting garment with a wild look in his eye and happens upon you and your buyer and you're both wondering what the other is doing ;or your buyers is now lieing on the ground out of pure fear of the man/woman standing in front of them, wondering where you have taken them.

This has actually happened to me before, but I was prepared and had prepared my buyers for the potential and possibility of running across a hunter or two. I also prepared them for running across wildlife- deer, bears (yes bears).  Especially where we have so much growth going on in the county it is limiting the hunting areas, as well as pushing the wildlife into not so remote areas; Believe me they are just as scared as you when they coming running out of those bushes! it can happen and even in the most rural areas there seems to be a house or two popping up here and there.  

How did I prepare?

• I made sure that my buyers (whether they like hunting or not) knew that it was hunting season and there was a possibility that we may see a few here and there and not to be alarmed if they see a man/woman climbing out of a car with rifle in hand and looking as they they are ready to take the world on. Besides if they are looking for property in this area, they need to know this.
• I made sure for one that I knew where I was going and whose land I was about traipse on. If I was not comfortable with the lay of the land or where I was going, I may ask the agent, or the seller to tag along with us.
• I made sure that the colors I was wearing did not mimick or give the false illusion of a deer standing in the brush or behind a tree (no browns, definitely no fur collars) and I might even don a orange hunting cap myself just for good measure as I do have brown (ok in my maturing years I do have some gray shining through) hair.
• I also made sure that we were making enough noise and not "sneaking" around the property as this could not only scare the hunter but a rare sighting of a bear and us meeting is not out of the realm either.
• You might remind sellers to hang those "no Trespassing" and "No hunting" signs around the property if they do not want hunters inadvertently walking across their land.  Yes the hunters do occasionally get mis-placed (notice again we do not use the word "lost") or have gone farther than they thought.
• When driving those dirt roads, you may think there is no one else around and you won't run across another car - but lo and behold don't be caught off guard by some one else driving a little too fast and on the wrong side of the road as they are thinking they are the only ones out there.
• Bring emergency supplies - a can of tire flat - you never know nothing worse than trying to hike out in your high heels or good looking shoes with thin soles -because you were caught off guard about where you were going. Bottled water - many uses. A warm coat, flashlight, anything you can think of. The woods get real dark quick.
• Tell someone exactly where you are going, what time and how long you plan to be  - in our area our cell service can be real sketchy in remote areas and not so remote areas as well. Also make sure when you come out of the woods - you tell that same person you are safe; nothing worse than the local sheriff showing up to find you and you are perfectly fine.
• If you see trucks parked here and there along a rural area or by the locked gates etc - that is a sure sign that they are hunting in the area you are about to peruse.

If you have any other input, please blog on and let us know. I am sure this is just a few of the things we can do to make sure we are safe, the buyers are safe, and the hunters are safe as well.  During these trying times in our economy I would suspect that there may be a few more hunters out there than usual, looking to put some meat in the freezer for the upcoming winter.

BE SAFE, BE AWARE!