Property Details

160 Acres of Improved Farmland and 30-Plus Years of Uncut Hardwoods Near Athens, Wisconsin

The Story Behind the Land
This 160-acre property sits between Athens and Corinth in Johnson Township. It has been cared for by one family across two generations. When it was first purchased, the land needed a lot of work. The family took that on and spent years making the tillable as efficient and as resistant to erosion as they could. They put in ditches and erosion corridors, and they built field roads and access points so equipment could get where it needed to go. The ground was later handed down to the son, and it shows the work that went into it over the years.

The Farm Ground
About 72 acres of tillable lie on the north side of the property. The fields are currently rented and planted in corn and soybeans. The water management is already done and the fields work the way they should, so this isn’t ground you’ll be fixing up. The rent can cover part of the cost of holding the land while you enjoy the rest of it.

The Woods
About 88 acres of mixed mature hardwoods lie to the south, with maple, oak, birch, ash and popple. These woods haven’t been cut in over 30 years, so there is a lot of standing timber here. The stands vary in age and species, and as you walk it you move through changes in canopy, browse, mast and cover.

The Hunting
The fields wrap around much of the timber, so there’s a lot of field edge and several travel corridors just inside the wood line. The transitions between the woods and the farm ground are beaten in with deer trails that have clearly been used for years. We saw deer sign throughout the woods and along the field edges on our tour. You don’t have to imagine the hunting here, because the sign is already on the ground.

With the timber to the south and the fields to the north, a new owner has room to plan the property the way they want. You can lay out bedding areas and shape travel routes through the woods to make an already good property better. After 30 years of growth, the woods also give you options for future timber management.

The Neighborhood
One of the biggest strengths of this property is what surrounds it. The land is nearly surrounded by crop fields, which gives deer in the area a steady food source right next door. Deer that feed on those fields have to bed somewhere, and 88 acres of mature hardwoods sitting in the middle of all that ag ground gives them a good reason to be here. The property is also set among other large-tract owners instead of being cut up by small parcels and houses. With that much open, undeveloped land around you, deer can move and grow older with less pressure, and that’s hard to put a price on when you’re buying hunting ground.

Access
You can get onto the property from the north off County A and from the west off Hogan Road. That covers equipment, timber work and everyday management. For hunting, you can pick your entry and exit by the wind and stay out of the middle of the property until you need to be there.

The Bottom Line
Blocks this size that combine real, improved tillable acres with mature hardwoods are getting harder to find. This one has two generations of work in the ground and timber that’s been left alone for three decades. After walking it, we’d put this among the best properties we’ve toured in the Athens and Corinth area.

Property Highlights

• 160 acres per public record, Johnson Township
• Offered at $850,000
• About 72 acres of rented tillable, currently in corn and soybeans
• Ditches, erosion corridors, field roads and access points in place
• About 88 acres of mature woods: maple, oak, birch, ash and popple
• Woods uncut for over 30 years
• Timber to the south with room to design bedding and travel routes
• Extensive field-edge and inside-wood-line travel corridors
• Strong deer activity observed during our tour
• Nearly surrounded by crop fields
• Set among other large-tract properties
• Access from the north off County A and from the west off Hogan Road
• Annual taxes: $2,375.62

Pictures and maps only tell part of the story on a property like this. Contact listing agent Jeremy VanHulle at 920-819-1338 to set up a private showing.