REAL ESTATE

Some properties are good because of what's on them. This one is good because of what's next to it. The west side of this tract runs along Klarquist Road and the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, about 30,000 acres of marsh, brush prairie, and pine-oak barrens managed for wildlife and open to public hunting outside the refuge. Owning here means you have your own private base camp on the edge of one of the best-known wildlife areas in the Upper Midwest. The ground itself is classic Crex country. Islands of mature timber rise out of open marsh, and that mix is exactly what deer, bear, and birds use. The marsh is bedding and travel cover, and the timber islands are where you set a stand, hang a trail camera, or pick a spot for a tent or a small cabin down the road. Deer move between the islands, and the edges between wet and dry ground are where the hunting gets good. Existing deer stands are included in the sale. Access is the other big deal. A lot of wet ground in this area is landlocked or reached only by an easement across someone else's land. This one has legal frontage on Klarquist Road, a town road, with dry ground right at the road that runs back into the property. You can pull in, park, and hunt without crossing anyone else's land. Come fall, Crex fills with sandhill cranes, waterfowl, and eagles, and in the spring the sharp-tailed grouse put on their show on the dancing grounds. Whether you're a deer hunter, a duck hunter, a birder, or someone who just wants a quiet piece of the northwoods under two hours from the Twin Cities, this is a spot you can make your own. Taxes are low, and there's no Managed Forest Law plan or withdrawal tax to inherit, so you're free to use the land the way you want from day one.