Steve Hanson

Located less than 50 miles from Des Moines, this property offers a rare combination of strong income, high-quality wildlife habitat, and excellent recreational features. With almost $30,000 annually in CRP income, a proven track record for giant whitetails, and an 8-acre lake, this farm checks every box. Don’t let the absence of big timber fool you—this is a true big buck sanctuary. In the 2024 season, two bucks scoring in the mid-180s and near 200" were captured on trail camera here and later harvested by neighbors. Photos and official scores are available. The farm includes 4 acres of electric-fenced food plots, designed to provide dependable late-season hunting opportunities. CRP cover consists of tall warm-season grasses including Big Bluestem, Indian Grass, and Switchgrass—excellent bedding habitat for deer and strong upland bird potential for pheasant and quail hunters. At the heart of the property is a clear, 8-acre lake over 20 feet deep, stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, and catfish—ideal for year-round enjoyment. Additional improvements include new fencing along more than half of the property’s boundary, including the road frontage. In the 2024 and 2025 spring seasons, the owner planted over 1,200 trees to establish future thermal cover and wildlife habitat. All CRP maintenance (MCM) work has been completed under the current contract. While this property offers world-class hunting opportunities and investment potential, the seller is motivated due to a current lack of access to a non-resident deer license.  

Located west of Albia in Monroe County is the perfect combination of great paved road access, world class hunting in a well-known neighborhood, Mature Hardwood timber and great building sites with full utilities. This property provides the ideal mix of habitats to grow and hold mature bucks. The timber on the southern portion of this farm is predominately mature White Oak providing both an excellent food source and a future income. Water on this property is provided by 3 ponds ranging from 1/4-3/4 acres. The timbered area in the North portion of the farm is the prime bedding area for a large portion of the neighboring terrain due to its South facing slopes. This area is geographically located at the perfect distance from large acre and high deer number properties. This makes the perfect density ring that mature bucks seek. The approximately 25 open acres can provide ample food sources and the ability to add more Switch Grass or other screening cover. Access to hunt is achieved by following the East fence to allow undetected ability to hunt with any west wind. The building site features 40x60 machine shed with electric and rural water. Other farm styled buildings provide additional storage or space for livestock. This is a prime home site with views overlooking the pond along a paved road just a short drive from Albia.

Less than 1/2 mile from Rathbun lake sits the perfect combination property featuring, great hunting for high end deer, strong income and building or development potential.   The current owner has carefully managed the habitat. The CRP acres and tree plantings have created great south facing bedding areas. Included in the CRP are strategic food plots planted in a variety of crops to provide full season attractions. All the wooded edges were edge feathered to make the most of the timbered cover. The high-end deer are a direct result of these improvements and its location directly across the road from over 700 acres of No Hunting Honey Creek State Park\Preserve. This cover improvement has created a boom in the Pheasant and Quail populations for added recreational opportunity.   The access is hard to beat with paved road access from the south, gravel road on the west and a level B road on the entire north border.   Income is provided by 49.9 acres of CRP that pays a yearly payment of $8,298 until 9-30-2032. There are also 23.76 acres of crop land that rents for $150 per acre per year totaling $3,564. The property has a long history of crop production and would be eligible for future CRP or an increase in food plot acres should the new owner wish.   This property’s location will have added value for building sites for a vacation home, personal residence or campsite with full utilities. The northwest side provides a large level area outside of the current CRP while the northeast side has Lake Rathbun views.

Located in Decatur County, Iowa is the perfect property, world class hunting, income producing warm season native grass CRP, hardwood timbered draws and beautiful building sites. The income is on 55.5 acres M/L of CRP planted to tall warm season native grass with the entire perimeter 30’ clover firebreaks. The CRP is a quail and pheasant focused CP38 E2 which provides both food and great cover. This contract expires 9/30/31 and pays $142.14 per acre totaling approximately $7,986.85 per year. Exact numbers will be based on FSA measurement. The hunting on this property sets up perfectly with road access on the North and west side allowing great hunting access. There is 3-year history of management with trail camera proof of great genetics. The immediate neighborhood includes some well-known hunters with strong deer management standards. In addition to the great deer hunting this property provides excellent pheasant and quail opportunities and could have doves as well with additional food plots. The building sites provide great views of the Grand River watershed and has all utilities. There is also a pond to further increase recreational opportunities. All this creates the perfect recreational property located just over an hour from Des Moines and 1 hour 45 minutes to Kansas City Mo. Seller, Stephen C. Hanson III is a licensed Realtor in the State of Iowa, is an agent with Hawkeye Farm Mgmt & Real Estate and is also the listing agent for this property.

Located approximately 1 hour from Des Moines and just 25 minutes from Oskaloosa, this 135± acre Mahaska County farm offers a rare combination of proven whitetail habitat, consistent CRP income, and attractive building potential. The property features classic southern Iowa terrain with creek-bottom timber filled with mature walnut and cottonwood, transitioning into ridges dominated by oak and hickory. Open acres are enrolled in native warm-season grasses, complemented by brushy fence lines and established food plot areas. South-facing slopes and overgrown pasture create dense bedding cover, resulting in a highly effective layout for producing and holding mature whitetails. The farm also supports strong populations of turkey, pheasant, and quail. Two CRP contracts generate a combined annual income of $14,516, with expirations in 2027 and 2030. The contracts allow for designated food plots and early successional habitat, enhancing both wildlife value and long-term land stewardship. Native grasses include Big Bluestem, Indian Grass, Switchgrass, and a diverse mix of forbs. Rolling topography provides multiple quality building sites with utilities in place, along with scenic pond views—making this property well suited for recreation, income, or a future home or cabin site.

Located just north of Centerville, IA, this 140-acre property offers the ideal combination of productive farmland and top-tier hunting. The farm includes 95 acres of tillable ground with an average CSR above 67 for high productivity. It generates $19,000 annually in cash rent and has a consistent history of strong crop yields. All tillable acres would also be eligible for future CRP enrollment if the next owner chooses to transition to conservation programs. Over 40 acres of dense river-bottom hardwoods provide thick bedding cover and strong whitetail habitat. This area is truly a sleeper neighborhood where mature, trophy-class bucks can be consistently found year after year. The property sits off a dead-end road with very few surrounding roads, located in the middle of a large block of crop fields, timber, and river corridor—offering limited access and ideal seclusion for deer movement and unpressured hunting. The current owner has worked with the farm tenant to leave standing grain in key locations for food plot effectiveness, further improving late-season hunting. In addition to whitetails, this farm supports quality upland game and turkey hunting with healthy populations of quail, pheasant, and wild turkeys.  Additionally, its location within minutes of Rathbun Lake makes this a true investment opportunity with excellent recreation potential.