Size of land for deer hunting?

I don't have much experience with hunting. My son is showing a growing interest so I was looking at some land. My wife and I have often talked about getting some land where we could go hiking, and the children can do some "exploring". Just a small wooded area to enjoy, get some exercise, maybe have a campfire some summer evenings, etc. Plus if my son does enjoy hunting it will be something we could do together and use the land for.

My question is about this size. I looked at one parcel about 1/2 mile long, but a little on the narrow side, about 550' at the widest and about 100' feet at the narrowest, with much of it being at least 300' or wider. It totals about 17 acres. Is this layout serviceable and safe for deer hunting?

Also does anyone know if in Kentucky there is a minimum size acreage if using a rifle? I looked online at the KY Dept of Fish and Wildlife and didn't see anything that addressed that.

Thanks in advance for any input.

I rather doubt there is any minimun amount of land required for deer hunting with a rifle, but give the dept of fish and wildlife a call and ask the people who would know. In my mind, the most important thing is a knowledge of hunter and firearm safety. Never fire a gun without knowing where the bullet is going. Always shoot where the bullet will go into the ground or into a hill. Modern rifle ammunition might travel as far as five miles.

[QUOTE=SLP;497278]I don't have much experience with hunting. My son is showing a growing interest so I was looking at some land. My wife and I have often talked about getting some land where we could go hiking, and the children can do some "exploring". Just a small wooded area to enjoy, get some exercise, maybe have a campfire some summer evenings, etc. Plus if my son does enjoy hunting it will be something we could do together and use the land for.

My question is about this size. I looked at one parcel about 1/2 mile long, but a little on the narrow side, about 550' at the widest and about 100' feet at the narrowest, with much of it being at least 300' or wider. It totals about 17 acres. Is this layout serviceable and safe for deer hunting?

Also does anyone know if in Kentucky there is a minimum size acreage if using a rifle? I looked online at the KY Dept of Fish and Wildlife and didn't see anything that addressed that.

Thanks in advance for any input.[/QUOTE] way to many factors here, are you using it for a get away spot or as a home site an need it close to your work etc, also important is you need to be able to determine if wildlife will use such an area's, your desire is there but limitted knowledge is obvious, one suggestion large state parks offer some handy trails for hiking an viewing wildlife, wildlife refuges are obvious, think about locating near public lands.....let us know how you decide

Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it.

Well we actually have already went ahead and pulled the trigger :D (corny pun intended) and purchased the land. Seriously though, once getting out there and walking the entire property a few times it was much easier to determine if it would suit our needs, and it did perfectly. I spoke with a few people that have hunted it over the years and was told there is good deer, turkey, and squirrel hunting there. We also saw a lot of signs of deer on the property while scouting it out. It is close enough we can just jump in the car and get there quickly, our children love it, and it will be a perfect spot for them to be able to play and explore as they grow up. I feel very blessed we were able to buy this property for our family to use and enjoy together over the coming years.

Again thanks for the replies.