We bought some land

For a while, my wife and I had been discussing/planning on buying some land to have a little piece of dirt we can call it our own. So, after months of looking in Middle Georgia, and not liking the areas, or the prices, she finally found 26 acres about 35 minutes from our house. We went and looked it with the realtor, and my wife fell in love with the property from the moment she saw it. To top it off two deer jump off the bush and greeted us as we walked in the area.

We did a survey and everything checked out good. The property has a single wide (she is looking forward to fixing it, her HGTV project), a 3/4 of an acre spring fed pond (with big bass in it from what the neighbor has told me). It has two wells, electricity, and a septic tank already in the area. We've seen deer every day we've been there and that is a great sign. There are about 3 acres that are cleared, and the rest is a combination of hard wood with some scattered pines. I noticed a lot of oak trees, and some very mature trees, which will feed/keep the deer in the area. We need to clear the area from overgrown (not managed) grass and try to keep it looking clean. There are some mature peach and pear trees on the property already.

Yesterday we did the closing, and in 5 years this land will be ours. To say that we are excited is an understatement. I know 26 acres it's not much, but with the cost of land, this was enough for us to enjoy and hopefully pass it on to our kids or grandkids. Wish us luck in our new adventure. :)



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Picture of the boundary of the property.


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Our little pond. Wife is already planning on a sitting area so I can sit there relax and smoke a cigar. I love the way she thinks. :ROFLMAO:


The next two pictures are of the trailer and the property looking North. This is when it was cleared, not looking like that now, lots of overgrown stuff.

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Congratulations!!! I manage a large deer club in Alabama if I can be of any service on management advice let me know. I don’t know it all but we do well enough at the end of the day. I also manage 2 bass ponds one 11 acres one about 9 acres. It’s fun!
 
I believe you can get triploid crappie , they are unable to reproduce, so it’s basically put and take even though the crappie will compete with smaller bass.
Like you stated, the key to having a trophy bass pond is keeping the population in check. Lots of people refuse to kill enough bass.
That would make the difference for sure!!
 
Congrats bud!
 
Well, yesterday, my wife, my friend Willie, someone we hired to help clear out the area and myself went to the property to clear out some of the overgrown stuff around the buildings. The individual we hired got a little lawn mower and opened up a path so my wife could walk up the trailer without having to walk in waist high grass. She is very short. :ROFLMAO:

While we were doing that my friend Willie showed up with his tractor and bushhog to get some of the bigger stuff taken care of. In the meantime, he wanted to see the buildings and I was showing him the trailer and the surrounding structures. We were walking outside through a covered area towards this covered room between some barrels when I noticed something on the ground. I jumped back and my friend Willie almost had a heart attack. A big old Timber Rattle snake was less than 1 1/2 ft from my left foot, and my right foot was about to step right on it. Fortunately, I always look down when I'm in the woods and saw it before I took the step. Stepping on this big snake would have made it into a painful and interesting day. My wife said that she believes I have a Guardian Angel looking after me. I've had some close calls with snakes, but this one has been the closest I've come to stepping on one and potential getting bit.

My friend Willie (who hates, and it's petrified of them) had reached and had his hand on his Glock and was yelling at me to get out of the way so he could shoot it. Without a word, I reached out and picked up this baby size hoe and used it to hold the snake's head and proceeded to grab it. By this Willie is going bunkers and is yelling at me for grabbing the snake, and my wife had heard all the commotions and came out running just to see me holding the snake. She started yelling at me for holding the snake, and what I was planning on doing with it. When I said I was going to release it in the woods, they both went ballistic, and Willie was telling to drop it so he can shoot it. :ROFLMAO: So, I laughed and told him that I've had seen how bad of a shot he was, and the snake would probably laugh at both of us. BTW, I'm actually enjoying this fiasco, and after a bit, I decided to kill the snake. I believe a bit of persuasion from my wife, and something along the line of where I was planning on spending the night, probably made me change my mind. :ROFLMAO: BTW, you all remember from previous posts that I like snakes. I always had snakes as a kid and into my adult life, and I don't like killing them.

So, I killed the snake and proceeded to skinned it, and of course my wife (who is prettified of snakes too) was having a fit over me skinning the snake and what I was planning on doing with the skin, etc, etc. I told her it was the first kill of the property, and we need it to keep it as a good luck charm. I'm not sure she bought my BS, but she shook her head and went back into the safety of trailer.

We trimmed around the trailer, cut some trees, my friend Willie mowed with his Bush Hog, and we did a good dent on clearing out the area. Luckily without any further encounters of this type. My wife cleaned the trailer, and boy what a difference it did. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we do not have a timeline and plan on tackling one section at a time.

We met some of the neighbor including the one across the road, and as it turns out, his sister was the listing agent for the property (small world). They seem like a nice couple and hope to build a good friendship with them.

Here are some pictures of the encounter.

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snake 3 copy.jpg


snake.jpg


snake 5.jpg
 
First Trophy off of the new ground!
Good looking snake, I try not to kill poisonous snakes unless they are too close to the house, they do a lot to keep the rodents down. You probably have copperheads as well.
 
Well, yesterday, my wife, my friend Willie, someone we hired to help clear out the area and myself went to the property to clear out some of the overgrown stuff around the buildings. The individual we hired got a little lawn mower and opened up a path so my wife could walk up the trailer without having to walk in waist high grass. She is very short. :ROFLMAO:

While we were doing that my friend Willie showed up with his tractor and bushhog to get some of the bigger stuff taken care of. In the meantime, he wanted to see the buildings and I was showing him the trailer and the surrounding structures. We were walking outside through a covered area towards this covered room between some barrels when I noticed something on the ground. I jumped back and my friend Willie almost had a heart attack. A big old Timber Rattle snake was less than 1 1/2 ft from my left foot, and my right foot was about to step right on it. Fortunately, I always look down when I'm in the woods and saw it before I took the step. Stepping on this big snake would have made it into a painful and interesting day. My wife said that she believes I have a Guardian Angel looking after me. I've had some close calls with snakes, but this one has been the closest I've come to stepping on one and potential getting bit.

My friend Willie (who hates, and it's petrified of them) had reached and had his hand on his Glock and was yelling at me to get out of the way so he could shoot it. Without a word, I reached out and picked up this baby size hoe and used it to hold the snake's head and proceeded to grab it. By this Willie is going bunkers and is yelling at me for grabbing the snake, and my wife had heard all the commotions and came out running just to see me holding the snake. She started yelling at me for holding the snake, and what I was planning on doing with it. When I said I was going to release it in the woods, they both went ballistic, and Willie was telling to drop it so he can shoot it. :ROFLMAO: So, I laughed and told him that I've had seen how bad of a shot he was, and the snake would probably laugh at both of us. BTW, I'm actually enjoying this fiasco, and after a bit, I decided to kill the snake. I believe a bit of persuasion from my wife, and something along the line of where I was planning on spending the night, probably made me change my mind. :ROFLMAO: BTW, you all remember from previous posts that I like snakes. I always had snakes as a kid and into my adult life, and I don't like killing them.

So, I killed the snake and proceeded to skinned it, and of course my wife (who is prettified of snakes too) was having a fit over me skinning the snake and what I was planning on doing with the skin, etc, etc. I told her it was the first kill of the property, and we need it to keep it as a good luck charm. I'm not sure she bought my BS, but she shook her head and went back into the safety of trailer.

We trimmed around the trailer, cut some trees, my friend Willie mowed with his Bush Hog, and we did a good dent on clearing out the area. Luckily without any further encounters of this type. My wife cleaned the trailer, and boy what a difference it did. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we do not have a timeline and plan on tackling one section at a time.

We met some of the neighbor including the one across the road, and as it turns out, his sister was the listing agent for the property (small world). They seem like a nice couple and hope to build a good friendship with them.

Here are some pictures of the encounter.

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Get a belt made from that sucker
 
That really will make quite a beautiful skin. You barely owned the property a week, and you already have a hunting story to tell. :LOL:

On a serious note, I can see not wanting to kill a snake like that because they will do a better job of keeping the rodent population in check than any cat.
 
Exactly how I feel about the snakes. They usually avoid confrontation and run away. Unfortunately my wife was not buying my logic.

Oh yes Copper Heads, Moccasins and Coral Snakes too. Plus Indigo, Kings and many others. :ROFLMAO: (y)
 
Copperheads and Rattlers usually aren't aggressive. Moccasins on the other hand, gotta go.

1000% accurate statements. Mocs are aggressive and territorial, and will come looking for a fight. Luckily they like wet/swampy areas, and hopefully not around the pond. :ROFLMAO:
 
Exactly how I feel about the snakes. They usually avoid confrontation and run away. Unfortunately my wife was not buying my logic.

Oh yes Copper Heads, Moccasins and Coral Snakes too. Plus Indigo, Kings and many others. :ROFLMAO: (y)

With indigos and kings around the poisonous ones better watch out! They do a great job on their populations in check.
I catch every king snake I come across and liberate it at my house. Cottonmouth encounters have gone way down since I started doing this, plus the addition of a chihuahua rescue that thinks she’s 10 feet tall and bullet proof! She takes out on average 1 cottonmouth every 2 weeks.
 
^^^. Exactly, great snakes to have around.
They do a great job on keeping the venomous snakes in check. (y)
 
With indigos and kings around the poisonous ones better watch out! They do a great job on their populations in check.
I catch every king snake I come across and liberate it at my house. Cottonmouth encounters have gone way down since I started doing this, plus the addition of a chihuahua rescue that thinks she’s 10 feet tall and bullet proof! She takes out on average 1 cottonmouth every 2 weeks.
I know Dachshunds and other small breeds think they can take on anything, but not a Chihuahua! :LOL:
 
No way I can let poisonous snakes go. I turkey hunt way too much. I go out of my way to kill them. I have around 5 venomous snake close encounters each year.
 
That’s a pretty canebreak. Glad all ended well. It should make a real pretty hide.
 
No way I can let poisonous snakes go. I turkey hunt way too much. I go out of my way to kill them. I have around 5 venomous snake close encounters each year.

Never fails during Turkey season, they are just getting out of hibernation and looking for food. Prob why you have those encounters.

My wife wants me to get a pair of snake boots. Ok, more like “you will get a pair of snake boots”. :ROFLMAO: So, I’ll be shopping for boots :D
 
Edit: There is something very satisfying about killing deer on your own place. The caveat is you may turn into an old man (like I did) prematurely. I purchased a beautiful ranch in the Texas hill country with my dad in 2004. I don't think I have shot a deer there since I turned 40. Again, premature old man syndrome.

I’m in the stages of “Old man” on my place also. (Regarding the killing of bucks)

Is it really becoming "an old man"? Or is it a change in perspective based on your new role and relationship with the land?

Hunting on public land (or even on private lands where you have permissions), you are essentially a consumer with little or no say over how the land and its wildlife are managed. But as a landowner, you now have responsibility for everything from land utilization to water and soil conservation, to (within limits) the management of the plant and animal life which are found on that land.

For example on my own place, there are occasional bucks which should be culled from the gene pool, and consequently became the focus of that season. Otherwise, I'm usually going to take a young meat doe or button-buck. Although there are two specific bucks which if they happen to wander across my sights....... :P Elmer Fudd:

Rather than "old man," I would suggest that there is a significant change in perspective, attitude, and responsibility which takes place following the transition from being a land-user to being a land-owner.
 
Is it really becoming "an old man"? Or is it a change in perspective based on your new role and relationship with the land?

Hunting on public land (or even on private lands where you have permissions), you are essentially a consumer with little or no say over how the land and its wildlife are managed. But as a landowner, you now have responsibility for everything from land utilization to water and soil conservation, to (within limits) the management of the plant and animal life which are found on that land.

For example on my own place, there are occasional bucks which should be culled from the gene pool, and consequently became the focus of that season. Otherwise, I'm usually going to take a young meat doe or button-buck. Although there are two specific bucks which if they happen to wander across my sights....... :P Elmer Fudd:

Rather than "old man," I would suggest that there is a significant change in perspective, attitude, and responsibility which takes place following the transition from being a land-user to being a land-owner.
Make no mistake about it. It is becoming an old man. :-).

Sincerely,

Old Man
 
Never fails during Turkey season, they are just getting out of hibernation and looking for food. Prob why you have those encounters.

My wife wants me to get a pair of snake boots. Ok, more like “you will get a pair of snake boots”. :ROFLMAO: So, I’ll be shopping for boots :D

I do wear them in turkey season sneaking in the swamp before daylight.

Danner makes a good pair that will last, break in easy and won't break the bank.
 

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