Elbert Co, Ga

[whiskeybent]

I have looked off and on for a piece of land for quite a few years now to call my own. Land was out there, but it was either too high priced or it just didn't tickle my fancy. I wanted mature timber, pasture, fields I could plant and water. That's a hard combination for a man on a tight budget, most everything around here in my budget is either young pines or clearcut. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it just wasn't what I wanted.

I finally found the piece of property I was looking for last July, 40 miles from my house. It's close enough to get there but far enough away to stay there for however long I can. I closed on it a short 30 days later and the rest is history. All the neighbors are fairly good-sized property owners, so I don't have to worry about 30 different land owners slipping over shooting my place up and stealing my tractor when I'm not there.

The few neighbors that are close by have came by to visit and see what I've done with the place and they have all seemed like super nice folks, it makes me feel even better about finding this piece of land when and where I did. They've all let me know if I need anything to give them a call, whether it was a stuck tractor, or if I left and forgot to turn the water off all I had to do was call.

Here's my 241 acre place that I'll live when if I ever retire. Approx. 100 acres of regenerative pines ready for a first thin, 90 acres of hardwoods, and 50 acres of fields and bottomland with 1 mile of a good-sized creek running through it.

 

[Charlieyca]

That looks like a great property. Lots of varied habitats that will provide bedding cover and food to hold deer. Keep us updated of your plans and what you accomplish.

 

[whiskeybent]

This place had been enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program since 1981. The fields were only bushhogged once a year, and it had actually been 2+ years since they were cut when I bought it and many places it was over the hood of my tractor high. It was great cover and food and I hated to see it go but I had other plans for it.

 

[OkieKubota]

That's a nice sized piece of ground to do habitat work on...will enjoy seeing your journey on it....

 

[whiskeybent]

After 40hrs on a bushhog the first thing I had done was spread 100 tons of lime. My plan was to plow it in, little did I know it wouldn't get any rain for another 4 months. So only one 7 acre field was disked in last year.

 

[gut_pile]

Good to see you over here TP. Looking forward to following along

 

[whiskeybent]

I'm a single dad of a now 6 year old baby girl. Sooooo...things don't get done as fast as I'd like for them to when you got a youngin' tracing every step you make 7 days a week, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Most of her time when it's warm enough is spent here chasing things that swim and hop.

During deer season shes up here.

She's logged a lot of miles riding shotgun on the tractor.

She's just like her dad, she loves a good fire and generally ends up getting burnt. lol

By Sunday afternoon, she never makes the ride home awake.

 

[whiskeybent]

Good to see you over here TP. Looking forward to following along

Hey, gut! Glad to be here!

 

[whiskeybent]

I lost a ton of pics from when I bought the place til about January of this year when the daughter tried to figure out the password on my phone. After 10 unsuccessful tries it deleted everything in my phone. Might be something to check on if you have curious kids. Ha. So a lot of my work is gone but not forgotten.

 

[whiskeybent]

One of my first project was to build a barn to put a camper under and to park some equipment in. At some point I'll close it in but for now I left it open. I built it 32' x 60'. I wish I had of went a tad bigger. This summer I will move some dirt from a nearby high spot and level the floor out, I just ran out of time when I built it and moved everything in.

 

[whiskeybent]

Triple C inspired me to dig a few water holes on my place. a deer can walk 300 yards max in any direction and find water but I still found myself compelled to make some holes in the ground. I think I dug this one in early September and it sat bone dry til the next rain in December.

But, after the rains I knew it was worth it. A water hole has become one of my favorite deer attractants. They are literally using it every day.

 

[THE LLC]

Very nice. What road is your place off of? Got lots of friends with land in Elbert County. Ours is across the river in Madison County.

 

[whiskeybent]

Very nice. What road is your place off of? Got lots of friends with land in Elbert County. Ours is across the river in Madison County.

Just outside of Elberton on 72, LLC.

 

[THE LLC]

Back toward the river or toward the lake?

That's awesome you take your daughter with you. You'll never regret it. Mine's been going with me since she was two. She'll be 20 in May. Time flies, but oh the memories. Her brother will be 18 in May but he's nowhere near the hunter she is. Actually, I tell folks she's not really a hunter---more like a predator.

 

[whiskeybent]

Back toward the river or toward the lake?

That's awesome you take your daughter with you. You'll never regret it. Mine's been going with me since she was two. She'll be 20 in May. Time flies, but oh the memories. Her brother will be 18 in May but he's nowhere near the hunter she is. Actually, I tell folks she's not really a hunter---more like a predator.

Within a stones throw of the lake.

LoL.. My daughter is the same way, she's been shooting for 2 years now. I tried to get her on a deer last year but she just wasn't too confident in the shot so maybe this year will be the year.

 

[whiskeybent]

One of the first things I did was built a few tower stands and set them up on the edge of the two fields. One of the fields already had one that I bought from the guys that hunted the place in the years before I got the land. I had a buddy come by and help me stand them up. They make great places for kids to hunt.

 

[whiskeybent]

I kept meaning to tie them down but also kept putting it off. The wind really blows.

There wasn't any saving it once I drug it out of the woods and stood it back up.

 

[whiskeybent]

So I built another box, reused the metal from the previous stand and went to put it all back together. Most times I'm working by myself but I always manage to get it done. I staked them both down this time.

 

[whiskeybent]

Around January I got a wild hair to dig another water hole on one of the other fields.Unlike the first water hole which didn't get rain for months, it started raining before I could finish this one. I didn't get it as big as I wanted but it works either way.

I came back the next weekend and cleaned it up a little and spread some topsoil back over it.

 

[whiskeybent]

Like I said earlier, the water is one of my favorite deer attractants.