fly Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 After many many years of waiting until the right time the good Lord has finally blessed me with deer hunting property to call my own. I choose to buy instead of lease because I'm tired of losing ground to hunt on after spending money and time getting it set up for hunting. My 32.49 acres of ground is in the west-central part of Illinois. There is a county road that ends at the access to the property which means I will not need to pay for road maintenance. There is electric and water going to the property (should I ever decide to build). I can't wait to start putting in a trail system and tree stands for this coming autumn. It is a dream come true for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 Man, that is awesome Frank! Congrats! Looks like a great piece of ground for your family to hunt on. Is that a little creek that runs through it? One of these days hopefully I can get my own little chunk of ground and do the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 Looks like a nice property Frank. Congratulations and best of luck with it. Only thing more rewarding when it comes to hunting than taking deer off the property you own is seeing the rewards of your work pay off for your kids. All but given up on adding to our existing property. Been looking some at trying to find another farm here, one of these days maybe will find the right one to fit our needs that we can afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted February 21, 2019 Report Share Posted February 21, 2019 Congratulations! A little slice of America for you. Awesome. Looks like a few various elevations and a stream running through. How far from home? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdoc Posted February 22, 2019 Report Share Posted February 22, 2019 congrats on your new land. No doubt you will enjoy having your own place, todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammerforged Posted February 22, 2019 Report Share Posted February 22, 2019 Congratulations - great looking property. Best of luck - Safe Hunting - Good Harvest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted February 22, 2019 Report Share Posted February 22, 2019 Congratulations Frank! Awesome!!! Nice being at the end of a dead end county road too. That should help reduce disturbance to your property...unwanted guest too. Looks like you have multiple options for stands for different winds too. Hope you can annually bag a bigun there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted February 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 Thanks everyone! Tim... yes, there is a creek that runs from the north east corner to the south west corner. I went on a day it was raining and had been raining for 2 days. Creeks were up everywhere. This creek has a couple places it might be a couple feet deep but plenty of places to easily jump across or ride an ATV through. Flooding will not be an issue. Tim, I hope you're able to one day. William... yes, my son and I will be working together on this property. I bought a tree identification book to help us figure out which ones to cut and which to leave. In addition... he's a junior in high school and has expressed an interest to go into forestry. Adam... I timed it during the day (most traffic) and it took 39 minutes to get from my driveway to the parking area at the property. In the early morning's I figure it'll take 30-35 minutes. Al, yes... I'm having the place re-staked by a surveyor as it would appear there is a ridge tip located at the north and south borders that will make great stand locations. Additionally, the east border has at least 3 great locations for a stand on the high ground. I don't like hunting bottom areas much due to swirling winds. I'm thinking about making a 5 acre sanctuary in the very center of the property (see square in picture below). I'm considering hinge cutting a lot of the 5 acre sanctuary to allow sunlight to enter the forest floor and create a thick bedding area. I figure deer will like to bed on the down slope of that ridge in the square. The orange arrow lines would be trails I would make and the numbers are 10 possible stand locations. I'll likely only get about 3-4 fixed position stands up for this fall but will use my climbers until I figure out the deer travel routes. I'm not going to get in a hurry but possibly put in a 1-2 acre clover plot in the red circle area. It'll be fun trying to make improvements. If anyone has other suggestions I'm all ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 That is awesome! 40 mins tops from the house. You will be able to use the land a lot more than another property far away, and you do not even have to sleep there being it is so close to home. Will you be leaving it empty and looking to obtain a AG exemption to keep the taxes low? Or plan on building there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted February 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 I'll plan to place it in a tree program to keep taxes under 100.00 per year. Won't build for a long time but maybe one day. Perhaps a get-a-away cabin. Showed it to my son today. Here are some pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted February 23, 2019 Report Share Posted February 23, 2019 The rubs look promising and there are plenty of Oaks. I am happy for you. Best of times are ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 Wow! The pictures really make that place look great. The creek is a big plus. With that topography that ground will hunt bigger than it really is. It has some great draws, ridges, and funnels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultradog Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 I am very happy for you Frank. That looks like a great place and you have lots of ways to develop it for white tails. Maybe I missed it but do you have any tillable land? It doesn't take a lot for deer plots. Oh, and now you'll need an old tractor. They are more useful in the woods than a 4 wheeler. Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkoholic Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 That's great! Looks like a few good stand locations and the idea of a bedding area near the center of the property is an excellent thought. Enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted February 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2019 "Maybe I missed it but do you have any tillable land? " Currently there is about a 1 acre section (the red oval) that is tillable. It was marketed to be a building location but I'll probably place it in clover this summer. Yes, I need to get a small tractor with as opposed to a 4 wheeler. I've heard they are more stable on uneven terrain and better for managing the food plots. There is another smaller flat spot (below the number 2) that I could create a small food plot on after clearing some trees but that's down the road. There are corn and bean fields all around, but no late season foods which is what I'd focus on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted February 27, 2019 Report Share Posted February 27, 2019 congrats FranK! Like that the creek runs entirely diagnaly through property. Another plus I see is several field points contact the property line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted February 27, 2019 Report Share Posted February 27, 2019 CONGRATS !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best investment you can ever make !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted February 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2019 Thanks again to the new comers! Can’t wait to do some morel hunting in April and just spending some spring afternoons in a stand observing. If I’m fortunate enough to take a deer it’ll be posted right here! Probably the sweetest meat I’ll ever eat. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted February 28, 2019 Report Share Posted February 28, 2019 Frank...I can tell you the feeling you get, when you finally kill something on YOUR property in immense. I had mine this past December. Bought my little slice of heaven in Texas six years ago and I let everyone and their mother shoot stuff on my land...BUT me. I finally was able to get down there for Whitetail season and was able to shoot a small 8. I was antsy to get something on my land after waiting so long to do it myself. You sound very excited. I am happy for you. Hope you have great neighbors. They are factors in making all of the good stuff happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted February 28, 2019 Report Share Posted February 28, 2019 The more you show us the better your place looks Frank. With those ag fields on your borders no doubt the deer are gonna be there. That is a heck of a find. Clovers do well but you may consider soybeans and leave them standing. As season gets going and crops around you come out deer will find them. You can also broadcast a winter grain in over the beans in late September that continues growing into the winter. Property around here has gotten out of control. Land that really has no use but hunting fetches insane money, wish Catrina and I had bought more back in the 90's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted March 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2019 (edited) Glad it worked out for you on your own ground Adam! Thanks for the tips William. It'll be a steep learning curve for a guy with little farming knowledge and experience. Here in IL hunting land prices are the lowest they have been in the last 15 years. The fiscal irresponsibility of the legislature in this state has seen a rapid outflow of people which is one of the primary reasons. I also don't think the younger generation has as much interest. Does anyone have a recommendation on tractor size for a piece of property like this? Looking for something to cut and work the 1 acre field, cut trails through the forest, and get my deer out with. My thoughts would be a sub-compact or compact tractor with a pull behind brush hog and a front loader. Edited March 4, 2019 by fly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultradog Posted March 4, 2019 Report Share Posted March 4, 2019 Giving advice on what tractor to buy is a little like giving advice on what house to buy. Without knowing your budget we're not going to be able to give you any meaningful advice. I am into old tractors and with 4 tractors of my own and upwards of 30K posts on various tractor forums flatter myself by thinking I know a bit about them. Old tractors are cheap but you need to be a guy who can at least install new distributer points in one, change a water pump, convert one to 12 Volts or rebuild a carburator. If you can't (or won't) you are better off buying a newer machine. I know far less about newer machines but still probably more than most guys and could give you some advice on horsepower needs and brands to look for. I see a lot of people try to do the logging, mowing, deer plot stuff with a 4 wheeler which they really aren't designed for. So they wear out an $8K machine in pretty short order. An old $2K tractor will do WAY more work than a 4 wheeler and do it for years and years without breaking it or wearing it out. I would be glad to help if I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted March 4, 2019 Report Share Posted March 4, 2019 10 hours ago, fly said: Does anyone have a recommendation on tractor size for a piece of property like this? Looking for something to cut and work the 1 acre field, cut trails through the forest, and get my deer out with. My thoughts would be a sub-compact or compact tractor with a pull behind brush hog and a front loader. Honestly Frank, I would not suggest a subcompact at all for what you are looking at doing, I doubt given the weight of them that one would be as effective for with front end loader for the purposes you mention. I have both a subcompact 23 hp diesel kubota bx series, and a mid sized 47 hp kubota diesel m series, and if it were me again I would not get the subcompact but would rather have gotten a compact. My bx is pretty well used for mowing the yard and some other odds and ends stuff. For what you want to do, I think a minimum of a 30 horse machine would be my suggestion which puts you more into a smaller mid sized machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted March 4, 2019 Report Share Posted March 4, 2019 Another thing to note. If you are looking at going with something new, usually around July into the end of the summer many dealers will do specials and often will run 0 percent financing. Shop around too, call or email on same models and get out the door prices. We got our little bx well below the normal price at that time and took advantage of a 0 apr 3 year loan. If you will be in a qualifying ag program you may not have to pay sales tax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted March 4, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2019 It'll be at least a year before I buy a tractor. Will borrow my friends for this year. Not exactly sure but I believe it is a 40hp LS (might be bigger). My thinking is a 40hp more tractor is more than I need but we will see. I don't know squat about fixing tractors so it'll have to be a newer machine. One question I've tried to find an answer to and have not been successful is related to pull behind brush hogging. I've seen the ride over rotary blade cutters on the newer tractors. Are these just for mowing the lawn every week or two or can they be used to cut brush? When I say brush I mean the weeds and vegetation that grow around field edges and on trails after an initial removal of the trees 1 inch in diameter or bigger. I would plan on cutting this brush once every 2 months during the growing season (May - August). I would assume a pull behind rotor cutter a little wider than the tractor is preferred but maybe not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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