It’s hunting season in western Montana right now. I was kinda hoping that by the time hunting season rolled around this year I would have a piece of property that I could throw a tent on for a weekend and do little hunting. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that this is going to be in the cards for this hunting season. I am, however, very much planning on being on my own little hunting area next season.
How’s the property hunting coming? Well, I had a sudden and unexpected financial obligation come up and until I get that resolved I am not comfortable pulling the trigger on a piece of property. I hope to have the issue resolved in a few weeks, but by then hunting season will be in the rearview mirror.
And while Im on the subject of getting this land thing finished, I need to drop some coin and buy an ATV of some flavor and, probably, a snowmobile of some kind as well. Since virtually all of the properties I have been looking at are in places where road maintenance is a quaint theory I need to have the ability to get in and out of the area. And, on this matter, everyone…and I mean everyone….has an opinion. Get a four-wheeler and snowmobile. Get a side-by-side and a track/tread conversion for winter. Get a four-wheeler and a set of chains. Get a side-by-side and a snowmobile. Etc, etc. I mean there’s all sorts of combinations of these and every possible combination has its supporters and detractors. Clearly I need to do a good bit of independent research and make my own informed opinion.
And, naturally, it doesnt stop there. There’s a tremendous amount of things that need to be purchased in anticipation. Most notably tools, implements, and a whole library of how-to, instruction, and technical books. Fortunately, in the circles I travel in I have associates and friends in fields of expertise that can give me some information and ideas. But theres always something that I’m ignorant of and that I don’t know anyone who is well-informed. And although I try to avoid putting the cart before the horse, I can’t see much reason not to have certain materials, equipment, and supplies tucked away. And, of course, theres the other things I need to have lined up that you can’t just order of Amazon….things like sourcing a real estate trust lawyer, finding someone to do a survey and maps, that sort of thing.
But, when its all done, I really really hope it’ll be the quiet little hidden private oasis that I daydream about. I guess we’ll see. Gotta get the finances straightened out first.
Yeah in my 80 acres in northern WI I have found an ATV to be a must have item and my Honda Rincon has done excellent derive for me. I also have a sled but lately WI winters have been surprisingly threadbare in terms of snow in winter . Trails were barely open but a few days last 2 winters.
On the hunting thing. Doesn’t your rural area by you have lots of public/BLM to hunt? I’m surprised if it doesn’t. Very close to my 80 I’ve got thousands acres of public forests open for hunting.
Oh theres plenty of public land to hunt on, but I like the idea of dropping a little tent and Jetboil down on a plot of dirt and knowing its only me, me, me there for the weekend.
I won’t give you an opinion, just mention that the tilt bed on our 1000 cc side-by-side is super useful for transport and work. It’s like a mini dump truck and carries a surprising amount of firewood or gear up the or down mountain. It will also tow my splitter or a small trailer.
Since getting it, I no longer use my wheelbarrow except for mixing concrete or cleaning out the chicken coop.
When it comes to a vehicle, can’t beat an enclosed cab with climate control. Too wet and too cold can be fatal, so can too hot and too dry. Here in our neck of the woods it can be way below freezing or 115 degrees F. The old ’69 Ford Bronco that I paid $1500 for was the answer to a lot of problems.
snow mobiles and 4 wheelers are nice, I never had anyone of those, but I do have a 4 wheel drive Yanmar tractor, with pretty much all the attachments that can be had, I can push and throw snow, load logs and brush, load gravel and dirt, smooth out the lane, pick up pallets, the only thing that I do not have and wish that I did have is a backhoe for it. Good luck on your search!
Yeah, man…a backhoe would be a big ‘nice to have’.
Back hoe ona tractor – save money- it’s too much of a compromise – get a small/mini excavator with a thumb !
If you get a backhoe of any type, get one with a thumb….it triples (or more) the utility of it.
Well if you see a deal and have the means, I’d get the 4 wheeler if one comes up. You can always sell it later if it’s not what you need. From our experience, a mid size 4WD is really useful. Can do some work, small enough to get in tight places and can store it in the shed or garage. Lots of accessories – trailer, winch, plow. My neighbors SXS can’t get on my trails, it’s too tall and wide.
Snowmobile is good for access and transport, but won’t do as much work.
I would start looking at your local/government auctions. Amazing what you can find for cheap when the government is selling off your tax $$$. Just need to be willing to fix some stuff.
Picked up a 6 seat Ranger UTV with spare tracks for $5500. Needed stator
Pallet of barbed wire for $330.
Remote control tracked hillside mower (remote gun station 🙂 ) $500
Lumber for $.20 on the dollar.
Just need a trailer big enough to haul the stuff, and space to store it.
My two cents? Get a 4-wheeler and a trailer. Used, from Craigslist. Spend some time over the winter now going through it and fixing that which requires fixing: Usually starting with removing and cleaning the carb if so equipped, setting the valves, oil and filter, air and fuel filter, etc.
Lots of YT vids on how to do all this: One channel I like is https://www.youtube.com/@2vintage This kid is not a parts cannoneer at all.
Can’t go wrong with getting a good chainsaw now. Even if land is a year away, you can still have it to clear storm debris at your current location or to aid your LMI’s.
I bought a Stihl 20 years ago and it takes abuse like a Cuban welterweight. I bought all manner of spares but quite frankly, other than the spark plug, the only real maint I have ever needed to do was take it apart, blast it out with an air compressor, grease it up like a Greek Boy Scout and was good to go. I probably should replace the bar as it’s getting long in the tooth, but……
NurseDaddy
Nurse Daddy:
“grease it up like a Greek Boy Scout”
I did not need that image in my head. Trying to eat, here. Funny, though. May have to steal it.
With eight grandchildren, I don’t find chomo humor funny at all.
President chomo is normalizing diddler behavior. Release the files!
Hunting started (gun not bow) in our corner of the Ozarks on Saturday Nov 8. Yesterday I stepped out on the porch to get more wood for the woodstove and heard frantic barking and yelping down in the woods. We are blessed to own about 78 wooded acres on a fairly steep ridge side, and the dogs could well have been on our land. We are pro hunting but don’t do any of our own at present – I feed the deer because I like seeing them in the yard, and I’m continuing a tradition begun in the mid ’90s by the original owner and developer of the property.
Anyhow, about five minutes after I went back inside, I saw a large buck – one I’ve seen at my feeding bowls many times – slowly walk out of the tree line into our yard. But not to eat – he just lay down for a while to rest. And I’m glad yesterday wasn’t his time, although I know it will likely be in the coming weeks.
Opinions are like… Well, we’ll keep this family friendly – everyone has one, except for those who have two or more.
Personally, I find a side by side more useful than a 4 wheeler, especially one with a bed on it. But it will depend, alot, on what property you end up with.
I suggest waiting until you have the property to buy major items, unless you come across a screaming deal as mentioned above.
I’d also look closely at fencing and access control, especially if the property has been vacant for years. When I bought my place I had to push back on some people to cut down on cross traffic after years of ownership by an old lady.
Might want to watch Christmas/ New Year’s sales for the equipment you need. It never hurts to stock up, especially barbed wire on sale. Every prepper should have a couple rolls.
Yeah, access is something I’ve given a lot of thought to, as well as security options. I have seismic intrusion detectors, as well as the usual camera arrays, but I’m definitely going to be heading in the discreet-but-quite-stout gate crossing the two access points. I’m keeping my eyes open on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for the larger-ticket items.
Which seismic detectors do you use?
A few TRC-3 amd some older Vietnam Era sets that came with a buncha extra geophones that can be repurposed for some really nasty surprises.
And, naturally, it doesnt stop there. There’s a tremendous amount of things that need to be purchased in anticipation. Most notably tools, implements, and a whole library of how-to, instruction, and technical books.
As a cyber guy I will chip in my 2 cents on this. Naturally you will want your Elon Musk approved, spaceX made, Starlink. If it goes down, you won’t need to waste power on it, but as long as someone is running the satellites, it might be handy.
Something far easier and cheaper. Get an old mobile phone or tablet with an SD slot. Get a little solar panel attached to a recharge bank, think like Anker has them under $100 now. Download the software and books off the internet now, and put them on the SD card. That little solar panel will get you enough charge in an hour or two to run your tablet or phone for a day. Presto, you will have access to every book ever written. Make copies. SD cards are cheap.
The software I recommend is open source – called https://kiwix.org/ – gives you access to wikipedia offline – obviously only to the last version you downloaded – but if you need to know about honey bees or something and lack a book, it is useful. Tons of places to get actual e-books online for free like https://archive.org/ – storage is cheap and mini pc’s and tablets and phones do not need a lot of power. Solar panels that come hooked to energy banks are cheap and work. That is my fairly low cost, nice to have if the world ends suggestion.
Best of luck on your search finding the future Zero home base
Look for an old Case 580 backhoe, or the John Deere equivalent. You will be able to maintain the road, and do endless projects around your place.
As security will eventually be an issue…something I’ve saved…
https://dishycentral.com/solar-power-for-starlink
I will also unreservedly recommend the books(Vol 1 and 2) Escape The City.
https://a.co/d/7JsZDLG
It will all come together faster than you think – the more you plan and have ready for the First Month Owner days the easier it will be to actually BE on-site, comfortably, and able to take on tasking that are first in priority.