Effective signs?

[Jeff]

I did a little diving in the St Marys river up near Sault Saint Marie...how far are you from that, Jeff?

Not far at all. The river is less then two miles as the crow flies, the "Soo" is about a 45 minute drive and the closest thing to a "city". That is they have more then one gas station and a walmart.  :D

[Patty]

 8) 8) Congratulations!   I am so happy for you both. The land looks absolutely beautiful, and I know you will love caring for it. What an adventure!

I wish you both the best. 

[OneWithWood]

I would not waste any time.  Get started immediately on the piggy roast accomodations.  You can trailer your cottage up there this weekend and start laying out the campgrounds, restroom facilities, bluegrass jam circle, tall tale tellin' circle (better make it real big), gossip circle for all the better halves and of course the foodmizer serving line.  Who knows maybe this year's roast will be the last for Harrison and some folk may be willing to travel up north after the roast to help put the finishing touches on the new facilities.
You can always start on your mansion later.  :D
Yooper land ain't never goin' to be the same.

[Jeff]

Maybe we should have a timber frame raising party!    Everybody bring a mill to cut a timber. Get her all cut in a couple hours.

[OneWithWood]

Hmmm.  Sounds like a good time to me  8).  Is there a big open field nearby that the owner would not mind a few mills setting up in?  Maybe you could host the Great Lakes Congress and get some manufactures to harvest, buck and make timbers for you.  ;)

[SwampDonkey]

I would not waste any time.  Get started immediately on the piggy roast accomodations.  ........tall tale tellin' circle (better make it real big), gossip circle for all the better halves and of course the foodmizer serving line.  ...... Yooper land ain't never goin' to be the same.

:D :D :D :D

[Jeff]

I have about 800 feet by 100 feet of power-line right of way that I plan on "farming". That oughta do it!


This will be one of my first chores. Killing and removal of this heavy impossible to walk through grass. There were new power poles put up a few years ago and the power company put some pretty nasty ruts down through there. Probably to nasty to just go in and brush hog it. I'm going to get a copy of the easement and see what it says about the leasing company's responsibility for that. They may not have any I guess, but then again...

[Kevin]

Leave the deep ruts and start a cemetary for trespassers. ;D

[SwampDonkey]

Borrow some goats for a couple months for the grass problem. Might even attract some bears with the goats. ;D  :D

[Burlkraft]

Might even attract some bears with the goats. ;D  :D

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D.....That ain't ever goin' away...... :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Mooseherder]

I've had goats. They eat trees too. :(

[Sprucegum]

Bears will eat more grass than goats will  ;D

Bears like oats , stooked or in a swathe. Goats like young poplars.

And thats all I have to say about that.

[Tom]

What's the grass?   It might be forage for something too if you manage it.  Get rid of it all at once and you may end up with a mud bog.

Maybe you should consider a truck farm.  Wildlife has always been a challenge to truck farmers.

No, dang-it!   I don't mean to plant chevy's and Fords.  What I mean is to plant something for ourself instead of for the wildlife.  They won't appreciate what you plant for them but will tear into anything you plant for yourself.  :P :D

[Jeff]

Nothing eats it that I know of. It grows up tall, then lays flat to the first snow, doesnt seem to rot and is about impossible to walk through either when its standing or a flat tangle. While hunting I walked inside the woods rather then the powerline. Deer would only cross it in certain spots where the grass was thinner.  As far as I can see it's worthless, but I figure Ron can help me decide that for sure.

I do plan on planting something that would be more of a human plant. CORN!  On the end of the line near the road about 6 or 8 rows to block the view by vehicles during hunting season, and also a couple of divider rows in other places to block the view of the bucks from seeing does in the food plots I plan.  I dont want a buck coming to the end and looking the length to view the menu, and then going on to the neighbors place. I want him to have to travel mine to check several spots.

I'll probably also plant turnips and rape and clover.

[Tom]

I ate some rape that a customer's wife fixed one day.  It was good. MMM  Like collards, but milder.  I'll bet you can grow the fool out of cherry tomatoes there.  They tend to come back next year too. ;D

Sounds like you need a little tractor.  8)

[Jeff]

I really do need one and running yours this past week sure made me wish I had one.

[Norm]

It sounds like you have canary grass growing there. We have it along our crick and it's very invasive. The only thing I've found that works is to kill it with roundup in the spring and replant with a grass that's native to your area. Even then it's a fight to keep it from coming back.

[Jeff]

It could be Norm. I heard this stuff referred to as elephant grass but I don't think thats right. I'll see if I can get some pictures of the dead stuff when we go up tomorrow and see if we can identify the stuff.

[Kevin]

What ever you plant the utility will most likely spray it.

[Ron Scott]

Yes, Jeff will need to check out the utility rights-of-way terms and try to establish a partnership with them for agreed upon vegetation management if possible. He might be able to gate the rights-of-way access with a joint locking system as was previously mentioned.

One needs to get to know the local utility maintenance supervisor. Some are very good to work with when the landowner shows an interest and concern and then others are "not so good". A dialog needs to be established here especially when there seems to have been such a long absence of any management presence on the property over the years.

[Gary_C]

Congratulations again on your new property purchase, but condolences too if you will have to join us poor souls on dial up internet service. I am only 6.5 miles from town (32,000 feet from the main office) and my dial up service is getting worse every day. I leave it connected most all the time, but when I try to use it, it drops me.

There are no broadband providers with a signal in my area either.

Hope you have something available better than my service.   :(

[Jeff]

Gary_C, lack of an adequate internet connection would definitely have an effect and be a deciding factor on us making a permanent move up there at this point. There are options to dial up but not cheap.  The Forum and my other website work insists on my having a fast connection or I wouldn't be able to do the things I do. Digital cell phone broadband is an increasing likely hood as alltel is supposed to be upgrading their system through the North. Harold Bobo and I were able to get on the forum from the cabin with a simple cell phone connection last fall, but it was as slow as dialup.

[WDH]

Down here, power line ROW's are very commonly planted in wildlife food plots.  If the area is kept well maintained and in grain/corn/sorghum etc., these areas do not get sprayed.  In fact, it saves the power line company a lot of money if the landowner keeps the woody stuff at bay.

[Tim L]

Congrats Jeff !!!

I'll bet you have planned cabins etc. 50 different ways by now !

[LT40HDD51]

Congrats on the land purchase, boss. Feels good, dont it?  ;)

Im in much the same boat, just bought 36 acres from my girlfriends grandparents. River front, lots of nice mature pine and hemlock. Right in the middle of town, too, and I'm having problems with people thinking its public land and using it as a dog park/atv trail. Im planning gates right away (get the Lathe-Mizer wound up  ;D), and some kind of signs.

I sawed for a guy at his cabin at a lake out in the middle of nowhere. Hes had no trouble with burglars but the neighbours on both sides have both been cleaned out at least once. He has signs on the front and back of his cabin and his small garage saying:

"Property protected by "personal security system". Owner is hereby not liable for any personal injury obtained on the property in his absence. Signed: owners name"

Seems to work good. He didnt have anything set up to maim anyone, by the way, but the idea of some old crazy nut with something geared up to damage trespassers is enough to make the theives move on to the next cabin... I think if the gates and signs dont work I'll bolt a big old bear trap to one of the gateposts with a sign like that one. Should do the trick... ;D