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Post by Foggy on May 23, 2021 20:38:51 GMT -6
So....here I find myself with a fairly nicely developed property of 110 acres of habitat for the critters. I put in a good well, put up a nice pole shed for the tractor and implements to take care of this property, I got me some grid power into the land, and a pretty nice log cabin to hang out during the season. Nine nice box blinds to hint out of. Logged it off and got some nice regrowth of a variety of timber. I've gourd out over 3000 stumps from this land to get some trial and food plots. I have about 6 to 8 acres of nice food plots to provide for the deer. I've accumulate most of the good machinery to make this property what it is. Ive worked my tail off (and so has my wife) for several years to get this property to it's current condition. More or less realized the dreams of my youth.
Now.....I'm gonna be 75 years old PDQ....and I don't much care about going forward with improvements. Not as much fun as it once was. Not that I don't care....it's just that I have lost the passion to do more and better.....and sometimes I lack the where-withall to get the job done. Yeah....I know....it's that getting old chit.
I suppose I should improve a couple of deer stands and a no-till planter would complete my dream. But, more and more, I could give two-chits about a bigger or better deer.....tho I still can feel the call of the wild at times.
I only hope that you guys can appreciate where I am at.....as I contemplate spending more time and energy to further this agenda. Both my wife and I are finding ourselves with some physical limitations and sometimes wonder "what is all about'.......as we look for easier ways of life. Some days it's not easy to saddle up any more......and it just feels better to sit back in the shade. Smile.
Maybe this is more of a "cop-out" ....or some kind of a swan song......but it seems harder to keep this dream alive.....or more to the point....do I want to?
Tomorrow we will hear from my wife's heart surgeon (she needs another heart valve replacement). I suppose that will set our sails once again.
OK....rant over.
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Post by Catscratch on May 23, 2021 21:21:19 GMT -6
Don't really give a damn about your habitat stuff, but I do wish good new for your wife. Good luck tomorrow!
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Post by sd51555 on May 23, 2021 21:24:19 GMT -6
I hit that wall 5 years ago. Ever since, I've been on a mission to squash as many chores as possible. I had reached my limit of summer spraying, spreading lime, spreading fertilizer, walk behind a mower, planting trees, moving stands, and all that shit.
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Post by Foggy on May 23, 2021 21:30:23 GMT -6
Don't really give a damn about your habitat stuff, but I do wish good new for your wife. Good luck tomorrow! Thanks Cat....this is where its "at" for me. Appreciate your thoughts.  . |
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Post by Freeborn on May 23, 2021 21:58:23 GMT -6
Good luck to you and the misses Tom, we will be thinking of you both.
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Post by nhmountains on May 23, 2021 22:02:13 GMT -6
Good luck for you and your wife tomorrow Foggy. Health is more important than habitat work or other things we do.
That said I hope I’m still out there in the woods plugging away at 75.
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Post by Sandbur on May 24, 2021 3:04:12 GMT -6
Good luck for the lovely young lady. I will pray for both of you.
As for the habitat work, it is supposed to be fun and not WORK. If you don’t want to do it, just don’t do it,
I am a big handful of years behind you, but understand how you feel. Enjoy each day for what it is. I could do much more with foodplotting and habitat work, but I just don’t want to do it. I thought I would do it after retirement, but I can enjoy the hunt without doing all of the habitat stuff.
Big bucks, well they are fun to talk about. But does another head on the wall or another rack in a pile of racks really make a difference in life? It took me a long time to realize this, 20 plus years. You can have decent hunting without all of the work. Just enjoy it.
Prayers for you and Connie!
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Post by caveman on May 24, 2021 5:03:31 GMT -6
Nothing matters more than good health, best wishes there. As far as not doing the habitat work, join the club.  If you feel the need to improve your membership in the future you could become a VIP member by selling your hunting land and only hunting public land. |
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Post by Reagan on May 24, 2021 5:14:54 GMT -6
Health is #1.
We lost my mother a week ago after a 9 year battle with cancer. It has left me thinking a lot about life and how we live it.
My parents sold their place and downsized 2 years ago. Dad didn’t like losing his property but he passed the torch. My cousin bought his old place and I bought my new place so dad still has land to work when he feels like it.
If they are interested maybe it’s time to pass the landowner torch to your kids. They do the work and you do the fun stuff when you feel like it.
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Post by terrifictom on May 24, 2021 5:30:45 GMT -6
Hoping every thing turns out well for your wife. Funny you should mention about losing the desire, I pretty much had the same thoughts as I was prepping plots Saturday by myself.Then I thought of my only 2 grandsons who are 2 years old and thought I had to keep it going for a few more years so they can enjoy it.
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Post by Tooln on May 24, 2021 6:28:11 GMT -6
Well Tom it's like this. You've worked hard your entire life. You've even worked hard during your retirement, but that a different kind of work. It's time to stop the work and take care of the Mrs. & yourself. Sit back and enjoy what you've worked so hard for. If you feel like some seat time do it if not don't. I there any reason your kids or grandkids can't do some plotting for you. Shit, schools about out I bet the grand kids would love to learn to drive tractor & do some plotting for you. The important thing is to take care of Mr & Mrs Foggy. Prayers sent your way.
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Post by MoBuckChaser on May 24, 2021 6:52:53 GMT -6
I think we all get to a point where it’s not that we lose our passion to do that fun type of work out at the hunting land, I know I haven’t. But you have to look at the time you have left with your spouse. It’s all a time thing now, or the lack of time that we have left. I know two years ago I never in my life would imagine I would give up our hunting property and our farm at home for a retirement house in Arizona just to spend time together. It was not in my make up, but it is now for the last 25% of our life if we live that long. The good thing is it’s 2021 not 1971 as far as medical services provided. I suspect Tom’s wife will be around a long time, she’ll need to be changing his diaper shortly anyways so she has to be around. LOL
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Post by smsmith on May 24, 2021 7:04:14 GMT -6
Good luck to Mrs. Foggy as well as to you Tom. I believe I've brought up having the younger deer hunters on your place taking over the work before. Seems that would be a fair exchange for the privilege of having a place to hunt. If that doesn't work, just let the habitat work go undone. Hundreds of thousands of deer are shot every year on properties where there is zero habitat work done. I am trying to see into the future as to when I will be ready to be "done" with habitat stuff and growing fruit trees. I can envision being done deer hunting more readily than being done with screwing around in the woods. Right now, I'm thinking another 10-15 years of this stuff will be enough. Sell everything here and buy 20 or so acres somewhere in inland FL within an hour or less of the Gulf coast. That's my plan for now anyway |
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Post by kooch on May 24, 2021 7:27:25 GMT -6
Once I hit 50, I really started to think about the amount of time I've got left and what I should be doing with it. For now, I'm OK doing what I'm doing. But, thinking about being 2/3, or 3/4 done with life really makes a guy think.
Watching my Son go off to the USAF really brought it home. I told him, "I wish I was young enough to go with you. We could do it together.", and I meant it. Time keeps ticking and we all have to make decisions sooner or later. I'm pretty sure I'll get sick of driving several hours to Kamp Kooch and sell that eventually, unless my Son decides it's a thing he'd like to keep. Nobody else in my family is very interested in it.
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Post by buckvelvet on May 24, 2021 7:28:23 GMT -6
Well everyone's at a different place in life but many things bring into the cross hairs the important stuff of life. My dumpers fire of a year 2020 did that for me, amidst all the craziness I lost my hunting property so to public land I went. Lost my orchard, I got a small one at my house but I haven't touched the trees in a year & a half. I just don't want to, I just look at stuff like that & don't give a royal bleep.
Personally family is what matters most, there will always be another stupid deer whether you feed them, make bedding, or you don't do a damn thing for them. If you have a choice between a day with your spouse or a day of land improvements if they aren't into that stuff or your older and the physical aspect of it is to hard then don't do it. The deer won't care 1 way or the other.
I figure the people you leave behind would miss the day with you vs the day you spent in the woods doing land improvements. Enjoy the real value Foggy, the rest is just worthless fluff.
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. 
If you feel the need to improve your membership in the future you could become a VIP member by selling your hunting land and only hunting public land. 
