Skelly
5 year old buck +
Well I’ve read about everyone else’s property thread might as well start my own.
We reference our 15 acres as The Rusty Nail. We have a preference for barn finds & rusty bits of goodness. If it doesn’t have some character I probably don’t want it.
We’ve owned the property for four years and five months. I became addicted to wildlife management and learning how to plant shrubs bushes and trees for wildlife. All that started about 4 years and 5 months ago. As soon as I stepped foot on the ground I was all in. It’s still all I think about. I wish I could somehow make a living tinkering with all this vs it just takes all my money.
I live in Central VA Northwest of Richmond Zone 7A. Grew up in Northwest Pa where like many my Dad started me hunting. Cut my teeth on rabbit and grouse hunting.
It’s mainly just me doing my habitat improvements with help from my brother when he can come out.
I haven’t purchased a tractor yet but boy could a FEL help me out sometimes. I’m saving up putting extra bonuses away so All in good time. So with just me doing the improvements it can take a while and at 45 starts to wear me out after a while
So now to my piece of the dirt.
I live in agricultural country and my 15 acres is a mix of Oaks, Tulip Poplar, Gum Maple and Pines. Heavy dose of Cedar(not good looking thick cedar for cover, growing in the understory and it is just tall and spindly and PITA due to CAR). I started with an open field about a half acre. I have lenthened that field and now accounts for about an acre. I have put in an orchard in the top half of field and just made the bottom portion by the creek into a food plot.
So far I have planted
2 Ayers pear
2 Moonglow pears
2 Bartlett pears
Dolgo Crab
Virginia Hewes crab
Dozier crab
Callaway crab
Blue Permian apple
Red Delicious
2 unknown apples I was told were AB but are not
2 Liberties that I unfortunately let Gly drift into and kill. My plan is to replant a new liberty and an Enterprise and possibly had a chestnut crab due to reviews I have read here.
Additionally I have 2 Dunston chestnuts I planted a little ways away and have plans to add to those in the future. You may have read where I did some road side shopping this year and picked Chinese chestnut in order to grow my own.
So this is is how I look today. My house sits just below the 1 and gives me about 11 acres in the back to work with and 4 in side and front. Not a whole lot but it’s mine.
Red is property lines
Blue is paths around property
Yellow deer travel
Green is the foold plot
Orchard is located with in food plot
Creek running through the middle and north west property line.
Black squares are current stand locations.
I don’t hold deer but they do utilize it as a travel corridor in between bean and corn fields.
This is from this weekend and I’m looking through the woods up into the orchard( only couple years old right now)from the orchard looking down over the creek and into where my other stand is.
The goal for this coming year is finalize my plans. I’m getting ready to start another thread and maybe get some ideas regarding some layout.
I have plenty of shrubs on order for va dept of seedlings. Fridge full Persimmon, Chestnut and various seeds to start to grow my own plants.
I hope y’all enjoy this thread. I am so thankful to have an awesome reference point like this forum. I know I don’t know any of you but I feel like I do through your passion and comments.
Photos to come.
Skelly
We reference our 15 acres as The Rusty Nail. We have a preference for barn finds & rusty bits of goodness. If it doesn’t have some character I probably don’t want it.
We’ve owned the property for four years and five months. I became addicted to wildlife management and learning how to plant shrubs bushes and trees for wildlife. All that started about 4 years and 5 months ago. As soon as I stepped foot on the ground I was all in. It’s still all I think about. I wish I could somehow make a living tinkering with all this vs it just takes all my money.
I live in Central VA Northwest of Richmond Zone 7A. Grew up in Northwest Pa where like many my Dad started me hunting. Cut my teeth on rabbit and grouse hunting.
It’s mainly just me doing my habitat improvements with help from my brother when he can come out.
I haven’t purchased a tractor yet but boy could a FEL help me out sometimes. I’m saving up putting extra bonuses away so All in good time. So with just me doing the improvements it can take a while and at 45 starts to wear me out after a while
So now to my piece of the dirt.
I live in agricultural country and my 15 acres is a mix of Oaks, Tulip Poplar, Gum Maple and Pines. Heavy dose of Cedar(not good looking thick cedar for cover, growing in the understory and it is just tall and spindly and PITA due to CAR). I started with an open field about a half acre. I have lenthened that field and now accounts for about an acre. I have put in an orchard in the top half of field and just made the bottom portion by the creek into a food plot.
So far I have planted
2 Ayers pear
2 Moonglow pears
2 Bartlett pears
Dolgo Crab
Virginia Hewes crab
Dozier crab
Callaway crab
Blue Permian apple
Red Delicious
2 unknown apples I was told were AB but are not
2 Liberties that I unfortunately let Gly drift into and kill. My plan is to replant a new liberty and an Enterprise and possibly had a chestnut crab due to reviews I have read here.
Additionally I have 2 Dunston chestnuts I planted a little ways away and have plans to add to those in the future. You may have read where I did some road side shopping this year and picked Chinese chestnut in order to grow my own.
So this is is how I look today. My house sits just below the 1 and gives me about 11 acres in the back to work with and 4 in side and front. Not a whole lot but it’s mine.
Red is property lines
Blue is paths around property
Yellow deer travel
Green is the foold plot
Orchard is located with in food plot
Creek running through the middle and north west property line.
Black squares are current stand locations.
I don’t hold deer but they do utilize it as a travel corridor in between bean and corn fields.
This is from this weekend and I’m looking through the woods up into the orchard( only couple years old right now)from the orchard looking down over the creek and into where my other stand is.
The goal for this coming year is finalize my plans. I’m getting ready to start another thread and maybe get some ideas regarding some layout.
I have plenty of shrubs on order for va dept of seedlings. Fridge full Persimmon, Chestnut and various seeds to start to grow my own plants.
I hope y’all enjoy this thread. I am so thankful to have an awesome reference point like this forum. I know I don’t know any of you but I feel like I do through your passion and comments.
Photos to come.
Skelly