I hate big decisions

[Howboutthemdawgs]

But sometimes they must be faced! I bought my property, a beautiful 250 acre tract in western Kentucky, 2 years ago January. So second deer season. Love it. But...it’s every bit of 6 hours from my home northeast of Atlanta. Not a huge deal until we welcomed a child in February, our first and only, now it’s a “big” deal. My wife is great, i have been able to go up several times this spring, summer and hunted last weekend so far with several more hunts to come. But the reality is it’s not easy to go anymore and I know that the amount I want to go vs the amount I realistically can go is running a massive deficit. The cabin is nice but small, unfinished, and off the grid, not exactly welcoming for the wife and small child. The hunting is good but so far the reputation of the area has outweighted the reality, no shooters on camera for my standards (140 or better is what I’m after). Both neighbors have shot 160’s so far this season so it’s not like hunting a unicorn.
The dilemma, do I sell my place and buy in Georgia. I have been looking and found some stuff that’s interests me that is actually larger and one in particular has a house/lodge on it that is more than I would ever deserve. A place where my wife and kid could come up and spend the weekend no problem with electricity, air conditioning and a full functional kitchen and the absolute best part...2.5 hours doorstep to doorstep. The problem is I have big deer dreams and though Georgia has fine deer for the areas I can afford it doesn’t necessarily stack up to western Kentucky. I would say a 130 class deer in this area is not uncommon by any stretch but a 150 is gonna be an anomaly (according the record books, whatever that is worth, the top 10 in the county are all over 160 so not dink’s). Oh also I hate hot weather, Georgia’s freaking hot, I love cold, I hate rattlesnakes and I love the midwest broken ag and timberland.

If you’re still with me what would you do. Ultimately the decision lies in do I stay in kentucky, hunt and work when I can with the chance at “better” hunting, but understanding there will be some inevitable hurt feelings cause I want to go more than it’s responsible to do so. Or sacrifice the chance at a world class deer for the comfort of a place my family and hell even friends could go easily, a place I could run down for a day trip if I wanted or a short weekend or whatever that wasn’t 12 hours of driving and more land under my control which has always been a goal.

I hate big decisions...

 

[BenAllgood]

Fix it to where you have a nice place to stay that's family friendly in Kentucky. I bought at the same time as you in Kentucky. I bring my wife and kids and have fun.

 

[DJN]

I vote for the close land. Big deer are one thing, but the potential memories involved with friends and especially family would vastly outweigh a big rack on the wall. When you’re old and sitting in your rocking chair, are you gonna be talking about the one or two 150-60” bucks, or the many weekends you spent at the cabin with your kids and the 130” bucks? I know what I’m taking, but to each his own! Life is full of choices!

 

[Bill]

I vote your kid(s) will be teenagers tomorrow. In college the day after that. And loving when you can get them hunting bigger deer.

I’m a short 18 hour drive from My Farm. My
Son killed his first there at 9 years old and snubbed some good bucks 2 weeks Ago at age 21.
But we have smoked a lot of does close to home over the years.

 

[Apple Junkie]

Well, since you asked, it's a no brainer in my mind... get some ground closer to home. If it's closer, you will get there far more frequently and truly make it your own piece of paradise. The racks might not be quite as big, but you will know a local trophy when you see it. Plus, you can share your love of the out doors with your wife and kid(s)!

 

[Hoytvectrix]

My parents bought some land in Missouri back in the early 2000's. It was an 8.5 hour drive from where we were living, but had what my Dad had wanted in a hunting/recreational property. Although we didn't make it to the farm much the first few years, we are to the point my siblings and I are there about as much as we can now. One brother bought some property nearby and I'm currently working on buying some immediately adjacent to ours. I make the 6-hrdrive there every two or three weeks. My parents eventually retired, and built a nice home there, resulting in a few of us moving closer to the farm and/or visiting more frequently. It's become the new central point and where our family sees each other the most.

The point is, if you think the KY property is worth it, "if you build it, they will come". This works for both deer and your family and friends.

With that said, I could also see the GA property being a good project and decades long worthy challenge to improve. Both would take some time to develop and make it the way you guys want. Which do you think you'd enjoy more in terms of the process the next 20-30 years? Which has the neighbors and/or local culture to help support your management goals?

 

[Kdog]

Another guy and I lease 267 acres in Morgan and that is a :40 minute drive. I own more land in Hancock than we lease, but that is a 2-2.5 hour drive that I lease out because I did not feel right about spending that much time away from the family when my kids were younger. My kids are all in college or are out on their own now, so I am considering giving up the lease and hunting my own property next year. You could do the same thing I did, and enjoy the best of both options.

 

[dogghr]

Lease a closer place may be an option.
But if you know anything about my life, you know I’ll say family Trumps deer. Those memories are the best a man/woman can have. And sometimes the chance to make those memories get shortened and don’t last as long as you might think. There is no promise of tomorrow. Good luck!!


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[Bszweda]

That's a hard decision. I think if the 6 hour away property might strain the family life, I'd probably buy closer. However if you won't be happy with the closer property because of smaller deer then I wouldn't do it. Another option buy closer, but lease or go on trophy outfitted hunts in big deer states. I am in a similar situation with my property being remote, and limited time off. I need to choose my days wisely, and hunt aggressive.

 

[bzb_1]

When I got the go ahead to find some recreation land from the wife I started looking everywhere and quickly determined after several weekend trips with 8+ hour drives. NO WAY did I want to be faced with that. I found my land 20ish minutes away built a small pole barn/cabin and love it. It can still be stressful to get there and take care of things but totally manageable because its so close.

 

[j-bird]

My OPINION.....My family comes first! Having land close to home would be my suggestion. Maybe that means you have to hunt smaller deer, but that's a sacrifice I personally I am willing to make. Kids...to raise them properly takes a lot of time and effort. Especially if you have multiple. I live on the property I hunt and I still don't get done all the things I want. I have 4 kids....the youngest is a Junior in HS now....so things are getting a little better. But I can't over state how nice it is to be able to go out during the week after work and get a small task for an hour or two and get some small tasks done....or even just to clear your head after a bad day. Those antlers on the wall or your name in some book isn't going to matter in the long run. Being a strong supportive spouse and being active in raising your kids is FAR more important. By being closer will also allow the family to enjoy the property more as well. This is all just my opinion and I am NOT trying to say you can't be a great dad if you have property hours and hours away. You can still hunt those "big" deer with an outfitted hunt every once in a while.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Not sure what your work and extended family situation is but have you thought about selling your house and moving closer to your hunting property? I also like the idea about leasing close to home and keeping your Kentucky property if that is a realistic option. Does your Kentucky property generate any income for you? The ugly truth is that if you sell it now and want to buy in the area again in the future the land prices are going to be much higher 20 years from now. Like you said, tough decision. I wish you well. Sometimes I appreciate the fact that I am broke, It makes decision making pretty easy.

 

[H20fwler]

For the next few years you might not be able to get up to KY as much as you like, that’s fine you still own it.
Kids grow up fast spend all the time with them you can maybe lease a little hunting ground close to home for a few years and make a plan on how to make your cabin in KY more wife and small children friendly, you have plenty of time to work it out. One day when your kids are bigger they will be appreciative the KY getaway and the chance to shoot bruiser bucks.
Just plan your few trips to KY during peak times for now so you get the most out of it.

 

[BenAllgood]

I'm going to do one more post because we're in pretty similar circumstances.

Being from Louisiana, I know how important it is to you to be in Kentucky or the midwest. It's an awesome experience for someone coming from the deep south. Sure, there are pockets in the south where there are deer that act more like midwestern deer and are of that caliber, but you have to have some pretty deep pockets to get into those areas. For years, I leased property for high dollar, that gave me access to a higher caliber of buck. But, losing leases and not being able to do what I wanted on the land left me wanting my own place. There was no way I could afford to buy land in these areas of Louisiana that held the caliber of bucks I was after.

One of my other requirements was experiencing this with my family. It's obvious that's important to you as well or you wouldn't be struggling with the decision. So, finding a way to have both a place to hunt big bucks and spend time with the family was the goal for me. I went the leasing route in Kentucky for 2 years (still bringing the family) and that solidified my wanting to buy land there. Plus, the price of buying vs leasing was the same there.

We don't get to go as much as I'd like, but it's like a vacation for the family when we do. We have a 10.5 hour road trip one way where we get to spend quality time together. The kids and wife like being on the property and hunting there. Then, we stay in AirBnB houses when we get there. That will probably change in the next year or so by either buying or building a little house. It's a much more enjoyable hunt experience than what we've been accustomed to in Louisiana. Chances are we'll retire there when the time comes.

I don't want to tell you what to do, but if you can't get that cabin really nice for the family, maybe trade that property in for a smaller place with a house/cabin there already or use the extra money to build one.

These are just my thoughts since we're in pretty similar situations.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

So after much soul-searching (and reading yalls advice) I decided to cancel my showing at a property in Georgia. It was 365 acres with a gorgeous lodge but at the end of the day the area is not one that I want to be in so my wife and I just agreed that I would continue to stay the course in kentucky until that “dream” place in Georgia shows up. If that is 1-2 years away so be it. She agreed she didn’t want me to settle just cause.

To answer a few questions, no the property doesn’t provide me any yearly income but it does have a really good timber that I am actively managing. Another dynamic that I failed to mention is my parents, brother and sister-in-law and two nephews all live about an hour away from my farm. So it actually allows me to see them way more than I would if I did not have a place up there. The best part is due to some nose to grindstone work the property is paid for so it’s not costing me outside of the usual. Thank y’all for the advice, the writing up is on the wall that eventually I will transition closer to home but not until the right place presents itself.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

If that is the case I'd keep your nose to the grindstone and buy another property close to home when it comes available while keeping the Kentucky property. Land is a sound investment that will someday be worth much more than you paid for it. I can't count how many times i've heard my dad say that he wishes he would have bought some land years ago. Prices up by us today make it nearly unachievable.

 

[Tree Spud]

One piece of advice ... happy wife, happy life!

I wouldn't worry about the kid(s) at this stage, they just eat, sleep, & poop. Your wife on the other hand is a different matter. Supportive now, that can change very quickly.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I'd keep your nose to the grindstone and get your pilot's license, put in a small landing strip on your property, and rent a Cessna 172 each weekend!

 

[SwampCat]

The time demanded of you for family time is going to increase as the children age. Are more kids in the future. Antler size is relative to the area hunted. Get a place you can use at a days notice and the amount of time you get to spend there will make up for the slightly smaller deer. It may even out. You arent killing those big deer in KY - possibly because you cant spend enough time. Being closer may allow you to spend more time and capitalize on the local big deer. Build a nice place and enjoy it more often.

 

[armadillophil]

I decided last fall I was buying another property. Found a place in Kansas that got me excited. Drove up to visit it and made offer. So glad it didn't work out. It was 6 hours from my house and that is just not realistic to enjoy frequently. I ended up buying a place in Oklahoma that is 1:45 hours away which is 30 minutes to long. I like to go up at least weekly during off season to do work or fish. The closer the better.