Bigbore442001 wrote:
Ok. I will be the wet blanket, if you don't mind. I will be putting down some random thoughts that come to mind regarding this land.
1. What water is available right now on the property? Are there anys streams flowing through it? How far down do you have to drill to hit the aquafier? When I was travelling in Montana I saw people lining up at a spring with all sorts of jugs and containers getting drinking water. I got the impression that many of these people did not have readily available running water at their homes. I know many people in the world live in this manner but if you're better half and family are used to flushing the bowl and running the tap, this may get old fast.
GOOD POINT - MANY DO HAVE STREAMS AND THERE ARE WELLS ON SOME - WILL DEFINATELY GET THIS SQUARED BEFORE MAKING A BUY.
2. The land abutts national forest. Ok. So if you plant something to attract game on your land I suppose that I could legally sit at the property line on national forest and shoot whatever legal game in season happens to go to your crafted spot? I know it may blurr ethical lines but legally there is little you could do to me. As long as I am the legal distance from an occupied dwelling, it is good to go. Don't think others wouldn't do that same thing if they had the chance. Also. Could a logger get a contract to log the national forest land up to the property line? I am not sure but maybe there could be a huge clear cut bordering your land. That may be a good thing to attract game though. But you may want peace and quiet and a logging operation would not be very peaceful and quiet.
NEED TO CHECK COVENANTS AS TO HUNTING ON THE PROPERTY (AND I'M NOT BUYING IF THERE'S ANY) BUT HUNTING ON STATE FOREST DURING SEASONS IS WHAT I INTEND - JUST WALK/RIDE MY DIRT BIKE OR ATV OUT IF NOT OFF-LIMITS AND HUNT.
3. Why is this land being sold? Was it part of a larger parcel and being sold off for financial reasons? In addition, I'd querry other people in the area about the pros and cons of living in that locale.
YEP, GOOD POINT - WE WILL DEFINATELY BE CHECKING WITH LOCAL FOLKS - BORDERING LAND OWNERS, FOLKS AT THE CAFE IN TOWN, ETC.
4. What is the game population like? I heard on the 'net that Colorado had a very bad winter kill in many areas. I love snow and cold. My ideal type of environment to be out and about but I do know it is hard on wildlife. How bad was that area hit? What is the history of the winter kill in that area? As an example, in northern Maine( Ok. I know some are sick of me making comparisons to northern Maine regarding winter, deer yards, etc but it is the best comparison that I can make to hammer a point home) land is relatively cheap but the deer herd gets hammered during the winter. There was snow two feet deep in April which did not bode well for deer. So historically that area isn't the greatest place to get a deer. Is this area in Colorado the same? Also, it seems that most big game tags in Colorado have a draw system. Is this area in favor of getting picked? Will you go without due to the way it is put into a lottery? Here in the East most deer and bear tags are over the counter. In fact you can buy tags in season in most states. Not the case in many western states. If you don't get a deer tag or elk tag you will be going on a rockchuck safari.
YES THERE WAS A GAME KILL DUE TO SEVERE WINTER SNOWS - BUT THIS IS CYCLICAL. THERE IS NO DRAW FOR THE STATE FOREST THAT I KNOW OF - ONLY SELECTED MANAGEMENT AREAS - I DO NEED TO VERIFY THIS AREA THOUGH.
5. East vs West. Ok. I was born and raised in Massachusetts but had the opportunity to travel to every state except Oregon and Hawaii. I spent many weeks in a tent all over and got a good idea of what the pros and cons are of each state. One of the things that I have noticed is that you can have 35 acres of land in the west and still see your neighbor. You can have 3.5 acres in the East and have the illusion that you are secluded. The biomes of the Rocky Mountain West are more arid and open forested. The conifer stands remind me of select cut woods back East. You may have 35 acres but will you have seclusion. In some areas you would need 3500 acres to achieve seclusion.
IM NOT WANTING TO BE A HERMIT
JUST HAVE MY OWN SPOT TO SCRATCH AROUND ON.
6. I like the idea of a retreat. I am all in favor of such a place especially in the interesting times that we live in now. Assume the effluent hits the oscillator and you and your loved ones bug out. How far are you from this place? As an example, I thought of getting a piece of property in Maine. The main road to Maine is Rte 95. Well, on the weekends it is basically a moving parking lot from about Chelmsford Massachusetts to Portland Maine. I was caught in that mess a couple of times and it cemented my thinking. I would not buy any land in the Pine Tree State unless I lived in it. Will yoru place in the Centennial State be the same? Will you have to drive in a moving parking lot to get to it?
WE ARE ABOUT 12 HOURS FROM THIS SPOT RIGHT NOW - WOULD HAVE TO GET THROUGH SOME TRAFFIC (AUSTIN) BUT ONCE PAST YOU'RE IN RURAL TEXAS - AND ONLY CONSIDERATION IS AVAILABILITY OF GAS AT THE STATIONS.
7. How does your wife feel about it? At first she may say yes to please you because she loves you. It is human nature, especially from a good woman. But will she be in a perpetual state of sadness? She will be away from her family and contacts. I do believe it is harder for a woman to make such a break than a man. One time when hunting bear in Jackman Maine I chatted with the guide. I asked him about moving up here( at the time I was unattached and free as a bird, so to speak) He said I should and I would be welcomed. After further discussion he said the two biggest things that make people move out are the weather and lack of amenities, ie shopping,etc. He said there is a turn over every five years or so. The problem is that a man's wife will complain that she has to drive 90 miles south to Skowhegan or 70 miles north to St. George Quebec to get to some sort of mall or shopping center. Also , winter would be two weeks or so early and two weeks or so late in leaving. He stated that was a huge factor for many people. Something to cogitate about.
Ok. I will be the wet blanket, if you don't mind. I will be putting down some random thoughts that come to mind regarding this land.
MY WIFE LOVES THE MOUNTAINS - I DO TOO, BUT I'D BE HAPPY WITH TEXAS LAND HALF HOUR OR SO AWAY FROM HOME BUT SHE REALLY LOVES THE MOUNTAINS. BELIEVE ME - SHE DOESN'T GO ALONG WITH STUFF JUST TO PLEASE ME
I WOULDN'T ALLOW THAT ANYWAY - WE ARE A TEAM AND DO THINGS TOGETHER. AS TO SHOPPING, WE HAVE DONE MORE AND MORE VIA THE INTERNET AND THE BBT BRINGS OUR STUFF - I SAW BBT'S IN THIS AREA....
We cook, heat water and heat our little 'cabin' with a woodstove. We run our whole place on a little Honda generator and next summer will be putting in our solar/hydro power system. So far we have over 6,000 hours on the generator with no problems and only a couple quarts of gas per day. All it needs to run is lights, computer, tv, coffee pot and our 115v waterpump.
In fact, I can walk out my back door into the timber and in about 17 miles I'll be to the mountain without ever crossing a blacktopped road, just logging roads 
He finally went to a rain collection system, and now has more than he can use! 