“The property is perfect for what you’re looking for!  It adjoins a big ranch that does very little hunting.  There is a variety of wildlife on the property from whitetail deer to wild turkey and wild hogs.  Plus there are a few exotics such as Axis deer and aoudad sheep that wander through.  They’ve even seen a few red stag here.  And while there is no water well on the property there are wells on the adjoining property and water is seldom very deep.  And there is a good pond. There’s also an electrical line that runs the length of the western boundary.  The price is right, a little below current market, and the owner needs to sell.” Spoke the agent.

I had been nodding with each point he made.  All were important to me, as was a cabin site near the center of the property.  My intentions were to initially, set up a flat platform upon which I set up a wall tent, then in time possibly build a log cabin.  Water for cooking and drinking I would bring in with me in gallon jugs.  That would be OK, because I knew I could not afford to drill a well for a while. Having access to electricity on the perimeter was important, even if I had no current need for electricity.  I wanted “camp” to be rather rustic.

I wanted enough land to take at least one whitetail buck and a couple of does each year.  No hunting on three sides of the property was a big plus; in time that could change.  The deer population in the area was approximately one deer per every 5 acres.  That meant there were about 20 deer on property.  A larger harvest might be necessary if there was a high fawn survival rate. The turkey population was such we should annually be able to take 2 spring gobblers.  No doubt we could take a couple of exotics, particularly since they just roamed through the area.

Now questions to be answered:

• Do I have sufficient funds to cover the cost of the property and can I procure a loan a from Capital Farm Credit of Texas?  In my instance the answer is “yes” based on the fact most of the cost will be paid up front from a fund I established years ago to purchase recreational property.

• Is there money for improvement to the intra-structure?  Most of these will have to wait at least for a couple of years until the property is totally paid for.

• What of property taxes? The current owner thankfully has an agricultural exemption.  I’ll stock the property with a sufficient number of cows to maintain the exemption.  But a consideration to having this happen will depend upon whether or not all the fences are “up” and how long the stock tank (pond) will maintain a water level to support the cattle.  The difference in taxes between an agricultural status and a recreational status the difference between about $250 in annual taxes and about $6,000 without the ag exemption.

• Will the investment in property be worth it?  From a personal perspective having a rural place where I can escape to, spend time with my family in a quality environment, and hunt without first obtaining permission.  The answer is “most certainly!”