lost my pond

[moparbarn]

is it just me, or are we surrounded by a-holes? i have been lucky for having a small farm pond to use, about 300 yds. from my house. in the middle of corn fields and apple orchards, no other people for about 1/4 mile. noise was never an issue. the owner had given me and my son permission to run our boats there. in return, i would either call him or get tag #'s, if i saw someone out there. this past sat. nite, a group of idiots screwed it up for me. went all through the orchard and corn with atv's. really tore it up bad. destroyed about an acre of corn, and rammed apple trees with the atv's. looks like they were trying to have a contest to see who could knock the most apples to the ground . probably killed some of the trees, by knocking the bark off all the way around the tree. i've heard of killing a tree by "ringing it"-removing a ring of bark will interrupt the flow of nutrients to the tree. the land owner was PISSED, now he says nobody is allowed on any of his property. he owns acres & acres of apples, peaches and corn out by me. has his own processing plant/cannery, too. the $ aren't the issue, it's being sh#t on that is making him mad. i was in the garage, with the doors open, working on my boats until about 2 am. didn't hear anything. got up the next morning, went to the pond to play, and saw the carnage. i called him right away, when he came out, he absolutely went ballistic! i hope he catches these scumbags- he will prosecute, and sue for damages. he's had to do it before, at other fields. i live out in the sticks, about 6 miles to a store, and 22 to town. these fools had to come a ways for this. i guess their inadequit little egos resented his success in life. little minds do stupid sh#t . he understands that i can't see everything, doesn't blame me, but it's just easier to say no to everybody, after this. i'm still going to watch his groves by me. give him a call or info when i see something, hopefully he'll let me go back. until then, i'm pond hunting-all because of a group of jerks. all you guys need to respect and protect the waters you are allowed to use, don't let someone else get you locked out. this SUX-for him and me .

 

[ek kustomz]

Man!! I hate to hear that. I know how hard it is to find a good pond to run in. There are plenty of nice ponds around here but getting people not to grip is another thing. Good luck with it.

Zach

 

[Don Ferrette]

Give him a couple weeks to cool off then go chat with him, letting him know that you've been doing your best to keep an eye out for him. Feel the conversation out & see if you can steer it towards talking about letting you back. It might take a conversation or two before it's approachable but certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Keep in mind his initial decision was a knee jerk reaction to what happened.

 

[Rusty]

Give him a couple weeks to cool off then go chat with him, letting him know that you've been doing your best to keep an eye out for him. Feel the conversation out & see if you can steer it towards talking about letting you back. It might take a conversation or two before it's approachable but certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Keep in mind his initial decision was a knee jerk reaction to what happened.

Good advice!

 

[piper_chuck]

Give him a couple weeks to cool off then go chat with him, letting him know that you've been doing your best to keep an eye out for him. Feel the conversation out & see if you can steer it towards talking about letting you back. It might take a conversation or two before it's approachable but certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Keep in mind his initial decision was a knee jerk reaction to what happened.

And if you've got any connections to the local grapevines, see if you can gather any intel on who might be responsible for the damage.

 

[Charles Perdue]

Give him a couple weeks to cool off then go chat with him, letting him know that you've been doing your best to keep an eye out for him. Feel the conversation out & see if you can steer it towards talking about letting you back. It might take a conversation or two before it's approachable but certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Keep in mind his initial decision was a knee jerk reaction to what happened.

Offer to install a surveilance camera (cheap) on your property overlooking his property to show that you are serious about protecting his interest.

 

[moparbarn]

don-thanks for the positive thoughts. i agree with you, but this guy is pretty country, and old school. i sensed a feeling of enough is enough. i hope i'm wrong. i haven't given up, i was going to wait a couple of weeks, and see how he feels. we live in the same area, and i do see him from time to time. we can talk about other stuff, that way i can feel him out without talking about this situation, or my use of the pond. i think first i just need to be a neighbor, and not push the other issue for a little while. wish me luck, i've knocked on a few doors the past few days, no luck yet. i'm noy giving up, just pissed and dissappointed.

 

[moparbarn]

chuck- not a lot of connections yet, we just bought this house last december. no close neighbors, about 1/2 mile away. where i live, these jerks could have come over the mountains from w. va. if you understand "hill country", the other side of the mountain is another universe away :lol: .

charles- we actually do have cameras, 2 of them. the way the land is situated, i wouldn't cover but about 200 yds. of the closest corn field. right across the road. then the land falls off to the pond. anything i see past that is 1/4 mile away. with the land being low, the corn high, and apple trees full, sound doesn't travel very far. that and very secluded, not a lot of people, mostly agriculture. that's part of why i moved out here. that and gorgeous mountains and sunrise and sunsets. a pond right there, room for the horses, and a nice shop for my boats and old mopars. just don't need the a-holes. we are freaking surrounded. don't care where you hide, they find you :angry: .

 

[moparbarn]

since losing access to the pond i was using, i have been searching for water to run in. if i saw a pond, i'd stop and introduce myself, and inquire about running boats on it. until last night, no luck. the one or two people that were ok with it, either the pond was too small, or overgrown with plants/algae. i've been using satellite photos on the net to search, too. good idea, but, i've been looking too far away. yesterday, right under my nose, about 100 yds. from my back fence, is a pond. couldn't see it for the trees. not my property, had no reason to be there to see it. stopped on the way home, introduced myself, and the couple was VERY cool about it ! he asked about the boats, and his eyes lit up as i described my .21 tunnels. yes, ihave spare boats for him. and yes, i will convert him B) . this pond is actually closer to my house by about 100 yds., but i have to drive about 1/2 mile to their driveway-like that's a problem. i finally get to smell nitro again. didn't realize how addictive this stuff is. i've been going through withdrawal, and i don't even mainline (race)-YET :lol: . gonna be a good weekend, imo!

 

[bzubee]

I found a good tool to locate possible lakes to use is Google Earth I found 3 hidden lakes in my area. This will also save you some gas money. plus if yo unote the zoom level you are on then check th escale at the lake you lost you'll have a good idea on the lake sizes yo udo find using google earth.

Good Luck

since losing access to the pond i was using, i have been searching for water to run in. if i saw a pond, i'd stop and introduce myself, and inquire about running boats on it. until last night, no luck. the one or two people that were ok with it, either the pond was too small, or overgrown with plants/algae. i've been using satellite photos on the net to search, too. good idea, but, i've been looking too far away. yesterday, right under my nose, about 100 yds. from my back fence, is a pond. couldn't see it for the trees. not my property, had no reason to be there to see it. stopped on the way home, introduced myself, and the couple was VERY cool about it ! he asked about the boats, and his eyes lit up as i described my .21 tunnels. yes, ihave spare boats for him. and yes, i will convert him B) . this pond is actually closer to my house by about 100 yds., but i have to drive about 1/2 mile to their driveway-like that's a problem. i finally get to smell nitro again. didn't realize how addictive this stuff is. i've been going through withdrawal, and i don't even mainline (race)-YET :lol: . gonna be a good weekend, imo!

 

[DON MAHER]

Moparbarn,

Great to hear your good luck in finding a pond so close to home.

Good news is something we don't hear often.

Don

 

[moparbarn]

bzubee- i have tried mapquest, google earth and microsoft virtual earth. the microsoft site offers better/higher zoom levels, and has more up to date photos. all are great pond hunting tools. i kinda 'backwoods' the size, i compare the new pond to one i know, for size estimation. crude, but close enough to get a fair idea.

don- yeah, good news on boat ponds is scarce. took a little effort, some door knocking, being polite, and HONEST about noise and pollution issues. none of the people i approached were rude to me. just took a few to find the right situation. and right next door-literally.

i can wholeheartedly recommend the internet's aerial photo sites for pond hunting. i never would have known about this pond without it. i have stood within 100 yds of it, and never suspected it existed. hell, i spent 2 weekends putting up fence on that property line without knowing. once you locate a possibility, don't be afraid to ask. i haven't been beaten up once, yet :lol: . i figure the worst they can do is say no. i think i will be able to use my original pond after harvest. i believe the biggest reason for him keeping everyone out this time of year is to protect his crops. corn has tassles, apples getting ready to drop, and peaches are ready now. i think after he gets his livelyhood taken care of, he will relax some. any setback now isn't 'offsettable' until next year's crop is harvested. farming is a tough way to make a living, and mother nature is hard enough to deal with, without other problems thrown in the mix. just a very important time of year for him. if he overreacted, it was on the side of caution, and i can't blame him.

 

[moparbarn]

went over to the neighbor's sunday to run boats. had a blast ! he watched to entire time we were there, about 3 hrs. he got to run travis'(my son) ts2, seemed to really enjoy it. i think he will have a boat soon. until then, i have set up a spare great planes top speed for him. i use a fishing rod to retrieve dead boats, use a 'rattle trap' lure on it. caught 2 bass trying to get my boat. i also noticed a shooting range below the dam at the end of the pond. we talked a little about guns & hunting, i think i will have somewhere to hunt this year, too . stopped at the house to say hi and thank his wife, on the way out. she said she hoped we had fun, and that she couldn't hear anything. i was running an old irwin j pipe, loudest my boat has ever been-i was worried when i fired it up. first time i had run that pipe, much louder than any other setup i have had. i thought my ex. throttle with an opened up lower was loud-not compared to this pipe. but the boat screamed-fastest it has ever run. all in all, an excellent weekend. thanx to everyone for their concern and suggestions, i do appreciate it.

 

[piper_chuck]

Boats, guns, and hunting, all in one place? Sounds great!

 

[moparbarn]

Boats, guns, and hunting, all in one place? Sounds great!

yeah, and you forgot the 2 bass i caught :lol: :lol: -and right next door. don't get much better .

 

[piper_chuck]

Boats, guns, and hunting, all in one place? Sounds great!

yeah, and you forgot the 2 bass i caught :lol: :lol: -and right next door. don't get much better .

You're right, I did. You've got your own little piece of heaven there. Wonder when construction starts on the subdivision that'll ruin it all? :lol:

 

[moparbarn]

Boats, guns, and hunting, all in one place? Sounds great!

yeah, and you forgot the 2 bass i caught :lol: :lol: -and right next door. don't get much better .

You're right, I did. You've got your own little piece of heaven there. Wonder when construction starts on the subdivision that'll ruin it all? :lol:

you shut up!!! :angry: :lol: :lol: seriously, i don't think that's a big worry for a while. the same man that won't let me use my original pond owns about 95% of the land out by me. apples, peachs and corn. has his own cannery and packing plants to process his harvest. the town of cross junction, va. pretty exists because of his plants. about 20 miles to any town of size. if i'm REAL lucky, not in my lifetime .