cheapest best quality land on BI (area, etc.) (Volcano: lease, living)

[KauaiHiker]

Open D wrote: "you mentioned using iron ore from the property to make your own iron."

I couldn't tell if the OP was just using that as an example or intended to try it in Hawaii. My thought has always been that there's more iron in an old landfill than anywhere else. If you could get the rights to one of those, you'd be set. You could also set up a solar furnace to smelt it, that would be fun.

[KauaiHiker]

cagary wrote: "large wild boar roam the island and they can destroy your crops very quickly."

I think OP should fence (or wall-in) the farm area, and attract wild boar to his "wildlife" area. Actually, it may be feasible to build a fence with a one-way door and bait the boars to come through it. Then you can have "sport" hunts on your own land. In this case, look for property that abuts public land.

[KauaiHiker]

cagary wrote: "The stream that borders my property has enough "head" or flow to power the home I plan to build."

That's ideal, I love the idea of micro hydro. Problem is that very few properties have that potential (pun intended).

My question is, what are the rules for water rights and stream diversion, even if it's entirely on your land?

[cagary]

Originally Posted by KauaiHiker

cagary wrote: "The stream that borders my property has enough "head" or flow to power the home I plan to build."

That's ideal, I love the idea of micro hydro. Problem is that very few properties have that potential (pun intended).

My question is, what are the rules for water rights and stream diversion, even if it's entirely on your land?

A permit is required for a mini hydro system and are not hard to obtain.

However, the state frowns on using the stream water for irrigation purposes and it also is against any kind of diversion.

The mini hydro systems just capture the power of the water. It just goes in one end of the pipe and out the other.

There is a lot of water running down Mauna Kea towards the ocean. The rain is pretty constant. It shouldn't be too difficult to find property with a stream on it.

This map shows lots of streams.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1089/Ha...zone5_2007.pdf

[cagary]

Originally Posted by doitright1

@cagary - That is why I'm going to fence in all my acreage no matter how much I purchase with a brick wall(s). That makes me wonder though, these dogs that you mention. Are they actually other peoples' dogs or are they dogs that have been deserted and are now a problem all over the Big Island?

I ask this because if they are the actual property of someone who is just letting them run free and return home at will then I will have to be extremely picky about where I purchase my land in Hamakua. Either way though, if I see them on my property then they are getting shot the moment I see them. I hope that's not a problem because that's how it's done where I am from. But more importantly, I hope this is just a general warning that you are issuing and it's not really a problem that 95% of BI farmer's have to deal with.

Dog attacks in Puna, Big Island.

Punatalk - Dog Attacks

[doitright1]

That was an insightful peek into what real BI farmers are dealing with daily regarding this issue. Thank you!

Now I know what the situation is. I will most definitely be getting llamas, mules, and/or donkeys and my dogs before I start acquiring other farm animals. But I am also sure that I will resort to how I was raised back home and carry a firearm with me wherever I go on my land. I won't shoot on sight as I re-emphasized above but if I feel it's intent on harm, it's immediate game over.

I do wonder though, why wouldn't a horse be as protective as the other three equines you mentioned, cagary? Isn't a horse the strongest and fastest out of the four?

I was browsing other areas of that forum also and it looks like I'll be shooting feral cats and mongoose as well. Those seem to be the only problem animals I'll have to dispose of with my firearm.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by doitright1

That was an insightful peek into what real BI farmers are dealing with daily regarding this issue. Thank you!

Now I know what the situation is. I will most definitely be getting llamas, mules, and/or donkeys and my dogs before I start acquiring other farm animals. But I am also sure that I will resort to how I was raised back home and carry a firearm with me wherever I go on my land. I won't shoot on sight as I re-emphasized above but if I feel it's intent on harm, it's immediate game over.

I do wonder though, why wouldn't a horse be as protective as the other three equines you mentioned, cagary? Isn't a horse the strongest and fastest out of the four?

I was browsing other areas of that forum also and it looks like I'll be shooting feral cats and mongoose as well. Those seem to be the only problem animals I'll have to dispose of with my firearm.

That sounds more like Wyoming style, where you have property as big as a Hawaiian Island.

It would probably cost a fortunate to have that much property in Hawaii for all that you want on it.

[McFrostyJ]

Originally Posted by doitright1

I was browsing other areas of that forum also and it looks like I'll be shooting feral cats and mongoose as well. Those seem to be the only problem animals I'll have to dispose of with my firearm.

Seems like a lot of shooting for 20 or so acres!

[Jungjohann]

Almost sounds like Yosemite Sam is comin to town!!!! HIDE THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN!!!!!!!! thats a joke son,,,,,,,,,.....

Aloha and okolemaluna

[hotzcatz]

Usually we trap the feral cats, mongoose and pigs. It is much more efficient and considering the cost of ammo these days it is a lot less expensive to teach a mongoose to swim than to shoot at them. Even .22 loads are expensive these days.

Once you get things set up, there are usually a lot less of them and they can be managed in various ways. A neighboring farmer would put all his un-marketable vegetables over towards the edge of his field and the feral pigs would go there to eat. He'd trap them to keep the herd at a manageable level. So, he got his unwanted spoils cleaned up as well as always had pork in the freezer. Since he had a herd on his property already they'd keep the other pigs away. He also had dogs tied out at the edges of the fields when some of the crops were beginning to ripen such as sweet potatoes. The dairy which is growing fields of corn for cattle feed have a propane cannon they shoot off occasionally when the corn is almost ripe to keep the pigs away. Annoying to the neighbors but it does keep the pigs out.

Mongoose are pretty easy to catch in traps. Use an egg for bait and they almost always go for it. Drop the whole thing into a trashcan full of water and then use the mongoose for fertilizer. I skinned one once and tanned the fur but it wasn't very soft or pretty. I was hoping for something like mink but mongoose aren't mink. Got the tempers of a mink, but not the fur. They are really fast and vicious and will keep killing even if they aren't going to eat what they've killed. I put the chicken coop/cage up about three feet off the ground on metal posts so the mongoose can't climb up. Also the night time roosts are put up high out of reach of mongoose so there are two passive layers of mongoose protection in the coop design. When the hens hatch out babies, I'll put them and the babies into a large dog kennel for about ten days to two weeks to protect them from mongoose. You want the hen in with the chicks so they will bond and become part of the flock. If you are going to sell the chicks, then the hen doesn't need to be with them.

You can get your own animals to help keep the others away. We have a pair of border collies who keep our animals safe and herded if necessary. There is our cat who keeps down the mice and occasional mongoose as well as keeps the feral cats away. One of the dogs is fast enough to catch mongoose but the other one isn't. Each person's homestead will be different than the next but that's good since there's always something to learn from the other guy.

Do you have much experience gardening yet? That has a fairly big learning curve at the beginning, too. Putting that wall around several acres for a garden area might be more effective than walling the entire area. Orchard crops don't usually need protection from more than wandering cows and goats except when the fruit is falling onto the ground but even then something to clean up windfall isn't so bad. Fallen fruit encourages fruit flies which damage the crop still on the tree. Mac nuts and pigs are a bit of a problem, though, since the nuts are collected from the ground but something with fruit on it once the fruit hits the ground it usually isn't in salable shape anymore. An orchard fenced in with sheep or geese to keep the grass down would be good. Dunno if alpaca would work in orchards or if they'd eat the trees, but if it were my orchard I'd prefer them because they provide premium fiber and would have an additional "crop" from the same space. Animals also fertilize as they keep the grass short.