Running pen question

[Shady Grove Beagles]

When I lived in New Hampshire I belonged to the Claremont Beagle Club and they are fortunate to own three enclosures of 125 acres,90 acres and a puppy starting pen of 25 acres.Because of snow depth in winter they hog ringed an additional 3 feet of top wire on top of the regular apron fencing. to give them about 7-8 feet.This also helped keep out most of the deer [one would occasionally still get in somehow ].
Someone in the club had a connection and was able to acquire several miles of old/used telephone cable that had been taken down.This was used where the two sections of fence were hog ringed together and also as a top wire,also hog ringed.This wire was very important as trees would often fall on the fence and many times this wire was strong enough to hold the tree/branches off the fence and keep it from flattening the fence and letting the game escape.
When I moved here to Tennessee 22 years ago I built a 6-7 acre enclosure.I think back then fence and posts cost me around $2,500.00 and I did the work myself.Couple things I discovered; make your corners good and solid as that's where most of your fence tension is.If you make a square corner put some fencing material over the 90 at the top of the corner.I never saw it happen but several swore to me that your cotton tail rabbits can climb out there.
Back then they were't offering the vinyl covered fencing so I don't know how it would hold up if you buried it.I do know that the heavy galvanized I used in wet areas in my pen on the apron and close to the ground where it would be under several inches of water at times rotted out in 10 years or so.
Another thing to think about is to make sure you leave enough room on BOTH sides of your fence to mow/bush hog around your enclosure.If you don't it won't tale long for everything to climb all over your fencing .Again, with the galvanized I found that the herbicides I had to spray on my fence to keep it from getting overgrown were corrosive to the fencing and also made it rust--don't know how the vinyl would react.
The apron on the bottom of the fencing is hinged and will swing either way so there really is no tension on it.Everybody around here always puts their apron in to keep their cotton tails from digging out.I don't know----do some people put their apron out to keep predators from digging in?
After getting all my fencing up with the apron "in" I just walked around the perimeter putting rocks,logs,etc. on top of it to hold it down.Within a very short time your grass,weeds,brush,roots will grow right up through it anchoring it and most times you can't even see it after the first year.
Feeders,source of water/waters and in the summer Seven Dust in the rabbit's dusting spots will go a long ways in keeping your rabbits healthy in your enclosure.
I think the hot wire is a must and should keep out the four footed critters.Biggest problem I had with predators was owls.
Tim's right about that "more friends",etc.Once people found out I had the pen they would bug me all the time about starting their pups or bringing over some dog they just bought to try him out.People got pissed at me when I told them I didn't build that pen for that use.I built it for my use with my dogs.
Sure there were a couple of running buddies that started a pup or two and that same guy would always bring me a box with half a dozen wild cotton tails in it he had trapped.LOL.
Good luck with your project and I'm sure you will enjoy the fruits of your labor

[mybeagles]

Thanks for the tips....they will be added to the list.

I guess you could always make a price list for guys starting pups or conditioning dogs....help pay the taxes

[mjd]

The beagle club i was in put up vinyl coated back in the early 70s and most of it is still up to this day but it's starting to rot ,im sure it would be hard to find any now to last anywhere near that long
Dave i sent pics to your email of my feeders ,i cut 5 gallon buckets off about 3 " tall or so for waterers ,i also put sulfur salt close to my feeders and regular salt ,i put a few food /cover plots out but i didnt buy the high dollar stuff ,I bought bird seed with sorghum,sunflower,and wildflower mix in it ,just have to make sure if you go this route its not baked bird seed ,also when garden seeds are on sale i pick those up and plant it

[S.R.Patch]

SR Patch,

For my 80-100 acre pen.

$200,000 land
$25,000. Fence/posts etc
$25,000. Tractor
$6,000. Annual taxes
$1,000. Annual for trees, seed, etc

The thrill of getting home from work, cutting lose my dogs and letting them run until I feel like quitting in the safety and security of a private enclosure......PRICELESS

Everyone is going to spend their money somehow. Some need to always be driving a new vehicle, some need a mansion to live in, some just want whatever is fashionable. Some love to travel. Some even choose to avoid hard work and live with very little. I've been saving for this opportunity for 30 years....ask me in a couple years and I will tell you if it was worth it. I've talked with 8-10 guys that built their own running pens and without exception they all would do it again. I love to hunt as much as anyone but local governments are shortening the hunting seasons with regularity. I expect this project will serve me well till I leave this earth. Hope to also use it to meet new people and make new friendships. Is it a wise investment...I guess that depends who you ask?

Dave, It's good to see people's dreams come true. Congrats on that.
It reminds me of an old fellow up by my father-in law that sold fish for stocking ponds. One time we visited him and he showed us around telling the story of how it all came to be his dream was fulfilled. He had vision and a dream. The area was very hilly timber with creeks and a few pits that held water. He bought his 100 acres and cut the lumber to build his home and barns, then sold the rest. with that money he bought a used dozer and scraper pan and commenced to clearing and terracing the hills. Once everything was shaped the way he wanted, he panned out a series of stocking ponds along each terrace. Most importantly, there was one of those pits at the bottom of the area that could supply water to the ponds, you pumped it up to the top and it over flowed from pond to pond back down to the pit. The great number of fish he raised always had a source of fresh oxygenated water to keep them healthy. He was a very smart fellow that saw a use for what most others couldn't see the tree for the forest...

[mybeagles]

Neat story. I don't have great vision like that, but realize my limitations so I'm asking for input...lol

[Aubrey Holcombe]

There is a First Time for Everything !!

I have never heard the Pair, called Acorn and Walnut, Yep I have owned three smaller enclosures myself, as I don't have the green stamps to put wire around all my property, and I like running on the outside, with the Trash.

I start many pups over the last 30/40 years, had to put up more wire as the Keystone 18 G Beagle netting as they call it will last about 10 to 12 years at best. but I like it better than the coated smaller wire.

You going to build thee Pen in the USA ? I have spoke with you from time to time, and I just assume you on Tour of Duty over there in Germany ?

Yes I would do it all again love my Starting Pens! You have to catch wild rabbits to keep them stocked ! Ga.Game Wardens keep their Eye on the old Ga.Red Neck,, made me buy a Trapping Permit, until I got to 65 now it's free and they still will not let me set my boxes until the Small Game season opens, as a Rabbit is Not considered a Fur bearing animal ? You can not trap a rabbit on your own property according to the Ga. Game \wardens, untill the season opens? They brought a couple of my traps here to my home last year and wrote me a citation, but, the local Probate Judge just laughed, at that than and ask me to go by the Laws..

D.R.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>>

[mybeagles]

Acorn and Walnut are the nick names they gave my two boys at the trials.

Yes, I'm in Germany for 1 more month, then headed to Wisconsin for my last tour. Buying a house with property that I don't plan on leaving.

[Swampman]

Two very polite and courteous boys I might add!!

[Lone Pine Beagles]

If i was buying 80 acres.
I would fence the front 60.
Leave the back 20 for hunting.
Acorn and Walnut could fill the freezer!

[CASKEY'S KENNEL]

C.E. Shepherd in Houston Texas is the best hands down . They prime the wire, galvanize it, PVC coat it . My 30 acre pen is 17 years old with very little trouble .

Take a Dozer angle the blade and make you a 6" tall row on the edge of your apron and rack it onto thr wire and your will be done .

[mybeagles]

What size wire did you use. Wire has gone up in price exponentially in 17 years. While I don't want to go cheap, spending $40,000 for fence is not an option I'm considering. I will give them a call as prices were not listed on web site.

[CASKEY'S KENNEL]

What size wire did you use. Wire has gone up in price exponentially in 17 years. While I don't want to go cheap, spending $40,000 for fence is not an option I'm considering. I will give them a call as prices were not listed on web site.

1" hole 60" x 150' rolls Give me a call. I can get you a good price on the wire .

[warddog]

I have been trying to get about 14 to 15 acres fenced in for probably about 15 years. I will tell you that the price of the fencing has gone up drastically since I first priced it back then. I figured that once I retired I could get er done BUT that hasn't panned out either as I seem to have one thing to do after another to the point that I really do NOT know how I had time to work a full time job before. I had a small dozer that I used to clear some of the trees to let more sun light in as well as clean up the old over grown fence rows. I have a small creek that runs through the property which only has water in it during times of a lot of rain BUT when it comes it wipes out everything in it's path. I had to put culverts in so I could run my fence over the creek and figure out a way so the game could not get out through them and the varmits in. Piled large rock and dirt over them and thought I was set. I got busy with other projects that NEEDED to get done on the honey do list and when I went back to check things out the creek has washed away around the culverts and made a new path. After all these years of trying, I am now rethinking whether it is worth any more time effort and cost to build something that may or may not even last 10-12 years. I have spent money on a tractor, a small dozer, culverts, RR ties for fence posts, wire and spring stretchers and have some gates but the biggest and most costly of it all is the fencing itself that may or may not last the life of all the other stuff including me! I just looked back at my old records and saw that the apron fence was $75.00 per 150 foo, t20 gauge roll and $99.00 for the 18 gauge. The cheapest I have been able to price in the last year or so has been $139.00 for the straight galvanized which I believe was Keystone or Red brand fence.

[Hare Chaser]

If you haven't thought of it already, I'd make provisions for placement of top wire tensioning if possible. As your posts shift, ground shifts, frost heaving, etc., being able to tighten up that top wire a little from time to time is a big help. Our Club has that provision and it is extremely helpful. Especially after windy storms.

P.S. Sending you a non-related pm

[mybeagles]

Did not get the pm hare chaser