Steuben Jerry

Great pics Wooly!

Happy Birthday!

Grampy's response has it exactly right. All of those things are considered improvements and they may change your classification (doesn't always make a difference in rate), but will increase your assessment (multiplier of rate). We put an outhouse sized shed up to run the generator, and used the holding tank on the trailer for waste. Had to empty that into a portable tank and then took over to the nearby campground dumping station. Holy crap, I don't miss that part!

This right here^ I did exactly that back in the 90's. 19 ft camping trailer with a valid registration. On blocks to keep the suspension still, but otherwise ready to hitch up and tow. Imagine my surprise when I got a 400% increase in my then cheap tax bill. I went to the town hall and explained the registered trailer. They sent someone up to check it out, and within 2 weeks I got a corrected tax bill at the old assessment. They had changed my property classification from forest to seasonal residence too. Like I said, they made good and changed it right back though.

Love that movie. Thought of him when I named the thread!

Hey guys, just read your story again in NY Outdoor news. You're celebrities for sure!

Yeah, I give 'em a pass. Safely swerving anyways.

Good plan! Years ago I hit one square with the right tire on the expressway doing about 70. Was a family crossing the road and even though I tried to avoid it, the momma scampered right into the tire. Felt like ran over a log. Needed a front end alignment afterward. Of course, it was a Dodge truck. So there's that.

She and her family live in New Castle County, but she commutes to Philly. Last time there they toured us through the southern part of the state. Loved the area!

This morning's drive was like a slalom course until I got to the interstate. Veering back and forth to avoid the bunnies darting across the road. Maybe a dozen in that many miles. Didn't even nick one with a tire!

Our daughter moved down to the central part of DE a few years ago for work. Beautiful state! Low taxes, no sales tax - how do they pull that off, and why is NY not interested in emulating it? When we visit and drive through Wilmington, there's always a few cranes in the sky building something new as businesses pour into the state. Don't see too many cranes in NY unless they're replacing rooftop AC units.

And that's the thing right there. The tax savings over 10 years alone will probably approach $150k. So the choice is "give" it away to taxes, or buy a boat, pay a hunting lease, take a guided hunt or two every year. All while living in a better climate (still want seasons though), and no stupid over-restrictive laws.

Putting those on the future recon mission list - Thanks!

Unfortunately, it pretty much is what it is in this state. There are folks that are paying lower taxes per house value, but those places haven't been re-assessed in a while and will be. Happened to me when I lived near Rochester. I knew we were undervalued, but after a couple of years they did a town wide assessment and my taxes pretty much doubled the next year.

I'm definitely researching the northeastern part of TN.

I visited the area when I was young and liked it, so I have done some researching. Housing prices seemed to be a bit higher there, especially on some acerage - I'll have to give that another look-see. Thanks!

I remember. I don't necessarily think it's too out of line for NY in general, it's just out of line for the country! My house is on 7 acres separate from the other 79. The house and lot itself is around $9800. The balance is on the rest of the land. It's expected in a rural area where the population density is thin. My town has 50 some miles of roads to maintain, and the population is only around 1300 people. And a majority of the town and county tax money goes straight to Albany for unfunded mandates. I'm happy to pay a little more to live in a rural area than a suburban setting. A friend of mine in Webster, NY pays high $6K annual for an older raised ranch on less than an acre where you can hear your neighbors quiet conversations and smell what they're cooking for dinner. Plinking a Ruger 10/22 in the backyard gets the SWAT team to rain down on you!

So, after almost 60 years of being a NYS resident, we’re strongly considering leaving New York State for retirement in a few short years. We currently have a 10 year old home on 86 acres, and I can barely remember when I hunted somewhere else. I love it, but I simply don’t want to be financially burdened in retirement with what the property taxes have become here. And to a lesser extent, other high costs, restrictive laws/regs, and stupid liberal politics are contributing factors. We built the current place in 2009, and after all the final assessment dust had settled, our combined annual property taxes were around $4700. Fast forward 10 years to today and my taxes have ballooned into $13,000. And we have done nothing to improve the house itself in that time. It’s only an 1800 sq ft ranch/chalet style house on an unfinished walkout basement. 30 x 40 pole barn for a garage. At this rate of increase, I figure I’ll be paying $16K/year or more when I’m 65. And that will just keep increasing at 70, 75, 80. So, we’re taking our first exploratory vacation mission in August. We are going to check out the Clarksville, VA area which is near the VA/NC state lines. Geographically speaking, it’s exactly what I think we want. A large lake system, and close by rural areas. It’s in the Mid-Atlantic States, and a couple hour drive to the ocean. A small ranch on 50 acres there is typically taxed around $1200-ish per year, or about what I set aside for one month of taxes here. That’s a lot of money per month that we could help us enjoy retirement quite a bit more! And if there’s enough savings, it could make the difference between retiring at 62 or 65 or older. Or in how nice of a retirement boat I buy. I’m trying to gather other “mission” destinations to check out that offer rural living, close-by water for boating and fishing, and opportunities to hunt whether it’s on my own land or leasing nearby land. Oh yeah, and less stupid laws and regs, with a much lower cost of living. Avoiding winter isn’t a big issue, but lesser winters than we get here are appealing as long as there’s some changing seasons. Somewhere around the eastern U.S. is desirable to keep us at a reasonable drive for family. So I thought I’d ask the most like-minded group of people that I know for “mission” suggestions. Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia? Let’s hear it from the folks who know. Where would you look if you were in our shoes? It’s a damn shame what NY has become. Although it’s an old marketing slogan, I really do love New York. Big Cities, Great Lakes, Finger Lakes, Mountains, etc. No other state comes close to the ecological and geographical diversity we have here.

Except registration ended in 2014. Technically, the instant it's mounted the owner becomes a felon. Only in NY.

Can't listen at work, and will tonight. But the suspense is killing me, what's the subject matter?

So although I'm pretty sure I know the answer, is it safe to say that your buddy will not be the pants-wearer in his new family?

Happy Birthday Rob!

Thought the same thing!

They don't generally bother one another. While in my stand, I've had bear and deer around at the same time, up to an hour. The deer seem to maintain distance, but otherwise they couldn't seem to care less. Now if the deer is already dead, that's a different story. We don't have much luck leaving a deer overnight for morning recovery. We've come across a few crime scenes the next morning.

Water snakes sure don't seem to shy away from people. Saw one in the river yesterday just like that, and had a darker phase one swim right up to the canoe last year in a smaller lake nearby. Snakes will mostly get a pass from me, but it is not going to get in my boat!