Ozark Mountain Escape

After 25 years of hunting public or someone else’s private land, this is Brandon Butler’s first buck taken on his own land – Driftwood Acres. Photo taken by Ron Kruger.

Dreams come true. As long as I can remember, I’ve wanted nothing more than my own piece of ground. I recently purchased a 42-acre wilderness paradise in the heart of Missouri’s Ozark Mountains. It’s on a creek and borders over 60,000 contiguous acres of public land. Current River and the Jacks Fork flow near by. Bear, deer, turkey and more call this place home. My family and I are so excited to start making memories at Driftwood Acres.

In a column from November of 2014, I wrote, “I have land envy. There’s no denying it. My whole life I’ve been hunting on other people’s properties. I realize I’m fortunate to have had such opportunities, but hunting another person’s place is a lot like going to dinner with just your buddy and his wife. You don’t really know how to act, so you just operate as an abbreviated version of yourself.”

Everything I thought I would feel as a landowner has been realized and more. There’s a strong sense of pride, but also of responsibility. It’s a blossoming love affair. The relationship between man and land must be constantly nurtured. I am promised to improvements on an already magical place.

There is a ramshackle cabin on the land that should have collapsed years ago, but is somehow still standing. I’m taking it apart piece by piece with plans to repurpose as much of the old structure as possible in my future cabin. Maybe all those years my father forced me to watch This Old House as a kid will finally pay off.

Exploring the interior of the property, I discovered a crumbling barn and chicken coop. Both were beyond repair offering nothing for salvage. They went down when the bulldozer came to open up about an acre where I’ll be restoring native grasses with an emphasis on pollinator friendly plants.

Driftwood Acres is quickly transitioning from dream to reality. Ryan Diener, a Quail Forever biologist, surveyed the ground for wildlife habitat improvement. He’s developed a long list of projects for me. A consulting forester is drafting a plan to conduct a selective harvest, which will improve wildlife habitat and return to me about a third of the cost of the land. Electricity was brought back to the property, after being disconnected from the old cabin years ago. I discovered a glade, which is beautiful, but needs to be restored to a much larger size. And to my great excitement I’ve located a lot fresh rubs and scrapes, meaning there are many deer in the area.

The highlight of the first few months, though, is unquestionably taking my first deer from my own land with a bow. My first buck killed at Driftwood Acres is a perfect representation of what this place means to me. Shannon County is tough country. Folks work hard just to survive in these mountains. It’s rugged and rocky, and nothing comes easy. The busted up bruiser crossed my path deep in the forest. This is a wild, remote area. There’s a real good chance no other hunter ever saw him before.

The buck didn’t have a name. He wasn’t on a “hit list.” He wasn’t managed for years to be harvested when ready like a crop. He was a wild animal, living in a wild place. He fought hard for his status amongst his peers, breaking off three of his eight points. This particular buck is one I will always remember. I am thankful.

Wilderness philosopher, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “Wildness is the preservation of the World.” For me, wilderness is certainly the preservation of my soul.

See you down the trail…

Brandon Butler