[music playing]
NARRATOR: In North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains--
RALEIGH: I see a locust tree here, Eustace.
Yeah, that locust would make some good bench
stakes right there.
NARRATOR: It's been nearly a year since Eustace Conway
expanded Turtle Island with the purchase
of a new 90-acre plot of land.
And with an $8,000 note due in the spring,
he's got work to do to start paying it off.
It's good to make a piece of land pay for itself any way
you can, you know?
That's right.
NARRATOR: He and 19-year-old apprentice, Raleigh Avery,
are here to harvest a few prime trees for the mill.
But before they cut, they're scouting for the most
valuable wood they can find.
We might be able to get some of the land
payments paid just right here from this land itself.
At the prices that poplar is bringing right now,
we could probably get $500 to $600 out of this one tree.
Man, that's a great tree there.
Hey.
Whoa.
RALEIGH: What the heck?
Is that a gut pile?
EUSTACE: Yeah.
Somebody's been hunting on my land.
Strung it up right here.
I don't think this is more than five hours old.
Apparently blowing up that still wasn't enough.
NARRATOR: Eustace has high hopes for this land.
But so far, it's been more challenging than he expected.
Just three weeks ago, he and Raleigh
destroyed an illegal moonshine still
he found hidden in the bush.
[explosion]
[thump]
Trespassers are a nuisance, but poachers are a threat
to Eustace's livelihood.
Let's see if we can track 'em.
We'll maybe find out who it is.
NARRATOR: The more competition for meat in the area,
the harder it is for him to feed himself.
EUSTACE: They're just coming in and taking my deer,
taking my wood, taking my freedom.
That just drives me up the wall.
RALEIGH: Look at this.
What's been going on here?
Well, I don't know, but it looks like somebody's been
partying or something here.
Again and again as I travel this new land,
I'm finding where people are encroaching on this space.
Whenever you buy a piece of land,
it's not all a perfect package, you know.
You've got to take what you get.
I come on this old mobile home.
This thing is not only an eyesore,
but it's attracting people to it.
NARRATOR: The dilapidated trailer
was left behind by the previous owner,
but he vacated the place 10 months ago.
That's fresh.
Either people haven't figured out that I'm owning it now,
or they just don't care.
I wouldn't want to live in there.
[laughs]
Look how nasty it is.
Yeah.
It looks like somebody just keeps
coming back and coming back.
Yeah.
See those tire tracks?
That's recent, right there.
It's within a day.
NARRATOR: The site sits on the farthest edge
of Eustace's new property--
too far to keep a daily eye on, unless he
hatches a surveillance plan.
EUSTACE: Well, one of the thoughts
I've got to try to deal with this problem
is to build a cabin or outpost camp.
And if a poacher comes in here and they see somebody living
here, they might think twice about coming
in and just trespassing.
NARRATOR: And Eustace has the perfect watchdog in mind.
EUSTACE: We just need to let them
know they can't be in here.
We need to get you up here.
Just kinda get you to watch over the place.
Yeah.
EUSTACE: I'm hoping that Raleigh living here in this house
will help just create a presence on this land here
that will deter trespassers.
At least they'll know that we're here,
and they'll know that we know that they're here.
RALEIGH: Yeah.
It probably won't keep them out still, but it's something.
EUSTACE: The first step on this build
site here is just to clear out an area for the foundation.
There's a lot of reasons to pick any building site.
One of the main reasons we picked
this spot is because the winter sun hits it real good,
and it's on the edge of a bank, so we're not using
up good farming territory.
Being right above a creek, we have access to water and plenty
of rocks to build a foundation.
So we're just trying to make use of everything
that we have here that's useful for us.
I think we'll have a pretty good path up through there.
NARRATOR: The project also provides
a valuable teaching opportunity for the master and apprentice.
EUSTACE: We don't want just an outpost camp for nothing
but catching poachers.
I can teach Raleigh how to do this build.
I mean, that's really one of the things he wants to learn.
[creaking]
I tell you what.
If you can start limbing it up, I'm
gonna start shanking this up.
OK.
NARRATOR: The trees are too rotted to be lumber grade,
but Eustace will still make a profit on them.
EUSTACE: So there's a bunch of trees-- oak--
that will make some good firewood.
So we can sell that.
In turn, buy some nails and some screws.
It pays for itself.
Load it, and we'll be just about finished.
I'm pretty excited about getting this cabin built.
And I want Raleigh to move in and have him watch this area
to cut down on the intrusion.
He's going to be able to help me hopefully for years to come.