If you’re earned the name “Bone Collector,” it’s safe to say you know a thing or two about outdoor living. But how does the Bone Collector go about living his backyard life? Follow along as we travel close to the Alabama-Georgia border and meet Michael Waddell on his South Georgia dream yard.

Michael’s Dream Yard Inspiration

When asked about the inspiration behind his dream yard, Waddell emphasized that it’s all about making his friends and family feel welcome. He says that you can always go places and make memories, but he wanted his property to be the place for everyone to come and hang out.

And there are plenty of opportunities for memories to be made—from a beautiful pool, large grilling station, and a state-of-the-art entertainment area. Or, for some more “old school” fun, there’s tons of space to have a catch or toss around the frisbee. To top it all off, they’ve created a pit bike track where they like to race, have a good time, and take the occasional tumble.

Ultimately, he views a dream yard as a place where you’re able to get outside and have some good family fun, all from the comfort of your own property—and he’s designed his yard to do just that.

Owning a Slice of Mother Nature

Waddell doesn’t just think of his property as just a dream yard, but a wildlife sanctuary. His family loves hunting, so having the opportunity to enjoy deer, turkey, and other wildlife that live on their land is really special. And, being able to own a piece of the outdoors has helped them garner a deeper understanding between the balance of their lives and nature, and just how important our renewable resources are.

Since he’s an avid hunter, Waddell is also big on conservation. He and his family see it as their duty to look after the native wildlife that help them live their field-to-table lifestyle. To help, Michael uses his Exmark mower to cut different areas of his pecan orchards throughout the year, creating protection for deer and their fawns from coyotes and other predators.

A Chicken’s Dream Coop

Staying true to their conservation efforts, the Waddells have a magnificent chicken coop that’s his wife’s pride and joy. But she’s made it into way more than just a coop—it’s a veritable chicken dream yard that rivals their family home. The inside is decked out with beautiful décor and pictures of each chicken, and the outside is just as breathtaking. Michael likes to joke that they might have a lot of problems, but eggs aren’t one of them—they always make for some amazing omelets to start their day.

Living Off the Land

Coming out of a historic pandemic, Michael realized how much he took being able to head over to the grocery store for granted. While he and his family have always lived field-to-table, not being able to buy certain fruits and veggies pushed them to become entirely self-sustained. His property now has all the veggies and meat his family will ever need without having to step foot off his land, giving them some big peace of mind.

Perfecting His South Georgia Dream Yard

Taking care of a property as large as the Waddells’ is a never-ending cycle of maintenance, so Michael needs great equipment that’s up to the task—especially in spring and summer, when everything is in bloom. He calls his Exmark Lazer Z the “crème de la crème” for its dependability and precision, but most of all its workhorse-like durability. He’s able to get his range ready to go in only a few minutes and cut through even the highest and toughest grasses with ease, helping him and his family live their backyard life to the fullest.

Now that you’ve had a taste of an ultimate dream yard, what will yours look like?