Look for it first to appear on the ground, it will probably be noticeable there before you see it in the trees.

If you find it and it is small, try to dig it out. If it is too far along for that, you can get florist picks and put herbicide in them - stick it in the ground and stick the stem of one plant inside so that it can "soak it up".

I've had good luck just snipping or stomping the seedlings when they appear (usually in early summer). They look like super healthy soybean sprouts, same leaves just a little bigger. Kudzu spreads a lot by seeds, so expect to patrol the perimeter and do a lot of stomping.

There isn't much you can do for the vines that reach across the property line in the tree canopy. The best thing to do is go into the adjoining forest and hack the mama stems to kill or reduce that vine - but you'll need to do a lot of hacking to keep the vines from marching onto your property. You'll find lots of poison ivy and briers while doing it - it won't be fun. Keeping kudzu off of wooded property is a lot of work, which is why a lot of people give up and let it take over.

PS - my mother was from Belton. I love that part of the state. I had good friends that lived in Pickens but they've moved away, now I rarely get to spend any time in the upstate. You're living in some of the prettiest land around.

Thanks for the great advice! I will be ready this spring.