John-W-WI
Administrator
The owner of that machine let me drive it for a little while. I certainly felt like a fool. Until you can train your brain, those things are difficult to operate. I can pick up an egg with a skidsteer. But I couldn't break one with the track hoe
John-W-WI
Administrator
So Jake and I moved his elevated blind to the shed to do a little work on it (then he hurt his foot so I lost my helper, the work didn't get completed). I needed to move it back onto the field as Wisconsin youth season is this coming weekend.
The running gear we built it on is a PITA to move, as the front wheels steer and the rear wheels follow.
So I welded up a little gizmo to put on the end of the forks on the skidsteer. It was MUCH easier to move. And the extra hole in the gizmo will get a 2" ball in the future for moving trailers as well.
It ain't pretty, but it got the job done. Everything I used was scrap from previous projects. (Don't laugh at my welding skills!)
-John
The running gear we built it on is a PITA to move, as the front wheels steer and the rear wheels follow.
So I welded up a little gizmo to put on the end of the forks on the skidsteer. It was MUCH easier to move. And the extra hole in the gizmo will get a 2" ball in the future for moving trailers as well.
It ain't pretty, but it got the job done. Everything I used was scrap from previous projects. (Don't laugh at my welding skills!)
-John
Bill
Administrator
Hey it held.
John-W-WI
Administrator
(I already posted some of this on the WI Youth thread, but want it here too for future reference)
October 7th & 8th was the 2017 Wisconsin youth hunt. Saturday the 7th was nearly a complete rain-out. But we managed to get out for the last few hours of the day and stay dry. We had 3 does & fawns enter the field about a half hour before last light. The fawn was obviously following one of the does, so we decided to take a shot at the older doe with no fawn. Not quite 100 yards away, old "one shot" got it done. I started recording as soon as we decided Jake needed to sit on my knee because they came out on my side of the blind:
Jake is 12 now. Before we know it he will be too old to youth hunt!
October 7th & 8th was the 2017 Wisconsin youth hunt. Saturday the 7th was nearly a complete rain-out. But we managed to get out for the last few hours of the day and stay dry. We had 3 does & fawns enter the field about a half hour before last light. The fawn was obviously following one of the does, so we decided to take a shot at the older doe with no fawn. Not quite 100 yards away, old "one shot" got it done. I started recording as soon as we decided Jake needed to sit on my knee because they came out on my side of the blind:
Jake is 12 now. Before we know it he will be too old to youth hunt!
Mortenson
5 year old buck +
Great thread! You take a lot of nice pictures. Probably have some good updates coming. Cool spread, cool tools. While you have rocks, they can continue to be removed from those big fields. How much tillable do you have there? Does the x-cell fabric work well for fruit trees?
John-W-WI
Administrator
I have approximately 25 acres of tillable. Only by deer guy standards. It's all half rock but I manage to feed the deer. X-Cell fabric is bullet proof and will work great for fruit trees. It breathes so it is safe to use on anything you plant. It's not cheap and it's more work to install but worth the effort. I sold the Big Rock Trees in late 2018, but the new owner is a solid guy and will take care of you.
Now for an update....
John-W-WI
Administrator
Jake is quickly running out of years for youth season here in Wisconsin. He was 13 this season, so only a couple more for him.
He did manage to connect on a couple of does. Here was the 1st one:
And the interview after the shot:
Here is number two, same stand, same night a half hour later:
Proud dad evening (that is a Vietnam Vet friend that came to help, one of the does went to his son}:
He did manage to connect on a couple of does. Here was the 1st one:
And the interview after the shot:
Here is number two, same stand, same night a half hour later:
Proud dad evening (that is a Vietnam Vet friend that came to help, one of the does went to his son}:
John-W-WI
Administrator
Jake and I went on a Pheasant hunt in SD - Top notch hosts. They wear us out on wild birds, then let us shoot a few planted ones:
Jake legit shot several birds all on his own. When 5 guys all shoot at the same time, you never really know who got what. He has a tree line he likes to work all on his own. He was the only shooter, so we know he got them. I think you can tell from his smile:
Jake legit shot several birds all on his own. When 5 guys all shoot at the same time, you never really know who got what. He has a tree line he likes to work all on his own. He was the only shooter, so we know he got them. I think you can tell from his smile:
John-W-WI
Administrator
Then came the darkest day of my hunting career. There was a buck in the neighborhood that had visited my farm a couple of times. Cams say only at night but who really knows. On November 3rd he walked within 20 yard of me. I blew it. Maybe some day I'll be able to tell the whole story. For now I'll leave it at this:
The good news is he is alive and well, made it through gun season, and as far as I can tell will be around next year. If I were him, I wouldn't ever come back to my farm after the tracking dog chased him all over the country side:
That dog was the most amazing thing I've ever seen operate in the woods. I would have thought that buck had a GPS collar on it. Every time I doubted it, she proved me wrong.
The good news is he is alive and well, made it through gun season, and as far as I can tell will be around next year. If I were him, I wouldn't ever come back to my farm after the tracking dog chased him all over the country side:
That dog was the most amazing thing I've ever seen operate in the woods. I would have thought that buck had a GPS collar on it. Every time I doubted it, she proved me wrong.
Rit
5 year old buck +
I was just about to order the start of my road screen. Looks like a lot less options now at double the price. Yikes!
John-W-WI
Administrator
Back to Jake hunting. The curse of the big one followed us to Missouri. Jake missed a solid 140" buck. In his defense he didn't have much time and it was a long way away. If anyone goofed up it was dad for not settling him down and getting it done. At this point we thought he had him:
After checking for blood it was obvious he didn't touch him. We went back to the blind to collect our thoughts and were almost immediately covered up in deer. And it's a good thing, because Jake was CRUSHED that he had missed the 1st deer. A few minutes later a buck showed up and Jake got it done:
Proud father son moment:
-John
After checking for blood it was obvious he didn't touch him. We went back to the blind to collect our thoughts and were almost immediately covered up in deer. And it's a good thing, because Jake was CRUSHED that he had missed the 1st deer. A few minutes later a buck showed up and Jake got it done:
Proud father son moment:
-John
Dukslayr
5 year old buck +
What a stud deer there. Sorry to hear you came up short. I gave a story of my own on a giant from 2 years ago in which a tracking dog was also involved. Deer was still alive when I sold the farm this year. Heart breaking that I never got him after so many encounters with him. Is the a Bavarian mountain hound that guys working with?
