j-bird
Moderator
If I don't see any activity I'll wrap and tape it to keep it from moving.
That screen will work a lot better I bet. In a previous life we had to have wildlife ladders in all the stock troughs. If they weren't alongside the edge, the critters would drown. They will swim around the perimeter of the trough and the screen/ladder needs to be along that perimeter for them to find it.
A bit bigger piece that what you have positioned at a corner always worked well for us. We had to anchor ours as the cows/elk/horses/etc would knock them out if they weren't.
A bit bigger piece that what you have positioned at a corner always worked well for us. We had to anchor ours as the cows/elk/horses/etc would knock them out if they weren't.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
J-bird, I may have missed it but are you seeing activity at your planted rub posts/licking branches? I put one in this weekend and am hopeful it will work.
j-bird
Moderator
No - and that is why I changed one of them to a bigger "turd" in my punch bowl - Maybe I need a bigger sign and I also put some scent wicks on it to help spur some activity (may change the other one over the coming weekend). Trust me - if I have any decent sign of success - I'll post it. Based on my cam pics from last year activity picked up late october early november. I may need to pull my cams off the water holes and put them on my scrape trees. This time frame is when we start to see the seeking phase of the rut start in my area, so deer using scent to keep tabs on each other should pick up some.
j-bird
Moderator
Well I finally hit the stand today to hunt this morning. Moon was bright and nearly straight overhead this am based on my shadow. Got in the stand about a 1/2 hour before light. Had a group of 2 does and 2 fawns come in......I was about to kill the biggest one but I was having issues with the limbs of the x-bow having clearance as I was shooting more near behind the stand. She saw me move and game over. No big deal. This was my view this morning.
I found a nice little active scrape here as well. This is about 50 yards into the woods of an inside corner of a standing soybean field. I added my contribution before I left the woods.
On the walk home I stopped by and took some other pics as well. First the scrape tree at my plot. Wasn't sure there was much use, but found a nice track in the scrape when I looked a little closer.
My north plots as of today. My clover plot was nuked with gly and overseeded in late summer - it seems to be bouncing back nice......just can't seem to win the battle against the smartweed!
The annual plot seems to have mixed results. In some cases I got great leaf growth and in others no so much and not much of anything to speak of as far as tuber is concerned. I think that may be due to the varieties the BOB seed was. Next year I will go back to GFR and PPT.....live and learn.
We had a real good day long rain shower 2 days ago - so we still got some puddles - made the walk into the stand pretty quiet though. I was looking forward to the rain as I needed it to germinate the kill plot I broadcast not long ago.
I found a nice little active scrape here as well. This is about 50 yards into the woods of an inside corner of a standing soybean field. I added my contribution before I left the woods.
On the walk home I stopped by and took some other pics as well. First the scrape tree at my plot. Wasn't sure there was much use, but found a nice track in the scrape when I looked a little closer.
My north plots as of today. My clover plot was nuked with gly and overseeded in late summer - it seems to be bouncing back nice......just can't seem to win the battle against the smartweed!
The annual plot seems to have mixed results. In some cases I got great leaf growth and in others no so much and not much of anything to speak of as far as tuber is concerned. I think that may be due to the varieties the BOB seed was. Next year I will go back to GFR and PPT.....live and learn.
We had a real good day long rain shower 2 days ago - so we still got some puddles - made the walk into the stand pretty quiet though. I was looking forward to the rain as I needed it to germinate the kill plot I broadcast not long ago.
j-bird
Moderator
This post has absolutely nothing to do with habitat or my farm, but an event has happened that I was not sure would EVER happen in my lifetime. Brace yourself........
THE
CUBS
ARE
GOING
TO
THE
WORLD
SERIES!
I am a life long cubs fan, and so is my father and the misery and heat-break that has been the history of our team since 1908 is legendary in the sports world. Saturday the cubs advanced to a level in which that had not previously reached since 1945.....think about that....not since WWII have the cubs been in the world series...... We still have 4 games to win against a very good Cleveland Indians team, but you have to be there to win. All I have to say is "Go CUBS Go" & "Fly the W"!!!!!
THE
CUBS
ARE
GOING
TO
THE
WORLD
SERIES!
I am a life long cubs fan, and so is my father and the misery and heat-break that has been the history of our team since 1908 is legendary in the sports world. Saturday the cubs advanced to a level in which that had not previously reached since 1945.....think about that....not since WWII have the cubs been in the world series...... We still have 4 games to win against a very good Cleveland Indians team, but you have to be there to win. All I have to say is "Go CUBS Go" & "Fly the W"!!!!!
j-bird
Moderator
Well I have spent some time in the stand without much luck. Weather here has been warm, but scrapes are showing up and that's a start.
180 pano View from stand Friday morning (took a vacation day):
180 pano View from stand Saturday: This is overlooking my pawpaw. I'm not hunting here because of the pawpaw - this is a transition area of cover types that the deer like and a creek crossing.....the pawpaw just happen to be here.
Finally seeing some action on my scrape trees - I think going with the bigger trees has helped. These guys are not big by any means, but they are interested and that is a place to start. These are out in the open so I pretty much only expect activity in the dark. I have found a few scrapes in the woods and those may be of more particular interest from a hunting perspective. These are near food plots and stands, but seeing the buck traffic is nice.
Have to enjoy the view once in a while as well.
180 pano View from stand Friday morning (took a vacation day):
180 pano View from stand Saturday: This is overlooking my pawpaw. I'm not hunting here because of the pawpaw - this is a transition area of cover types that the deer like and a creek crossing.....the pawpaw just happen to be here.
Finally seeing some action on my scrape trees - I think going with the bigger trees has helped. These guys are not big by any means, but they are interested and that is a place to start. These are out in the open so I pretty much only expect activity in the dark. I have found a few scrapes in the woods and those may be of more particular interest from a hunting perspective. These are near food plots and stands, but seeing the buck traffic is nice.
Have to enjoy the view once in a while as well.
j-bird
Moderator
There are times I love living on the property - especially when there is work to be done, but then there are times I wish I had more of a "deer camp" situation as well. We all work with what we have. Hope you get to the woods soon.
The grass is always greener... :D
Have been hearing reports of bucks on their feet looking and responding to calling. My favorite time to hunt in IN is the last two weeks of "early" bow season, just hasn't been able to happen the past couple of years. Thinking I might slow down on the out of state hunts next year and use some leave to hunt here next year.
Have been hearing reports of bucks on their feet looking and responding to calling. My favorite time to hunt in IN is the last two weeks of "early" bow season, just hasn't been able to happen the past couple of years. Thinking I might slow down on the out of state hunts next year and use some leave to hunt here next year.
j-bird
Moderator
I love those first to weeks of November as well - things start getting exciting just before the orange army hits the woods. I love to use a decoy and some light calling then to bring curious bucks in close. Don't get me wrong I'm one of the orange army as well, but there is just something special about those 2 weeks prior. seeing the scrapes being active is exciting as well. I tend to not hunt those on field edges, but those in the woods I like. They are a sign that I have bucks in the area and that is always a good sign.
For everyone else - adding the screen to the water holes seems to have alleviated my drowning issue with the mice. Like I said - patent pending - and only $19.95!!!
My dad took the week off before gun season for many years, as the timing is just about right as you posted. He killed 7 bucks in 7 years from the same tree the Friday before gun season. A change in ownership has made access to that tree much tougher. It's on state ground so I can't be kicked off, but getting there is much tougher and not from a good direction. I'm thinking I owe it to myself to do it some year though...
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Congrats! The game/series was a blast to watch and I didn't even have a dog in the fight.
j-bird
Moderator
Well I had an interesting weekend. I hunted friday evening and had a real eye opening experience. I was getting settled into my stand and the cable that supports the platform failed. I was thankfully already strapped to the tree and didn't fall, as the strap pulled tight and I was able to regain my balance, but the unsupported stand started to distort so I had to get to the ladder. I got to the ladder and collected myself. I liken the experience as like when your walking down stairs and you miss a step. I was pretty rattled being roughly 20 feet up. Without the tether I would have fallen and the result would not have been good. I got most of my gear out of the tree and I went home......I can take a hint!
I have had that stand and 2 others for a few years, but I obviously lost confidence in them so I went and bought new ones and replaced those saturday. The others didn't seem to show any cause for concern, but I wasn't taking any more chances.
Once hunting resumed I had another reason for some thought. The chase is on at my place. I have seen bucks of all sizes chasing does like crazy. I saw a huge buck twice but never got a shot. However the activity caused me to make some interesting observations. I do all this habitat work, I spend all this money and spend all this time. Where was all the deer activity - just across the creek......on the neighbors! He does nothing but farm the place. I am considering a gross change in plans on my place. One essentially of walking away. I think my efforts are actually being counter productive. I think I may be making good progress from a habitat perspective, but I may be spending so much time doing it that it is keeping the deer at a distance......what good does that do me? I know the deer are around - I have seen an explosion of scrapes and frustration rubs, but the actual daytime activity remains low on my place. I think I may be reaching a point where "less is more".
Again this is right next to a different neighbors place. I know the deer are bedding in there and this string of willows is near a small corn plot of mine. So I can see the evidence of my work making an impact, but if it's not when I can hunt - what good does it do me? This weekend appear like the deer traffic was purposely avoiding my property - which is really frustrating as the stand I was in was only the first and second times I have hunted that stand.
As of friday I am on vacation until after thanksgiving so I hope the deer find a reason to use my place. Our general firearms season opens soon and I am seeing great deer activity right now with cooler weather expected later in the week as well. Maybe I will get another crack at that buck yet. I just know the odds go down once the orange army hits the woods.
I have had that stand and 2 others for a few years, but I obviously lost confidence in them so I went and bought new ones and replaced those saturday. The others didn't seem to show any cause for concern, but I wasn't taking any more chances.
Once hunting resumed I had another reason for some thought. The chase is on at my place. I have seen bucks of all sizes chasing does like crazy. I saw a huge buck twice but never got a shot. However the activity caused me to make some interesting observations. I do all this habitat work, I spend all this money and spend all this time. Where was all the deer activity - just across the creek......on the neighbors! He does nothing but farm the place. I am considering a gross change in plans on my place. One essentially of walking away. I think my efforts are actually being counter productive. I think I may be making good progress from a habitat perspective, but I may be spending so much time doing it that it is keeping the deer at a distance......what good does that do me? I know the deer are around - I have seen an explosion of scrapes and frustration rubs, but the actual daytime activity remains low on my place. I think I may be reaching a point where "less is more".
Again this is right next to a different neighbors place. I know the deer are bedding in there and this string of willows is near a small corn plot of mine. So I can see the evidence of my work making an impact, but if it's not when I can hunt - what good does it do me? This weekend appear like the deer traffic was purposely avoiding my property - which is really frustrating as the stand I was in was only the first and second times I have hunted that stand.
As of friday I am on vacation until after thanksgiving so I hope the deer find a reason to use my place. Our general firearms season opens soon and I am seeing great deer activity right now with cooler weather expected later in the week as well. Maybe I will get another crack at that buck yet. I just know the odds go down once the orange army hits the woods.
