I'm guessing that cable breaking woke you up better than any amount of coffee could!! Glad you were prepared and didn't get hurt. I won't go up a tree anymore without a harness strapped in. Did it for years in homemade stands, but won't chance it now. Good luck with that buck! Sounds like they are really moving of late. Friends have shot or seen quite a few big bucks during daylight the past 8 days. I've not hunted in IN since youth season...
j-bird
Moderator
Well I had a great firearms opener weekend. Went hunting with my little girl and we shared some memories.....although they didn't result in a deer - she missed cleanly.....twice. But I ended up with a pick-up of deer all the same.
First morning of opening weekend I took my daughter to a shooting house because it was cold. I set up a decoy and about mid morning a pretty 2 year old buck comes trotting across the field. He stopped about 50 yards out and she shot. Missed cleanly and he trotted about 20 yards and turned back to look over the decoy again. Emma shot yet again - and again missed cleanly. Buck fever had not only showed up but had consumed her. She was in tears because of the miss but I used the moment as a learning experience. I explained that we all have missed and how I would prefer a clean miss vs a bad hit. She explained the emotions involved and I just smiled.....because we have all been there. I was still able to get a smile out of her on the walk back home.
We still went out later and she chose not to shoot again because of the nerves but I talked to her about how to try to calm down and relax and how to breath and the like with the deer being close. Even without a gun in her hand she was physically shaking - so we just watched......I was tagged out in the antlerless deer department at that point.....more on that below.
The times she didn't hunt - I still went and had some success myself. I got a full freezer now ......now I need one for the wall!
As much as I was against the use of high powered rifle - I decided to give it a chance and my 30-30 was great. I didn't extend my range any more than I would have had with my slug gun, it delivered clean kills and was far easier to shoot on me than my 12 gauge. I'm still not sure we need to be able to kill deer at 200 or 300 yards (some other legal cartridges like 30-06, 308 & 300).
We had seen decent deer activity and now it's to get warm again - not real happy about that, but I have the next 2 weeks off for vacation so I got time. I want to get Emma a deer yet and I need to track down old mossy horns!
First morning of opening weekend I took my daughter to a shooting house because it was cold. I set up a decoy and about mid morning a pretty 2 year old buck comes trotting across the field. He stopped about 50 yards out and she shot. Missed cleanly and he trotted about 20 yards and turned back to look over the decoy again. Emma shot yet again - and again missed cleanly. Buck fever had not only showed up but had consumed her. She was in tears because of the miss but I used the moment as a learning experience. I explained that we all have missed and how I would prefer a clean miss vs a bad hit. She explained the emotions involved and I just smiled.....because we have all been there. I was still able to get a smile out of her on the walk back home.
The times she didn't hunt - I still went and had some success myself. I got a full freezer now ......now I need one for the wall!
As much as I was against the use of high powered rifle - I decided to give it a chance and my 30-30 was great. I didn't extend my range any more than I would have had with my slug gun, it delivered clean kills and was far easier to shoot on me than my 12 gauge. I'm still not sure we need to be able to kill deer at 200 or 300 yards (some other legal cartridges like 30-06, 308 & 300).
We had seen decent deer activity and now it's to get warm again - not real happy about that, but I have the next 2 weeks off for vacation so I got time. I want to get Emma a deer yet and I need to track down old mossy horns!
j-bird
Moderator
OK - here is the story. I have been hunting a dandy 10 pointer and I have had close calls with him but just not been able to seal the deal. Last night this buck pops up and when I see him he is looking straight at me and I swore it was the buck I was after - So I shot...and.....nothing!?! What? Yep - I missed cleanly at a buck standing still at a mear 50 yards with a scoped rifle. Not sure how that happened but it did. He trotted another 10 yards away and I let fly again. This time he mule kicks and bounds away into the CRP. I didn't see him leave in any direction but I didn't hear him crash either. I waited until dark and went to look for blood. I found some but not much and I wasn't able to follow but a few yards. I have made the mistake of going after a deer too soon before so I chose to back out knowing I had the next day off, low tote issues and no forecast of rain and cold overnight temps.
So that brings me to this morning. I wait for daylight and go out and go back to where I marked last blood last night. I left the dogs at the house. I wanted to try to recover the deer on my own without the chaos the dogs may stir up. Something I have noticed with hunting with a 30 caliber (30/30) for the first time in my life is that the blood trail is weaker than I am used to (with my 50 cal smokepole and 12 gauge slug gun). I didn't find much more blood so I started looking for edges of the cover types where I could possibly find some sign. As I was walking thru the switchgrass I saw some red that caught my eye and there he was. Not 50 yards from POI.
I was sort of disappointed in that I pulled the trigger on the wrong buck, but I was happy to have recovered him all the same. I guess him to be a 3 year old. He is 10 clean points and will score 120 ~130 inches. He simply lacks the mass of an older deer. He had a live weight of 180 lbs and a dressed weight of 150 lbs. Turns out my second shot was dead on.....I guess he wasn't far enough away when I took the first shot!
So - sorry it wasn't a storybook ending, but I recovered the deer I had shot and nothing upsets me more than not recovering a deer. Things happen pretty quickly in the deer woods sometimes and I'm sure this isn't the first or last time a hunter has some "ground shrinkage" of a buck. Maybe that big guy I was chasing makes it to next year and he is even bigger next year.....
So that brings me to this morning. I wait for daylight and go out and go back to where I marked last blood last night. I left the dogs at the house. I wanted to try to recover the deer on my own without the chaos the dogs may stir up. Something I have noticed with hunting with a 30 caliber (30/30) for the first time in my life is that the blood trail is weaker than I am used to (with my 50 cal smokepole and 12 gauge slug gun). I didn't find much more blood so I started looking for edges of the cover types where I could possibly find some sign. As I was walking thru the switchgrass I saw some red that caught my eye and there he was. Not 50 yards from POI.
I was sort of disappointed in that I pulled the trigger on the wrong buck, but I was happy to have recovered him all the same. I guess him to be a 3 year old. He is 10 clean points and will score 120 ~130 inches. He simply lacks the mass of an older deer. He had a live weight of 180 lbs and a dressed weight of 150 lbs. Turns out my second shot was dead on.....I guess he wasn't far enough away when I took the first shot!
So - sorry it wasn't a storybook ending, but I recovered the deer I had shot and nothing upsets me more than not recovering a deer. Things happen pretty quickly in the deer woods sometimes and I'm sure this isn't the first or last time a hunter has some "ground shrinkage" of a buck. Maybe that big guy I was chasing makes it to next year and he is even bigger next year.....
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Congrats on the deer season !! Tell your daughter she has lots of company in the " shakes " department. I shake after the shot every time !! It took me a few years when I first started hunting to calm down BEFORE the shot !! It's cool to hunt with your kids ..... for sure !!
j-bird
Moderator
Thanks Chummer - he just wasn't the one I had hoped to end my season on. I have faith that the man upstairs has a plan so maybe one of the kids get him or I get a swing at him again next year. All things happen for a reason. He isn't a "bad" deer - no such thing. He just wasn't the one I thought he was. He was a 3 year old with lots of unrealized potential is all. If I had slowed down and not gotten wrapped up in the moment I would have passed on the second shot....but would have, could have, should have.
j-bird
Moderator
This showed up in the mail over the weekend.
My last issue of QW.......Damn right it is! Yes, I'm still bitter!!!!:mad:
Don't get me wrong - I fully support and believe in the QDM principles and process. The ASSOCIATION however proved that they are only in it for the money by shutting up us former forum members by closing it down and discarding all that GREAT & FREE information....... that ASSOCIATION can go pound sand!
My last issue of QW.......Damn right it is! Yes, I'm still bitter!!!!:mad:
Don't get me wrong - I fully support and believe in the QDM principles and process. The ASSOCIATION however proved that they are only in it for the money by shutting up us former forum members by closing it down and discarding all that GREAT & FREE information....... that ASSOCIATION can go pound sand!
j-bird
Moderator
Just had an "AaHa" moment thanks to some of you all. the discussion spun into one of how we teach our kids about hunting and Tap recommended an article as I had posted a very similar post prior about the process I went thru with my son.
www.brothersofthebow.com/tooyoung.htm
It then dawned on me that I had not gone thru this with my daughter and that it may be why we had some issues earlier this season with target panic. It drove home the point that I need to stop and go back and do it the right way. I feel pretty stupid for not seeing this earlier, but we all make mistakes. I hope to learn from this mistake and put my daughter on the same path that has worked before. She wanted to deer hunt and I was so excited about that we skipped most of the "training" and looking back that is a VERY important of the whole picture. I have done what I have swore I would never do with someone else. I set her up to succeed without really putting the effort or understanding into it. I want to raise a "hunter" not a "killer".
www.brothersofthebow.com/tooyoung.htm
It then dawned on me that I had not gone thru this with my daughter and that it may be why we had some issues earlier this season with target panic. It drove home the point that I need to stop and go back and do it the right way. I feel pretty stupid for not seeing this earlier, but we all make mistakes. I hope to learn from this mistake and put my daughter on the same path that has worked before. She wanted to deer hunt and I was so excited about that we skipped most of the "training" and looking back that is a VERY important of the whole picture. I have done what I have swore I would never do with someone else. I set her up to succeed without really putting the effort or understanding into it. I want to raise a "hunter" not a "killer".
j-bird
Moderator
Well I had a heart-to-heart discussion with my 12 year old daughter last night about the path we had taken thus far in her deer hunting. We talked for a good hour almost. I explained how I had taught her brother and how he still had his struggles along the way I felt that I felt we needed to take a step back in order to make progress. I was expecting a dramatic situation.....after all I was trying to reason with a pre-teen female and she is highly opinionated (like her mother - I'm not at all that way :D).
She was/is totally on board. She agreed that starting with hunting smaller critters and getting more practice shooting live things with a gun was a good idea. She told me she didn't want to shoot the muzzleloader and felt more comfortable with the rifle as well. She also told me that she understood that the season to use the rifle had passed and that she was OK with that.
I explained that we would hunt squirrels with a 22 rifle or the .410 (I have a youth model her that is actually her brothers to teach her with and to use) and focus more on learning how to actually hunt.....I wasn't entirely sure just how well that would go over.
I was totally floored when she looked at me with a smile and that same look of excitement and said, "How much more time do we have to squirrel hunt this year?"
I think taking this step back both this year and working our way up next year will really help her when next deer season comes around. not only can I teach her more, but she will have the chance to rebuild her confidence and overcome the idea that missing is OK. Hunting squirrels with a 22 isn't easy......but it teaches many of the same things needed to shoot a deer just in a much lower stress environment. I think this will be a good thing for both of us. This means you may have to tolerate a few posts about tree-rats, but you can skip those if you want.
She was/is totally on board. She agreed that starting with hunting smaller critters and getting more practice shooting live things with a gun was a good idea. She told me she didn't want to shoot the muzzleloader and felt more comfortable with the rifle as well. She also told me that she understood that the season to use the rifle had passed and that she was OK with that.
I explained that we would hunt squirrels with a 22 rifle or the .410 (I have a youth model her that is actually her brothers to teach her with and to use) and focus more on learning how to actually hunt.....I wasn't entirely sure just how well that would go over.
I was totally floored when she looked at me with a smile and that same look of excitement and said, "How much more time do we have to squirrel hunt this year?"
I think taking this step back both this year and working our way up next year will really help her when next deer season comes around. not only can I teach her more, but she will have the chance to rebuild her confidence and overcome the idea that missing is OK. Hunting squirrels with a 22 isn't easy......but it teaches many of the same things needed to shoot a deer just in a much lower stress environment. I think this will be a good thing for both of us. This means you may have to tolerate a few posts about tree-rats, but you can skip those if you want.
Bszweda
5 year old buck +
I've suffered from target panic/buck fever and its messes with your mind like nothing else! I am slowly learning what works for me.
Merle Hawggard
5 year old buck +
Nice buck and don't worry to much about the shakes. My grandpa's would call those a buckacher Lol! I got over them, well sometimes.
j-bird
Moderator
I stumbled across this page when looking for some other things and thought I would share. Lots of free information - some of it I am sure is "old hat" for some, but maybe it will helps some as well. For those that are not familiar with Purdue University here in IN - they are one of the leading agriculture schools in the country and they have a strong wildlife and natural resources program as well - and no I didn't go to college there!
https://edustore.purdue.edu/subcategory.asp?subCatID=319&CatID=13
https://edustore.purdue.edu/subcategory.asp?subCatID=319&CatID=13
j-bird
Moderator
Well my son was home for the holidays and boy did he do something stupid that some of you trappers out there will find humorous. He went squirrel hunting to get some time int he woods, being home from college. While he was out he decided to shoot a mink (they are in season/trapping here currently). He brings it and a squirrel home and decides to prep them in the kitchen. I clean squirrels in the kitchen all the time so I didn't think much of it. He had started skinning the mink when I got home and I warned him that the males have a glad that he needed to be aware of. "I know, I know, dad" Was what I was told. Well not 5 minutes later a smell that only comes just short of that a skunk exploded in our kitchen!
It sent bodies in all directions and brought out every scented candle, air freshener and anything possible to kill the smell. Luckily he didn't get anything on something that couldn't be removed from the kitchen.....otherwise it was offered up to simply set the kitchen on fire to address the smell if needed! I have never been exposed to mink musk before, but like I said only fresh skunk comes even close to describing the nasty smell this stuff is!!!
My son is still alive, and isn't walking funny......but I think he got a new appreciation as to how some animals communicate with scent! Some lessons I guess you just have to learn first hand.....Obviously it's funny now, but at the time - my son was clearly staring down that bus all on his own.....this old man knows better!!!!:D
It sent bodies in all directions and brought out every scented candle, air freshener and anything possible to kill the smell. Luckily he didn't get anything on something that couldn't be removed from the kitchen.....otherwise it was offered up to simply set the kitchen on fire to address the smell if needed! I have never been exposed to mink musk before, but like I said only fresh skunk comes even close to describing the nasty smell this stuff is!!!
My son is still alive, and isn't walking funny......but I think he got a new appreciation as to how some animals communicate with scent! Some lessons I guess you just have to learn first hand.....Obviously it's funny now, but at the time - my son was clearly staring down that bus all on his own.....this old man knows better!!!!:D
j-bird
Moderator
Well the holidays are over......the dust has settled......so it's time for habitat work to begin.
I got a little reading to do, thanks to our good friend Steve Bartylla.....Santa thought I was a good boy this year. Santa must not be paying close attention!!!
I was also out just to get out of the house and run the dogs some. Nothing much to report on that front. Corn plots still have lots of corn in them and the brassica still show little to no use of any kind. The water hole out in the open shows no sign of deer use (no visible tracks in the mud) either. I didn't get near the brassica bulb production I normally do, but I think that is because I used BOB seed this fall and not the GFR and PTT I normally use. We have had a real mild winter thus far (its in the mids 50's right now) but I am going to keep an eye on how my switchgrass holds up. Below is an edge where I let mother nature provide the seed and where I planted switchgrass. The switchgrass is 5 feet tall or so - not counting the seed heads and you can see it provides a pretty good wall of cover. The golden rod and the like turns to a sea of sticks and stems the further the winter progresses.
Something else to note about the picture above is that this "edge" between the golden rod and switch and where it meets the "timber" is really interesting. Many folks don't see this as an "edge" but it is. I refer to it as a "soft edge". This is where the type of cover or plants changes, the deer notice it and these can often times be easily overlooked from a hunting perspective. This switchgrass doesn't do much to hide my activities from the deer as it isn't tall enough, but it certainly makes a great buffer for the deer between the wooded edge and the open ag field. There is a well worn trail along that edge and saplings with small rubs all along that trail as well. This edge between the switch and the golden rod also has tracks where the deer are following it out into the ag field to feed. The switch is dense enough that a deer that remains calm can be bedded in there and I would never know. That slope in the back faces due south and when the snow flies and it gets cold there is a small bench up there that the deer use as well.
Just some observations from my latest walk......with my son and his girlfriend home from college and 3 teenage girls of my own all in the same house along with the wife a guy has to get the hell out once in a while! My son? He's on his own!
I got a little reading to do, thanks to our good friend Steve Bartylla.....Santa thought I was a good boy this year. Santa must not be paying close attention!!!
I was also out just to get out of the house and run the dogs some. Nothing much to report on that front. Corn plots still have lots of corn in them and the brassica still show little to no use of any kind. The water hole out in the open shows no sign of deer use (no visible tracks in the mud) either. I didn't get near the brassica bulb production I normally do, but I think that is because I used BOB seed this fall and not the GFR and PTT I normally use. We have had a real mild winter thus far (its in the mids 50's right now) but I am going to keep an eye on how my switchgrass holds up. Below is an edge where I let mother nature provide the seed and where I planted switchgrass. The switchgrass is 5 feet tall or so - not counting the seed heads and you can see it provides a pretty good wall of cover. The golden rod and the like turns to a sea of sticks and stems the further the winter progresses.
Something else to note about the picture above is that this "edge" between the golden rod and switch and where it meets the "timber" is really interesting. Many folks don't see this as an "edge" but it is. I refer to it as a "soft edge". This is where the type of cover or plants changes, the deer notice it and these can often times be easily overlooked from a hunting perspective. This switchgrass doesn't do much to hide my activities from the deer as it isn't tall enough, but it certainly makes a great buffer for the deer between the wooded edge and the open ag field. There is a well worn trail along that edge and saplings with small rubs all along that trail as well. This edge between the switch and the golden rod also has tracks where the deer are following it out into the ag field to feed. The switch is dense enough that a deer that remains calm can be bedded in there and I would never know. That slope in the back faces due south and when the snow flies and it gets cold there is a small bench up there that the deer use as well.
Just some observations from my latest walk......with my son and his girlfriend home from college and 3 teenage girls of my own all in the same house along with the wife a guy has to get the hell out once in a while! My son? He's on his own!
j-bird
Moderator
Well I wanted to take advantage of the snow on the ground today and took a walk on the norther half of my property. I took lots of pics so the topics are going to wander a bit, but I find the snow provides great contrast and the dead of winter tends to be a "worst" case from a habitat perspective as well. The snow fell Wednesday...I think so the tracks and the like are from the past few days.
First pic is of something that I am a little surprised about. I have a small area near a county road that I am working on screening that used to be horse pasture. I have added clover here and I see deer in here from time to time and wonder how they use it. Well the tracks in the snow show me that instead of jumping the woven wire fence or going around they are actually going thru a hole in the fence!
The green is the tracks in the snow and the red is where the hole is in the fence. I was also able to see where the deer are entering this area from the neighbors thicket. They are going around the part of the property line that is fenced and then make a quick route to this area.
The neighbors thicket is a 15 to 20 year oak plantation. a few years ago it was great cover but as the canopy starts to close the cover at deer level is fading. I have a 30' wide CRP field edge buffer. I knew the cover would fade so I hope the buffer will screen my activity as I have to cross a wide open crop field to reach my hunting areas. I tend to avoid the near edge to this thicket, but I figured a little help couldn't hurt. Below is sort of a cross section...with my field being on the far left, then the buffer as we move right and then the neighbors thicket as we reach the far right.
There are obviously deer trails coming from the neighbors to my ag field, but something I want to touch on is that sometimes the subtle changes are hard to see. In this ag field the edge toward the neighbors has a small low spot that starts out in the field and gets wider as it reaches the neighbors. I bet it doesn't change elevation by 10 feet. However this area is where the majority of the deer enter my ag field. The subtle terrain feature makes a significant impact on how the deer use the area. I have known this for a while, but the tracks in the snow really proved the point today.
As I moved north I came to a small corner that I hinge cut last winter in an area to promote some bedding activity and have always wondered if it was working.
This pic is of the area immediately right next to the area I hinged just to give you an idea of what it was like when I started. You can see there isn't much cover and there is a slight south slope to it as well.
Now consider I had the larger maple trees taken in a selective timber harvest and then went to work hinging what I could.
You always wonder if your work is making an impact....well to my surprise there where 2 clear beds in this area. I am pretty tickled simply because I tend to struggle with getting deer to bed on my place and this is proof positive I have accomplished that at least once in the past few days.
First pic is of something that I am a little surprised about. I have a small area near a county road that I am working on screening that used to be horse pasture. I have added clover here and I see deer in here from time to time and wonder how they use it. Well the tracks in the snow show me that instead of jumping the woven wire fence or going around they are actually going thru a hole in the fence!
The green is the tracks in the snow and the red is where the hole is in the fence. I was also able to see where the deer are entering this area from the neighbors thicket. They are going around the part of the property line that is fenced and then make a quick route to this area.
The neighbors thicket is a 15 to 20 year oak plantation. a few years ago it was great cover but as the canopy starts to close the cover at deer level is fading. I have a 30' wide CRP field edge buffer. I knew the cover would fade so I hope the buffer will screen my activity as I have to cross a wide open crop field to reach my hunting areas. I tend to avoid the near edge to this thicket, but I figured a little help couldn't hurt. Below is sort of a cross section...with my field being on the far left, then the buffer as we move right and then the neighbors thicket as we reach the far right.
There are obviously deer trails coming from the neighbors to my ag field, but something I want to touch on is that sometimes the subtle changes are hard to see. In this ag field the edge toward the neighbors has a small low spot that starts out in the field and gets wider as it reaches the neighbors. I bet it doesn't change elevation by 10 feet. However this area is where the majority of the deer enter my ag field. The subtle terrain feature makes a significant impact on how the deer use the area. I have known this for a while, but the tracks in the snow really proved the point today.
As I moved north I came to a small corner that I hinge cut last winter in an area to promote some bedding activity and have always wondered if it was working.
This pic is of the area immediately right next to the area I hinged just to give you an idea of what it was like when I started. You can see there isn't much cover and there is a slight south slope to it as well.
Now consider I had the larger maple trees taken in a selective timber harvest and then went to work hinging what I could.
You always wonder if your work is making an impact....well to my surprise there where 2 clear beds in this area. I am pretty tickled simply because I tend to struggle with getting deer to bed on my place and this is proof positive I have accomplished that at least once in the past few days.
j-bird
Moderator
Continuing on my walk today I thought I would show some areas where I am trying to use terrain and other things to my advantage.
First an over view. Below what you will see if a close up of my north corner plot area. The black circle area is the hinged area that I showed in my previous post. You see a triangular perennial plot and the rectangular area near the crop field is an annual plot - this year was seed in a brassica plot. The little white square is an elevated shooting house. The heavy red line is a brush windrow to direct deer traffic and the heavy blue line is a decent sized stream. The thin blue lines are property lines and the thin green line shows where the CRP buffer is as well.
The main feature in this area is that the bend in the stream creates a steep cliff that grossly impacts the deer activity. The pic below shows that it's every bit of a 50 feet vertical elevation change.
This is a pic of the brush windrow. I had to put this in as deer where skirting the backside of the plot to avoid being exposed.....that just wasn't going to work! The green line is the deer tracks coming from the hinged area and going along the windrow to enter the plot. You can see the shooting house in the distance. There is another trail on the other side from where the deer come from the neighbors to reach the plot as well.
Next is an area that is north of the shooting house and east of the windrow. This area I did some hinging and some TSI work on last year as well.
Just north of this area is the neighbors oak flat - it's several acres of mature oaks.....you will notice the lack f any understory. This area is almost entirely void of deer in the daylight. You can see 100 yards or more without any issue. As much as I hate to see mature oaks cut - man these need to go. The neighbor is a logger and I gave him a chance to get them as they need to cross my place to avoid a real steep creek bank to get them out and they declined.
So here is my part of this. Like I said I cut down the bigger trees and left the oaks I could ID. The little burr oak had never produced an acorn but did this past fall, quite a few in fact......made me a happy camper!
First an over view. Below what you will see if a close up of my north corner plot area. The black circle area is the hinged area that I showed in my previous post. You see a triangular perennial plot and the rectangular area near the crop field is an annual plot - this year was seed in a brassica plot. The little white square is an elevated shooting house. The heavy red line is a brush windrow to direct deer traffic and the heavy blue line is a decent sized stream. The thin blue lines are property lines and the thin green line shows where the CRP buffer is as well.
The main feature in this area is that the bend in the stream creates a steep cliff that grossly impacts the deer activity. The pic below shows that it's every bit of a 50 feet vertical elevation change.
This is a pic of the brush windrow. I had to put this in as deer where skirting the backside of the plot to avoid being exposed.....that just wasn't going to work! The green line is the deer tracks coming from the hinged area and going along the windrow to enter the plot. You can see the shooting house in the distance. There is another trail on the other side from where the deer come from the neighbors to reach the plot as well.
Next is an area that is north of the shooting house and east of the windrow. This area I did some hinging and some TSI work on last year as well.
Just north of this area is the neighbors oak flat - it's several acres of mature oaks.....you will notice the lack f any understory. This area is almost entirely void of deer in the daylight. You can see 100 yards or more without any issue. As much as I hate to see mature oaks cut - man these need to go. The neighbor is a logger and I gave him a chance to get them as they need to cross my place to avoid a real steep creek bank to get them out and they declined.
So here is my part of this. Like I said I cut down the bigger trees and left the oaks I could ID. The little burr oak had never produced an acorn but did this past fall, quite a few in fact......made me a happy camper!
j-bird
Moderator
This will pick up where I left off.
This is another pic of the same area. Again trying to promote mast and ground level cover. Again you can see the shooting house in the distance. This area has a small ravine that leads into it from the creek bottom.
And another. The sumac seem to draw the interest of backs - note the small rub. I also mark oaks r trees of interest throughout the year. Note the tape - as I have found that oaks can be difficult to ID when they are younger and without their leaves. Last thing I want to do is cut a young oak.
I then moved on into the major portion of my north wooded area. Again as compared to the neighbors oak flat you can see that I am trying to get ground level cover. This is at the south edge looking north.
This is inside the "woods" so to speak. Just to give you an idea of the understory and ground level deer cover.
With some recent talk on how to know which trees to cut and which not too I thought this would be a great situation to show. This is the ONLY white oak tree I have that is producing acorns. I have other members of the white oak family, but this is the only true white oak. This tree is worthless from a timber perspective, however I collect acorns from it every chance I get to help fuel the next generation of oaks. This tree is right at the edge of the woods, so it really isn't hurting anything from a shade perspective either. One of these days I need to sit here in the early season with my bow. Typically there are several deer poop piles under this tree when the acorns start to fall. Somehow the deer know EXACTLY where this tree is.
This is another pic of the same area. Again trying to promote mast and ground level cover. Again you can see the shooting house in the distance. This area has a small ravine that leads into it from the creek bottom.
And another. The sumac seem to draw the interest of backs - note the small rub. I also mark oaks r trees of interest throughout the year. Note the tape - as I have found that oaks can be difficult to ID when they are younger and without their leaves. Last thing I want to do is cut a young oak.
I then moved on into the major portion of my north wooded area. Again as compared to the neighbors oak flat you can see that I am trying to get ground level cover. This is at the south edge looking north.
This is inside the "woods" so to speak. Just to give you an idea of the understory and ground level deer cover.
With some recent talk on how to know which trees to cut and which not too I thought this would be a great situation to show. This is the ONLY white oak tree I have that is producing acorns. I have other members of the white oak family, but this is the only true white oak. This tree is worthless from a timber perspective, however I collect acorns from it every chance I get to help fuel the next generation of oaks. This tree is right at the edge of the woods, so it really isn't hurting anything from a shade perspective either. One of these days I need to sit here in the early season with my bow. Typically there are several deer poop piles under this tree when the acorns start to fall. Somehow the deer know EXACTLY where this tree is.
j-bird
Moderator
Here is why I like to keep younger beech trees in my woods. The larger ones need to go, but these smaller ones provide great cover at ground level for the deer, and medium sized ones are great for hiding a hunter/tree stand and producing beech nuts for deer, squirrels and other critters of the woods. Again this is January and the tree is still holding leaves. I have not had great luck hinging them thus far.
Here is some pics of other TSI/hinging work that turns a large tree into deer cover and maybe even some food. The upper left pic is a hinge cut where the trunk has sent up additional sprouts, the upper right is a lower cut stump that has done the same. The lower pic is where a large stump was left after my timber harvest and has created essentially a shrub at this point.
As I went and looked into other areas where I am trying to promote deer bedding. The main 2 areas I was disappointed in because I didn't find a single bed. Now that doesn't mean it isn't being used, but it tells me that I may need to go in and try to make some changes. I will obviously be keeping a close eye on this thru the winter. Now the interesting part is that I found some beds in an area I didn't expect to find them. This area was near a large tree top but the rest of the area was fairly open, but again on a slightly gradual slope that had a view of the large ag field. There was 3 beds on this side and one on the other of this tree top as well.
I did review the north plot as well. The deer are pawing thru the minimal snow to get to the clover but I still am not seeing much use of the brassica. Apparently I did have something inside the exclusion cage in my brassica plot that something wanted! The deer did seem to eat off the cereal grains, annual clovers and the peas however.
In all my wandering around I did also kick-up 2 does as well.....so I didn't kill them all!!! The main disappointment was that I didn't see any significant sign of the presence of a mature buck......hopefully things go better on the south side tomorrow.....
Here is some pics of other TSI/hinging work that turns a large tree into deer cover and maybe even some food. The upper left pic is a hinge cut where the trunk has sent up additional sprouts, the upper right is a lower cut stump that has done the same. The lower pic is where a large stump was left after my timber harvest and has created essentially a shrub at this point.
As I went and looked into other areas where I am trying to promote deer bedding. The main 2 areas I was disappointed in because I didn't find a single bed. Now that doesn't mean it isn't being used, but it tells me that I may need to go in and try to make some changes. I will obviously be keeping a close eye on this thru the winter. Now the interesting part is that I found some beds in an area I didn't expect to find them. This area was near a large tree top but the rest of the area was fairly open, but again on a slightly gradual slope that had a view of the large ag field. There was 3 beds on this side and one on the other of this tree top as well.
I did review the north plot as well. The deer are pawing thru the minimal snow to get to the clover but I still am not seeing much use of the brassica. Apparently I did have something inside the exclusion cage in my brassica plot that something wanted! The deer did seem to eat off the cereal grains, annual clovers and the peas however.
In all my wandering around I did also kick-up 2 does as well.....so I didn't kill them all!!! The main disappointment was that I didn't see any significant sign of the presence of a mature buck......hopefully things go better on the south side tomorrow.....
