Recent content by Natty Bumppo

NW Mass....been hunting turkeys since 1987, and numbers are WAY down over the past 10 years. And I agree with H2OFowler and Hoytvetrix.. I think over-hunting plays a role. Back in the 80's you could shoot 1 Tom and the season was either the First week, or the Second 2 weeks...hunter's choice...

Thanks bigboreblr. A portable timber frame...never heard of that before, but what a great idea. Yes, after the deep freeze we had over the weekend the trees started flowing real good again yesterday.

Thanks Catscratch. I've never tried black walnut but do hear about others tapping them. The birches too...black and yellow...can be tapped.

This is considered best practice by ecologists and foresters at least here in Mass. Don't fell them until they shows signs of EAB...epicormic branching, blonding, and exit holes. I am just starting to get EAB here in NW Mass. I leave all the healthy ash standing until I see the first signs...

Real nice! I've always wanted a custom knife. Larry Benoit used to make them when he was alive. Would love to find one at a decent price.

One potentially...it may not affect you. If you have kids who will be in college in the future it will affect your financial aid, as FAFSA considers a second home an asset. I dealt with that this year as I bought a neighboring property two years ago that had a 5,000 sq. ft. home on it. I...

Yes, I am lucky that I have all sugar maples. Some guys that I know who are on all reds or all silvers invest in a small Reverse Osmosis machine that reduces the boiling times by half. They say it's a total game changer. I've thought about getting one. I like boiling and spending time in the...

Thanks Bows. Appreciate that. Yes, you got it Bows..all green white pine. Very easy for new students to work with.

Are you talking about making maple syrup, or timber framing? There is a ton of information on both on Youtube. They are also both very similar in that neither of them is rocket science and fairly easy to get into...but both do require some deeper level of understanding to really be proficient at.

I teach a high school Timber Frame class in the Berkshires and I build about four 10x12 or two 12x16 timber frame buildings that I then sell for the price of the wood. If you're ever interested let me know. I sell them to maple syrup guys in Mass., VT, NH, and one guy even in Maine. You will...

Just tapped last weekend here in NW Mass Bows....2/24. Collected yesterday for the first time and my buckets were all mostly full. A lot of people erroneously think that the sap won't run unless the base of the tree has no snow around it. Not true. It certainly helps and will increase sap...

Here's the thing Gravel Road...this is a great forum, with great members, and Bill does a good job moderating. I do not disagree with you about the threads that are either overtly political or somehow turn political..Conspiracy Theory, Covid, Gaza, Dividend Check, Political News, etc. Some of...

Agree. My question would be how in the hell you hunt it? Seems like it would be a terrible place for morning hunts. And PM hunts...are you just hunting the south and east perimeters waiting for deer to enter the ag fields? I don't hunt ag at all, so I am genuinely asking. Deer haven for...

Nice. I like that Old Timer 970T. Might have to check one out. Thanks for sharing.

My 2 cents....I wouldn't personally do TSI on all 32 acres. I would put your food plots in first and see how deer begin to use your land and utilize the plots. Hunt for a few years and learn about your local deer movements. Then go in with a TSI plan. I like having larger forested stands...