weekender21
5 year old buck +
Congrats!
A few habitat pics I thought you might enjoy
- Thread starter Native Hunter
- Start date
-
- Tags
- land tour
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Another beauty, Steve!! Congrats!! Looks like you have your own slice of "HOG HEAVEN" there. Big bucks galore.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Thanks everyone.
I thought I would share one more piece of information, because It may help explain why this old deer was so elusive. My taxidermist called today and asked if I had noticed a little knot in the jaw of my deer on the side with the good eye. I told him that I hadn't noticed it. He said he dug out a 22 bullet when he skinned out the head. He said probably 2 or 3 inches higher and it would have killed him.
I'm telling you I hate poachers....
I thought I would share one more piece of information, because It may help explain why this old deer was so elusive. My taxidermist called today and asked if I had noticed a little knot in the jaw of my deer on the side with the good eye. I told him that I hadn't noticed it. He said he dug out a 22 bullet when he skinned out the head. He said probably 2 or 3 inches higher and it would have killed him.
I'm telling you I hate poachers....
Last edited:
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
you are nicer than me...in hope they find out how a .22 in the jaw feels. ZERO patience or forgiveness for poachers
absolutely fantastic buck. I’m glad karma prevailed and you were able to get him instead of a spotlighter
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Thanks so much and I feel really blessed since we had never had s daylight pic of him.
Jordan Selsor
5 year old buck +
it take a real jack wagon to shoot a deer with a .22LR 
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
Glad YOU ended up with him Steve!!! Poachers and road shooters are just rotten in my book. Thieves/would-be thieves and nothing more. Keep on growing those dandies, buddy !!!
Road shooters are why I planted so many spruce along our part of the mountain road that borders our property. Tough to see through a live, green, steel-wool scouring pad !!!
Road shooters are why I planted so many spruce along our part of the mountain road that borders our property. Tough to see through a live, green, steel-wool scouring pad !!!
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
The time to get out and look for rubs from your target buck is after you kill him. That way you don't run him off....;)
bigbendmarine
5 year old buck +
Native Hunter, see a few years back you spoke about testing sweetgums as "mineral stumps" and also saw that not too surprisingly that some you left untreated grew back up fairly quickly... just curious to know if you noticed whether they at least got browsed a bit for the first year or so that they pushed regrowth? Could probably cut a million on my place. Not crazy enough to do too many but am debating doing some in spots I can monitor / see what kind of usage I get, but I thought before I even go down that path I'd see if you were able to make any observations.
Semi-related note... I've got two fairly old / large wild cherries that are slowly giving up the ghost and becoming less productive. Have wondered if I cut one to the ground if it might throw up a shoot that would quickly become a viable tree (appreciating I'd have to cage and protect)? Base on smaller one (single trunk whereas other is multi-trunk) is at least 24" wide. If it doesn't produce any fruit this year I may cut it down anyway as not much to lose doing it... though will sadden me a bit as MAN did it ever draw in the bucks when it was dropping heavier a few years back.
Semi-related note... I've got two fairly old / large wild cherries that are slowly giving up the ghost and becoming less productive. Have wondered if I cut one to the ground if it might throw up a shoot that would quickly become a viable tree (appreciating I'd have to cage and protect)? Base on smaller one (single trunk whereas other is multi-trunk) is at least 24" wide. If it doesn't produce any fruit this year I may cut it down anyway as not much to lose doing it... though will sadden me a bit as MAN did it ever draw in the bucks when it was dropping heavier a few years back.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Bigbend, I never saw any browsing on the sweetgum, but since you have so many, I think you should try it with a few to see if your luck is different. One thing that this forum has helped me to see is how different things are from place to place. As an example - I don't think a deer on my place would touch a turnip for anything, but at other places they get mowed down to the dirt (and below the dirt).
You will likely get some sprouts from the old cherry trees if you cut them. However, they may not produce a new tree that will amount to much. There can be a lot of life left in an old root system, but not always enough to give any long term results. I've been noticing a similar situation on my son's place with an old mulberry tree that was cut down. The sprouts don't go ahead and die, but they also don't look very promising for the future. However, it's worth a try to cage any sprouts, because your case may be different.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Telemark
5 year old buck +
That is probably the most valuable lesson I have learned here.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
t's been a long time since I have updated this thread. I've been doing some work at the farm off and on as the weather permits. We've only had one snow so far this year that has amounted to anything. However, it was gone quickly - that's how I like my snow - beautiful and gone fast.
I had never paid much attention to how well deer like to rub Hazel Alder. I found a little patch of them in a swampy place and there was probably 20 rubbed bushed within 50 yards of each other.
This is what I call my "Vanishing Point" food plot - long and narrow. It is eaten down pretty well because it is so close to bedding.
My dad helped me set 20 more sawtooth oaks and 20 more chestnut trees. I will be getting about 8 more pear / apple trees soon.
Trapper Caught one nice cat and 3 or 4 yotes. Glad to get them out before fawning season. Now I'm only getting one coyote on cameras and he just passes through occasionally.
The beautiful 3 year old we passed during season got killed on a neighboring farm. However, I'm happy that some more decent prospects have moved in. I hope they stick around until fall.
That's about it guys. I will say that the deer action in my food plots have been crazy good lately. Bucks are still holding antler and even still fighting a lot. I guess it's just practice for next season or maybe to see who is going to be the boss monkey.
I had never paid much attention to how well deer like to rub Hazel Alder. I found a little patch of them in a swampy place and there was probably 20 rubbed bushed within 50 yards of each other.
This is what I call my "Vanishing Point" food plot - long and narrow. It is eaten down pretty well because it is so close to bedding.
My dad helped me set 20 more sawtooth oaks and 20 more chestnut trees. I will be getting about 8 more pear / apple trees soon.
Trapper Caught one nice cat and 3 or 4 yotes. Glad to get them out before fawning season. Now I'm only getting one coyote on cameras and he just passes through occasionally.
The beautiful 3 year old we passed during season got killed on a neighboring farm. However, I'm happy that some more decent prospects have moved in. I hope they stick around until fall.
That's about it guys. I will say that the deer action in my food plots have been crazy good lately. Bucks are still holding antler and even still fighting a lot. I guess it's just practice for next season or maybe to see who is going to be the boss monkey.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
New tenants look good, Native. You and Dad have quite an oasis of food & cover there. No wonder when some bucks go down - others move right in behind them.
Good news on the yotes. One left for Dad to polish off! Give him a handshake for us.
Good news on the yotes. One left for Dad to polish off! Give him a handshake for us.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
It's been a long time since I have done an update. However, I have been doing some kind of work at the farm most weekends. I started this morning cutting up a big tree that fell in one of my plots. It didn't take long to work up a good sweat.
My food plots planted last fall are doing great. Some have been mowed, but at places where weeds are not a problem, I don't mow them. Chicory remains very palatable even when it gets big. A few different plot pics below. All planted throw and mow last fall:
I want to thank my neighbor for putting in 70 acres of free beans for the deer to eat. It's very kind of him....
I must love food plotting. I put this one in today, but what's the use. With all that food, this one isn't needed, but I did it anyway. It's a mix of buckwheat, sun hemp, rape, and annual clover. I will plant this in perennial clover this fall. This is put in spray, throw and mow.
Continued on next page
My food plots planted last fall are doing great. Some have been mowed, but at places where weeds are not a problem, I don't mow them. Chicory remains very palatable even when it gets big. A few different plot pics below. All planted throw and mow last fall:
I want to thank my neighbor for putting in 70 acres of free beans for the deer to eat. It's very kind of him....
I must love food plotting. I put this one in today, but what's the use. With all that food, this one isn't needed, but I did it anyway. It's a mix of buckwheat, sun hemp, rape, and annual clover. I will plant this in perennial clover this fall. This is put in spray, throw and mow.
Continued on next page
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
A few random pics:
Finally a few buck pictures:
I know this deer from last year. I believe him to be 4 or 5 this year. He had a nice rack last year but we passed him to give him another year. Looks like that could pay off. He seems to be starting out really well:
I know this deer from two years ago. He was about a 125 back then with poor brows. I believe him to be 6 this year, and he may turn out pretty good. His brows have not improved.
I don't recognize this deer, but he appears to be mature and might turn out okay:
Here are a few more random bucks. Can't tell much about them yet, but they might need another year or two:
I will close by showing you how I get a lot of good exercise - thistle hunting. This is a native thistle (Pasture Thistle) but I find it to be more aggressive and harder to control than Canadian Thistle. This one kind of hides in the fields and then shoots up in the last summer. It flowers in early fall and is hard to see for two reasons. First, the grasses help hide it, and second, the flower is kind of a dull color. However, I have declared war and really put the hurt on them this spring. I'm getting good at spotting them. I chop them off with a hoe and give them a shot of gly.
Happy trails!!
Finally a few buck pictures:
I know this deer from last year. I believe him to be 4 or 5 this year. He had a nice rack last year but we passed him to give him another year. Looks like that could pay off. He seems to be starting out really well:
I know this deer from two years ago. He was about a 125 back then with poor brows. I believe him to be 6 this year, and he may turn out pretty good. His brows have not improved.
I don't recognize this deer, but he appears to be mature and might turn out okay:
Here are a few more random bucks. Can't tell much about them yet, but they might need another year or two:
I will close by showing you how I get a lot of good exercise - thistle hunting. This is a native thistle (Pasture Thistle) but I find it to be more aggressive and harder to control than Canadian Thistle. This one kind of hides in the fields and then shoots up in the last summer. It flowers in early fall and is hard to see for two reasons. First, the grasses help hide it, and second, the flower is kind of a dull color. However, I have declared war and really put the hurt on them this spring. I'm getting good at spotting them. I chop them off with a hoe and give them a shot of gly.
Happy trails!!
Last edited:
