Bill
Administrator
no just in case with me. Just a matter of when.
A few habitat pics I thought you might enjoy
- Thread starter Native Hunter
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no just in case with me. Just a matter of when.
I forget who it was but a wise man once mentioned carry a extra bar and chain and change out for hangups. Sometimes I step back and slap myself.
Telemark
5 year old buck +
I take two saws as well. I've had trees split and pinch the bar.
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
Before I carried 2 saws I was like those stories you hear about the grandma lifting the car off a baby...I would pull Herculean feats of strength the get my saw back! Now I work smarter...
Mortenson
5 year old buck +
Haha, exactly, work smarter not harder. Thought I could pull a Conan the Barbarian this fall and bust a stubborn jam nut on the combine. Shoulda just went for the hot wrench. Now I've been living with a sore right elbow that hasn't improved in 6 weeks. Never leave a chainsaw hanging in an embarrassing spot, like the edge of the highway.
Nice work NH! Always feels good to get those jobs done early.
Nice work NH! Always feels good to get those jobs done early.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Thanks guys. Here are some more pics from recent day that you might like:
Bill
Administrator
dealing with two of these. If the pain shoots up towards your wrist when you pick something up it’s tennis elbow. And it’s not going away without surgery....
hope it’s not. I keep denying mine
hillrunner
5 year old buck +
I've been meaning to get an extra bar for my saw to help me out of those predicaments. It's easier to haul along than a whole extra saw.
BenAllgood
5 year old buck +
What about wedges? I'm the kind of guy that would get both saws or blades stuck. As a matter of fact, I think I might have before.
Telemark
5 year old buck +
What about wedges? I'm the kind of guy that would get both saws or blades stuck. As a matter of fact, I think I might have before.
I have wadges too. They don't help if the trunk splits and pinches the bar though.
Would love to see this pic of your farm!! Sounds like an awesome place!! I'm looking for ideas on what to do with our property!!!Here is an view of my place. I inherited this land from my grandparents and lived on it much of my life. No one lives on the place now and the house is beyond repair, but I have a good barn and some decent outbuildings. Farm is 100 acres. I'm attached to this land in a way I can't explain. It's not in the kind of country to be a top whitetail place, but I wouldn't trade it for any other place in the world - its home.
Until around 2008 - We farmed cattle here. No deer to hunt here. I hunted somewhere else. Before this I did do a 12 acre tree planting, but no big impact for a few years.
2009: First year without cattle. Didn't mow, and had fair weedy and grass cover by season. Took my first deer off this place - a fair 4 year old.
2010: Put all fields into Native Grasses. Got into CREP and signed up for 15 years. No cover the first year and no deer to hunt.
2011: Hunted some and passed some 3 year olds.
2012: Same as 2011
2013: Took a 5 year old that I had 4 years history on. Feeling good about that.
Blue = ponds and stream
Yellow Boot Shape = 12 acre tree planting
White dots = current stands. Center one is a tower blind
Red = property line
All fields now in tall native grasses and forbs.
More to come later when I get some more time. I have plenty of pics to share and a lot of details about how I designed the tree planting that I think you would enjoy. Also I think you will enjoy the strategy about how I laid out food plots, cut gaps into interior fences to direct deer traffic, and try to make the best out of what I already have.
I also hope that some of you will see things I may have missed and give me some ideas for improvement. I'm all ears on that and want to hear your thoughts and comments.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Appreciate it buddy!!! Love the layout & all the habitat work you've completed thus far!!!Here you go. I uploaded the old picture again.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Thanks. It has paid off big time. We now have a wall full of big deer and I’m in the best shape of my life from all of the work.
blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
Native, have you noticed much of a difference with your turkey population resulting from your habitat improvements? Your deer herd speaks for itself of course. I trapped hard one year and noticed a big uptick in numbers after that year. It was cool to see that hatch make it to 3-year olds. I've never noticed a bump from the habitat improvements though. Granted, all the trees I've planted are young. I was curious how your improvements have helped the turkeys.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I have noticed an improvement with the turkeys; however, part of that may also be from the fact that two neighbors have started cropping their land in soybeans and corn. Turkeys also enjoy my food plots to a great extent, and I see them in those plots frequently in the spring.
My NWSGs are so tall and thick, the only time I have turkeys is in the spring. I go in early and mow big strips so they can travel safely. Without doing this, the grass is so thick that they won't enter it. They use the mowed strips to access the food plots and go other places on the farm as well. As the year progresses, the grass starts growing tall, and they stay away.
I own another small farm (20 acres) about 4 miles away from this one. It is a great turkey place. It's mostly woods that borders a nice sized creek with grain farming on both sides of the creek. I do most of my turkey hunting over there, but do enjoy hunting both places.
blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
My dad bought a place in the early 2000's in North Central Kentucky. It was originally fescue. We would see flocks of 50-60 birds. It was converted to NWSG shortly thereafter. It was planted at the recommended rates back then, but it's probably too thick, especially with bluestem. Burns over the years only make it thicker. Turkey numbers are down for sure since then, though I think across the state that may be true. I might see 20-25 a a time, but nowhere near those numbers pre-NWSG and not nearly as often. I was curious about your experiences. Thanks for sharing!
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Yes, the numbers are down all around. Even at the 20 acre place I mentioned the numbers are down, but it is still pretty good.
My dad owns a 90 acre farm that is mostly fields and surrounded by woods. When he ran cattle, that place was a turkey paradise. Now that the cattle are gone, we rarely see one. Some of that has to do with the overall decline like you mentioned, but a lot of it has to do with the cattle being gone.
BenAllgood
5 year old buck +
Lots of bugs and seeds on cattle ground for food. Plus, turkeys have that superb eyesight for a reason. They like to see. They don't want to stay in areas they can't see very well. They'll nest in thick stuff, but everyday life isn't in the thickets.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
That's correct Ben. It was hard to find a dried cow pile that hadn't been flipped over by a turkey looking for bugs. Also, my dad ground feed for cattle, and the turkeys would get into that.
In many ways, when you start managing for deer, you aren't helping the turkeys. However, if a guy understands both, he can do things to have the best of both worlds.
