Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Yes, we are in an oven here and one of the worst droughts I’ve seen for a while. Temps just shy of 100 in mid afternoon and no rain in sight.
A few habitat pics I thought you might enjoy
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Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
There is something I love about the prairie at this time of year. Maybe it’s the beauty, maybe because it’s full of deer, maybe both….
Split ear was pushing daylight this morning. But he is a cautious fellow so far this year. I passed him last year during gun season but he is a possible target this year. I have one better but he is in hiding right now.
Summer hangs on but signs of the changing season are in the air.
Split ear was pushing daylight this morning. But he is a cautious fellow so far this year. I passed him last year during gun season but he is a possible target this year. I have one better but he is in hiding right now.
Summer hangs on but signs of the changing season are in the air.
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T-Max
5 year old buck +
Awesome as always! Do you think your prairies look like they would have when let’s say Lewis and Clark would have been around? Better? Worse? Different composition of grasses and forbs? What do you think? They obviously look fantastic! But I often wonder how they compare to the original landscape. Obviously we will never know for sure, but it’s fun to consider.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I think in Kentucky we may have had more canebrakes (cane - tucky) than prairies. However, most everything in my prairie came from the seedbank on my land or land not really that far away. Prairies fascinate me, because I see how much maintenance there is in my area to keep one going. If you do nothing, in a few years the trees will take over. However, out west that didn't seem to be the case. I've tried over the years to study up on this, and even though I have some understanding of it, my understanding is not complete.
Once I had a guy to visit my place who was somewhat of an expert in prairies. As we left he called someone on the phone and said, "...you won't believe what I just saw - a remnant Kansas prairie in Kentucky...." I will always remember that.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
Your bad years are my dream ones. ha
omicron1792
5 year old buck +
Native, I know you said you haven't used fire. How if you kept tree sprouts down? Cutting? Spraying? Did you spray whole area or direct spray saplings? How long did it take to deplete the seed bank for the hardwods? How many acres do you have in prairie?
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I have roughly 58 acres in prairie. I do spot spraying in the late spring with my pickup truck. My worst tree for causing sprouts in the prairie is sweetgum, but earlier this year I had a logger to come in and take out the ones that were causing the most problems. They were big enough that I actually got some income from the trees. Most other trees can be handled with occasional mowing, and if they do keep growing I can spray them too.
TreeDaddy
5 year old buck +
I use remedy/diesel in a four gallon back pack sprayer for basal spraying
I look like Im auditioning for Ghostbusters ( mask, gloves,goggles,etc)
Who ya gonna call?
bill
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Bill, I need you on speed dial.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Today I ended my season by taking out the old bully buck at my 20 acre place. My son isn’t hunting during rifle season but may decide to hunt our December ML. This old buck has been aggressive, and I thought it might be good to open up a spot for another deer.
When I hunt this place in mornings, I wait until daylight to walk in, because I have to cross an open field. I think I have less of a chance spooking deer that way, because I can watch and back up if necessary. But, I did spook two small does right at the blind. However, once I got in the blind I could see several others out in the woods feeding that had no idea I was around.
In about 30 minutes I looked back toward my truck and saw this deer crossing the field and headed toward the does. He was less than 250 yards, and the 308 made a big exit hole on a double lung shot.
I’m going to keep watching cameras and will see if we get a good one to fill the hole for my son in December. We had a couple of dandies early in the year, but they haven’t shown for a long time.
When I hunt this place in mornings, I wait until daylight to walk in, because I have to cross an open field. I think I have less of a chance spooking deer that way, because I can watch and back up if necessary. But, I did spook two small does right at the blind. However, once I got in the blind I could see several others out in the woods feeding that had no idea I was around.
In about 30 minutes I looked back toward my truck and saw this deer crossing the field and headed toward the does. He was less than 250 yards, and the 308 made a big exit hole on a double lung shot.
I’m going to keep watching cameras and will see if we get a good one to fill the hole for my son in December. We had a couple of dandies early in the year, but they haven’t shown for a long time.
BenAllgood
5 year old buck +
Good buck Steve!
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
Congrats! Will be neat to see if removing him will allow some other bucks to use the area now.
Wind Gypsy
5 year old buck +
Congrats Native!
Do you have anything special setup for a shooting rest in your blinds? I know you've mentioned some fairly long shot opportunities with how your property lays out.
Do you have anything special setup for a shooting rest in your blinds? I know you've mentioned some fairly long shot opportunities with how your property lays out.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Thanks, I have made little table tops at each window where a long shot can be made. I just used plain 2x12 lumber and screwed them in real solid. On those you can lay sandbags and I also have one of the Caldwell Tack Driver bags handy if you need to be elevated a little more. Either way it is very stable.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Thanks, That is exactly my thinking too. I actually passed some bucks in ML and crossbow season that would outscore this one, but they had potential and this one had reached his limit.
PS - three years ago I had 3 deer on this place that would go over 160. I long to see those days again.
T-Max
5 year old buck +
It comes in waves doesn't it? I have a couple nice mature bucks to chase this year. A lot of years I have to hope the rut brings one in.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Yes, I guess we could say it is a lot like the stock market!
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I don't mind answering that question at all Mozark. On my 100 acres place where I have the native grasses, the change was obvious the next year when the grasses started making good cover. I had some good bucks to filter in from the surrounding areas quickly. Good cover trumps everything else in my opinion for old bucks. Before we put in the NWSGs, my dad was farming cattle there, and my fields were fescue. So, adding cover really made a difference quickly. Food plots and fruit trees are kind of like icing on the cake. They help, but cover is king.
At my 20 acre place about all I can do over there is hinge cut unless I want to take the 7 acre field out of soybeans/corn. Since I don't have equipment over there to manage a field, I choose to just keep it in crops rented out to a farmer. But when i started hinge cutting over there and making the woods thicker, I could see an improvement on camera pictures within 2 years. So far, I haven't given this place as much attention as the other place, but my plans are to do even more hinge cutting, which I feel will really help me. I passed a nice 140 over there this year during ML season that came out right at dark. He had to have been bedded right in one of my spots that I had thickened up.
I still have goals to reach at both places, but I guess that's a good thing, because it keeps me working and on my feet.
