A little further down the road from Paradise

Wow, quite the spread you've got there now! Does this second property have a little buffer from your outfitter neighbor?
Lol hell no! I now share an even bigger border with him! He leases the farm to my north. I’m like a moth to a flame with him. I’m not gonna stress it though.
 
My name is howboutthemdawgs and I have a problem…just went under contract on a neighboring farm. It’s the neighbor of my neighbor who has become a friend. It’s about 200 acres. Unfortunately im going to have to sell the 185 I just bought and have hunted one sit! I just can’t swing both but this new new one made more sense for me. I can literally ride my ebike there. Really exited about this one. Puts it in the middle of about 1400 managed acres including my other 306.
 
My name is howboutthemdawgs and I have a problem…just went under contract on a neighboring farm. It’s the neighbor of my neighbor who has become a friend. It’s about 200 acres. Unfortunately im going to have to sell the 185 I just bought and have hunted one sit! I just can’t swing both but this new new one made more sense for me. I can literally ride my ebike there. Really exited about this one. Puts it in the middle of about 1400 managed acres including my other 306.
I'll buy 20 of that 185 if I can crash at your shack when i'm down there to sit your property line (kidding).
 
Was able to connect last night on a deer I named Hollywood. He was constantly on camera last year so I felt like he was a celebrity, that’s how I came up with the name. I had three shot opportunities last year with my bow on him and passed including in velvet. Felt he was mature but wanted to see if he had any growth if he survived. Well fortunately he did and he started showing back up this summer albeit less frequently. I had him and two other larger antlered bucks “targeted” this season. Things started rock n rolling last weekend on into this past week so I took Thur midday off and headed to hunt the long weekend. Caught this deer on camera at 3 pm 600 yards away. Hour and half later I catch a glimpse of tines walking to me. 6 yards he comes, I make a good shot and he goes 40 yards and piles up. Little bittersweet, happy to take a mature deer but hate being done on 11/3!! Oh well does to kill now I suppose. Great to get the first mature buck off my place.02289CCE-36A3-4798-9640-0147A0A73216.png50CE2833-7AFF-4F1B-811C-621297540E54.jpeg
 
Just got done taping him at 152. Little bigger than I figured but I think his body made his rack look a little small by comparison
 
He's a bruiser for sure. Lotta character in the rack. I like the g2 and how his beams push frontward toward his nose. Did you weigh him?
 
Was able to connect last night on a deer I named Hollywood. He was constantly on camera last year so I felt like he was a celebrity, that’s how I came up with the name. I had three shot opportunities last year with my bow on him and passed including in velvet. Felt he was mature but wanted to see if he had any growth if he survived. Well fortunately he did and he started showing back up this summer albeit less frequently. I had him and two other larger antlered bucks “targeted” this season. Things started rock n rolling last weekend on into this past week so I took Thur midday off and headed to hunt the long weekend. Caught this deer on camera at 3 pm 600 yards away. Hour and half later I catch a glimpse of tines walking to me. 6 yards he comes, I make a good shot and he goes 40 yards and piles up. Little bittersweet, happy to take a mature deer but hate being done on 11/3!! Oh well does to kill now I suppose. Great to get the first mature buck off my place.View attachment 59209View attachment 59207
Great deer dog. Love reading about the exploits on your farm.
 
Was able to connect last night on a deer I named Hollywood. He was constantly on camera last year so I felt like he was a celebrity, that’s how I came up with the name. I had three shot opportunities last year with my bow on him and passed including in velvet. Felt he was mature but wanted to see if he had any growth if he survived. Well fortunately he did and he started showing back up this summer albeit less frequently. I had him and two other larger antlered bucks “targeted” this season. Things started rock n rolling last weekend on into this past week so I took Thur midday off and headed to hunt the long weekend. Caught this deer on camera at 3 pm 600 yards away. Hour and half later I catch a glimpse of tines walking to me. 6 yards he comes, I make a good shot and he goes 40 yards and piles up. Little bittersweet, happy to take a mature deer but hate being done on 11/3!! Oh well does to kill now I suppose. Great to get the first mature buck off my place.View attachment 59209View attachment 59207

Congratulations on a mature KY giant. I’ve enjoyed following the development of this property, and am excited for you to be enjoying the fruits of your labor.
 
Congrats on an outstanding buck! Way to get it done!!!
 
Was able to connect last night on a deer I named Hollywood. He was constantly on camera last year so I felt like he was a celebrity, that’s how I came up with the name. I had three shot opportunities last year with my bow on him and passed including in velvet. Felt he was mature but wanted to see if he had any growth if he survived. Well fortunately he did and he started showing back up this summer albeit less frequently. I had him and two other larger antlered bucks “targeted” this season. Things started rock n rolling last weekend on into this past week so I took Thur midday off and headed to hunt the long weekend. Caught this deer on camera at 3 pm 600 yards away. Hour and half later I catch a glimpse of tines walking to me. 6 yards he comes, I make a good shot and he goes 40 yards and piles up. Little bittersweet, happy to take a mature deer but hate being done on 11/3!! Oh well does to kill now I suppose. Great to get the first mature buck off my place.View attachment 59209View attachment 59207
We had a buck like that two years ago. We called him Louis and Clark because he was on most cameras every night. I'm pretty sure our farm was the dead center of his core area. Seems like it never quite works out that way. We took it as a compliment that some of the habitat work was paying off. Hopefully you are feeling the same. Hollywood is an absolute brute. Shoulder or euro mount?
 
We had a buck like that two years ago. We called him Louis and Clark because he was on most cameras every night. I'm pretty sure our farm was the dead center of his core area. Seems like it never quite works out that way. We took it as a compliment that some of the habitat work was paying off. Hopefully you are feeling the same. Hollywood is an absolute brute. Shoulder or euro mount?
Definitely shoulder. Call me old fashioned but I’ve always felt like euro was for something that wasn’t quite big enough! I know that’s not the case, and euro is the trend right now. I had a buddy just euro a B&C shiras moose bow kill from Colorado. I get it too, the Mount would have been $3k and taken up half his condo!
 
One of my best buds got it done today! Told him come on, hunt the farm I jus bought and I’m now selling. In 6 years of me owning land here he’s never been able to make it.
I’ve hunted this farm 3 times very half hearted but started to put together some patterns…this farm has no food outside of acorns and what they can browse. I have one camera on the whole property so very little intel. Long story short with the help of aerials, topos and some boots we had a plan. I sat at my main place yesterday am and “hunted” the same farm as him in the pm and this am. I didn’t even bring a weapon, just binos. The only buck I had pegged got shot by a neighbor so we were a little deflated but anything can happen. This am I saw three bucks and he saw 5 and was able to connect. I gave him free reign since I am selling but he luckily didn’t settle for a young guy.
B78FD2BB-E8B0-4EBC-A665-95406D54F8EC.jpeg
Very happy for him. Did it the way I prefer. No bait, no box stand, just climber and scouting.

Here’s the one that got shot Saturday AAD973D7-EE31-4843-8651-B54603CEA2C7.jpeg

Good lord the turkeys. I counted 75 yesterday and there was another group across the creek that I couldn’t see. My buddy had 2 groups by him and 8 longbeards came by. I hate selling this place! May see if I can sell a kidney instead.
 
I do a bad job updating cause I never take pics. When it’s not a hunting season it’s sun up to sun down trying to make a dent in the projects. I know he didn’t coin it, but my man Kirby Smart would always say “keep the main thing the main thing”. I have really tried to adopt that this offseason. I can be like a cat trying to chase a laser pointer with projects and never actually finish any of them! With that said, I decided to keep all three farms which just means more work but, I mean there could be worse problems.
I don’t have clever names for the tracts so I’m using this for now. Main projects in 2024
Duck farm- spray 6 acre field and plant half it with clover and at least get two sets hung. Seems easy but it takes me 45 minutes one way by tractor despite it being 2.5 miles away as the crow flies.

Main farm- convert about 12 acres hillside to something useable. This is a south facing slope that was previously cut hard. The regrowth is impenetrable. When we flew the drone there wasn’t a living soul in there. I’ve begun punching in the with the mini-ex and ripping out briars and saplings and will keep at it till it’s manageable. My goal is to one day see turkeys using it.

New new farm (clever eh)- spray about 20 acres of open ground ranging from an 8 acre field to 1/2 acre opening. About 15-17 acres were in warm season grasses that was cut for hay previous. I’m converting the 8 acre field and 3 acre field to clover/vetch plot for now. Eventually alfalfa. The rest I want to just lightly disc and get some nesting and fawning cover. If I ever have a booner on a piece it will be on this place. It sets up so nice to hold deer and is bordered by some decent neighbors.

Turkey season starts soon so I’ll be hamstrung a bit on projects but I’ve got to get sprayed and planted asap.
 
I do a bad job updating cause I never take pics. When it’s not a hunting season it’s sun up to sun down trying to make a dent in the projects. I know he didn’t coin it, but my man Kirby Smart would always say “keep the main thing the main thing”. I have really tried to adopt that this offseason. I can be like a cat trying to chase a laser pointer with projects and never actually finish any of them! With that said, I decided to keep all three farms which just means more work but, I mean there could be worse problems.
I don’t have clever names for the tracts so I’m using this for now. Main projects in 2024
Duck farm- spray 6 acre field and plant half it with clover and at least get two sets hung. Seems easy but it takes me 45 minutes one way by tractor despite it being 2.5 miles away as the crow flies.

Main farm- convert about 12 acres hillside to something useable. This is a south facing slope that was previously cut hard. The regrowth is impenetrable. When we flew the drone there wasn’t a living soul in there. I’ve begun punching in the with the mini-ex and ripping out briars and saplings and will keep at it till it’s manageable. My goal is to one day see turkeys using it.

New new farm (clever eh)- spray about 20 acres of open ground ranging from an 8 acre field to 1/2 acre opening. About 15-17 acres were in warm season grasses that was cut for hay previous. I’m converting the 8 acre field and 3 acre field to clover/vetch plot for now. Eventually alfalfa. The rest I want to just lightly disc and get some nesting and fawning cover. If I ever have a booner on a piece it will be on this place. It sets up so nice to hold deer and is bordered by some decent neighbors.

Turkey season starts soon so I’ll be hamstrung a bit on projects but I’ve got to get sprayed and planted asap.

I constantly take pictures but never seem to have time to post them. My spring is brush cutting, prepping food plots then planting, and tree planting. There is a whole list of side projects that get injected also. This early spring with no snow has helped to advance a number of projects. The list never gets shorter though ... 😀
 
I constantly take pictures but never seem to have time to post them. My spring is brush cutting, prepping food plots then planting, and tree planting. There is a whole list of side projects that get injected also. This early spring with no snow has helped to advance a number of projects. The list never gets shorter though ... 😀
Amen. Never shorter just evolving. I just want to be able to check one off complete every now and then!
 
What's your turkey status as of now? I know you were upset with how low the numbers seemed earlier this year, but I see that you were real happy with the numbers on one of your farms last Nov. Do you think you lost a bunch of those birds? Our situation could be bad. Cams I had left out showed that 2 of our gobblers and a few jakes might've made it thru the spring hunting season, but I never really saw more than 2 or 3 hens all spring, including on cam. Then after mowing a 1.5 acre rye plot before it made viable seed last week, the 2 hens could be seen out in it regularly. Hoping I didn't mow over their nests! Would they nest in a tall rye field?
 
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