Foggy's Deertopia Proving Grounds - Happenings

[matinc]

Foggy I see 2 inches in the rain gange. Awesome job on your plots.

 

[Foggy47]

Foggy I see 2 inches in the rain gange. Awesome job on your plots.

Got another 3/4" since drilling my seed yesterday. Seems I cannot lose lately.....but seen the other side of good weather too. Mother Nature is a strange relative. You never know what she will throw at 'ya. Grin.

I have never had such a great buffet as my land offers the deer this year. I had to get some new stuff off my truck at my land late this afternoon. After getting this stuff off and unboxed I decided to crack a beer and make a cruise through my land with the UTV.

What a trip! Saw multiple deer in my plots and scurrying away in front of my rig. None went far....as they had no need to do so....due to the good cover they could find adjacent to my plots. Also had rabbits, squirrels, and turkeys making way for me. They all know my rig.....so nobody is panicking.....rather they make way for me to pass. Gratifying.

 

[matinc]

Foggy that's awesome your hard work is paying off. So glad your switchgrass finally took off. Please keep us posted ty

 

[Bill]

That was a good ride around the place.

Head to my place later this week. I don’t plan on having such a good story. But like my neighbor says. This isn’t our year anyway. Next year we will be back on track. Mother Nature willing…

 

[Foggy47]

Checked my plots on Sunday as I finally replaced batteries in all my cameras....which were all dead or dying. Plots are looking outstanding....and now rye and new clover are growing too. :).

 

[omicron1792]

Looks great Fog

 

[Native Hunter]

My grandson took a bear. He has an interesting way to compare the size of this bear. He killed it with the 20 Gauge Savage rifled slug gun I gave him some years back. He is quite skilled in hunting....and always seems to be on his game. Good hunter / conservationist. Great young man....about to be a dad. He is 6 feet tall and about 200+ lbs. How big is this bear? View attachment 82441View attachment 82442

I love that picture.

 

[Foggy47]

I love that picture.

Yeah....me too! I do not think I've ever seen this done before. He is pretty ingenious sometimes. Great young man.

 

[Foggy47]

Looks great Fog

Notice the switch I planted in front of the blind in the pic above? it's only about 30" high right now....but it should provide the means to better conceal the blind and provide somewhat of a screen for entry/exit next year. I did this on several blinds.

 

[Foggy47]

Been packing to move for a few weeks now....and the big days are coming this week. I did move a few of my animal heads into my tiny cabin at Deertopia. Makes it a real man-cave now. Lots more to do...but this is getting there. My bull elk is going into a nice restaurant just two blocks from my new home....and I can go visit him and spin stories about how I killed this guy. lol

 

[Foggy47]

Yesterday was the big event. Downsizing and moving to a new townhome. Slept in our new place for the first time last night....after a long and grueling day. Move event likely went better than we expected, but was still the longest day I have put in for many years. Seems like we figured about right for the amount of things we kept to fit our new quarters. Our daughters really went above and beyond to smooth out the move too. We moved four loads to our family (6 kids and our grandkids) prior to our move yesterday. Still lots to do....but we got allot of time before our close on the "old" lake home shown here. Life in the new place is going to be a whole lot easier with all the outside maintenance taken care of by our HOA. Most of the whitewater time is in the rear view mirror now. Smile.

 

[Foggy47]

So, now moved into the new home at Breezy Point. Been looking at the golf green our home overlooks for several weeks now....and used my range finder to determine the distance to the pin. 134 yards...but gotta get across the flowing creek....and use a little bit of a cut shot to get around that pine tree gaurding the pin (from my patio). Finally decided I needed to take the shot....and I have not played in weeks. I got a small artificial turf practice matt....and took two shots at the green the other nite. Just a bit of fade...and let the green do the rest. BINGO! Golden. Gotta do this more often. FORE! (look close....see em?.....Butter!)

 

[omicron1792]

So, now moved into the new home at Breezy Point. Been looking at the golf green our home overlooks for several weeks now....and used my range finder to determine the distance to the pin. 134 yards...but gotta get across the flowing creek....and use a little bit of a cut shot to get around that pine tree gaurding the pin (from my patio). Finally decided I needed to take the shot....and I have not played in weeks. I got a small artificial turf practice matt....and took two shots at the green the other nite. Just a bit of fade...and let the green do the rest. BINGO! Golden. Gotta do this more often. FORE! (look close....see em?.....Butter!)View attachment 83388

Great shots Fog!

 

[matinc]

Foggy hope you enjoy your new pad.

 

[Foggy47]

Foggy hope you enjoy your new pad.

this is gonna be a great change for us. Really downsized from so many things we do not do anymore....nor can do. Life is gonna be far simpler here and much better for my wife and I. Never do anything outside anymore....all outside maintanance is done by the HOA....from mowing to painting the house when the time comes We even have soft water supplied from our well house. Crazy....no more salt hauling. Only 8units in our HOA...but we do connect to a degree with an 80 unit HOA just a block away. Thus we get similar amenities....but have the buying power of the larger "sister" HOA....and we all have the same bennies and all the discounts that the resort offers to property owners.

I am going to keep my Tri-toon boat in their private marina....which includes an assigned parking spot and full security....even a coded gate to enter. It's located on a protected cove about 1/4 mile from a huge lake here. Nice dock and facility. Pelican lake is known for great walleye fishing and its sugar sand beaches. It's a large lake...Some say it's like Florida beaches. We have three golf courses....indoor pools, bars, resteratunts, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, gift shops, spa's, and many other amenities and events that large resorts can offer. Resort-like lifestyle in a private home. Kinda like OZ....but MN style. Just 8 miles from Deertopia too!

My wife and I are looking forward to a more simple life.....allthough getting through the whitewater to get here has not been easy (to say the least).
Still, seems like it keeps getting easier now...day by day. We have been blessed.

 

[Foggy47]

So, I just sent a few of my recent RC Sundance Switchgrass pics on the FB Site for switch. Thought I would post em up here too. The switch was slow to establish for me....and by late July I thought it was a bust. Then suddenly I got switch growing everywhere I drilled it in early June. Crazy crop to understand....but it's happening for me now in most areas. I got a few shady spots where it may not amount to much....and that can be expected. Can't wait to see the second year results. Got some that is now chin high. Impressive growth when it finally came.

Edit: I planted RC SUNDANCE Switch....not Chippewa as it was not suitable for this far north. I get the two confused. Both are new varieties...but I'm told the Chippewa had some weed issues in the seed this year....and it got pulled from inventory.

 

[omicron1792]

So, I just sent a few of my RC Chippewa Switchgrass on the FB Site for switch. Thought I would post em up here too. The switch was slow to establish for me....and by late July I thought it was a bust. Then suddenly I got switch growing everywhere I drilled it in early June. Crazy crop to understand....but it's happening for me now in most areas. I got a few shady spots where it may not amount to much....and that can be expected. Can't wait to see the second year results. Got some that is now chin high. Impressive growth when it finally came.
View attachment 83398View attachment 83399View attachment 83400View attachment 83401View attachment 83402

That stuff gonna be thick and tall for sure.

 

[Foggy47]

I think this stuff is going to be great for my grouse and rabbit populations too. Those populations have dramatically improved over the past few years. Kinda stoked about this stuff now.

 

[Foggy47]

I should have fertilized that brassica by now….and it’s a bit stunted from what it could be. Is it too late to fertilize next week…this far north?

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I'd give it a shot of fertilizer as soon as you can, it can still add some tonnage with a little moisture and heat.