J-birds place

[j-bird]

2" round soffit vents work well

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I am thinking of just using metal window screen to cover the "____^____" portions of the siding of the roof. This would allow the trapped warm air to rise and escape. I am going to do the same thing with putting in a few holes in the floor...and cover them with screen and carpet as well to allow the "cross flow" so to speak.

 

[j-bird]

So I am 99% done with the one shooting house. I still need to paint/seal the exterior 2X4 up under the roof and add the interior trim to the windows.

I finished the ladder for access, I glued and installed the carpet on the floor, added "curtains" and some shelves and used steel wool to allow air to flow but to keep the bugs out, and even added a little safety measure along the bottom of the sheet metal to from cutting someone or banging something against it (I added some foam tubing insulation)

It's far enough along for hunting season.....


I will essentially replicate this design for another one I need to build up north.....I will use elevator brackets on that one however I think.

 

[j-bird]

We had our first hunt of 2020....it was the last day of our free youth deer hunting weekend, but we got it in. My youngest is 16 so she has 1 more year to qualify for this hunt where the state allows hunters 17 years of age or younger to hunt deer for free during the last weekend in September with a licensed hunter. The general season (archery) starts October 1st.

We chose the new shooting house and we was watching over my small orchard and a plot of peas, turnips and clovers. It was a nice hunt but we didn't see any deer. Some of us where a little bored and even a little tired.

Here is the plot - will get a dose of some winter wheat soon as well! Need some rain!!!


The view....


The "hunter".....ummm maybe "sleeper".....tough to tell!

 

[j-bird]

I was out tonight putting up exclusion cages and spreading some winter wheat and pulled my cam cards. I'll post the videos when I can...but for now the pics will have to do.

I want to meet buck#2.....he has my interest. I want to see if he is as interesting as he looks. Buck #1 would be a nice deer for my daughter this year or maybe a nice deer in another year or two.

 

[j-bird]

Video of buck 2..... The video isn't the best but it's why I prefer video vs pics.

 

[Bill]

^^^he's cool!

 

[Knehrke]

I think he's one ugly deer - I will pm you my phone number if you want someone to come take him out of the gene pool before he contaminates the rest of the herd...

It's funny, your shooting house looks just like the one we built, your food plot is identical to ours, and the picture of your daughter could have been mine after an uneventful hunt. She's out there though, that's what counts.

 

[j-bird]

^^^he's cool!

I hope to see him in person.....I have never hunted a specific buck before.....so I am now trying to figure him out with my cams.... I would love to give him a year, but I fear passing would simply put him on someone else's wall. it was funny because the earlier videos he is back by that bigger tree and I kept saying...."please come closer" and he finally did! I added him to the trailcam contest.....I didn't see one for October.

 

[j-bird]

I think he's one ugly deer - I will pm you my phone number if you want someone to come take him out of the gene pool before he contaminates the rest of the herd...

It's funny, your shooting house looks just like the one we built, your food plot is identical to ours, and the picture of your daughter could have been mine after an uneventful hunt. She's out there though, that's what counts.

He may be "ugly".....but I have plenty of hunter who will take him if given the chance! My daughter and son have both seen the video and have "claimed" him..... Neither of them bow hunt....but I do. So we will see who claims him!

My daughter talks a big game...but struggles with the patience portion of hunting. I'm just glad she is interested. Not sure she will be a life long hunter...but that's her choice. I simply opened the door.

 

[Knehrke]

I keep trying to get my buddies to let me shoot their ugly 9 and 10-pointers, but for some reason they just say no lol.

 

[j-bird]

I keep trying to get my buddies to let me shoot their ugly 9 and 10-pointers, but for some reason they just say no lol.

Well at least you are kind enough to offer.... I have to see him first and that in itself will be a challenge....big difference between a trail cam pic and a hero pic!

 

[j-bird]

So I haven't posted many pics or updates because things have been pretty busy. I finally got all the stand sup and checked and even had my first hunt...for me...of 2020.

This is my north corner plot. I had a shooting house overlooking this plot but a storm removed it for me (two actually) so I didn't get this shooting house replaced....yet. So I put a stand in a smaller bur oak where I can still take advantage during gun season. The beans are now harvested and this plot/area has produced some nice deer for us in the past. Sorry the paste job is sort of crappy....sun was going down. As you can see ....great plot if, I'm hunting for a pick-up truck!!!! The tall stuff is a mix of piss-poor corn and some year old MG rhizomes for a long term screen at the edge of the crop field, the between the truck and the field that is an annual planting of peas, turnips and clover and some winter wheat. The main portion of the plot is going to be reseeded in clover and has some chestnut, sawtooth oak and a pair of small persimmons trees in it as well....nothing producing just yet.


Here is a picture of my SW plot (my biggest one at maybe 1/2 acre planted in the same mix. I think I need to go a little lighter on the turnips next year, but as you can see the peas and clover and turnips are doing pretty good. We need some rain....


Lastly...yesterday evening I got to hunt for myself for the first time this season. I am sitting near a neighboring property (where nobody hunt sand I have access to retrieve my deer if so needed). My woods was logged a few years ago and this property has a small 20 acres that was logged over the summer and also has a standing bean field. I am sitting roughly right at the corner of those 3 habitat changes. Oh....I also have my plot where the buck in the video was taken just 30 yards or so into my property as well. I can't shoot to it from this stand, but I know it's there. The plan is to try to catch bucks working this edge trying to scent check the newly logged area. I saw one nice doe, but that was it. No shooting opportunities....but it was nice to get out all the same.

 

[Bill]

I don’t know, maybe lighter, but those turnips look good!

 

[j-bird]

I don’t know, maybe lighter, but those turnips look good!

Bad thing is my picky deer won't eat the greens....they don't like salad! Then they will only eat the bulbs as a last resort... entitled PITA's!!!

 

[Tree Spud]

Lastly...yesterday evening I got to hunt for myself for the first time this season. I am sitting near a neighboring property (where nobody hunt sand I have access to retrieve my deer if so needed). My woods was logged a few years ago and this property has a small 20 acres that was logged over the summer and also has a standing bean field. I am sitting roughly right at the corner of those 3 habitat changes. Oh....I also have my plot where the buck in the video was taken just 30 yards or so into my property as well. I can't shoot to it from this stand, but I know it's there. The plan is to try to catch bucks working this edge trying to scent check the newly logged area. I saw one nice doe, but that was it. No shooting opportunities....but it was nice to get out all the same.

After the last 6 months, any day in the stand is a good one! Place looks good!

 

[j-bird]

After the last 6 months, any day in the stand is a good one! Place looks good!

I have been working from home so....when I get done a little early....it's a quick trip to the woods.... I have all of gun season off for vacation as well!!! Looking for to a little down time...but not the work load building up to it or coming back from it.....

 

[j-bird]

I got out yesterday evening as we had some rain moving in and I hoped the deer would be on their feet....no luck...not even a sighting. But still nice to get out and just enjoy. Its roughly 150 yards tot he distant "ridge" if you will. The green plot is about 1/2 acre. This stand and general area has produced some nice deer for us over the years. There is a creek behind me with a steep tall bank of about 8 feet that the deer don't like so they go around to either my right or left. The stand is tucked back just enough to have some decent cover in from of me as well. The mowed path thru the goldenrod will put them right in my lap if they choose that route.

 

[Booner21]

Video of buck 2..... The video isn't the best but it's why I prefer video vs pics.

That deer really looks like a 3 yr old here. Not many folks would pass that deer but I see a 200inch deer in the makings. Good luck with the hunt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[j-bird]

That deer really looks like a 3 yr old here. Not many folks would pass that deer but I see a 200inch deer in the makings. Good luck with the hunt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I want to see him in person and I will decide then....my concern is a neighbor hunter....he and I both tend to try to pass the younger bucks, but the property he hunts has far more cover than mine. IF he grows to 200" I will have to get lucky....real lucky. But I guess it's better than nothing. Its all just talk until he is standing in front of me.....

 

[j-bird]

Things are ramping up here. I pulled my cam cards and did a little walking today....

Scrapes and rubs are popping up....

This little poplar took a beating and you can still see the shavings at the base...



I have a "ridge" if you will that tends to get some scrape activity and here are 3 (2 pictured0 all within about 12 feet of each other. I put a cam here to see what we can find. There is another active scrape roughly 200 yards away that I am going to post videos from.


I found this on my walk....2 scrapes next to two decent sized rubs....I moved a cam to this area to see what we can learn...


And finally a scrape that has seen some decent activity and is the scrape in the videos that will follow. This was an active scrape last year as well....