Pochuck Land Tour

[Thomasc19]

Pochuck is what they always called my family's farm back in the day - it means "Out of the way place" in Lenape I'm pretty sure, which is pretty fitting for me because it's 2 hours outside nyc where I currently work

These are the two biggest bucks on the property this year, both 5.5 years old - One in the rear is an 11 point with a split right G2, and the one in the front is a 9 with a nub of a point off his left base



Was able to borrow my friend's sprayer last weekend since the one I ordered isn't shipping for another month(Selling the old electric-pump pull-behind POS) - will hopefully have good weather this weekend to spray a couple fall plots



Hope you guys enjoy and maybe have some good advice :)

 

[Tree Spud]

What is the question?

 

[Mortenson]

What is the question?

2A, or not 2A, there is no question.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Really nice bucks. What’s some more details of your place. State, size?

 

[H20fwler]

I'm interested in hearing more about the place too. How long has it been in the family, what kind of habitat projects do you do there, what kind of wildlife is around.

 

[Thomasc19]

Really nice bucks. What’s some more details of your place. State, size?

I'm interested in hearing more about the place too. How long has it been in the family, what kind of habitat projects do you do there, what kind of wildlife is around.

88 acres in big woods - almost no ag around, mainly small horse farms

My father purchased it in 1994, and we're the third family that has owned it - the original family built a farmhouse and barn in the 1860s during Abraham Lincoln's presidency that are still standing and in-use - I'll post some cool photos of them and the barn soon

I'll have some more posts this weekend when I head up there to do some planting, weather permitting - I mainly plant ~5 acres of foodplots (mostly clover and rye due to browse pressure), I've planted over 100 fruit and nut trees so far, and I'm trying my hand at TSI in the mature timber

 

[Thomasc19]

This is the original barn and house, which have both gone under some renovation - the "White House" had that addition on the bottom left and the porch next to it put on in the 80s, and the barn we put the new green roof on it this past year.

My father and I are both in construction, so we built out a trophy room in the old barn so the women don't have to look at the deer heads in the house :)

 

[BenA]

Really good bucks, especially for a non-ag area. I've done some hunting in New York at West Point. There were browse lines like that there too. The one thing I've seen work consistently for large antlered bucks in non-ag areas is a large non-hunting sanctuary.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Geez that is gorgeous!

 

[Thomasc19]

Really good bucks, especially for a non-ag area. I've done some hunting in New York at West Point. There were browse lines like that there too. The one thing I've seen work consistently for large antlered bucks in non-ag areas is a large non-hunting sanctuary.

Yea I was just up at West Point last weekend - beautiful country there. There has definitely been a die down in hunting pressure in my area over the years and I'm sure the 3 point restriction in PA helps too

 

[Thomasc19]

Geez that is gorgeous!

Thank you! It's been a labor of love for a long time

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Awesome place! Really cool what you did with the trophy room. I'm a builder as well. How did you tie that into the original barn? Just frame between all your posts and pour a new floor? Did you cut into the haymow to get your height? Did you actually build that shed roof addition? If so, excellent work on making it look original!

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Don't know how I missed this thread until now - but great place!! Buildings are in nice shape, trophy room is just the ticket. Did you put any kind of sealer / finish on your lumber in the trophy room?? If so - what was it? 88 acres is a nice-sized piece to work with too. Looking forward to this thread & your progress!

 

[Thomasc19]

Awesome place! Really cool what you did with the trophy room. I'm a builder as well. How did you tie that into the original barn? Just frame between all your posts and pour a new floor? Did you cut into the haymow to get your height? Did you actually build that shed roof addition? If so, excellent work on making it look original!

Thank you! yup just frames between posts and leveled the floor - there was already a concrete floor but it was uneven. The three different "Sections" are all original. Yes there was a hay loft that we took out of the smallest section - right where those horizontal beams are.

Don't know how I missed this thread until now - but great place!! Buildings are in nice shape, trophy room is just the ticket. Did you put any kind of sealer / finish on your lumber in the trophy room?? If so - what was it? 88 acres is a nice-sized piece to work with too. Looking forward to this thread & your progress!

Thank you as well! No stain just sealer-wanted to keep the lighter color of the wood

 

[Thomasc19]

Been working on TSI recently, taking down mainly beech, striped maple, black birch, and any mis-shapen or diseased trees. If anyone has experience doing prescribed fire after tsi please let me know if you have any recommendations - I know it probably increases the fire intensity in the areas more heavily cut but any differences you wish you'd known earlier?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

View attachment 73870

Been working on TSI recently, taking down mainly beech, striped maple, black birch, and any mis-shapen or diseased trees. If anyone has experience doing prescribed fire after tsi please let me know if you have any recommendations - I know it probably increases the fire intensity in the areas more heavily cut but any differences you wish you'd known earlier?

Sent you 2 DM's.