Had a great time over at the farm for the youth weekend. Matt H, myself, Grayson and Hayes left around 4 on Friday afternoon with high anticipation for the weekend. The weather was great and dad had been seeing quite a few deer each afternoon while piddling around the camp. We arrived around 9 that evening to fresh brownies, pecan pie and a host of other treats. We sat around shooting the bull with mom and dad until about 11:30 and then hit the bed for a quick rest before daylight. I was so amped I couldn't sleep. This is always my favorite weekend as it gives the youngsters a crack at unpressured deer. I love to see the faces of the kids as the deer begin to show each hunt. The boys and I made our way into the Rat Hole for the morning sit, guided by beautiful 29 degree moonlit morning. Before I could even see, I had a deer walk right past the blind, well within 15 yards. Soon after daylight a lone doe walked within 10 yards of the blind. Both boys had fallen asleep and I felt it was best not to try to wake them with a deer that close. We hit a brief lull and the boys woke up and had their honey buns and drink. As they were snacking 3 does and 2 spikes fed into the plot. That was it for the morning and we met back up with Matt, who had seen a lone button buck at West Coon. We went back to the camp and had a great breakfast and lounged most of the midday, changing channels to the most exciting football game that was on at the time. We all loaded back up and headed out around 3, the boys and I to the Tractor Shed Field and Matt to the Rat Hole. Both of us ran deer off while going in, and began seeing deer almost immediately upon settling in. I was very optimistic we'd see a good buck, as this field has a reputation for holding a good number of racked bucks early in the year. Although we saw a dozen deer, not a single forked horn of any kind. Matt ended the afternoon seeing 13-14 at the Rat Hole, but once again, all the bucks stayed hidden. We had a wonderful dinner of pot roast, carrots, potatoes, rice and gravy, cole slaw, and rolls. We lit the fire pit up and did smores while watching the LSU game as well. Unfortunately the night didn't end well for us Tiger fans, and got even worse as Hayes came down with a stomach bug and vomited most of the night. We elected to sleep in on Sunday morning and headed back to Birmingham early. All of us are excited about getting back over for Thanksgiving weekend and having another crack at the deer.
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Got settled in the blind around 4:15 yesterday afternoon as the camera at this particular field had been showing regular usage of one particular buck named Sherlock. Sherlock got his name last year as a 3 year old as he busted me drawing my bow on another mature buck and blew the chance for me. Needless to say, another year older and now in the target age group, I was anxious to target him and settle the score for the blown opportunity he caused me last year. I had several does and yearling browsing as the sun was setting, and just as he had over the past week, Sherlock waltzed out 40 yards from the blind at roughly 6:40. This time he was accompanied by a big doe and a 3 year old 8. All of them eyed the blind as they made their way into the field and I tried to watch who and where each of them were looking. The doe and the 3 year old buck must have seen something they didn't like and Sherlock began getting a bit nervous at 30 yards. I drew my bow below the window and eased the sight and arrow into it. I checked my rest to ensure clearance of the arrow upon release and settled my pin just behind his shoulder. Buck fever must have gotten me as I never truly picked a spot and touched off the release. I immediately recognized my arrow was low and heard the "whack" much like the sound of a boat paddle hitting a hard object. As he ran off I saw most of my arrow sticking out. I knew it was low but still maintained a glimmer of hope. Disgust set in almost immediately, however. I gave him a bit and we picked up the trail a little after dark. The blood was spotty and never gave the indication of a fatal wound and it played out after almost 400 yards. The deer never stopped or bedded. I believe the hit was in the top part of the leg/lowest point of the shoulder and didnt get anything vital. I look forward to someone getting another chance at this guy as I doubt it will be very long before he's back and almost 100%. Definitely a humbling experience but I am hopeful to see him again very soon.
Wow. I can't believe it's been over a month since I've updated anything. We had a great Labor Day weekend at the farm although the doves disappeared overnight on us. Literally. We watched strong numbers of birds working the field until sundown on 8/31 and as the sun rose on 9/1 they were gone. Adios. Nowhere to be found. We managed a meager 5 birds that morning, which was a big disappointment from where our expectations were set. Nonetheless, we had a great time and the kids all had a blast. We put our plots in on 9/20 with a 80% chance of rain forecasted for 9/22. As I type this on 10/1, we have not received a drop of rain since planting. The one plus this year that I've seen is the number and size of deer we are getting regularly on trail cams. This is year 4 on the property and it is very evident that trigger restraint along with high protein food has begun to show itself in the form of healthier deer. I plan on trying to do my part to stick one of those mature deer starting Friday. I'm looking forward to the next 4 months spending time in the great outdoors and the memories that are sure to come along with it. A rundown of a month's worth of photos are below.
Can't believe another season is upon us. Time seems to speed up the older I get. Dad got the millet field cut on Saturday and said we had a pretty fair amount of birds using the area. Hopefully they will stick tight over the next 7 days and allow us a few decent shooting opportunities. College football kicks off in 3 days, dove season in a week and bow season is just over a month. This is the period I look forward to beginning in February every year!
School started back today in Alabama and it's hard to believe I've got one in 2nd grade and another starting Kindergarten. We also celebrated Presley last weekend for her first birthday. I am so thankful for their precious hearts and wonderful health God has provided. I thank Him everyday for what a blessing each one of these three are to Laura and I.All is pretty quiet at the farm over the past month. I guess it's a case of the summer doldrums right now. The deer are pounding the feeders and mineral stations and seem to be active with the cooler weather we've had this month. We have a couple of cams out right now and I look forward to the first pull coming soon. Hogs seem to be abundant as Mike has been staying on them pretty heavy as well. Dove season begins in a month, with a terrible Monday opener this year. Even so, there's something about being there for the first day of the new season. Looking forward to that first sound of gunfire and the smell of burnt powder. It's hard to believe August is upon us. A few pictures of the millet field are below. The milo is doing great as well, although I worry I might have gotten it too thick. It should start heading in the next several weeks and be ready to hunt over for the October dove season. I also expect to see a few deer using it soon as the browse pressure in the past has been noticeable in the duck holes where we've planted.
The 700lbs of soybeans, rental of the no-till for the weekend, all of the chemicals used to burndown prior to planting, the diesel and time spent planting them are all for naught. The report I got from dad is that we have approximately 50 bean stalks growing on the 15 acres we planted two weeks ago. Hog tracks are everywhere and it appears they found nearly every bean before they had a chance to sprout. Our neighbor has been hunting them hard and has been very successful in killing them when he has the opportunity to hunt. I am very appreciative of his perseverance of staying after them, despite the near triple digit heat over the past week or so. I wish I had the time/equipment to trap them as I feel this is the only real way to make a dent in them. So, needless to say, we don't have any type of summer forage other than the God given natural browse they have. We do have three protein feeders up and going, along with the mineral sites. On a good note, the millet and milo are coming along nicely and we have gotten several timely rains on the crop. Some weed/grass competition, but to be honest, I really don't care. I plan to bushhog and burn the millet at the end of August and will leave the milo standing until the second season. Here is the view from the camp of each.
I'd love to title this post "Spring/Summer Plots", but dealing with the weather this spring, along with being 4+ hours away has kept us from getting them in the ground until now. We rented the no-till from Deviney and put 1000lbs of seed in the ground on Saturday. It was my first time ever working with a no-till and I greatly enjoyed it. The ground was a little damp in some places and I learned very quickly to avoid those low areas. Clogged hoses don't drop seeds. Anyhow, we got the Tractor Shed Field, Owl Field, and Landing Strip planted with beans at about 100lbs/acre. We decided that we'd rather go heavy in those 3 fields than moderate/light in all the fields on the farm and risk overbrowsing and not having a crop anywhere. I also put in 100lbs of browntop and 100lbs of milo at the homesite. Hopefully the millet will be ready for the first season and the milo should come in nicely for the always cooler, second season. It appears we timed the plantings well as we got a little over an inch of rain on Sunday evening. As far as doves go, I've never seen the number of birds this early as we have right now. I know they will shift when the corn begins to be harvested, but it's a joy to sit at the camp and watch the hundreds of birds using the area. It was quite relaxing to sit outside enjoying a big fish fry late on Saturday, watching the waves of birds loafing around. All of the mineral sites are being hit hard and I put the first camera up at the boss buck feeder/mineral site on Saturday. The snakes are also out in full force as I killed 3 mocassins, a copperhead and a king snake. I wouldn't normally kill a king snake, but when you walk out at 9:00 and he's 4 feet from the back door, it's almost a necessity. Scared the life out of me. I also shot a big boar Saturday afternoon and we saw about 15 hogs just riding through. Lots of wildlife this weekend and it was a very enjoyable trip over with the family. Finally took the time to move a few pictures over from the old photo album that I keep at the house. Each of these photos serve as a great memory and takes me back to the exact moment where the picture was shot and the events that eventually led to the period being placed on it with a photo. Sorry for the bad quality, these are just photos of photos of some of my more memorable outdoor adventures. You can access the photos by clicking on the link below.
WOW! I don't even know where to start. Laura and I were in such a need of a getaway that I honestly think staying at the local Motel 6 would have been enough. This trip was so special, as we were celebrating our 10 year anniversary. It's a little early, but that's because we have a trip planned to Disney at the time of our actual anniversary, complete with the kiddos and several other families. We are very much looking forward to that trip, but this is one that was needed NOW! I hesitate to even give the location for the trip for fear there will be a run on rentals but I know that only a few suffer through my ramblings and even read this site. Cape San Blas was our destination for the long weekend and IT. IS. INCREDIBLE. If you need time away, this is your beach. We will certainly be making this an annual trip for just us two. We literally had over a mile of beach to ourselves! I was able to read an entire book, (The Dummy Line...highly recommend to hunters) something I haven't done in over 7 years. We also had uninterrupted sleep for the first time in 9 months. It was a great way for each of us to unwind and relax from our crazy, everyday life. We wouldn't trade our life for any other and are such blessed parents and spouses. It's truly a joy to wake up next to Laura and get to parent our children everyday. |
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