Foodplotting In The Mountains...The Sequel

WOW.

I remember the original thread from the old board, I just found this board and recently realized its the same people.

I live in Wayne County, WV and hunt in both the northern part (a lot more deer) and the southern part (where state record for non typical was killed; 34 point; on the border of Mingo Co a bow only county.)

I love seeing what you are doing and I hope to start implementing some of these strategies on my land in the southern part of my county.
Hey Herdman, good to see you on here. I'm very familiar with your area and am from St. Albans originally. I still hunt some north of there in Jackson county some years and yes the deer are thick like flies up there. I have hunted all the bow only southern counties over the years and have been lucky there. Just great place to hunt to see manificent bucks in rugged terrain. My days of doing that have passed I guess as I've gotten lazy. Those 3 am mornings come early.
If you happen to be passing thru the tunnel headed to the WV annex/Myrtle Beach, give me a heads up and I'll buy you a meal. Good luck on your season, snow and cold this weekend should make things better. Heavy acorn crop have my deer scattered everywhere. I may end up eating my tag this year. Off rest of wk and doing all day sits hoping to up my odds. Some medical crap next weekend so I need to get it done.
 
Been a crazy fall with work and family. Have had some great hunts although not too productive. Cut a Farm tree and the grandpups helped me get it going. Bit of a Charlie Brown tree but it’s free and kids didn’t care.
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Not a lot of snow but still some fun sits. I was trying to make the cover of GQ magazine but no calls yet. Keep my day job I guess.
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My son got to hunt good bit this year for a change which I really enjoyed and he had better luck than me.
I did miss my good friend that passed last yr that I’ve talked on here about. More than I thot I would. Miss his laughter and bullshitting. Life goes on.
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Been pretty dry winter so far with just a few light snows. Temps have been cold. Two things I always take note of is how natures plantings are made for the weather. I once tried EW planting and it failed early winter from the harsh weather. Yet as you can see, the Goldenrod and Broomsedge stand well against snow, ice, wind. My Goldenrod stands 6+ feet and provides as good a screening as one could hope. And nature does all the work for me. If you don't want it, mow late fall and it will stay gone for several years. I'm lazy and if something works on its own without the help of me or cost of chemicals and fert, then I'm all for it.
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I did something different this year.... I didn't check my cameras once season started in Sept. It made it so much more fun not knowing what deer would come my stand and also not worrying about what was on camera. Old school has its advantages.
Good to see Bad Wheel made it thru all of bow , 2 wks of rifle and week of ML. He's a tough muther. You can see the healed gash on his leg that he got last year. The leg just dangled at that time and couldn't stand any weight. Yet I had him on video then fighting another buck. He's been by my stand a few times but I gave him a pass this year for his toughness. Next year... maybe not. Amazing critters. He's working a scrape I made under this zip tied branch. Best way to get pics without them paying attention to the camera.
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Why do we go into the wood to sit for hours on a tree? To sit there in the cold days of the end of season. A lone squirrel cutting in an oak nearby. The screech of the Red Tail looking for a meal before she heads south. The Red Headed wood pecker hammering into the tree....how could there be enough food in that snag? The deer, tired of the hunters, tired of the rut, just trying to sustain themselves today and hopefully tomorrow. The fawn trying to keep up with momma. The skinny worn rutted out buck just trying to recooperate. Will they make it thru the harsh days coming forth? Can the fawn handle the deep snows to come and evade the predator? Will the landscape be healthy enough to sustain them thru these wicked days of late winter? We shall know come spring.

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Have a great holiday. Remember.... Faith, Family, and Friends. Without a firm grip on each of those things, you will find a deep frustration you can never satisfy with what the world offers. Merry Christmas my friends. Peace.

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
What if Christmas.... perhaps... means a little bit more!!” ---- Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas

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Merry Christmas. Glad that Goldenrod works for you! To me yellow is the color of Spring's coming (daffodils and such) and of late Fall's send off (Goldenrod and Black Eyed Susans). I really enjoy your postcard pictures.
"Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah river
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze" Ol' John Denver
 
If you can quote Dr. Seuss, I will quote ole Snagglepuss, and say "Heavens to Murgatroyd...what a great bunch of pictures." The tree picture is my favorite, and the younguns look like presents under the tree. Of course, they are gifts from God, which we as adults too often forget.

Wishing a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours my friend....
 
Too cold for anything but throwing log on the fire. Did get warm up past week and Fri went down for couple of hours to drop about 30 trees for edge feathering a field and providing some winter food for deer . Cut mainly Maples as they love them this time of year. I am still rebuilding from some bad winters and poor mast couple years ago but last and this year mast has been good and deer have rebounded well. I chose to shoot no does as neighbor does good bit of that and I wanted to increase my buck numbers back up. Not sure my reasoning is good but so be it. Deer are fat as butter balls.
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Both Red and Grey Fox have been pretty common. Wish they take care of some skunks and groundhogs this winter.

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Bad Wheel survived another season as this is last day of hunts. I'm sure he passed under my stand as he came to this field but I wasn't hunting and he had a free pass this year for his toughness. Now if he can survive the log trucks he should be nice next year and fair game. All my good bucks survived this year. Should be good crop next year. I had each of them by my stand at least once thru the season but only hunted recurve this year for bow and let each one pass. Makes for some harder but more interesting hunts. Rut was spread out and deer were not much a pattern thanks to heavy acorn crops.

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Sometimes its the little things. My deer don't use either of my two ponds much. But I cut down the cattle fence surrounding this one and they suddenly found it more interesting. They had access on the steeper side before but would seldom drink there. Lots of tracks now in this spot.

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Did you pay attention to your waterholes and the frozen air bubbles beneath the surface? Did you think of what process was taking place? Nature works yearround. Doesn't get stopped for long by weather factors. I'm not going to tell you what is going on here. Put down your phone and figure it out. It can be you learning moment of the day.

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I bet you stepped right on this didn't you without taking notice. A tunnel made by a mouse hiding from the cold and my Redtail and Coopers hawk and the coyote that dens just to the right of this spot. Without the snow to cover his home, he has to be careful. I saw him scurrying about as I probed his Viet Cong like tunnels. Isn't this what Leopold referred to when speaking of the tiny mouse hay stacks in his writings?? Or have you read those? You should, and then see the landscape as a whole, not a singular animal world/deer.

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WR overseeded late Oct into spent brassica in first green field you see has done well despite temps seldom getting past 10 deg since Christmas. Another overseeded brassica field in distance on ridge. Tubes are Hazelnuts planted 2 years ago. Have done well in this area of hill with dry poor soil and constant sun. The field around them is managed as a fallow field mainly of naturally occuring grasses and weeds. Makes for great transition from hard edge of woods to foodplots.

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I've show this before, but I'm going to post again since I showed the mouse Viet Cong tunnel. Maybe it will inspire some to read his writings once again. Remember to look up, down, sideways, backwards. See as the smallest of animals sees and see as the largest of them sees. See what nature has to teach. Stay warm, snow tomorrow. Peace.

"The mouse is a sober citizen who knows that grass grows in order that mice may store it as underground haystacks, and that snow falls in order that mice may build subways from stack to stack: supply, demand, and transport all neatly organized. To the mouse, snow means freedom from want and fear.......The rough-leg has no opinion why grass grows, but he is well aware that snow melts in order that hawks may again catch mice. He came down out of the Arctic in the hope of thaws, for to him a thaw means freedom from want and fear.." ---Aldo Leopold- A Sand County Almanac








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Enjoyed the pictures and update. It is COLD here too. Always take a second look, a closer look, because of you. And encouraging my grandsons to do likewise. Amazing how they have been eating up this hunting stuff this year. My time with them reminds me of all the hunting trips with my son. And its something they want to do with Poppa!
 
I’m not sure what made this, but I noticed it because of you. Thanks for your always wise words.

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Yep looks like you have some Viet Cong rodents making haystack tunnels for protection. Cool. As for you guys that may not know about the Nam tunnels, here is a description of one area they existed. Lot to be read on them and some youtube videos showing if you look them up.

"The tunnels of Củ Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Củ Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The Củ Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong's base of operations for the Tết Offensive in 1968.

The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and helped to counter the growing American military effort."


If you were a so called " tunnel rat" of the military, you crawled into these hell holes with gasmask and weapon for a possible face to face combat in a hole no bigger than your body. So when things get tough at work today for you, give that job some thot.
 
Enjoyed the pictures and update. It is COLD here too. Always take a second look, a closer look, because of you. And encouraging my grandsons to do likewise. Amazing how they have been eating up this hunting stuff this year. My time with them reminds me of all the hunting trips with my son. And its something they want to do with Poppa!
I've found my grandson can pick up on some of this stuff faster than me. Maybe its because hes only couple feet from the ground. Have really enjoyed your postings of your kids. They are lucky to have you.
 
Not much farm work except some hinge cutting. Too cold and then too warm. Time with grandkids. Always take them for their first learn of skiing when they turn 3. This one is fearless and I see broken bones in the future. Jst like his dad who skied Div 1 college team and is still crazy.
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More snow at my daughters farm in NC than for me.
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One cold weekend made trip to the Greenbrier. Everything big there. And I got a little lucky on $15.
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Steak, lobster mashed potatoes , healthy broccoli , and Jameson on the rocks. And probably 15 pounds.
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Pond is full that I dug last yr. Jst don’t get much use of these in my area. And some rubs at edge of hingecutting was a good sign.
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So you might not have the biggest tract of land, maybe not the most trophy bucks, maybe limited time or finances. Just like my size limited grandpup, you ignore the supposed limitations and you go after the challenge like you are the baddest muther on the planet. Don't make excuses, just do it. Ignore the obstacles. Make your goals and shoot for them.IMG_0029B.jpg
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My buddy is aging on me and hardly makes complete rounds with me before heading back to the Jeep. Been a great companion at the farm over the years, even knows which way a tree Im cutting is going to fall. This is edge of one my original hinge cuttings Random Cluster #3. Sits just off the edge of the ridge and 200 yds down wind/west of my Ravine plot. Perfect for a buck to scent ck the field while traveling along the ridge side. Its gotten beat down over time and I need to refresh her. Always cut channels thru your cuttings. You can see path thru cut log, and make them at least 6 feet wide. Deer don't like confinement. I have predators you know.
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The mentioned Ravine plot. Hottest plot for bucks. Secluded, plenty of edge feathering, water near by. Has clover , rye , wheat, brassica, and a kitchen sink thrown into the creek by the old farmer. No lie.
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Along its edges is what deer love come spring since it greens early. MFR and Greenbrier. You can see its browse.
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One of my homemade rabbit dens. Hawks really dont give them much chance to overpopulate.
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Pairs are so much easier than apples. Throw them in the ground and they just grow, ignoring cold, heat , drought, and monsoon.
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Yep my buddy making his rounds as usual. He will turn up a log road just past here and about 30 yds in, will mark his Pissing rock that my dog likes to mark also. From there he will travel to side point past two of my stands, across a deep ravine to another side point and a large bedding area , again past another of my stands. Eventually he will make the circle back to my lower plots and repeat in a few days. The bears follow a similar route but tend to tear up logs along the way to mark their tracks.
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Didn't take any doe this year since still rebuilding from some bad winters. Probably should've I guess. Heavy acorn crop kept them healthy.
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Overview of past season...
Hunted with only recurve this year. Couldn't get shot at couple bucks due to range limitations, but not a worry.
Never checked trail cameras once season started. Was more fun hunting than I've had for a while. Each buck was a surprise, and I hunted as the land, wind, conditions, and my gut feeling told me. It was awesome.
Place 2 ladder stands. Definately made to set up in flat land. They are comfortable, great for rifle, not as much so for bow. I don't find them all that much easier than my lock on stands to access and I can hide the lockons much more easily in the tree. I do like them tho. And can be had for cheap.
Acorns made for really tough hunting as deer were very random in their travels. All the more reason to hung edges made by growth and typography. I probably passed more shooter bucks this year since I've owned the farm.
For some reason, I left a lot of arrows stuck in the ground. I always shoot an arrow from the tree before I leave in the evening for practice. My feeble mind kept forgetting to retreive them. Sad.

Pay attention to the intricacies of your land from the lowly microbe within the soil to the passage of nutrients it allows from soil to plant to the venison on your plate. Each niche in your land is interwoven and without one, then there is less harmony and success in the whole of the landscape. If this bridge loses but one link, it comes tumbling down, maybe not immediately but it will not stand the test of time. So it is with your land you have authority over. May you find peace within your self and in all you do. Thanks for all you share.

" Work like you don't need the money. Love like you have never been hurt. Dance like nobody is watching. "

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We’re only here for a short time my mountain friend. To leave a legacy of a life well lived in God and admiring the simple things is a great way to leave. Keep on keepin on.
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Well said Buck. And as always love your choice of pics.
Enjoyed the tour. Did u eat all that banana split?
Afraid we did Lakn. It was at a different restaurant. They make a mean fried green tomato sandwich you would like. The little lady has a little more class than me but I try to keep up. Come Up some time and I will treat you to one. Just up the road from me.
Jackets only required after 7 pm. I had to root around in my closet for one I wore few years ago to a wedding. Thot I cleaned up well for an ole boy that grew up on the rough side of the tracks and overcame a lot of bad choices he chose to make at the time. But you can't go back.
 
You tempt me with steak and lobster, but I'm trying to shed the 12 pounds I gained this winter. Got 6 of it off in last few days with DR mower.

Pictures are great as usual. I think your pears are maybe just a few days ahead of mine, but we are close.

Thanks for sharing my friend.
 
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