J-birds place

[j-bird]

Well I was out over the weekend and needed to take some pics to documents a few things. I like using these threads to document when I do things or when certain changes happen so I can reference back later.

First of all last weekend I had the sidewall of my tractor tire go bad (dry rot) so I had to replace the tire.....that was $120. Not sure what it is about new tires, but I just love the "whiskers" on them!


So with the new tire on the tractor out I went to overseed my bean plots. I'm a little behind because my beans took longer to dry down than normal and then with the flat last weekend it just didn't get done.

I spread a mix of purple top turnips and winter wheat. I prefer wheat because it will survive the minter here and doesn't get nearly as tall come spring and cause as much issue with rotary equipment. I also don't go expensive... this overseeding is simply to add variety to my plots. Cheap cover crop seed varieties are fine. I used 100 lbs of wheat and 5 lbs of turnips.....I think, not sure of the amount of turnips....


The bean plots had dried down and I like the spacing from my broadcast seeding rate of the beans to facilitate this additional seeding. The corn is fine, but I had hoped it would do a little better, but the focus was the soybeans. Below are the 2 bean plots I overseeded. I was then rewarded with a good afternoon rain shower - so I should have some green stuff soon.


I also was trying to keep tabs on my apples trees as well. I had 1 tree that had an apple that as I messed with it fell. I was pretty pleased by it's size....I just need to get a lot more. This tree produced 2 apples this year....but at least it produced something. I then stabbed it onto a T post to see how long it lasts. This was in my SW "orchard" - don't ask what variety it is because I don't know (learn from your mistakes and label and date your trees when you plant them). All I do know it it's a "people" variety.


I was real curious about my tree in my SW "orchard" as it had maybe 2 dozen apples on it last I checked.......Ummmmm, it DID! Not a single apple remained and not a trace of them on the ground either. Not exactly sure what happened to them, but whatever found them really liked them.... My only real disappointment is that these are dropping so early. My hunting season has only been open since 10/1 here and as such these apples will have ZERO influence on my hunting efforts. I have some crabs coming in the spring and we will see how those do....my people apples may become "other" apples when it's all over.

 

[j-bird]

For #3 check out outrider herbicide. I don't have any JG in my NWSGs but I'm killing it in a neighbors C3 grass field. I remember seeing on the label that it can be used in NWSGs but didn't look at the details.

That is the chemical I intend on using.....but man is it EXPENSIVE!

 

[j-bird]

Got out today getting some stands up.....yes.....I know it's late and hunting season here!

First of all.....my apple is still stuck on the T-post....which surprised me. My wheat is germinating in my soybean plots as well.


Also thought I would share a little trick I do on my ladder stands to help reduce noise and snag points. I simply wrap the pins in duct tape. Sometimes it's the little things that can make a big difference in the moment of truth.


Here is the diagram as to where these stands are. I think sometimes it's important to understand why we put stands where we do. The white circles are bedding areas - the red line is a property line and the blue line is a creek and my southern property line. I have a box blind for gun hunting only that sits on top of the slope. I also have a ladder stand and a fixed position stand. The ladder stand is a "take a chance" stand just to shake things up. Green oval is a kill plot and the green is a plot/orchard and the yellow is my soybean plot.

My intention with both the low southern stands is to use the creek for access - I can cross the field to the south as well if I need to. I am specifically hunting a buck I saw here last year that I am after....I have no sign he is around yet, but I didn't last year either. So I am hunting back off the main food sources and hunting the cover corridor between the larger blocks of cover. I doubt I see as many deer, but I hope to see the one I am after.... Obviously both southern stands will be hunted with a south wind, but I have options to hunt on either side of the kill plot. I will follow up with a later post as to the views from the stands.

 

[j-bird]

Views from the SW ladder stand:

Last year I had a great buck chasing a doe and crossing the creek in this area so I have put this stand up in an effort to maybe be able to get a shot should a similar thing happen again. I was VERY frustrated last year as the deer stayed just across the creek and I couldn't reach them.....maybe, just maybe I can get to them before they get that far this year.

View facing west to wards the neighbors bedding area - which isn't hunted.


Same stand facing north.....you can just make out some of the soybean plot thru the trees....


Same stand facing east....you can see the kill plot in the distance.....


Here is a view facing south ......using the creek bed is a great way to access stands.

 

[j-bird]

Views from the SW fixed stand....

This is the same location I killed my buck from last year and overlooks the kill plot.......

View looking west....overlooking the kill plot of clover and wheat.....


Same stand looking due north.....


This is looking to the northeast and you can see the perennial plot/orchard in the distance......


View looking east..........


Again the view south and the creek access.....

 

[Familytradition]

Looking good. I still have to hang a few stands next weekend. I'm going to start hunting on Saturday. I love hunting creeks like that. They are the perfect funnels that I believe are key to consistent success.


Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum

 

[j-bird]

This isn't about habitat - but I believe that if your a true fan of a team your a fan thru thick and thin....
Well, as some may know and I know I have shared I am a very dedicated Chicago Cub's fan. Last night my Cubbies season came to an end at the hands of a better team. As much as I am disappointed, this year just didn't have the same vibe to it as it did last. This year was a struggle and just winning the division seemed to be a struggle at times. Anyways this puts my Cubbies into the NLCS 3 years in a row now so that is a far cry from the "lovable losers" we have been historically. I think we have a great core of players to continue to be VERY competitive in the near future so no need for the doom-and-gloom. We exposed some places where we need to improve and hopefully management will look real hard into improving those areas in the off-season and we can make at least another trip to the NLCS next year. Besides....the last time we won back-to-back world series it was a 100+ year long drought until we did it again.....nobody wants that!!!

 

[j-bird]

My first hunt for me of the year. Sitting in a ladder stand up north between my vine and the neighbors standing bean field with my compound - doe walked thru about 8 but not what I was looking for. Pulled the card from the vine and it is seeing a lot of use, but nothing to write home about. Finished prepping some other stands and checking on a few things. Bumped what appeared to be a nice buck from a 10 to 15 acre standing corn filed. Didn't get a real good look, but his beams seemed to carry decent mass.

My scrape vine in my plot with my crab apple tree has been visited and I checked on the wheat in my soybeans and it seems to be doing well also. I will be moving my cam to see who is doing this......the deer worked the limbs over pretty good so I am hoping its the buck I only got a glimpse of.


Late Saturday night.....about 10:30 we here a shot come from the road. My son and I went to check it out and didn't discover anything at that time. Today I head out to move my cam and I found the target of the shot. A nice doe not 10 yards from the road.....we simply didn't see it last night in the dark. I have already contacted my local conservation officer......poachers really upset me!!!

 

[OkieKubota]

I despise poachers!

 

[j-bird]

I despise poachers!

I hate it as well......I will work with my local CO to see if we can catch who did this......

 

[T-Max]

Yeah. Poachers suck! Our quiet little road has turned into a highway at dusk this week... They think I don't know. I know...

 

[j-bird]

Fulfilling a promise here.....
November is national CRPS awareness month. I realize many of you have no idea what CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) even is. I didn't either until it affected my middle daughter. As a promise to her in her effort to spread awareness of this condition I told her I would use my internet connections to spread the word. Below is a link if you are interested. I won't go into all the details, but essentially the brain gets a short in it when the person receives an intense pain. My daughter broke her foot. The injury healed.....but the pain itself never went away. Imagine that....the pain level of a broken bone all the time. Normal medications won't stop it either because its a nervous system issue. We fought this for 2 years before somebody really figured out what it was. Some people have gone as far as amputation to get rid of the issue! At one point we where concerned my daughter may never walk unassisted ever again. It tends to affect pre-teen girls for some reason and is not very common and is difficult to diagnose. The symbol for awareness is a hunter orange ribbon (interesting being peak deer hunting season here as well). If you have questions please let me know because I am no expert but we have learned who to turn to and I will do what ever I can to get someone else with this condition some help or in touch with people who can help. What is even worse....is if left un-treated the area where the "pain" is felt can grow and expand. The condition nearly tore our family apart and will never fully go away, you simply learn how to cope. Therapy and certain medications can help, but they are only tools.....there is no total cure.

http://www.rsdhope.org/crps-awareness.html

 

[j-bird]

Was able to hit the woods again this am. Cold - shallow puddles had thin ice on them, wind from the NE at about 10 mph. Went to SW by the creek. Creek flooded due to heavy rains a few days ago, looks like it rose beyond the banks a good 2 to 3 feet. No deer seen.


Did do some investigating and the willows are all rubbed up again, so there is a buck in the area.....I just need to lay eyes on him. Other than that no major sign other than tracks. Wheat in the bean plot looks good as well.

Went an finished a set for gun season. Not sure if the corn is going to still be in by then, but if so I plan on taking advantage of it! This is my south bottom field and it's about 10 to 15 acres of corn, buffered with 40 yards of CRP. The stand is 3/4 the way up the slope on the north side of the field near a point. The tractor path between the corn and the CRP has lots of tracks and I saw a decent buck here last weekend......which reminds me I need to check the cam card to see if I got a pic of him!


Then reality set in and work called! So back to the house.....hope to be out this evening as well. Just felt good to be out in the fall air and sunshine and not back at the cube farm they call an office!

 

[j-bird]

I was able to get out the evening of the 10th. Went up north to the area where my hanging vine is.....no deer.


Got out again tonight.....SW area.....I did see 3 deer. A doe and her two fawns. Got real close on two different occasions. Just not what I am looking for at the moment.



So I have roughly 12 hours on stand and sighting while actual hunting is 1 doe and 2 fawns.... I am going to try to document my hunts in an effort to gather data....this may get boring for you guys!

I also got a follow up visit from the CO about my poaching incident and just some other follow-up. At least they are trying. I know the officer from other activities and if you don't have some sort of casual knowledge of your local conservation officer I highly recommend at least meeting them. They can be a great help in addressing other issues when they arise.

 

[j-bird]

Interesting hunt this am. We have light rain moving in so I hoped that would get the deer moving and I decided to hunt along the standing corn field. I figured the cover and food should be harboring something!

Just after first light I heard some activity in the corn. Wind was from the S-SE and I was up on the ridge north of the south bottom corn field. I saw antlers and he came my way. it was a nice buck....not a monster but he would have been the biggest I had taken with my bow. There just wasn't enough time and light to get the job done. He had no idea I was there.....I will be back. I think he would make P&Y but I'm certain he isn't 150". I really wasn't expecting a deer to be in archery range in this stand but he was 20 to 25 yards.

Later in the morning I had a doe come in along the edge of the corn. She feed for a good 1/2 hour or so. I was hoping she would draw some attention, but that never happened. May have been a button buck to be honest. I was more interested in seeing if that deer brought in other than the deer it'self.....because I knew it was too far and I wasn't shooting that one any way,


About an hour after that deer wandered off a little yearling buck come pushing his way thru the CRP weeds between me and the corn.


So that is an additional 3 deer in a 3 or 4 hour hunt. I wish I would have gotten a better look at the buck, but it happened quick and again light was not great.....he looked to be a solid 8 pointer in the 120 ~ 135 club. Like I said...not a monster, but he would have been my biggest with my bow......maybe next time.

 

[j-bird]

Looking forward to this weekend and the next couple weeks. Saturday starts our general firearms season so I will be hunting with my kids, either my youngest for her first deer or my boy just for old times sake. The forecast is looking interesting in a few places as well.
Friday morning I have off for vacation (green circle #1) it will still be archery season, but the low temp and the higher barometric pressure tend to create situations I like. Green circle #2 is an evening hunt where it looks like it will rain decent all day and then taper off around dark. I have had luck under this condition as well as the rain keeps the deer bedded all day and then as it lets up the deer are on their feet. Circle #3 is another low temp/high pressure situation that I hope to take advantage of.....I'm on vacation from Friday the 17th until December 4th! Last I checked I also have 10 to 15 acres of corn standing as well as a neighbors bean field still standing....which I tend to use to my advantage as much as possible as well!

 

[OkieKubota]

Good luck j-bird! Our firearms opener is Saturday as well...

 

[j-bird]

November 17 - Evening hunt. I hunted overlooking the south bottom standing corn field again.


Had a little buck walk thru, but was too far with a bow and not what I am after.


November 18th (firearms opener) - weather was crap....warm with a high near 60 and significant winds....gusts in excess of 30mph....mostly from the south.

The morning hunt I took my youngest to our North corner plot/shooting house. Forecast was for rain this morning....


The view this morning......


We saw 2 deer....does. They came from the access trail in the north woods and came around the shooting house and to the low spot in the field and into the neighbors. No shots, but helped add some excitement to the hunt.

 

[j-bird]

Nov 18th PM hunt - The rain came....it POURED! The wind didn't subside either. We contemplated not even going..... But the shooting house was available and I knew if the rain would stop and the wind would die down the deer would move.

These homemade shooting houses have been worth all the headache time and time again when it comes to gun hunting in tougher conditions. I need to consider adding another one or maybe even two.

Headed out with my oldest (my only son Tom). We have killed more deer in this shooting house while screwing around. Just like old times....pic didn't turn out so well because of poor light in the blind. Emma was at home in bed - she went shopping with her sisters all afternoon and was wiped!

The view....again the wind was howling and the rain was coming down in buckets.


Didn't get any pics, but about 5:30 the rain stopped and the wind slowed, but not a lot. We saw a buck come out of the SW woodlot and then 2 does got bumped out where the buck went back into the woods. The deer headed to the finger of woods on the neighbors. The buck was certainly interested in the second buck. Tom said he saw a buck dogging a doe in this area when he hunted this same location in the morning. I don;t know the size of the buck - I can just make out antlers at 150 yards or so with the naked eye.

Tomorrow morning the forecast is calling for the rain and wind to be past and it's supposed to be right around freezing at daybreak.....it should be interesting.

 

[Fish]

I hate it as well......I will work with my local CO to see if we can catch who did this......

What kind of piece of crap does something like that?
Our gun opener was a bust. Luke had a doe and two fawns come in behind him this morning but couldnt get a shot at them.