J-birds place

[j-bird]

Got some data for my county from last season deer harvest.

here is the link for any of my fellow Hoosier's out there that want to look up their county as well.
https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/fw-2018_Indiana_Deer_Harvest_County_Summaries.pdf

This is simply part of the report....I have not seen the full report yet.
So a few things to point out:
My county of 373 square miles has only 89 square miles of "deer habitat" - that is 24%
My county killed 10 more deer in total than it did last year...sounds pretty stable to me.
We don't have many deer reported taken on depredation type tags.
Not sure how they count "hunters"....IN has an exemption that landowners hunting their land don't have to buy a tag....so if they hunt, but don't kill a deer the DNR has no idea they existed as a hunter....
The second half of the data is based on surveys...which we have poor participation rate on....so I am not sure how representative that data is.
Also note that the rules for this season have already been published....prior to this data being made available to the public.

 

[j-bird]

Well - I wasn't sure how it would all go down but when I had issues with my Chestnult hill trees (A 3 year in the ground chestnut died and I had a grafted persimmon graft died). I got a notice today that they are sending me 4 chestnut seedlings and a 1 gallon size persimmons tree as free replacements. It's still frustrating, but I am pleased to report that they showed serious concern about the chestnut dying and have been very good to work with and seem to stand behind their product as best as they can. Yes I would rather have my 8'+ tall, producing, chestnut tree, but I understand they can't ship me one of those and the replacement persimmons is cool too. I am not sure if anyone else has had issues but I will certainly remain a customer of theirs with this sort of product support. Looks like I will have some holes to dig shortly.

 

[j-bird]

So this weekend had me working on project "battle wagon" again.

Friday I bought some sheeting for the walls (4) 4x8 x 3/8 plywood at ~ $12 each and another 2 pounds of screws (should have just bought 5 pounds to begin with) and another box of screws to secure the sheeting. So I have about another ($80) in the project. I figured for the walls I didn't really need anything substantial, but I didn't want OSB or the like either.

Saturday started out by what I thought would be securing some funds. I worked my way around the farm and gathered up a bunch of scrap metal that needed to go for some time. So I ended up with almost 1,400 pounds on my half ton pick-up. Not sure if the price was good or not a $60/ton....but I walked away with $41. After I spent the morning loading it all and then again unloading it all.....it really didn't seem worth the effort. But I got rid of some stuff that needed to go. I got more, but for the effort....it will wait.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday I actually was working on the project. I got the other 2 walls framed. I installed the sheeting I had, and got the roof panels framed as well. It was also decided that it wasn't a proper construction site without a flag! Roof is 2x6 construction not for snow load, but my son wants to be able to access it a a higher shooting platform as well. Thus the tall 2x4 to act as part of a railing system....that I have to figure out yet. Roof has slight grade sloping forward - nobody wants to climb a ladder while the rain from the roof drains on you (better for the ladder/steps as well.



I also have to bite-the bullet and redo the deck on the wagon.... I am trying really hard to ensure this all seals really well and the 2x8's on the wagon are not cooperating.... I will reuse the 2x8 as joists and the use some sheeting to try to get...and keep a much more level surface to mount the wall panels to. I added the red line so you can see the distortion a little better. I am not sure if it would have been as bad if I had mounted the panels right away.....but live and learn.


I will say that I spend about as much time thinking about how this is all going to come together as I do actually doing it.... Hopefully it all comes together in the end....and soon. I got stands to get up yet and to check and the like!

 

[Mitch123]

Caught your Donnie Baker pun “State law, swear to god.” Everything looking good!!!!

 

[j-bird]

Caught your Donnie Baker pun “State law, swear to god.” Everything looking good!!!!

Yep.....I like Donnie's stuff. He frequents a morning radio show "Bob & Tom" that is based in Indianapolis and he comes up with some off the wall stuff. I like the way he misuses words and just keeps going on like he knows what he is talking about. He does a bit on baseball (I am a big baseball fan) and he goes on about how he can throw right handed and left handed and that means he is dang near amphibious and how he has had tommy john surgery on both knees! I wasn't sure who/if anyone would notice the reference....but at least you did!

 

[OkieKubota]

Looks like everything is coming along. Will be interesting to see the finished project.

 

[j-bird]

Looks like everything is coming along. Will be interesting to see the finished project.

Pushing to try to have it on the wagon by 10/1. It won't be fancy or pretty....but I can add siding and the like later. Once on the wagon I will roof the top (shingles) and maybe next year I'll actually install siding (vinyl or metal)....but I got to get it up on the wagon and put the windows in and slap a coat of paint/stain/sealer on it first. Then I'm gonna attack it with a caulking gun and some cans of expanding foam. It's a one man show at the moment so things move slow....and the man involved is slow as it is. I'll up-date progress here and then make a full post in the "how to build stuff" section once I have it fairly wrapped up.

 

[j-bird]

So we had an interesting weekend...

Friday night was local homecoming....my two youngest girls where involved. Emma (left) was the Sophomore class female rep, Jenna (right) was a queen candidate. Both enjoyed the parade and the festivities.... and you don't have to tell me....I know....I'm in big trouble! My 2 older kids came out to show their support and my folks came out as well. We even won the football game....which is sort of surprising....but we will take it!


Saturday (some work done during the week) I worked some on the "battle wagon" - got the sides all sheeted up, roof sheeted (5/8 plywood) and started on the new wagon deck (tearing off the 2x8) and building frames for the new. That evening we went down and visited with my folks (mom's birthday).



Sunday I completed the new wagon deck....MUCH better! So the outer frame is 2x4 with the joists being the 2x8's. This recesses the joists down into the wagon for stability and I used the wagon pockets to connect everything as well. Decking was secured with 2" coated screws. Joists are roughly on 12" centers. This gives me a much smoother surface to get a good seal with. I should have planned on this from the beginning.



Sunday was WAY to windy to try to put the panels on the wagon. We had at least 20 or 30 mph winds all day....so wrestling with large wooden "kites" was NOT on my list of things to do. I need to paint/protect the deck and building first anyway. Plan is to paint the inside flat black and the outside will be either painted or metal siding (if I can find some on the cheap). Otherwise the siding will wait until next year. Then we can assemble on the wagon, put the final roof covering on and attack it with caulk and expanding foam. Still need to get windows ordered.....and the door built/installed.

 

[j-bird]

So our "Deer Youth Hunt" was this weekend. We didn't go because....well someone (the "youth" portion of this puzzle) has had a broken bone in her foot for a few weeks now and FINALLY went to the DR Friday....and yep.....it's broke! She is down for 6 to 8 weeks....stubborn kids....acting like her mother!

Well, $75 in paint (2 gallons of OD green and 2 quarts of flat black) and related supplies and a lot of lifting (My muscles and hands feel like I have been in a fight...and lost) and the blind is painted on on the wagon! Modular design came in handy.

So I started painting Friday after work....FYI, don't paint by the light from a security light. It looks like Stevie Wonder did it! Saturday I took the blind apart and repainted some of the previous nights work and finished up all the painting (except for below window level on the interior). Sunday was re-assembly day.




I'll work on the door this week and get the windows on order as well. We will look into a long term roof covering solution (it's painted currently) and will attack it with the caulk gun this week as well. Once we have windows in I will look into some sort of window awning to help create interior shadows as well. We will figure out interior and the like later....it will be a work in progress for a while for the interior finishing work....but we are progressing.

 

[OkieKubota]

So our "Deer Youth Hunt" was this weekend. We didn't go because....well someone (the "youth" portion of this puzzle) has had a broken bone in her foot for a few weeks now and FINALLY went to the DR Friday....and yep.....it's broke! She is down for 6 to 8 weeks....stubborn kids....acting like her mother!

Well, $75 in paint (2 gallons of OD green and 2 quarts of flat black) and related supplies and a lot of lifting (My muscles and hands feel like I have been in a fight...and lost) and the blind is painted on on the wagon! Modular design came in handy.

So I started painting Friday after work....FYI, don't paint by the light from a security light. It looks like Stevie Wonder did it! Saturday I took the blind apart and repainted some of the previous nights work and finished up all the painting (except for below window level on the interior). Sunday was re-assembly day.
View attachment 17050

View attachment 17051

I'll work on the door this week and get the windows on order as well. We will look into a long term roof covering solution (it's painted currently) and will attack it with the caulk gun this week as well. Once we have windows in I will look into some sort of window awning to help create interior shadows as well. We will figure out interior and the like later....it will be a work in progress for a while for the interior finishing work....but we are progressing.

I like it! Good job!

 

[j-bird]

I like it! Good job!

Thank you! It's not perfect and I'm certainly no carpenter, but it should get the job done..... Not sure why, but I like building things. I suck at it....but I like the concept of having some sort of object to show for the work you have done.

Windows are to be here before Halloween so we will get some hunting out of it yet this year. It's harvest time here so once the corn comes out we should be able to put it in place and give the deer a chance to get used to it.... My "cart" and tractor are not quite as big as these.....but these are for farming....mine are for killing deer! I got rain forecast for the weekend (good thing) so I suspect I will come home sometime this week and find the corn is gone.

 

[j-bird]

Sorry no major progress with the battle wagon project, just a basic update... My replacement trees from Chestnut Hill arrived friday (they replaced my persimmons (the graft died) and sent me 4 chestnuts as a gesture to replace the larger one I had die earlier). It has been very dry here but I tried to get them into the ground all the same. Saturday I put in 2 of them and the ground was so hard and dry it was like concrete. I actually dug a small hole and put a gallon of water into it to try to soften the soil and the water just sat there. I finally got them in the ground and watered them plenty. That was in my north plot. I was able to put 3 others in my south bottom plot sunday as well. And sunday...we actually got some rain! Not much, but it was nice to know it's possible. I also spread about 50 lbs of winter wheat in my 3 soybean plots as well. The beans are turning brown, and the turnips are growing (no bulbs yet) so I figured it was a good time to get some cereal grains down. The corn has been harvested at my place as well and harvest in the area continues and the temperature has finally become more like fall weather vs the 90's we was getting last week.

 

[lakngolf]

Love the battle wagon. Good luck with those trees.

 

[j-bird]

So this weekend - I attacked the battle wagon with caulk, got the door built & fitted (not installed) and got some sheet metal on the roof (3 sheets of 36" x 96" galvanized and screws ~ $110)....still need hinges and latches for the door and an additional panel for the roof and windows are expected to arrive around Halloween.


I'll fill the ends with expanding foam....doing this with a constant wind wasn't any fun either. But I managed.


I also went out and did some needed repairs on the other blinds (landings seem to take a beating between the coon crap and weather that I replace them every couple of years). Also cleaned out any wasps nests (much easy to do in the cooler weather) as well as the carpets and the associated mouse refuse..... They are now airing out for the moment.

Checked on plots as well. Things here are still drier than they should be, but we did get some rain last week. I spread some extra wheat in areas I typically don't.....just to see what happens. Here are my beans all dried down with the green being turnips....they are behind because of a lack of rain. I broadcast some wheat into these as well a week ago or so.



Still behind....I still got a pile of stands to put up....

 

[144]

Looks good! You’ll be hunting out of it before long.

What did you decide to go with on the windows?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[j-bird]

Looks good! You’ll be hunting out of it before long.

What did you decide to go with on the windows?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have 24" x tall by 48" wide vinyl double sliders coming for ~$65 each. They are not stocked but had to be ordered. The windows also pop out of the track so I can leave the entire opening open as well if I choose.

 

[farmhunter]

great looking portable blind!

 

[DrDirtNap]

Real nice blind J-bird! Being able to move it around will come in handy I’m sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[j-bird]

Well this weekend was "odd". I worked late Friday and I'm in bed and the wife says something to the affect that it's supposed to rain all weekend. Awe #$@% I had planned on installing the windows. So being the person I am.....I'm out installing windows at 10PM at night via the security light and a trouble light! Not really my smartest move....but I got them in. Then I get up Saturday to it pouring rain and I go out to see how the project is holding up.....and I got leaks! Now I'm really pissed off. Turns out...in my haste to put the windows in I forgot to seal them! So now...against better judgement I'm trying to seal windows with caulk....with it raining....and leaking. You can guess how well that works! I also got a roof leak.....right smack dab in the middle of the roof.....just a little drip....but enough to argivate me. So again trying to stop a leak...from the inside...in the rain....was not a good idea. Thankfully Sunday rolled around and it was nice....no rain, clear and I was able to fix the things I cut corners on the proper way. I re-sealed and properly finished out the windows, and sealed the gaps in the roof metal. Hopefully everything will cure properly and we will be fine.

The door - I made. I decided to install a spring to help keep it closed and tight. It's easy enough to un-hook if so desired. I did caulk the furring strips later. Simple latch from the hardware store.



What I lack in carpentry skills - expanding foam and caulk make up for! Good thing it's cheap!!!



Some of my 1/2" hardware.....


I little 5$ LED light for inside.... It has 2 power levels and a "strobe" setting......not sure what the deer with think of the strobe setting, but it's a rave inside and everybody likes a good party!

 

[j-bird]

Window install pics.....
Outside on saturday....if you look close you can see my caulk being watered down and running down the building.....


Like I mentioned Sunday once things dried I was able to do it right....
After sealing the outside.....I filled the inside gaps with expanding foam and used a sharp pocket knife to trim it flush.....well, flush-ish.


Then I went around the perimeter with a bead of caulk and then installed the furring strips.... and then calked those as well. Once the caulk firms up some I use a wide chisel or putty knife to trim away the excess. I simply caulk the seam and use my finger to push it in and give it a decent radius.


Full window.... Screens pop-out easy enough (I have a little storage system for them up in the ceiling. Helps keep them damned lady bugs things out! Not sure what it is right now but if it's nice out them things are everywhere! Double slider....may be a bit tall for gun needs at 24" but nice if I ever do bow hunt from it. I may add some sort of short "curtains".....I feel wrong for typing that....to reduce the open area of the window.


I installed a few gun and hanger hooks and a few shelves and she is almost done. I need to paint the door - inside and out and the lower 1/2 of the blind (not sure If I'm going to do that or not). I need to get some carpet or a rubber mat for the floor and get it out into the field.