Sam's Stompin' Ground! - Illinois 170 acres

[Sam16]

I figure it's about time to get a thread going to show my habitat work, trail cam pics, and hunting chronicles! I want to thank you for taking the time to look and welcome any comments, criticism, or ideas.

My dad and I purchased this farm in 2013 and had an absolute ball working and hunting on it. My buddy spends a good amount of time around the farm helping with stands, plots, etc and of course he loves to hunt with us.

Here's the aerial... Approx 20 acres of beans/corn rotation, 25 acres of CRP program and 6 fairly established food plots ranging from 1/8 acre to 1 acre for a total of probably 3.5 acres. Red dots are tree stands, blue dots are box blinds. Enjoy!



2013 Archery Buck - Nov 3rd, 146" 13 pt


2014 Muzzleloader Buck - Dec 6th, 156" 17 pt


2015 Archery Buck shot by my buddy - Oct 2nd, 137" 11 pt


It makes this habitat management look so easy when you rattle off these hero pics but we put so much blood, sweat and tears into this place!

 

[Sam16]

Here's some pics of the food plots we have worked on this offseason.

PLOT #1 on the map - 1/2 acre this year put into Oats, WR, Winter Wheat, Austrian Winter Peas, Ladino Clover, a little turnips.
We have a ladder stand right on the point of the timber in the center of the pic.

I'm really excited to see the results of trying to use a "scrape tree" in the center of the plot and about 18 yds from the ladder. I made sure to place a post pointed at it for a trail cam come October.


PLOT #2 - 1 acre in Oats, WR, Winter Wheat, AWP, Red Clover, Turnips. This was the plot I shot my 17 pt in 2014.


PLOT #5 - 1/8 acre plot on the north end. Here's a view from the ladder stand we have 25 yards off the plot!

 

[Satguy]

Your place looks really good. Looking forward to your progress and photos.

 

[dogdoc]

Dang - those are some monster bodied bucks. Racks ain't half bad either

Todd

 

[Sam16]

Doc - The big boy I shot in 2015 was the biggest body deer I've ever gotten a picture of. Here he is in late October. He lost a bunch of weight by the time I shot him in early December

This is the buck I have my eyes set on this season. I have only one sequence of him and have no history with him so I hope he makes our place part of his routine!


Hopefully we can let these two pass for next year... I think they are both 3.5 yo

 

[Btaylor]

I really like the way your place lays. Should have lots of flexibility.

 

[Triple C]

Nice thread Sam! You guys grow some big deer up there!

 

[Sam16]

Here's a picture that captures our PLOT #4. It's a long and winding jumbo ladino clover plot through some good cover. In fact there is not a tree large enough to put a stand up, so we had to bring in a tripod. The plot itself is only about 1/5 acre or so that's only 25 yards wide. Last year I counted 9 scrapes in the plot and consistently provides us with some of our best trail cam pics during October.

View from the stand, with a doe that was lucky I wasn't hungry


Fruit tree progress

I planted 10 apple trees (golden delicious is only name I can remember) in April of 2014. This year they are really taking off. I posted the progress picture of this tree earlier in the summer and forum member Maya instructed me to start training the limbs and clearing the bases. So thankful for the help of this forum members and now I hope these trees REALLY take off.
ORIGINAL PICTURE FROM JULY


PICTURE AFTER MAYA RECOMMENDATIONS


I am hoping to plant many more next spring but I have my first baby due in Mid February so I'm not so sure I'll have much "spare time"

 

[buckhunter10]

Great looking farm bud! Keep up the good work. Nice bucks too, dang! Killing machines.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

Great looking property it lays out nice for hunting and it looks like you are already focusing on those good looking pinches and points you have on your farm. Congratulations on the new baby coming in February. Hunting and working on the farm will slow a little for you but it is well worth it. Time flies so enjoy those babies while you can. My babies are now 24 and 21 and it seems like yesterday I was taking them to the woods for the first time.

 

[jvanhees]

Awesome looking farm man. Great bucks too. That one's body is huge.

 

[Bowhunter]

Nice looking piece of property you got there. I look forward to see what other improvements you make to it as well.

Those are some bruisers you've shot as well.

 

[outdoorstom]

I'm really enjoying your thread! Awesome property with some HUGE bucks..well done!

 

[lakngolf]

Great looking area you have there. Everything looks so healthy. Back in the 70s I thought I knew what healthy corn looked like until I saw some in fields just outside Bloomington, IL. BIG BUCKS

 

[Sam16]

Thanks guys! It's been killin me not to go out and check on the cameras and progress of the food plots with all this rain. BUUUT we are leaving the property alone to prepare for the Oct 1st ambush.

 

[jvanhees]

Good plan! Doing the same here til OCT 1.

 

[Bowkl]

Awesome bucks and great looking property!

 

[pinetag]

Nice looking property you got! Some real bruisers too!

 

[Flyfixer]

Awesome looking piece of property! Those are some large and healthy looking deer.

 

[Sam16]

Well... I couldn't stay away from my farm until bow opener, I just HAAAD to check cameras and take a look at how great my food plots are doing after 3 weeks of great rainfall. I was not disappointed!

First though, I had to take advantage of an invite to join my father in law and brother in law for early Teal and Goose season. We got blessed with a mini cold front getting the overnight temp down to 50 degrees. The birds were everywhere Sunday morning and we got our 18 Blue Wing Teal limit. Too much fun for my own good!



But I digress... I have quite a few new pics to share from my 5 trail cams and some habitat management projects.

First of all, I took the advice and try to train some of the limbs on my 3 year old apple trees. What I did not think of was how quickly the deer would nibble all the leaves off the branches that were now out of the enclosure. OOPS! Lesson learned and I don't think any harm done long term.



Onto the food plots. 3 weeks ago we planted these plots with Oats, Winter Rye, Austrian Winter Peas, Clover and a bit of Turnips
This is Field #3 - We call it the Concrete Bunker due to the elevated blind the previous owner built - Plots looks great!