Starting my journey...Locust Hill Farms in the Piedmont of Northern VA

[John Paul]

One of my favorite food plots on the farm. It’s only about 100 yards from one of our rent houses and I had a hunter kill a 160” 10pt from this spot a few years back. Corn screen in front of a 360 blind and just finished planting about 3 acres of a summer mix out in front.

 

[John Paul]

Colorful summer mix going in. We had great success last year with it!

5 different seeds in this mix, anyone want to guess what it is?

 

[cutman]

5 different seeds in this mix, anyone want to guess what it is?

I see sunflowers, soybeans, cowpeas, and I think the red seed is coated sorghum. I’m not sure what the black peas are (unless they are just regular cowpeas).

 

[John Paul]

I see sunflowers, soybeans, cowpeas, and I think the red seed is coated sorghum. I’m not sure what the black peas are (unless they are just regular cowpeas).

Very good, coated red seed is the sorghum. The big funny shapes black seed with white strip is the LabLab. Big seed actually.

 

[John Paul]

Finished up our summer plots today before the rain starts tonight hopefully. This spot has never looked better. We have been trying to build up the soil but I needed to smooth some humps out before going back to no tilling the spot. Our #1 target buck for this fall hung out at this spot in the middle of these pines some last year so hopefully he makes an appearance this year. Put some buckwheat in with hopes of going with a multi blend this Fall.

Another spot we are trying to build the soil up some. Middle of our west cutover pine forest. Buckwheat and sorghum are looking great planted 8 days ago.

New Foodplot this year. Planted the corn a few weeks ago and put in a summer mix in a few acres today.

 

[John Paul]

All these Foodplot and Ag fields around the farm and this guy is eating in a hayfield I haven’t cut since last Fall. It’s really weedy and we bush hogged it this Spring once. Funny how they like what they like. Snapped the photo with my photo through a pair of binoculars.

 

[John Paul]

Checked some cameras today and I’ve never quite gotten a sequence like this before. I’ll let the photos do the talking.

 

[John Paul]

I had one photo of them dragging it away from there but forgot to snag a copy of it. That’s not a little doe either, crazy stuff.

Food plots are starting to fill in and have some decent bucks showing up so far.

 

[Native Hunter]

Checked some cameras today and I’ve never quite gotten a sequence like this before. I’ll let the photos do the talking.

It's time for you to bring in a trapper this fall. Don't believe all the bull hockey out there saying that if you kill them that some mystical magic happens and they just poop out more and more because they can supernaturally sense that the population is low.

I was being overrun with them, and I brought in a guy who literally cleaned them out in about 2 years. Last winter I was getting zero on cameras and he didn't even bother to come. So far this year I occasionally get a picture of one - maybe every month or so. Yes, they will eventually come back, but when they do, we will clean them out again for another couple of years of peace.

PS - The other bull hockey not to believe is that they don't hunt deer. I was getting pictures of packs of 5 or 6, and I really don't believe that much of a coyote army is needed to bring down a field mouse. Best wishes with your land improvement journey.

 

[Gator]

Checked some cameras today and I’ve never quite gotten a sequence like this before. I’ll let the photos do the talking.

Wow!!


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[dogghr]

Cool pic sequence. First coyote I ever saw in the mid 80s was chasing a doe full steam. I drew to shoot him and somehow he sensed my presence and came to a tumbling stop, turned, and was gone in a blink. For years my dad wouldn’t believe they existed until I showed him a dead one.
Your Place looking good.


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[John Paul]

Sitting in my truck chased out of the hay fields from a nasty thunderstorm, blessing and curse during hay season! Checked a few more cameras this morning after driving some fence post for a new pasture. Got of photo of probably the #1 hit list buck from last year we named Poster Boy. I haven't named bucks in year but this buck got my attention last year as a 4.5 YO. Hopefully I get some better photos of him moving forward.

No clue what buck this in in the middle, looks like a solid frame.

This might be the same buck no clue yet.

 

[John Paul]

Nice looking buck here as well.

This is food plot on other side of property, two nice bucks here as well.

I geeked out when I saw this night photo with a flash of lightning in the background, thought it looked really cool.

 

[howboutthemdawgs]

You are convincing me Virginia has some hammer deer!

 

[Triple C]

Love it! Just seeing this thread for the 1st time. I'll be tagging along.

 

[John Paul]

I think this buck is going to look pretty awesome once he's done.

You are convincing me Virginia has some hammer deer!

Virginia, like most states, have trophy buck potential. Game regulations and happy trigger fingers sometimes get in the way of that but again to each their own. I'm just glad to see more people I've spoken with trying to do more for the land and animals now. The local NWTF chapter that a few of my buddies are in just finalized a project with the VDGIF to put in more fire breaks on the local state WMA so they can burn about 500 acres next spring. We need to do a better job of managing our state land in VA and hopefully there will be more to come in this avenue.

 

[John Paul]

10 acres of buckwheat as a smother crop before hopefully planting RR alfalfa this Fall.

O

 

[Mennoniteman]

10 acres of buckwheat as a smother crop before hopefully planting RR alfalfa this Fall.

O

Buckwheat does so much for the soil in releasing nutrients. And it looks like you have pretty good dirt already.

 

[John Paul]

Buckwheat does so much for the soil in releasing nutrients. And it looks like you have pretty good dirt already.

This side of the farm has good dirt, I’d take Davidson Soil over Jackland any day of the week!

 

[Mennoniteman]

This side of the farm has good dirt, I’d take Davidson Soil over Jackland any day of the week!

Well, the names don't mean much to me, but if dirt looks like potting soil like I'm seeing at the end of the rows on your picture it should have a very high OM.