Stone Branch, build it, they will come.

Thanks guys, ya I'm a proud owner of a 661. I've got my eye on a tulip poplar with a 6' circumference.

I was in my new ridge north stand a couple evenings ago, no deer.

View attachment 20299

View attachment 20300

I was in my Kill Zone stand last evening, no deer

View attachment 20301

View attachment 20302

Not seeing any deer, no bucks on camera for the past day, bumping deer in the dark, no rubs or scrapes, and I start feeling sorry for myself. Well I figure I'll go for a joy ride and check cameras.

A few mornings ago possibly the tall nine.

View attachment 20303

View attachment 20304

Sunday morning I felt a sprinkle at 4 am so I went back to bed allowing bucks to frolic under the empty stand. My first hard horned look at the palmate buck.

View attachment 20305

He is a pretty neat looking deer.

View attachment 20306

And this morning the other big 9 is rub urinating under the stand.

View attachment 20307

I decided that I'm going to quit crying and go hunting.

G
Looks like your corn laid there so long it started growing...good luck G!
 
I still haven't had my peace and tranquility interrupted by a deer sighting.

DSC04805 (1200 x 900).jpg

DSC04807 (1200 x 900).jpg

Yesterday morning I saw something even more rare than a deer, a marten, which is pretty rare considering that are extirpated from their original southern most ranges.

DSC04808 (1200 x 900).jpg

IMG_0047 (1301 x 732).jpg


IMG_0072 (1301 x 732).jpg

I finished inventorying my coffee tree.

DSC04799 (1200 x 900).jpg

DSC04818 (1200 x 900).jpg

G
 
I was in my ridge north stand Friday evening and the palmate buck passed by fifty yards and worked a rub under my stink, he is not in this photo. He heard my grunt but headed to his next destination

DSC04827 (1200 x 900).jpg

which was the corn patch that I planted under my ridge south stand.

IMG_0248 (1300 x 731).jpg

Saturday morning I was above the corn patch and at dawn I had a nice 8 come by. I grunted him up off the main trail and up over the saddle, not in the picture. I was unfamiliar with who he was so he got a pass. He heard subsequent grunts without seeing a deer and continued on.

DSC04832 (1200 x 900).jpg

I actually am familiar with him a sturdy 8pt here he is still patrolling the ridge top about 2 1/2 hours later.

IMG_0314 (1300 x 731).jpg

IMG_0316 (1300 x 731).jpg

More activity on the corn patch after I left the stand.

IMG_0485 (1300 x 731).jpg

IMG_0516 (1300 x 731).jpg

Master baiter in action.

IMG_0522 (1300 x 731).jpg

I think that this is the marten that I claimed to have seen, gray fox. It was low light conditions and I had never seen a fox slink along so close to the ground before.

IMG_0828 (1300 x 731).jpg

G
 
Lots of wildlife in them there hills. Any gold?

I can't even find any chert. Judging by the helicopter activity 2 summers ago, there's some gold growing in the hills around me.

I do very much enjoy the variety of critters here.

G
 
Acorns must be drying up there...I had 12 deer come past me and their favorite 4 port feeder and none of them ever even looked at it...I haven’t gotten a deer picture there in 3 weeks but deer pass it within 20-30 yards all the time...
 
Good luck G. Activity is starting to pick up where I’m at, just not while I’m in the stand :).

Things should escalate quickly.
 
Acorns must be drying up there...I had 12 deer come past me and their favorite 4 port feeder and none of them ever even looked at it...I haven’t gotten a deer picture there in 3 weeks but deer pass it within 20-30 yards all the time...

Acorns are drying up even the turkeys are back on the corn.

Good luck G. Activity is starting to pick up where I’m at, just not while I’m in the stand :).

Things should escalate quickly.

Thanks HB and good luck to you. Moon phase and temps are shaping up for Saturday.

Marten will wipe out some turkeys if you do have any around there.

Plenty of squirrel meat up in them hills. I have dozens of pictures of that grey fox since and no martens.

With temps and moon phase the way that they were a week ago I figured that it would be a good time to vacate and go labor at the horse farm. I was back in the stand yesterday morning.

DSC04841 (1200 x 900).jpg

Scraping activity seemed to be on hold but these bucks are in front of the cameras all times of the day and night. The palmate buck looks to be the youngest of the bigger bucks and could probably put some inches on for next year.

IMG_0033 (1300 x 731).jpg

IMG_0038 (1300 x 731).jpg

The big bodied 9 is probably my most logical target buck and as much as he is in front of the camera he doesn't wander off much.

IMG_0236 (1300 x 731).jpg

I passed on this 8 once but maybe not twice.

IMG_0291 (1300 x 731).jpg

IMG_0715 (1300 x 731).jpg

IMG_1513 (1300 x 731).jpg

G
 
I was up yesterday clearing some deadfall across my trails and some last minute habitat work when I heard the 4 wheelers. I was about ready to go down but I wasn't properly strapped in, chainsaws bouncing, gas jug rolling around coming down. They stopped at one closed gate and sign and then went around to the gate that I had left open.

IMG_0439 (1301 x 732).jpg

the second picture missed and the third caught the nose of a vehicle.

IMG_0441 (1300 x 731).jpg

I wasn't far behind them.

IMG_0442 (1300 x 731).jpg

I eventually decided to go visit with my neighbor. He said that the 4 wheelers went through and he didn't know who they were. I asked him how often his beagle gets up the hill, he said he doesn't much get up there any more. Well maybe once that I can tell.

IMG_0167 (1300 x 731).jpg

While we were talking I look down at his tan dog, pictured below, and asked what was up with his dog? no idea. I asked him if he shot his dog? He said that he didn't. The dog is walking around with an entrance and exit wound quartering away through the top of his shoulders under his spine. What's more the shepherd pictured above was pregnant and gave birth 4 days ago. Daddy is a big shepherd and the neighbors plan is to keep 3 or 4 males to guard his place.

IMG_0169 (1300 x 731).jpg

This here little prick is the one I hear working the the hills every morning, not my neighbors dog. I have enough pictures of him up on my ridge too. He wears a collar but his owner doesn't seem to be concerned about the dogs welfare.

IMG_0406 (1300 x 731).jpg
2 hill paths converging at the saddle pass makes for constant deer flow.

IMG_0420 (1300 x 731).jpg

IMG_0422 (1300 x 731).jpg

IMG_0434 (1300 x 731).jpg

G
 
Not telling you anything you don’t know but you have to get the trespassing and dog problem under control. The dogs are easy. There are ways that are hands off.
The people are tough. What’s your next move?
 
I was up yesterday clearing some deadfall across my trails and some last minute habitat work when I heard the 4 wheelers. I was about ready to go down but I wasn't properly strapped in, chainsaws bouncing, gas jug rolling around coming down. They stopped at one closed gate and sign and then went around to the gate that I had left open.

View attachment 20427

the second picture missed and the third caught the nose of a vehicle.

View attachment 20428

I wasn't far behind them.

View attachment 20429

I eventually decided to go visit with my neighbor. He said that the 4 wheelers went through and he didn't know who they were. I asked him how often his beagle gets up the hill, he said he doesn't much get up there any more. Well maybe once that I can tell.

View attachment 20424

While we were talking I look down at his tan dog, pictured below, and asked what was up with his dog? no idea. I asked him if he shot his dog? He said that he didn't. The dog is walking around with an entrance and exit wound quartering away through the top of his shoulders under his spine. What's more the shepherd pictured above was pregnant and gave birth 4 days ago. Daddy is a big shepherd and the neighbors plan is to keep 3 or 4 males to guard his place.

View attachment 20425

This here little prick is the one I hear working the the hills every morning, not my neighbors dog. I have enough pictures of him up on my ridge too. He wears a collar but his owner doesn't seem to be concerned about the dogs welfare.

View attachment 20426
2 hill paths converging at the saddle pass makes for constant deer flow.

View attachment 20421

View attachment 20422

View attachment 20423

G
Use a chainsaw and drop some trees, or bring in some trees, so that they can't get around your gates... most of that type of people is allergic to the work it would take to move them, besides the implications of cutting on someone else's private property.
My experience is that the longer you let this problem fester, the harder they are to keep out.
 
Not telling you anything you don’t know but you have to get the trespassing and dog problem under control. The dogs are easy. There are ways that are hands off.
The people are tough. What’s your next move?

Use a chainsaw and drop some trees, or bring in some trees, so that they can't get around your gates... most of that type of people is allergic to the work it would take to move them, besides the implications of cutting on someone else's private property.
My experience is that the longer you let this problem fester, the harder they are to keep out.

My access up crosses my neighbor and my neighbor has an access up that crosses me, rarely used, and that is the trail that the 4 wheelers have on their trail guide map so this is a problem for just dropping trees. I spoke to some neighbors yesterday and no one can recognize the 4 wheeler and it really isn't a good enough picture to prosecute anyway. In the past I have fashioned stiletto knife edges out of the handle end of 12" mill bastard files and pounded them into the ground to make tools that don't just poke holes but rather cut steel cords out of tires. I'm thinking that it maybe time to start strategically and carefully implementing my tools. Perhaps setting them so that they end up on the rims after they have left my property. I'm just thinking out loud, don't tell anyone.

My neighbor says put up a gate on his side of the line where it would be more feasible but I really can't see putting the time and money into this on my neighbors property. And these gates are pretty easy to rip down with 4 wheelers. There is such a gate on the other end of the trail through the block of woods that they have ripped down. So I'm still pondering.

DSC04845 (1200 x 900).jpg

I got to use my new saw yesterday.

DSC04851 (1200 x 900).jpg

My sony cybershot camera has taken a beating for over ten years and finally took a crap yesterday.

DSC04865 (1200 x 900).jpg

G
 
My access up crosses my neighbor and my neighbor has an access up that crosses me, rarely used, and that is the trail that the 4 wheelers have on their trail guide map so this is a problem for just dropping trees. I spoke to some neighbors yesterday and no one can recognize the 4 wheeler and it really isn't a good enough picture to prosecute anyway. In the past I have fashioned stiletto knife edges out of the handle end of 12" mill bastard files and pounded them into the ground to make tools that don't just poke holes but rather cut steel cords out of tires. I'm thinking that it maybe time to start strategically and carefully implementing my tools. Perhaps setting them so that they end up on the rims after they have left my property. I'm just thinking out loud, don't tell anyone.

My neighbor says put up a gate on his side of the line where it would be more feasible but I really can't see putting the time and money into this on my neighbors property. And these gates are pretty easy to rip down with 4 wheelers. There is such a gate on the other end of the trail through the block of woods that they have ripped down. So I'm still pondering.

View attachment 20438

I got to use my new saw yesterday.

View attachment 20439

My sony cybershot camera has taken a beating for over ten years and finally took a crap yesterday.

View attachment 20440

G
That tree looks dangerous because the cut is almost off, but obviously it worked out.
The right of way that your neighbor has across you might be the place for a gate right where it comes on your property, and then give your neighbor a key.
 
That tree looks dangerous because the cut is almost off, but obviously it worked out.
The right of way that your neighbor has across you might be the place for a gate right where it comes on your property, and then give your neighbor a key.

I treat every tree like it is trying to kill me and dead trees are particularly dangerous. I anticipated that tree squirting off in any direction and was pleased when it actually fell like it did.

There are no legal right of ways except mine perhaps because it was the old county road. The point that you speak of is where I have already put the wire and sign. If I gated the line on the top that would force trespassers back down and through my yard to get to where they wanted to go. One gate back off the line on him below the saddle and convergence of trails would force trespassers back down the way that they came through his yard.

G
 
Back
Top