The Playground

[E_308]

Opening day of youth turkey season started out at 16 degrees. The kid made it until 730 in the blind (which is longer than I would have made it if I was solo!). We heard a few they just flew down the wrong direction.

Thawed out a bit and went back out after lunch. It had warmed up to around freezing. Nothing cooperating. We had a good day in the field none the less.

Had a nice little flock of ducks on the pond including a pair of wood ducks. Hopefully they find my move in ready box - after 5-6 years of being there.

Did a little polishing on the firebreaks. Few more weeks and we'll make some ashes.

Going through the card on the game cam, looks like they got started early this year.

Wouldn't mind this guy coming back by once grown up season starts in a few weeks.

A little blurry but I don't like the looks of this. Pond is right over the ridge.

I'd like to see this one in the daylight. Might have a Missouri leopard on our hands.

Only had one day to hunt so it was back to KC last night. So again today I have the smoker rolling in a driving snow in April. Cold and miserable. So me and the kids fired up the bluebird house assembly line. We are about out of poles to mount on so these are going on trees, hence the predator guards. Not sure what that brings the total up to, but it is north of a dozen.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[E_308]

So I took the kid hunting Saturday and it was slow enough he decided he didn't want to get up early Sunday. So that got me out of the blind for a little run and gun. One my second setup I finally got one to gobble. Work him through the timber for about 45 minutes and could figure out why he was hung up. Finally he got to a more open area and he was strutting back and forth down an old woven wire fence. I had patterned this setup out to 60 yards and knew he was within that. Putted to get him out of strut and pulled the trigger = down without a flop. I am about embarrassed to say it but this was as far as I have ever shot a turkey, stepped it off 53 yards. Just couldn't get him across the fence. I would have much rather shot him at 15. Setup is my Benelli M2 with a Carlson XR choke tube shooting 3" Win XR #5's. As we were talking last week on Native's post that old retro camo blends in pretty good with the tree.

He was right at 20 pounds with about a 9" beard. I am going to count him as a management bird since he only had one spur! The kid was glad I got one but was quick to point out the one he shot last year was much bigger, with no credit given to the guide!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Weasel]

Congrats on the bird!

 

[swat1018]

Good deal. I just left NEMO, the hunting was miserable at my place. They weren't even gobbling on the roost.

 

[E_308]

I missed my window to burn last year so this year I had some catching up to do. We lit probably 75 acres. High fuel load a little wind and low humidity led to a few pucker moments but I would say we got better brush control from this burn than ever before. A lot a fun when your done but I am glad I only do it once per year!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lakngolf]

Wow that is quite a blaze. I would be nervous as hill

 

[weekender21]

Those are some serious flames!


Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum

 

[E_308]

Nice clean fire break down through the timber. I shot the turkey off this path the day before. Slow back fire through the timber.

Not so slow through these 20 ft ceders. Should have less cedars now!

Always a casualty or two. Concordia oak that used to be tubed. If it makes it I will be impressed.

Rabbit the day after trying to figure out what the heck happened.

The only time I am much good at finding sheds is right after a burn. The two on the right are a decent matched set. The fire leaves them kind of a cool color.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Native Hunter]

Congratulations on the bird. It looks like you are getting both some work and hunting done. Nice find on the sheds!

 

[weekender21]

Looks great!


Sent from my iPhone using Deer Hunter Forum

 

[E_308]

This is a little fire break/food plot prep. My big feeder plot up on the ridge hasn't been tilled for three years. In that time it has seen buckwheat, milo, turnips, and crimson cover. Last year it got very weedy. I used the big crosscut disk and the brother in laws John Deere for the first couple of swipes.

After the burn I got out the little Massey and the tiller. Just as rough riding as I remember but it sure makes pretty dirt. This plot is probably 2 acres. Going to be milo and sunflowers with a little corn and beans sprinkled in. Hopefully planting first week of May (Waiting on sunflower seed from the NWTF = cheap)

I found about half a bag of last years milo seed. Two winding strips should feed a few birds and rabbits. Seeded pretty heavy by hand since it is old seed. I do love this time of year.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[E_308]

Here is another pic of the feeder plot. You can see a homemade panel blind at the top

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Heart shot]

Looks great! What are your goals with the burns? Is it per CRP contract?

 

[E_308]

Looks great! What are your goals with the burns? Is it per CRP contract?

Brush control and rejuvenate NWSG. Part of this is CRP but we were not required to burn this year.

 

[dogghr]

Wow I got puckered just looking at that burn. Wish I would. Congrats on great turkey.

 

[E_308]

Burn is greening up quick.

A lot of olives didn’t wake up. Probably be mid summer before we will know what kind of kill I got

Timber looks good, this will be pretty lush in another month

Planted 10 bur oak trees from MDC. Roots were about bigger than the tree. For 80 cents you can’t go wrong

I had some gutter guards of my old gutters so they were repurposed to tree tubes

Trying to beat the AO and sericia to an open spot on a east facing hill.

One last effort to get the kid a bird. Had a silent bird come in behind us in the timber. He was about 40 yards strutting and drumming. Thought I could get him to work around us, a few putts later and he moved out. If I was by myself I would have stood up and shot him, with a 10 year old you need more setup! That stand wore him out, had to get rested up on the next one.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[George]

Good stuff, E. I could see myself back in the vicinity some day.

G

 

[E_308]

Good stuff, E. I could see myself back in the vicinity some day.

G

Come on back, I could use some help dodging flames and cutting AO. The neighboring 80 is still for sale last I checked. Crick is a little light on trout though!

 

[George]

Come on back, I could use some help dodging flames and cutting AO. The neighboring 80 is still for sale last I checked. Crick is a little light on trout though!

I caught plenty of creek chubs in my day back in Michigan. Is the property next door a high dollar farm parcel? How much cover?

G

 

[E_308]

It’s about half tillable bottom ground half mature timber and brush. Last I heard they wanted around $3500 per acre.