Working at the Farm - Took a few I-Phone Pics

[Gator]

Very envious of those chestnuts! Plots are looking awesome too. I planted my new plot the beginning of Sept, right in front of what was supposed to be some good rain from Harvey (maybe). I have received exactly no rain since....well at least I got some lime on the field now.

 

[dogghr]

Do the deer eat a chestnut if the husk has not cracked open or do they ignore them until then? I bet a deer crunching one can be heard a long ways.
The buck with the doe's nose up his ass sure looks wide eyed, half enjoying, half too scared to move. He knows women well.

 

[Native Hunter]

Very envious of those chestnuts! Plots are looking awesome too. I planted my new plot the beginning of Sept, right in front of what was supposed to be some good rain from Harvey (maybe). I have received exactly no rain since....well at least I got some lime on the field now.

Good to hear from you Gator and hope that rain situation change for you soon.

 

[Native Hunter]

Do the deer eat a chestnut if the husk has not cracked open or do they ignore them until then? I bet a deer crunching one can be heard a long ways.
The buck with the doe's nose up his ass sure looks wide eyed, half enjoying, half too scared to move. He knows women well.

dogghr, they eat them after they fall out of the bur. Once they fall out it is much the same as eating an acorn. Chestnut tree burs are different on different trees. Some just open up wide and easily like in the pictures of that one tree above. Others will fall off the tree and hardly be opened. Me and the deer like the ones that open wide so that we don't have to worry with the burs.

Yep, I personally would be too scared to move....

 

[j-bird]

Native - you got some confused deer. I'm all for an empowered woman....but...seriously....there are lines that just can not be crossed! I got a whole 3 solid nuts from my chestnuts this year....but I got something. I will say those burs are quite the security system! My being new to chestnut trees - is there any rhyme or reason as to why some are ready earlier than others? Is it a reasonable assumption that trees that drop late will provide seed to grow trees to carry that same trait? If so, you could be on to something with late dropping chestnut trees!!!

 

[Native Hunter]

Native - you got some confused deer. I'm all for an empowered woman....but...seriously....there are lines that just can not be crossed! I got a whole 3 solid nuts from my chestnuts this year....but I got something. I will say those burs are quite the security system! My being new to chestnut trees - is there any rhyme or reason as to why some are ready earlier than others? Is it a reasonable assumption that trees that drop late will provide seed to grow trees to carry that same trait? If so, you could be on to something with late dropping chestnut trees!!!

Jay,
Staggered drop times for chestnuts is not unusual, and the same thing exists in many plant species. Drop times for them will fit the familiar Bell Curve Model that we use for so many things - even antler size in mature deer. Most Chinese and Dunstan chestnuts are going to drop between mid September and mid October (the greatest area of the bell). Along with the genetic makeup of a given tree, weather and stress factors within any given year will also have an influence to some degree on when the tree actually drops its nuts.

As we know, occasionally a specimen will emerge that exhibits traits that may even extend the extremities of the Bell Curve. That would be the case of the AU Buck IV Chestnut tree that WG sells. It drops in November, which is unusual - like a free range whitetail that scores over 200. They sell grafted trees and they also sell nuts from the IV tree. There is no guarantee that the nuts from that tree will produce a November dropper. In fact, I would guess that not many will. But the whole idea that the offspring of two parents will exhibit at least some traits of the parents is the whole idea behind doing that. You raise your chances of getting a trait within an offspring if one or both parents exhibit that trait.

Last weekend all of my trees were showing some signs of burs beginning to open. When I check them next weekend I expect to see some still holding on to a few nuts but most getting close to completion. If I do discover one of my trees that seems unusually late, I will mark it and keep some records.

 

[j-bird]

Thanks Native......

 

[Native Hunter]

This is what's going on at my place recently. I hunted yesterday, the first day of our Early 2 day ML season. Might hunt this afternoon but not this morning

• First pic is really what I wanted to see - but no show
• Second and third pic is a 4 year old that did show. I decided to not shoot. Might take in gun season if no older ones come in.
• Last pics is what I believe to be a 3 year old. Hoping to see him next year.

I got Dad to pose for me in front of his woodpile he cut up recently from a fallen tree. Great man and my hero. At 82 he has some physical issues at times, but holding out well.

I coyote hunted a few days ago with the Tikka 308. No coyote but a new hog moved in. Maybe too much gun for the job.

Food plots doing well,

Chestnuts being devoured.

Got my son some shells loaded for his 30-06 Rem 700. A picky gun that doesn't shoot a lot of things well. Not uncommon for a light weight 700. But I have him a full throttle load that will print 7/10 inches at 100. Same load he used last year to harvest his 157 deer.

That's all folks. Looking forward to cold weather and November.

 

[lakngolf]

Great pictures native. Dad looks good.
My buddy Alan got this one in Livingston county yesterday. Near salem

 

[Native Hunter]

Great pictures native. Dad looks good.
My buddy Alan got this one in Livingston county yesterday. Near salem
View attachment 9988

Lak, a big congrats to Alan. That's what I am hoping to see in November.

 

[lakngolf]

Lak, a big congrats to Alan. That's what I am hoping to see in November.

He said the buck weighed 247. Y'all grow em big in Kentucky

 

[George]

My nephew wants to buy property for me in Ky.

Great pictures Steve.

G

 

[Native Hunter]

My nephew wants to buy property for me in Ky.

Great pictures Steve.

G

Thanks G. I don't think you would be happy here after all of the sights you have seen in the Rockies, but if you do decide to move here, I want you as a neighbor!

 

[Elkaddict]

NH, mind telling me about the 30-06 loads? I’ve worked up a dandy for my Tikka with IMR 4350 and 165g Accubonds.

 

[Native Hunter]

NH, mind telling me about the 30-06 loads? I’ve worked up a dandy for my Tikka with IMR 4350 and 165g Accubonds.

Elk, IMR 4064 showed good signs of accuracy when I first tried it in his gun, and I worked all the way up to max of 53.0 grains with the Hornady 150 SST bullet with no signs of pressure. I didn't put a chronograph on the load, but I would think it is somewhere around 3,000 FPS. The gun is printing about 1.5 inches or so high at 100 and dead on at 200. I'm using Federal Champion primers, and seating the bullet just a tad off of the lands.

I got the rifle out the other day just to check it before season. I shot it at 200, and the first two bullets went into the same hole. It needed to move 2 clicks left, so I did that and shot another tight 2 shots at just the right spot, so I called it good and ready to hunt.

When I was working up the load last year, I got an honest 7/10 inches at 100 yds shooting 4 shot groups and letting the barrel cool a little between shots. His gun is one of those that is stubborn about what it shoots, but this seems to be the load for it. I was also happy that the gun only needed to be moved 2 clicks since last season after all of the carrying and hunting with it. It is a stainless, light contour 700 in the factory synthetic stock. I haven't changed anything on it, and it still has front end pressure on the barrel, like Remington does them.

On another note - I have fallen in love with my Tikka 308. It is the only light factory rifle I have ever owned that shoots factory loads so well that I probably won't even reload for it. It will shoot sub moa with Hornady Superformance 150 SST, and that thrills me, because that is the load I wanted to shoot. First time I shot it after buying it I put 4 shots in .625 inches with those shells and literally laughed out loud with joy. That's with a little Burris 3 x 9 scope, which makes a featherweight rig.

The Tikka 22-250 does the same thing with the Hornady Superformance and the 50 grain bullet.

So I have become quite the Tikka worshiper.........

 

[Elkaddict]

That’s my experience with my Tikka. Groups will open up if you shoot a hot barrel. I’ve shot a number of sub .5” groups. And that’s with a warm load. I’ve found over the years a number of rifles shoot their best full throttle. Because our late season big boys come into the plot in the far corner (356yds), I sight in 3” high. Spend a lot of time shooting a 8” gong at that range and in the absence of much wind, I can smack it all day long.

 

[Native Hunter]

That’s my experience with my Tikka. Groups will open up if you shoot a hot barrel. I’ve shot a number of sub .5” groups. And that’s with a warm load. I’ve found over the years a number of rifles shoot their best full throttle. Because our late season big boys come into the plot in the far corner (356yds), I sight in 3” high. Spend a lot of time shooting a 8” gong at that range and in the absence of much wind, I can smack it all day long.

Sounds like it is doing the job for you.

Sometimes I sight a rifle dead on at 200 and sometimes at 300. It really doesn't matter, because I have the ballistic tables memorized both ways for every gun I own and can hit well at 400 either way - just some more holdover when sighted at 200 rather than 300.

I sight his gun at 200, because it has a scope with the ballistic marks below the crosshairs assuming that the crosshairs are on 200.

 

[dogghr]

Great pics . You could back off on the cannon when going after the hogs. Cool pic of Dad. Whats his hat say? Gotta know.
Whats the prob with the Rem 700 being so picky? I have the 270 version and its a tack driver out of box with factory loads. Holes on top each other at 100. I've shot it to 300 at the range and always bragged on it. Once one a few bills against my buddy with his custom build. Kinda surprised with that.

 

[Native Hunter]

Great pics . You could back off on the cannon when going after the hogs. Cool pic of Dad. Whats his hat say? Gotta know.
Whats the prob with the Rem 700 being so picky? I have the 270 version and its a tack driver out of box with factory loads. Holes on top each other at 100. I've shot it to 300 at the range and always bragged on it. Once one a few bills against my buddy with his custom build. Kinda surprised with that.

Yep, I usually carry a 22-250 Tikka when out messing around, but that was the day I was checking deer rifles, so I was carrying heavier artillery. The little 250 is sweet. It was a gift from dad. It is a mirror image of my 308 - stainless and black synthetic stock.

That cap has the name of a local farm store on it. He still keeps his fences up and takes care of everything, so he has to shop there quite a bit.

I think you can get a gun in any brand that ends up being picky. Some 700s will shot like yours, and others not so hot. Dad just had a 700 BDL 243 rebarreled because he liked the gun and wanted to keep it, but it shot poorly. I had a 308 once that looked just like it and it shot so badly, I just finally got rid of it. You had better hang on to yours, because you have a jewel.

I don't currently own a custom rifle, but a this moment, I'm having a custom ML built that is supposed to shoot a 275 grain bullet at 3,000 fps with smokeless and make a ragged hole at 100. Can't wait to get that baby in my hands. He said it could possibly be finished by December ML season this year but wouldn't promise. If I miss getting to hunt with it this year, you know I will have to take it groundhog hunting ASAP....

 

[CTM1]

My jealousy does not stop with just the bucks you have but it extends to that green plot as well. It looks fantastic!

I failed yet again as a deer farmer as none of my brassicas grew.