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

[dogghr]

Well good I was guessing the answers and I assumed it was bullet expansion. Wouldn't that be neat to see in slo mo? And I was close to assuming your drop. Really impressive. And yea I zero 2 in high at 100 with my ML but I guess my bullet is about half way back in the race against yours, even tho a dialing scope is cheating. LOL And you haven't said it but I bet it gets tested on a canine predator in the near future?? I know you. Thanks for showing.

 

[Native Hunter]

Well good I was guessing the answers and I assumed it was bullet expansion. Wouldn't that be neat to see in slo mo? And I was close to assuming your drop. Really impressive. And yea I zero 2 in high at 100 with my ML but I guess my bullet is about half way back in the race against yours, even tho a dialing scope is cheating. LOL And you haven't said it but I bet it gets tested on a canine predator in the near future?? I know you. Thanks for showing.

I'm afraid you know me too well. Yep, you know I will have to carry this thing on a spring yote hunt.....

 

[George]

Amazing shooting piece and shooter.

While I do appreciate your all sentiments about my alleged ability to do work, a couple pages back, I had to chuckle, laying here most days in a sunny window with barely the energy to rub my puppy's belly. I do appreciate seeing the work that you guys continue to carry on to make your spots a little better.

G

 

[Chestnut Valley Farms]

Last year I told everyone about a custom, smokeless muzzleloader that I was having built that shoots 275 grain bullets at 3,000 fps. I just got my gun recently and shot it for the first time today. I can shoot anywhere between 55 to 78 grains of IMR 4198 powder. The max load gives 3.000 fps.

The gun was advertised as being extremely accurate - with the ability to shoot 3 shot practically in the same hole at 100 yards. That is exactly what I was able to do with it today.

The gun is build on a Remington 700 action. It has a Brux barrel and is 45 caliber. I buy .452 Pittman bullets and run them through a sizer which shaves them just a couple of thousands to perfectly fit my bore. Once you set the adjustable sizer, it is good to go for as many shots as you want to take.

The gun:

Sizing the bullets:

Scope dial settings for yardages out to 600. I zeroed at 100 and this worked perfectly when I shot at 200.

My first 100 yard group at a full steam load.


My first 200 yard group. Later I shot another one when the wind got up and was gusting at 15 mph. It was not quite as good but still was under Sub MOA.

I'm very happy and feel the gun performs as was advertised. Looking forward to this fall when we can hunt with it. Everything is ready to go now and didn't take me that long today to get sighted in.

Thanks - Steve

Never seen anything like this Steve! Unreal! I have to work some magic to get my 6.5 creedmore to 3k fps! Thats allot of lead your propelling at 245gr! Legit muzzleloader sniper rifle!!!!

 

[Weasel]

Fun stuff going on in Kentucky as always I see!

 

[Native Hunter]

I topworked persimmons today. I had a few that I had already identified as males and a few more that I decided to go ahead and work before being able to determine their sex. Here is my method for bark grafting:

• If a tree has already been identified as a male, I mark it with a blue ribbon.
• At the time I graft, I add another striped ribbon and write the name of the cultivar on with a magic marker. If the tree takes and does well, it will get a metal ID tag next year.
• I first wrap the graft with the green grafting tape that has no adhesive. Then I go over that with electrical tape to get it tighter. The electrical tape can be removed later on without pulling on the bark of the tree and the green can be left as long as you want.
• I use the Wound Sealer that comes with a brush. Wax is fine but not as durable as the sealer. If keeping moisture out for a long period of time is important, the sealer will last longer. Rain can beat wax away.
• I may be going to a lot of trouble and overdoing some things, but I had a 95% success rate last year, so I'm not changing anything.

Some of my fall plots are looking good and others are just so so. This is one of the good ones.

A Northern Whitetail Crab planted one year ago. Loaded with blooms this year.

Another one planted last year.

A Box Store Apple with 2 years growth.

A weeping limbertwig in the fog. I thought this pic was cool. It will really be weeping when the apples start growing.

While I was topworking today. I had some mighty good help to come and do some mowing. Dad loves running that big bat wing hog.

A few more miscellaneous recent pics.

That's about it guys. Next job is to continue working in my tree planting. I'm building a road behind my white pine road screen and doing some chainsaw work and stump spraying. More to come in a few days. Thanks for looking....

 

[Buckeye]

Trees are looking good I just got done covering mine. Once again frost in the morning.

 

[Native Hunter]

Trees are looking good I just got done covering mine. Once again frost in the morning.

Thanks. They are giving 33 degrees for us tonight. After that the 15 day forecast looks good. Looks like most pears got froze out this year. I hope the apples will be safe. Blooms here this year are abundant.

 

[Merle Hawggard]

Everything is looking wonderful up your way NH.
Your dad's turkey is a monster!
I think I'm in the same boat as you with my pears, second year in a row, but I'm finally going to have a decent apple crop this year. Even my much maligned Anna tree has set apples despite blooming so early and enduring many freezes.


Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk

 

[Native Hunter]

Everything is looking wonderful up your way NH.
Your dad's turkey is a monster!
I think I'm in the same boat as you with my pears, second year in a row, but I'm finally going to have a decent apple crop this year. Even my much maligned Anna tree has set apples despite blooming so early and enduring many freezes.

Sent from my SM-S903VL using Tapatalk

Our pears seldom get frozen out. This year we got a triple whammy on the freezing, and I think it got to them more than normal.

I've been watching apples for many years and have never seen as many blooms as we have this year. I think if any tree old enough to have apples doesn't have them this year that something is very wrong.

A friend of mine 70 miles north of me just bought some land with an old pear, and we looked at it the other day. His tree is loaded. He knows the tree from 35 years ago when one of his relatives owned the land. He now owns it and says the tree looks just like it did 35 years ago. He has no idea what it is, but remembers that the pears were great. Right now it has cattle running around it, but those will soon be gone. We are watching with anticipation this year.

Good luck with your apples.

 

[weekender21]

Great looking pictures and update! I'm looking forward to turning some of my crabs that deer don't eat into more productive varieties by grafting scions. Your thread provides lots of ideas!

 

[Native Hunter]

Great looking pictures and update! I'm looking forward to turning some of my crabs that deer don't eat into more productive varieties by grafting scions. Your thread provides lots of ideas!

Thanks, and best wishes with topworking your trees.

Three years ago I didn't think I was all that interested in grafting, but now it's one of my favorite hobbies. It's one of those things that gives a lot of bang for the buck.

 

[dogghr]

Loved the foggy Limbertwig pic. And the one of your dad. Just visited my dad yesterday for his 87th birthday but alzheimer has slowly robbed him. That turkey has to be one of the prettiest kills I've seen this year. I'm like you, my plots are not real pretty thanks to this evil spring. But go figure, the apples at the house are in their heaviest bloom for several years. I regret never grafting the one of the Goldens as the house is about to be sold. Have a great Kentucky Sunday young man and keep up the alien grafting.

 

[Native Hunter]

Loved the foggy Limbertwig pic. And the one of your dad. Just visited my dad yesterday for his 87th birthday but alzheimer has slowly robbed him. That turkey has to be one of the prettiest kills I've seen this year. I'm like you, my plots are not real pretty thanks to this evil spring. But go figure, the apples at the house are in their heaviest bloom for several years. I regret never grafting the one of the Goldens as the house is about to be sold. Have a great Kentucky Sunday young man and keep up the alien grafting.

Wishing you and your father a wonderful Sunday dogghr.

You could still possibly get some scion wood from those trees next spring if the new owner didn't care. The last time I looked, Big Horse Creek Farm would take scion wood in the mail in the spring and have trees ready to ship to you in the fall. That would be a quick way to get some new Goldens started. You can check out their Website.

Take Care my friend.

 

[lakngolf]

Great pics native. Perhaps you need to send me more pic on how to graft. I too liked the foggy pic

 

[Native Hunter]

Great pics native. Perhaps you need to send me more pic on how to graft. I too liked the foggy pic

Thanks Lak. I'm still a novice at it myself. I think beyond having good scion wood, timing and getting it tight enough initially we are probably at the mercy of nature. Once a graft takes and starts growing, I think the most important thing then is to add bracing. In 2016 I didn't add bracing and had many to break off from wind. In 2017 I did add the bracing and never lost a one.

 

[lakngolf]

Thanks Lak. I'm still a novice at it myself. I think beyond having good scion wood, timing and getting it tight enough initially we are probably at the mercy of nature. Once a graft takes and starts growing, I think the most important thing then is to add bracing. In 2016 I didn't add bracing and had many to break off from wind. In 2017 I did add the bracing and never lost a one.

I thought my scions might not be the best n we had some old weather afterwards. Oh well I may try again. What time of year for Heart of Dixie?

 

[Native Hunter]

I thought my scions might not be the best n we had some old weather afterwards. Oh well I may try again. What time of year for Heart of Dixie?

Lak, my advice would be to cut scions about 3 weeks before green tips start showing up and then do the grafting after the host tree has leaves beginning to form. Keep the scions in the fridge after cutting and wrapped in a moist paper towel. You can certainly cut scions earlier than that and be successful, but I think the later you put it off helps them to be fresher. But if you wait too late - like when they are coming out of dormancy, that is not good and could lead to failure.

 

[Triple C]

Love this thread and all you do there. And to have your dad still doing his thing is about as special as it gets. Interesting observation on the grafting tape. I removed the electrical tape a month or so ago from last year's grafting and I had a couple where a small portion of the bark peeled away with the tape. I'll add grafting tape to my next grafts.

 

[Native Hunter]

Love this thread and all you do there. And to have your dad still doing his thing is about as special as it gets. Interesting observation on the grafting tape. I removed the electrical tape a month or so ago from last year's grafting and I had a couple where a small portion of the bark peeled away with the tape. I'll add grafting tape to my next grafts.

Thanks TC, and I agree that having dad is an amazing blessing.

I had the same thing to happen once when removing the electrical tape. That's when I got the idea of using the other tape as the bottom layer and going on top of it with the electrical tape. Best wishes with your grafting and habitat work.