CTM1
Active Member
I finally made it back over to the property today after being out of town for bit. I measured the height of the scent dispenser and it was 6'4".
So that bear seems to be a decent size bear.
As close to the dream property as I am going to get, at least for now
- Thread starter CTM1
- Start date
I finally made it back over to the property today after being out of town for bit. I measured the height of the scent dispenser and it was 6'4".
So that bear seems to be a decent size bear.
CTM1
Active Member
Just got back to my own thread tonight. Hit me up with a PM and let me know your thoughts on a time frame. Always up for meeting and talking with people who share the sickness.
CTM1
Active Member
MY OH MY OH MY.
I have never had a hit list because there was never anything to put on it, but that all changed with today's card pulls.
Perhaps they have been around the entire time avoiding my prying eye and cameras, or maybe they were just passing through, but
either way I am placing them on a hit list, but I would settle just to spy them with my own eye.
I have no idea if this is the same deer, but something tells me no, but no matter I am calling him buck two on the list. Now look at the neck on this guy. Heck you would think he was in full rut.
I have never had a hit list because there was never anything to put on it, but that all changed with today's card pulls.
Perhaps they have been around the entire time avoiding my prying eye and cameras, or maybe they were just passing through, but
either way I am placing them on a hit list, but I would settle just to spy them with my own eye.
I have no idea if this is the same deer, but something tells me no, but no matter I am calling him buck two on the list. Now look at the neck on this guy. Heck you would think he was in full rut.
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Same buck...MY OH MY OH MY.
I have never had a hit list because there was never anything to put on it, but that all changed with today's card pulls.
Perhaps they have been around the entire time avoiding my prying eye and cameras, or maybe they were just passing through, but
either way I am placing them on a hit list, but I would settle just to spy them with my own eye.
I have no idea if this is the same deer, but something tells me no, but no matter I am calling him buck two on the list. Now look at the neck on this guy. Heck you would think he was in full rut.
Elkaddict
Well-Known Member
CTM, I think you'll find your work paying off with more regular sightings as time passes. That's been our experience. I'll plan on a tour next spring--too late to be leaving scent through the woods. I too have a couple of bears I'd like to see during daylight hours. They've been tough on the corn, and I've got a big boar that's knocking down/rolling in my brassicas nightly.
So...how did your season turn out?MY OH MY OH MY.
I have never had a hit list because there was never anything to put on it, but that all changed with today's card pulls.
Perhaps they have been around the entire time avoiding my prying eye and cameras, or maybe they were just passing through, but
either way I am placing them on a hit list, but I would settle just to spy them with my own eye.
I have no idea if this is the same deer, but something tells me no, but no matter I am calling him buck two on the list. Now look at the neck on this guy. Heck you would think he was in full rut.
CTM1
Active Member
I fled the mountains and have been hibernating downstate for the winter only popping up here from time to time to read with a little posting.
As far as last season goes, well it turned out to be pretty uneventful on the property. it certainly was not for a lack of seat time, as there was enough to give any normal man hemorrhoids. We had a beautiful opening day and then we got slammed with snow and heavy winds which caused power outages and some chaos. Buddy of mine just down the road had his electric pole snap off at the ground and I had another large hemlock come down and take my line down.
Doe sightings and activity was way down compared to last year. I think my plots were really lacking this year with getting them in so late. Last year I was seeing 8-14 does a day, but this year most days were limited to 5 or 6, and most were fawns. I did see saw one decent racked buck corralling a doe, but they were way up in the woods through some thick stuff so I was not going to fling lead. There were lots of little bucks bumping does for the entire season, but after the first week of Nov I did not even get a picture of anything bigger then a four point. All the activity was in the early season. Now I did see two bucks that I thought were really cool. I had two fawns that both had antlers, one was a spike and the other was a little five point. There was no question about it, they were fawns. Last time I saw a fawn with antlers was in 91 when I saw a fawn with nice spikes.
I spent the entire season hunting on the 66 acre parcel but right toward the end I decided to do something crazy. I pulled up to the property and looked across the street at the 85 parcel and said damn I own that parcel and I am paying taxes on it so I should muster up and hump up the mountain. Well it was a long slow trek to the top which lead to a sweat soaked semi fat guy. I ran into some fresh black bear tracks in the snow and later in the afternoon I jumped four does, it was flag city as they bounded around the bowl. I decided to park myself where I had a nice view only to find out somewhere during my nature walk I dropped my waterproof butt keeper dry thing. So I scratched out a spot and said a little frost bite on the butt might lead to me flashing a pretty nurse, so I went for it. I had a doe come out shortly before dark and despite the fact the drag would have been all down hill I was simply content to watch her doing her thing to survive.
The last handful of days of the season saw the yotes move into the valley. I had about nine deer spread out in front of the tower blind plot when shortly before dark the yotes let loose up in the valley about a mile away, I must say the reaction of the deer was eye opening given the distance. Everyone of their heads snapped up and looked north, and then after a few moments they bolted up the hill heading south. Not one of them stopped, it was flag city until they disappeared. The yotes carried on with their racket so long that for a second I thought it might have been the neighbors with an electronic caller, but it was not. The next two days was a repeat with the yotes letting loose but this time they were about a half mile down the valley. I went from nine does to a doe and her two fawns. Are whitetail deer afraid of yotes, you betcha!
Given the deer disappeared I tried my luck at home and set up on a 10 acre property I have just down the line from my place. It yielded this small 8, but I was happy to have it as it was the only deer taken on my side of the mountain.
Now I am just waiting for the mother nature to melt a couple of more inches from the two foot snow dump she recently gave us so I can do a little frost seeding. After that I have to finish painting my property lines in order to finish my enrollment in the NYS Tree Farm Program which will help with the tax burden going forward.
My eye has been out on CL for a Spring Tooth Chisel Plow, but the few I saw seemed a little pricey for my taste. My neighbor looked at my tiller that I wrecked last year and said we can rebuild it better, faster, stronger, but I know it will lose the rock battle.
As far as last season goes, well it turned out to be pretty uneventful on the property. it certainly was not for a lack of seat time, as there was enough to give any normal man hemorrhoids. We had a beautiful opening day and then we got slammed with snow and heavy winds which caused power outages and some chaos. Buddy of mine just down the road had his electric pole snap off at the ground and I had another large hemlock come down and take my line down.
Doe sightings and activity was way down compared to last year. I think my plots were really lacking this year with getting them in so late. Last year I was seeing 8-14 does a day, but this year most days were limited to 5 or 6, and most were fawns. I did see saw one decent racked buck corralling a doe, but they were way up in the woods through some thick stuff so I was not going to fling lead. There were lots of little bucks bumping does for the entire season, but after the first week of Nov I did not even get a picture of anything bigger then a four point. All the activity was in the early season. Now I did see two bucks that I thought were really cool. I had two fawns that both had antlers, one was a spike and the other was a little five point. There was no question about it, they were fawns. Last time I saw a fawn with antlers was in 91 when I saw a fawn with nice spikes.
I spent the entire season hunting on the 66 acre parcel but right toward the end I decided to do something crazy. I pulled up to the property and looked across the street at the 85 parcel and said damn I own that parcel and I am paying taxes on it so I should muster up and hump up the mountain. Well it was a long slow trek to the top which lead to a sweat soaked semi fat guy. I ran into some fresh black bear tracks in the snow and later in the afternoon I jumped four does, it was flag city as they bounded around the bowl. I decided to park myself where I had a nice view only to find out somewhere during my nature walk I dropped my waterproof butt keeper dry thing. So I scratched out a spot and said a little frost bite on the butt might lead to me flashing a pretty nurse, so I went for it. I had a doe come out shortly before dark and despite the fact the drag would have been all down hill I was simply content to watch her doing her thing to survive.
The last handful of days of the season saw the yotes move into the valley. I had about nine deer spread out in front of the tower blind plot when shortly before dark the yotes let loose up in the valley about a mile away, I must say the reaction of the deer was eye opening given the distance. Everyone of their heads snapped up and looked north, and then after a few moments they bolted up the hill heading south. Not one of them stopped, it was flag city until they disappeared. The yotes carried on with their racket so long that for a second I thought it might have been the neighbors with an electronic caller, but it was not. The next two days was a repeat with the yotes letting loose but this time they were about a half mile down the valley. I went from nine does to a doe and her two fawns. Are whitetail deer afraid of yotes, you betcha!
Given the deer disappeared I tried my luck at home and set up on a 10 acre property I have just down the line from my place. It yielded this small 8, but I was happy to have it as it was the only deer taken on my side of the mountain.
Now I am just waiting for the mother nature to melt a couple of more inches from the two foot snow dump she recently gave us so I can do a little frost seeding. After that I have to finish painting my property lines in order to finish my enrollment in the NYS Tree Farm Program which will help with the tax burden going forward.
My eye has been out on CL for a Spring Tooth Chisel Plow, but the few I saw seemed a little pricey for my taste. My neighbor looked at my tiller that I wrecked last year and said we can rebuild it better, faster, stronger, but I know it will lose the rock battle.
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Elkaddict
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the update CTM. The opening week conditions were not conducive to big buck sightings. We saw a lot of movement the last week of the season, and through MZ season. I can't wait for the snows to melt. As of Sunday, it was still knee deep. Fortunately, the forecast suggest we are turning the corner.
Rare breed
New Member
Saturday proved to be a good day as I felt a sense of personal accomplishment. It also proved to be a potential nightmare in the making.
Did you know that a Kubota L2250 tractor has metal screen behind the radiator that acts as a filter. I didn't until I discovered it. It was completely caked, it looked like a dryer vent that had never been cleaned but only the lint was dirty. While I could not figure out how to remove the screen, I was able to put a stick in there a clean it out. I also brought the generator and the compressor with me so I fired them up and hit it hard.
I also discovered that it has an air filter (as I said I am not very mechanically inclined), but right there were the words "Air Fliter". So I took that out and it looked like a mouse had set up house in there as I found bits of acorn shells. I cleaned that out and hit it with the air hose for a good ten minutes.
The tractor now runs as cool as I felt after accomplishing something that is commonplace and a no brainer for most others. What can I say I spent twenty years looking at contracts and a computer screen.
Now for the "nightmare in the making". On Friday I heard some noise down on the town road, so I wandered down to take a peek from a distance to see what was happening. Well it turns out it was the RE Agent and she was about to take a couple on a tour of the 84 acre piece of property that is still for sale across the road. My fingers were crossed that they were not one part of a gun club that would come in an lay waste to all gods creatures. and make my efforts all for not.
Fast forward to Saturday and I was working on the tiller and had the Kubota idling when some heavily tattooed guy walks up next to me. I almost leaped out of my skin. Certainly not something I was ever expecting and I never even heard their mini-van over the Kubota engine. As it turns out it was the couple who looked at the property the day before, and they wanted to get the skinny on the area from me. The guy was a retired Police Officer who moved upstate 20 years ago. He quickly asked about the deer hunting and conveyed that he had several kids and 10 grand children.
Rare breed
New Member
I know after your nightmare you don't want to hear this but you get what you pay for. I too have 70 acres and 8 acres of food plots. After using a nightmare blue tractor and used equipment that always broke down I realized the value of my time. I bought a brand new JD 5073 4wd, a new tiller, new bush hog, new planter and used kasco seeder. It took me three years to pay off but so worth it
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
CTM1, did you ever spray those fields before you tried working them? Also, do you have a soil test you could share? I'm wondering if you shouldn't try throw and mow again now that you've gotten some lime down.
CTM1
Active Member
A new tractor with more power would be nice but I figured acquiring more land was the better bet. My neighbor bought a new NH and I must say all of the quick connect features are so nice. Given his age he is so afraid of operating it I figure in a few years he will want to sell it to me on the cheap in exchange for me doing his plots.
CTM1
Active Member
As I recall I sprayed two fields last year but my timing was so off because of the implement issue I was on the losing end no matter I did. I know that is my best option if and when I disc again.
I just frosted seeded three of the plots with red and white clover. I had put both red and white down last summer when I put down the turnips, radishes, rye and oats. I know the rye will come up again but we will see how the clover emerges. My largest field suffered some real washouts so I need to do some work. It is rock city again.
I had posted my soil results in another thread in the old forum that is now in the abyss, and I am not sure where the hard copies are to post here.
Going to do more soil samples again this year to see how much more lime I will need. Based on last years results I figured I was in for a three year lime program.
I figure if I get good growth in two of the clover plots I will leave them and do the other two in turnips/radish/rye.
CTM1
Active Member
I appreciate the offer as I have been thinking about some trees like chestnut and apple.
I just wonder if we live long enough to see them give off nuts or fruit
Let me know what you want to do and when you will be up.
Thanks
FYI I just went back down state today for a spell but just in case you wanted to head up the snow if pretty much all gone now.
JohnL48
Well-Known Member
I may be up next weekend. I need to pick up a 2 row corn planter I bought up in CooperstownI appreciate the offer as I have been thinking about some trees like chestnut and apple.
I just wonder if we live long enough to see them give off nuts or fruit
Let me know what you want to do and when you will be up.
Thanks
FYI I just went back down state today for a spell but just in case you wanted to head up the snow if pretty much all gone now.
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