Double A Farm (NE Ohio) Updates

[buckhunter10]

heck ya man thats always nice to see good groups of does, excuse to plug one or two.

 

[Weasel]

Some updates on the hidden plots, planted 3 weeks ago.

 

[Weasel]

My version of Power Plant is really coming on now. Not sure how it will finish up because it was planted late.

Can't believe the deer have left the sunflowers in this field alone. I rarely get them this big.

 

[Weasel]

Farmer's beans are looking great in the front field. I hope to someday have my beans look like that in my back, secluded field.

The corn & beans I planted in the back field were a major bust, pretty much just as expected after the 2 row planter problems. Good news is I must have done something right to the soil to bring up the PH the last few years because the spotty corn that is there has multiple ears on it. I hope my second attempt next year is better.

 

[Weasel]

Acorns are looking pretty small this year. Hopefully they'll put a little more growth on before growing season ends. This is a swamp white on the property line with my neighbor.

 

[Weasel]

Got a few more stands hung and moved some cameras around.

These maples are pretty much useless but they do make good stand trees when they're on a field edge and get multiple branches.

 

[Weasel]

Plenty of cover, just needs a few shooting lanes.

Overlooking the west end of my pitiful corn plot. There are brassicas growing in there and rye & oats will be going in there in the next week or two. Orchard is just beyond the corn and it's filled with clover & alfalfa. More plots to the left in this back field with soybeans, LC mix, clover, sorghum & milo. The tall stuff between the plots is mostly golden rod. It gets about 5 foot tall and makes a great free screen.

Behind this stand is a 10+ acre sanctuary that is darn near impenetrable. It's a decade old clear cut that is just super nasty. I've been in there twice in three years, to shed hunt & to recover a deer. Since turning this back, secluded field into a buffet the last few years, there are now multiple trails that come together out of the sanctuary about 20 yards upwind of this stand. It can be accessed and hunted safely on a west wind. Chip shot to the field edge I've seen them walk a ton of times from an observation stand across the field.

 

[Weasel]

heck ya man thats always nice to see good groups of does, excuse to plug one or two.

I moved a couple of cameras back on the edges of the sanctuary, hoping the big boys moved back in there since all the does are probably stressing them out in the middle woodlot.

 

[lakngolf]

Plots and fields are looking good. Hope those acorns keep the big ones around for you. Guy's bean patch does look good. Do you see deer using it as you drive in, or wake up?

 

[dogghr]

Geez Weasel, your place looking like a deer Utopia. Should pay off. My acorn crop looks moderate so far but for whatever reason seem to be a little undersized.

 

[Weasel]

Plots and fields are looking good. Hope those acorns keep the big ones around for you. Guy's bean patch does look good. Do you see deer using it as you drive in, or wake up?

They do use it occasionally. There are fingers of beans that go further away from the front road and closer to cover that they utilize more often. I had one darn near walk right up to the fire pit in the dark a couple weeks ago. Went blowing out of there once it realized what it was walking up on.

 

[Weasel]

Geez Weasel, your place looking like a deer Utopia. Should pay off. My acorn crop looks moderate so far but for whatever reason seem to be a little undersized.

Thanks dogghr. I've just about got all the puzzle pieces in place. The deer are there, I just need to avoid being my own worst enemy. I've hung stands for every wind direction and we are going to try to be disciplined and stick to our low risk access trails and only hunt stands when conditions are perfect. I'm going to explore a 4,800 acre public wilderness area 10 minutes from the farm to give us other options so we don't force hunting on the farm in less than good conditions.

 

[LodgeWI]

Weasel - the farm looks great and you've accomplished a lot. Good luck when bow season opens! I'm curious about the orchard you planted in 2015 - how is it coming and, in particular, how are your chestnuts fairing? I've got 25 chestnuts that I planted this year in tree tubes and they are growing like crazy - so I'd like to see where I may be next year (year 2).

 

[Weasel]

Weasel - the farm looks great and you've accomplished a lot. Good luck when bow season opens! I'm curious about the orchard you planted in 2015 - how is it coming and, in particular, how are your chestnuts fairing? I've got 25 chestnuts that I planted this year in tree tubes and they are growing like crazy - so I'd like to see where I may be next year (year 2).

Thanks Lodge. I'm headed to the farm today so I'll take some updated pics of the orchard & chesnut grove. They're doing great. Mine are caged not tubed.

 

[Weasel]

Over the years, my farm has become the Island of Misfit Ladder Stands. Buddies buy them and set them up once and decide they don't like them. Well, another unloved ladder stand showed up on the door step the other day. I'll find a spot for it somewhere.

 

[Weasel]

My wife, a teacher, and my girls started back to school last week. I stayed home from the farm this weekend to catch up on their week and have some family fun. I did have a few hours to myself to get some bed lights installed on the farm buggy. I installed a similar set up on my old UTV and it was priceless in the dark mornings/evenings.

 

[Weasel]

Both the red and white oaks in my backyard at home have acorns this year.

 

[Weasel]

Lodge, here is a Chinese chestnut & a kieffer pear that were planted 18 months ago. They were 3-4 foot bare root trees at planting time. The cages are 48" tall.

 

[LodgeWI]

Lodge, here is a Chinese chestnut & a kieffer pear that were planted 18 months ago. They were 3-4 foot bare root trees at planting time. The cages are 48" tall.

Very nice!

 

[lakngolf]

I like those lights. Were the girls excited about getting back in school? My grands are all back now. Mr. Ben in NC turned six today and back to school.