Eastern NC 35

I re-read many of the post you placed on your thread. You keep working - it is paying off.

My son and I have kicked sunflowers back and forth. I am glad to plant sunflowers that get hammered. They are easy to grow if your ground is prepping just a little. The deer are getting great protein. First time we planted them - he said they weren't doing anything. I showed him doe photos of the family group hammering them at night.

Then I showed him the stems where they had hammered them off at knee height.

I always think of that protein helping spikes become 4 or 6 pts in year one.

Wayne
 
I just got a hardhat and chainsaw pants off amazon after re-reading your post. sometimes you need that reminder to keep getting better and safer at what we are doing

Yeah can never be too safe. My cousin & I were cutting the other week, I heard his saw cut off suddenly, he had finished cutting one tree & was still holding the saw by the trigger guard,dropped it by his leg. It was still turning enough to catch his jeans, cut them & take a 3/16 gouge out of his phone in that pocket. I told him if it had not been for the phone it probably would have put a nice gouge in his leg instead.


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Sanctuary or not???
here is an overview of stand locations and property lines. Large bean field to the ESE and large corn field to the west on the other side of the pine plantation. At only 40 acres i am debating whether or not to keep my sanctuary or put 2 more stands, one on the south and one on the north side. I dont want to hunt the lines, but clear a lane 10 yards of so inside of it as a buffer.
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Looking good brotha!! Work is definitely paying off for you.I would say that bear is probably going to hang around long as the corn is there.


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We have had exactly 1 picture of a bear each of the last 3 years, normally early october. Same with hogs, normally sometime in november early december will have a stray hog or 2 roll through for the night and then disappear.
 
Yes, most of it is cane brush with scattered pines and sweet gums. It only provides cover and very little food. We have a tractor and bush hog that could handle most of the trimming. Im thinking leaving most trees as overhead cover and cut lanes underneath
 
enhance
 
Yesterday was the first deer I had seen from a stand all year. Our muzzleloader started Sept 28th so it has been a very slow season to start. Due to a trip to colorado I have been limited to saturday hunting only and the weather has not been very cooperative. Did get most of the plots planted mid sept so plenty of turnips, radish, red and white clover, oats, wheat, and winter peas. But each sit no deer.
Yesterday got into the stand at 3:30 on the first real cold day of the fall. Wind was swirling from E to N, so i started in the middle stand which is better for East wind, but with the plan to move to the south stand if wind switched.
3:35 2 groups of does walk out crossing the path I walked in, feeding across and down the old clover/grass plot. Confidence booster to say the least, as they looked to follow a trail to a clover plot near the front. 1 more group of does fed into the cereal grains plot. 3 groups and none went to the corn.
Slows down til 5:08, right at sunset here. I grunt 3 or 4 times and had then begin to rattle using my rattle bag. Hear something in the woods behind so I stop. Buck with his head down pops out on the same trail as the does, walking a creek bottom trail. He is walking away from me at an angle so I hit the grunt tube as loud as i can, (wind is blowing 15 knots) and he turns his head. First time seeing his horns and decide to shoot. (lane is about 12 yards wide and he is 9 yards across it) Put crosshairs on him and let it fly. He drops with feet straight up in the air kicking. Knew he was a decent buck, but not a monster. But he was down
Call my old man to let him know real quick and quiet. Put scope back on where he was at and its about 10 mins from dark, and i cant see him. Mind starts racing, and finally i find his antlers sticking up after he had rolled down the creek bottom enough to hide his bottom from me.
Look down the road and my truck 450 yards away down the road looks like someone is there. Put binos up and there is doe walking past my truck 20 feet from a highway. Then another one walks out, then another. 4 does walked and fed out into our grass road and then into the pines. Wanted some more meat since already cleaning one, but my truck (and highway) is literally the backdrop to the shot so think better of it.
Drive the truck to 5ft of the buck and get him loaded. 60 mins and he is cleaned, including neck roasts and rib meat but heart was blown to shreds. Whole shoulder is 1/2 covered with beef broth and slow braising at 250 at we speak!
 
Yesterday was the first deer I had seen from a stand all year. Our muzzleloader started Sept 28th so it has been a very slow season to start. Due to a trip to colorado I have been limited to saturday hunting only and the weather has not been very cooperative. Did get most of the plots planted mid sept so plenty of turnips, radish, red and white clover, oats, wheat, and winter peas. But each sit no deer.
Yesterday got into the stand at 3:30 on the first real cold day of the fall. Wind was swirling from E to N, so i started in the middle stand which is better for East wind, but with the plan to move to the south stand if wind switched.
3:35 2 groups of does walk out crossing the path I walked in, feeding across and down the old clover/grass plot. Confidence booster to say the least, as they looked to follow a trail to a clover plot near the front. 1 more group of does fed into the cereal grains plot. 3 groups and none went to the corn.
Slows down til 5:08, right at sunset here. I grunt 3 or 4 times and had then begin to rattle using my rattle bag. Hear something in the woods behind so I stop. Buck with his head down pops out on the same trail as the does, walking a creek bottom trail. He is walking away from me at an angle so I hit the grunt tube as loud as i can, (wind is blowing 15 knots) and he turns his head. First time seeing his horns and decide to shoot. (lane is about 12 yards wide and he is 9 yards across it) Put crosshairs on him and let it fly. He drops with feet straight up in the air kicking. Knew he was a decent buck, but not a monster. But he was down
Call my old man to let him know real quick and quiet. Put scope back on where he was at and its about 10 mins from dark, and i cant see him. Mind starts racing, and finally i find his antlers sticking up after he had rolled down the creek bottom enough to hide his bottom from me.
Look down the road and my truck 450 yards away down the road looks like someone is there. Put binos up and there is doe walking past my truck 20 feet from a highway. Then another one walks out, then another. 4 does walked and fed out into our grass road and then into the pines. Wanted some more meat since already cleaning one, but my truck (and highway) is literally the backdrop to the shot so think better of it.
Drive the truck to 5ft of the buck and get him loaded. 60 mins and he is cleaned, including neck roasts and rib meat but heart was blown to shreds. Whole shoulder is 1/2 covered with beef broth and slow braising at 250 at we speak!
Congratulations on a fine buck! You processed him quick!!!
 
worked all day while wife was home with 3 young kids, got to pick your days and use of time! I like to think I am fairly experienced and efficient at dressing a deer. do hate i lost the heart
 
have 5 or 6 cameras out from july to feb and have not seen this deer once. He looks similar to a tall and narrow main frame 6 pt that i thought was him right after shooting
 
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First pass with the new tractor and disc. Been all spray throw and drag up to this point. Now have a disc, plow, and bushhog. Planted 1/4 acre with alfa rack and 50lbs of wheat.
 
about to start another little 1/4 acre plot and notice a new noise. Look back and see....
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from the rust looks like that bearing has been gone for a while but it was there when we purchased tractor, dont know if vibrated loose or broke off loading the disc.
 
What would you do to improve this 45 acres?
-access is from the east, but can follow north property line or south
-winds normally SW or NE, but swirls along the 2 creek bottoms
-all openings are from .1 to .25 ac, with mix of clovers, grains, and brassicas.
-no significant oaks, mostly thick cover and pines
-sign and sightings indicate moving from north (not hunted) to SE (standing bean field) OR from SW (Cutover and younger pines) to my food plots
Yellow is current stands, blue is possible ground blinds
Property has increased from 25 to 45 acres, which makes some of the initial stand locations (permanent box stands) and shooting lanes not the ideal choice
What would you do to improve the property and the hunting?


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Big turnip for this early here
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fresh scrape on a property line trail
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first time using the new tractor, discing up a late fall plot of wheat/winterpeas
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