Florida Plantation

[Deadeye]

You've got some nice looking Bucks on your place. On ours so far just smaller young'ens but then it doesn't look like anyone has done anything for years to help them along either. One neighbor has a couple of Tube Feeders out, but they are just Killing Zones from what I see.

Hope as the Plots start to grow up there might be some bigger boys come out to play.

As to your feeders, could be that one they like is due to it being on a Edge and not out in the open. Just a thought.

 

[FL Plotter]

You've got some nice looking Bucks on your place. On ours so far just smaller young'ens but then it doesn't look like anyone has done anything for years to help them along either. One neighbor has a couple of Tube Feeders out, but they are just Killing Zones from what I see.

Hope as the Plots start to grow up there might be some bigger boys come out to play.

As to your feeders, could be that one they like is due to it being on a Edge and not out in the open. Just a thought.

Same 6 bucks....only one is a shooter though, but happy to have them using the property. Do you have much ag over your way? I was surprised at how skinny these Washington Co deer are because there are some peanut fields and pastures in the area. And a decent amount of hardwoods. I was pleasantly surprised to see them working on my ICPs because for weeks they weren't touching them. I was thinking I wasted $$ and time planting them.

Dogghr and Lake - but it's a sticky humid heat!!! I was stationed in New Mexico for 5 years, so I've had both kinds of heat...and they both suck. I keep watching the weather and there is no relief in the 10 day forecast. It was 84 when we came home from dinner last night at 730 pm.

 

[Deadeye]

Very little Ag close to us. One 1-2 Pastures and 1 field of something I'm not sure what it is, maybe Beans? Not real close like 3-5 miles away, which doesn't necessarily mean anything. I shot a Buck in Pa Opening day one year shortly after daybreak that his stomach was full of corn. No baiting allowed in Pa and the closest Corn Field was an easy 2 miles away.

 

[FL Plotter]

Well boys, Hurricane Michael changed my October plans. We evacuated 5 hours North but our house couldn't. Our neighborhood took a direct hit....the pic shows where my house is in the eye of the storm. Cat 4. 155mph winds. My house survived largely intact but that was not the case for many houses in my neighborhood or in the city of Panama City. Historic damage. 3rd most powerful hurricane in recorded history to hit the US and it went right over my house. What are the odds? Power could be out for months. Many businesses will never recover.

My house is the one with the palm trees in front. The destroyed house was across the street from me.

But a true plotter finds a way...put in a 1 acre plot this morning in Alabama. I'm on the tractor...SIL by the Gator.

 

[Gator]

Glad you guys left. I had a lot of friends that didn't leave including some at Mexico Beach where there are supposedly 280 people missing still. My parents place at St Joe Beach has severe damage if not completely flattened (based on imagery not feet on the ground). That was one nasty hurricane...

 

[Deadeye]

You were in my thoughts during this whole storm ordeal. Glad you made out OK.

Been wondering how my Property made out, but have no plans to go find out just yet. Figure I'll stay out of the way fro now and let those that need to re-build their homes and lives have some peace. Who knows the roads to it might not even be open.

 

[lakngolf]

What a storm!! Glad you are ok with only minor damage.

 

[dogghr]

Glad you guys are ok. Been a rough time for many in the east. Good luck on season.

 

[FL Plotter]

Been on generator power since Saturday. Burning over just 10 gallons per day....3 hour wait at Wal-Mart to get 5 gallons per person. Not sure how that math works! Extremely hot and humid. No cell service. No running water. It truly looks like a war zone around here. Haven't even thought about my hunting lease or my 20 acre property. I'm sure there are numerous trees over the road...condos and feeders tipped over and destroyed. Hope I can get the spirit to hunt this year. I'm looking at new roof, new glass porch, new shed roof, 3 new A/Cs....that will take a lot of coordination.

 

[Gator]

Been on generator power since Saturday. Burning over just 10 gallons per day....3 hour wait at Wal-Mart to get 5 gallons per person. Not sure how that math works! Extremely hot and humid. No cell service. No running water. It truly looks like a war zone around here. Haven't even thought about my hunting lease or my 20 acre property. I'm sure there are numerous trees over the road...condos and feeders tipped over and destroyed. Hope I can get the spirit to hunt this year. I'm looking at new roof, new glass porch, new shed roof, 3 new A/Cs....that will take a lot of coordination.

Hate to read this Plotter. I'm getting daily updates from friends at St Joe Beach and Port St Joe, some of them got power back yesterday in PSJ (very surprising to me) while others will continue to be without for quite a while. I remember growing up down there and surviving in that brutal heat and humidity without power after Kate and Opal and I don't wish that on anyone. Stay strong!

 

[Deadeye]

Glad to hear your ok.

We did the Generator Thing for a week after Charlie and another week after Florance I think it was. Back in 2004 when we had 4 come right over the house.

Luckily we had almost no damage.

Been wanting real bad to go see my property in Washington County to see how it faired. Taking the wife to Biketoberfest this week, but next week after Archery Opens I plan to go up and take a look and also hunt.
Main reason I haven't gone up it so allow those that live there their privacy to do whatever they need to do if there is damage. Heck there may still be trees down over those back roads I take to get there and with no one living on some of them they are not a priority.

 

[FL Plotter]

Power estimation is 6 days from now for my area. Water could be months as so many trees down compromised the water lines. I provide the juice for me and my neighbor, so they venture out for food and gas when needed. I haven't left my house...putting in 12 hr days cleaning up in this ridiculously HOT October we're having. Neighbors have been great. Nobody is wanting for food or water. Gas is still an issue unless you drive an hour away.

Deadeye: I'm interested in how my place in Washington Co. looks. If the trees are really bad, might have to see about a claim for planted pine loss. Hope I didn't lose too many big oaks...it's an hour north of me, but coming down 231, the damage starts in Dothan. The water boil notice was lifted in Chipley yesterday, so they are getting back to normal.

 

[Deadeye]

I just got done Texting with my Lease manager. I informed him I had not been to the property yet and wondered if his Foresters had. His reply in his words were "Everything is a mess out there currently. Be prepared to cut/clear your roads and make due for now".

That doesn't mean they have actually been on OUR property but all of their pieces in the area are a mess.

My plan is to still try and go up there next week. I might be spending more time cutting our roads and trails out than hunting but at least I'll know what we are dealing with.

 

[Deadeye]

Been thinking of you and hoping all is well.

We were very lucky to have the storm just graze us with a few trees down. 10-20 miles further west and it would of been different.

 

[FL Plotter]

Well boys, been a busy month. Went 11 days without power and worked my tail off every day getting my house and yard back together. We were one of the very few that didn't have water intrusion or structure failure, but we still are going to get a lot of new stuff via insurance.

Made it to both properties 2 weekends ago. My hunting lease had a lot of trees down and 3 of my 5 condos were on the ground. Spent 15 hours last Wednesday day putting them back up and planting 4 plots. Another 8 hours on Saturday fixing our deer weigh station, planting our big joint plot, and patching up a condo. And another 8 hours on Sunday, getting my favorite 5x5 condo spun around and patched up.






My 20 acres fared a lot better with both feeders standing and more trees bent than broken. Pasture is coming in nicely as the brown top millet dies down and the bahia grows. The bobcat picture is the edge of the Sunn Hemp field.

 

[dogghr]

Well boys, been a busy month. Went 11 days without power and worked my tail off every day getting my house and yard back together. We were one of the very few that didn't have water intrusion or structure failure, but we still are going to get a lot of new stuff via insurance.

Made it to both properties 2 weekends ago. My hunting lease had a lot of trees down and 3 of my 5 condos were on the ground. Spent 15 hours last Wednesday day putting them back up and planting 4 plots. Another 8 hours on Saturday fixing our deer weigh station, planting our big joint plot, and patching up a condo. And another 8 hours on Sunday, getting my favorite 5x5 condo spun around and patched up.
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My 20 acres fared a lot better with both feeders standing and more trees bent than broken. Pasture is coming in nicely as the brown top millet dies down and the bahia grows. The bobcat picture is the edge of the Sunn Hemp field.

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Wow hate that for you guys especially here at hunting season. Glad you stayed safe. Good luck on season.


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[FL Plotter]

Another ridiculously long day...13 hours door to door. I hate towing in the dark, but tilling that Sunn Hemp field turned out to be exercise in frustration. Kept wrapping the disc up so tight it wouldn't turn. I ended up seeding my clover and chicory in the dark and letting the rain wash it in the cracks...it was already 6pm so no time (or energy) to drag it off. Got to see a deer in person for the first time on my property.

Really impressed with the ICPs I planted in July. They are still going strong and getting lots of browse.

I didn't have time to check any of my cams....maybe next week I'll have some good deer pics.

 

[Deadeye]

Glad to see your back at it again.

With the Sun Hemp did you mow it down first or go straight to discing? Just wondering if one way or the other would of kept it from tangling so much.

I lost one Blind completely with a tree top falling on it and the other I found was just to small for me to use. I set a new Tripod Stand where the small one was and will eventually set one where the Blind was as well. Fopr right now a Brush Blind will have to do.

 

[Chainsaw]

FLplotter, we are speechless; your determination in the face of such adversity is absolutely awesome! I hope you get in some great hunting this season.

 

[FL Plotter]

The front field the hemp was less thick....so after mowing, the disc didn't bind up at all. The back field was really thick and 6' tall. I hogged it off, then went over it again to chop it up even more, but there were still some stalks left, and some pile of shredded stalks that were like a fishnet. The green hemp fibers were like millions of strings and once they wrapped once, they got pulled into the bearings and would stop the disc from turning. I got it so wrapped up hoping it would clear itself, that it took 30 minutes or more to cut it all loose. Then, after ever pass, I would get off the tractor and clear EVERY disc bearing. As the sun started setting, I decided to backblade off the stalks so I could get some dirt on the seed and I ended up with 6' piles of stalks along the East edge of the plot. In a word...it really sucked....the worst tilling experience of my life and I've been on a tractor since I was 7......that's 43 years!
To go back in time, I would have backbladed the stalks to create an organic berm so that water didn't shed off the slope of the plot, then planted in between the berms.
I do know that I will NEVER plant sunn hemp again. Iron Clay Peas are the ticket on this land. Plant in July and feeds the herd until the frost kills it which could be until January!