FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
And to keep with the "deer management" theme; 50 bags of fertilizer spread on my plots, and a doe pays the rent on the lease. Put in 3 posts by hand in the clay...not fun!
Florida Plantation
- Thread starter FL Plotter
- Start date
Deadeye
Well-Known Member
I spoke with a customer whose lawn I do and he owns Air and Heat company. He said his Crew was up your way doing Walk In Freezers for business's that lost theirs during the Hurricane. They are just now getting their Insurance Money to rebuild what was lost.
Up to now they have been renting Freezer Trucks to keep their stuff in their parking lots. Crazy.
Up to now they have been renting Freezer Trucks to keep their stuff in their parking lots. Crazy.
FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
One of my employees moved back into his house the Saturday before Thanksgiving...been in a condo on the beach while his house got rebuilt - almost 14 months. Slept on the floor until his furniture came in....they only salvaged 3 pieces of furniture from the storm.
FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
Well boys, put another doe in the freezer since my last post. 2 sits, 2 doe tags filled, 91# of meat in the freezer! Both had mouth fulls of rye, wheat, oats, clover and chicory as their last breakfast. I'll start sitting for a buck during the holidays and into Jan/Feb. I'm after the 8pt in the nightime pic on my lease.
Back on the future homestead, took advantage of a couple days off last week to gather all my posts for my front fence and drill all 71 holes. My neck and back didn't appreciate all that looking over my shoulder while drilling, but it's done! For the most part, the holes are right, but with the clay and roots, some are a little crooked. I hope to have the posts all in and ready for wire by the New Year. Found some big wire spools from all the power lines replaced by the hurricane. Gonna have them cut in half and welded to simulate being buried in the ground half way for our front gate area.
Plots are green and lush across both properties. Temps are lower. The rut is still in front of us.....it's a great time to live in Florida!
Back on the future homestead, took advantage of a couple days off last week to gather all my posts for my front fence and drill all 71 holes. My neck and back didn't appreciate all that looking over my shoulder while drilling, but it's done! For the most part, the holes are right, but with the clay and roots, some are a little crooked. I hope to have the posts all in and ready for wire by the New Year. Found some big wire spools from all the power lines replaced by the hurricane. Gonna have them cut in half and welded to simulate being buried in the ground half way for our front gate area.
Plots are green and lush across both properties. Temps are lower. The rut is still in front of us.....it's a great time to live in Florida!
FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
A little Christmas Eve work with the wife.....15 posts in....50 more to go.
And an updated picture of the back 1 acre plot. Not too shabby for land cleared 18 months ago!
And an updated picture of the back 1 acre plot. Not too shabby for land cleared 18 months ago!
FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
Lake,
I have a pin on bucket (which I prefer, because I do a lot of pushing and back blading with my bucket and appreciate the no-flex of a pin-on), but have the occasional need for forks. These things are AWESOME. Easy on and off and aren't that heavy. I put 10 posts on them and it lifted the rear of my tractor off the ground (L3800 Kubota). No flex to the forks or the bucket. I chained the forks to the top of the bucket because I didn't want to bend the lip of the bucket, but I quit doing that because the tractor will tip forward before my bucket will bend. Mine also came with a spreader bar to keep them the right distance apart. The ones in this link have chain binders to really cinch to the top of your bucket if you are worried about bending.
I HIGHLY recommend!
https://www.palletforks.com/skid-st...-binders-loader-1500/145111.html?lang=default
I have a pin on bucket (which I prefer, because I do a lot of pushing and back blading with my bucket and appreciate the no-flex of a pin-on), but have the occasional need for forks. These things are AWESOME. Easy on and off and aren't that heavy. I put 10 posts on them and it lifted the rear of my tractor off the ground (L3800 Kubota). No flex to the forks or the bucket. I chained the forks to the top of the bucket because I didn't want to bend the lip of the bucket, but I quit doing that because the tractor will tip forward before my bucket will bend. Mine also came with a spreader bar to keep them the right distance apart. The ones in this link have chain binders to really cinch to the top of your bucket if you are worried about bending.
I HIGHLY recommend!
https://www.palletforks.com/skid-st...-binders-loader-1500/145111.html?lang=default
FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
This is the SKU I bought:
43" Clamp On Pallet Forks 4,000 lb Capacity w/ Stabilizer Bar COFMDSB $170.99
Wife and I put in 23 more posts yesterday....30 more to go!
43" Clamp On Pallet Forks 4,000 lb Capacity w/ Stabilizer Bar COFMDSB $170.99
Wife and I put in 23 more posts yesterday....30 more to go!
Looks like easy drilling...I don’t see any rock at all. Here we would work on some of our holes for 3-4 hours to put in 1 post with a tractor Auger, post hole diggers, rock bar, and sledge hammer and that was just for corner post and tension post...all the rest were driven in T post...
FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty wedded to my stockade look vs T-posts, but I would have to reassess at 3-4 hours per post hole! Each of these holes took 15-30 minutes due to the clay. It got to a point this summer, it simply wouldn't drill through the dry clay. Even with it moistened from the rains this fall, it has trouble digging. There were times I would have to score the clay with manual diggers then put the auger in to gain that last foot. If I was doing this for a living, I would definitely find a way to put weight on top of the auger. Also, I got the auger stuck twice in two sandy clay holes when it just screwed itself into the ground and the tractor couldn't pull it out -- I really enjoyed digging the auger out (so mad).
FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
Fence update: ALL 80+ POSTS ARE IN! Ready for stringing wire. It's been an exhausting evolution, but turned out just like I envisioned it. Already getting tons of compliments from the neighbors who are in disbelief that me and the wife did it all.
No new bucks on cam, but like clockwork the scraping has begun. A neighbor stopped to chat while I was putting in the gate, and said mid-Jan to first week of February is the rut in this area. Don't know if I will even hunt it, but it's ready if I do.
Found some old cedar stumps and turned them into boards for upcoming projects.
Getting final estimates on the 44x55 shed and concrete. Hope to break ground in Feb/Mar timeframe...stay tuned.
Been a busy "holiday"!
Scrape
Cedar Boards
New Year's Eve fun
Got gate?
No new bucks on cam, but like clockwork the scraping has begun. A neighbor stopped to chat while I was putting in the gate, and said mid-Jan to first week of February is the rut in this area. Don't know if I will even hunt it, but it's ready if I do.
Found some old cedar stumps and turned them into boards for upcoming projects.
Getting final estimates on the 44x55 shed and concrete. Hope to break ground in Feb/Mar timeframe...stay tuned.
Been a busy "holiday"!
Scrape
Cedar Boards
New Year's Eve fun
Got gate?
farmhunter
Well-Known Member
Beautiful FL property - really like the work you've done, congratulations on a fine doe!
FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
Had my 3rd hunt last weekend on my hunting lease and saw 14 deer....2 were spikes. Got my eye on a couple of bucks and some cold weather coming next week, so looking forward to some chilly sits.
On my 20, if there is an overhanging limb, there is a scrape. Got 3 nice bucks using my plots, but they all nocturnal. I haven't even been taking my rifle when I go up there to work because still not sure I wanna take a buck off here. Great to have choices though.
Spent a day working my back corner with an H-brace. My neighbors fence is so rotten, I'm not sure how his horses stay in, but I want it to look professional, so I guess he's gonna get a whole new East fence for free! These pictures show 4 hours of work and I only got it about 1/2 done. Roots are no joke. Found the corner marker cement monument though.....it bent my post hole auger!
And I bought a 44x55 shed this week. Will be a couple of months before it gets built though....kinda depressing.
The shed:
Lease pics....
My property:
On my 20, if there is an overhanging limb, there is a scrape. Got 3 nice bucks using my plots, but they all nocturnal. I haven't even been taking my rifle when I go up there to work because still not sure I wanna take a buck off here. Great to have choices though.
Spent a day working my back corner with an H-brace. My neighbors fence is so rotten, I'm not sure how his horses stay in, but I want it to look professional, so I guess he's gonna get a whole new East fence for free! These pictures show 4 hours of work and I only got it about 1/2 done. Roots are no joke. Found the corner marker cement monument though.....it bent my post hole auger!
And I bought a 44x55 shed this week. Will be a couple of months before it gets built though....kinda depressing.
The shed:
Lease pics....
My property:
FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
Been relentless with this fencing, but finally got the front wire up! Bought 2 rolls of Red Brand Goat and Sheep 4" square wire but 660' was not enough! Had to get another roll for the last 50'. Stretching fencing is no joke....even with 4 H-braces, I was making my funnel corner post lean, so I came up with a 1/2 post kickstand idea. Works great and doesn't clutter my corner with another H-brace. Pulled up the temporary fence and now we have a clean looking entrance!
Took a break this morning, and a nice 7pt made the mistake of visiting my plot at 0645 on a day off from fencing and the paying job. He didn't leave.
Took a break this morning, and a nice 7pt made the mistake of visiting my plot at 0645 on a day off from fencing and the paying job. He didn't leave.
FL Plotter
Well-Known Member
Like every year, after I get a buck on the ground, I'm done. Then all I can think about is getting work done on the rare "cold" days in Florida.
Started working the West fenceline on my only neighbor's side. Zero help from him and his family in labor or $$. I pulled up all the fallen down rusty old wire, cleared the brush and pulled up the T-posts that were in the ground probably 50 years...every one standing the Kubota up on end!. Discovered the deer like to walk across the front of his property to get into my woods and then to my pond and plot...learned something new. They are going to have to jump 4' if they want to continue that trail!
Between the clay and my digger cutting edges worn from the 90 posts along the front, these holes took forever to dig. Light was fading fast, so I quickly cleaned out the holes and leveled the posts with just a little bit of packing. Got back to my truck and somehow had locked myself out. Called On-Star and they can't unlock unless you have an account and you can only establish an account with your truck running. So, 1 hour later, my wife showed up with a spare set of keys to unlock my truck. Good times.
After 2 Saturdays of work, 220' ready for wire! I didn't want to disturb the mature oaks directly on the fenceline, so I went ahead and conceded 2-3' of my property and ran the new line more on my side. I think it came out good...like oaks were planted next to a fence, rather than oaks growing up in a fenceline.
Started working the West fenceline on my only neighbor's side. Zero help from him and his family in labor or $$. I pulled up all the fallen down rusty old wire, cleared the brush and pulled up the T-posts that were in the ground probably 50 years...every one standing the Kubota up on end!. Discovered the deer like to walk across the front of his property to get into my woods and then to my pond and plot...learned something new. They are going to have to jump 4' if they want to continue that trail!
Between the clay and my digger cutting edges worn from the 90 posts along the front, these holes took forever to dig. Light was fading fast, so I quickly cleaned out the holes and leveled the posts with just a little bit of packing. Got back to my truck and somehow had locked myself out. Called On-Star and they can't unlock unless you have an account and you can only establish an account with your truck running. So, 1 hour later, my wife showed up with a spare set of keys to unlock my truck. Good times.
After 2 Saturdays of work, 220' ready for wire! I didn't want to disturb the mature oaks directly on the fenceline, so I went ahead and conceded 2-3' of my property and ran the new line more on my side. I think it came out good...like oaks were planted next to a fence, rather than oaks growing up in a fenceline.
