JKR Ranch
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Hoping to make it down for part of Fri and Sat, but family issues changed that, so just went down for Sat. Been working on another 4x8 shooting house, this one will be a low stand (platform about 2 foot off the ground). Got it framed and sheathed over the Labor Day holiday, then doing bits and pieces when I make it down. Picked up metal the last trip and had the roof on, this time the big project was to put metal on the sides. Got the long sides done, but still have the short sides and door to finish. Maybe have it ready by the holiday antlerless season (late Dec.). I'd also picked up a roll of field fence (aka welded wire or horse fence) at Atwoods last week. In laws have been complaining about a buck tearing up their young pine trees. Want me to come over and shoot it, but with 1 buck tag left and an old shooter at the farm I'm holding them off. But I've got some fruit trees I'd put in this spring (when stores had them on clearance) that I've been meaning to get some protection around all summer. Since the deer seem to be going into tree destruction mode now (fighting in earnest is starting up, and the poor little trees get the brunt of the losers frustration or the winners power rush) knew I needed to get it done ASAP. Ends up I was a little late. 2 of the 4 were rubbed up pretty good and a 3rd was starting to show some abrasions. Worked on everything else til after dark, but when I left, they were better protected.
Weather has stayed mild and been getting a little rain, so the food plots have been taking off nicely. Acorns are starting to drop, so not seeing a lot of grazing evidence.
Couple of food plots (oats, turnips, radish mix)
The salad bar strip (mostly radish) on the west end of the wheat field.
Still needing some significant (runoff causing) rainfall. My duck foodplot is looking great, except that its missing water.
Couple of food plots (oats, turnips, radish mix)
The salad bar strip (mostly radish) on the west end of the wheat field.
Still needing some significant (runoff causing) rainfall. My duck foodplot is looking great, except that its missing water.
Put in a lot of time hunting over this last holiday week. Saw a couple of shooters, but between a brain lapse on my part on one and a random change of travel direction on the other, neither opportunity panned out. Sightings trailed off significantly through the week. Appears bucks are chasing does, but also that once finding one, they are keeping her pinned down (aka the "lockdown" phase). Also plenty of acorns, so the does are able to stay in the thicker timber to avoid the bucks (and hunters) a little more. Came home Saturday afternoon to my neglected-feeling wife and two young girls. Flipped through Facebook that evening to see a familiar picture on a local county page (brag board, basically). Not 100% positive, but well over the 95% confidence level that a shooter buck that showed up mid-Oct on trail cam was taken by someone else (wish he'd put a profile view up too). Not sure where this other young man hunts or how far this buck roamed, but don't guess I'll be laying eyes on him (unless he took him to the same local taxidermist I took my ML buck to). This is a first for me, and I know these are a public resource, but its a little bit of a letdown seeing one of "your" deer shot. Always felt I was kind of an isolated hunter out in those parts, just a reminder that there are other folks around. Good thing is there are several other nice ones running around this year, and hopefully this uptick in older/bigger bucks will continue for a few years.
Cam pics:
Facebook pic:
Cam pics:
Facebook pic:
Bad way to end the holidays C, hope you beat it soon. Looks like an awesome spot you've got going out your way, too. Love the outbuildings & and skinning "shed". Need to have some sort of an Airbnb (an online house sharing/renting service for those who haven't heard about it) for fellow habitat managers to get together when traveling.
Dgallow, Airbnb is a service where people can list their lake house, vacation home, or just the spare bedroom and others can reserve it for a day, weekend or whatever. So travelers get a kind of bed and breakfast type stay and the property owner makes some extra money. Instead of making money, just thinking if folks took a road trip it'd be neat to see first hand some of these properties.
As most have seen in the Live From the Stand section, this is the final weekend of OKs gun season. Today was supposed to be mostly rainy and tomorrow I've got church and the the wife wants to go get a Christmas tree, so took a day off work yesterday. Had a little fork come by around 7:30. About 8:15 looked up and here came two deer up over a little hump. Looked close and it was two does, but behind them I could see another deer head sticking up over that same hump. Looked through the binoculars and it was a good 8 pt, or I should say half a good 8 pt. Got cam pics of a deer with a good left (4pts) but really weak right side. Got a good idea it's one that I found a shed from last year that shed really dirty.
Looking at this deer, checking out body, trying to decide whether it's the same buck (just broke off that weak right side) and whether to shoot him or one of the does he's tailing. Finally decide it's got to be him. While not a genetic aberration, that right side is liable to always be weak, not necessarily in size, but physically weak, hence (I thought) the reason his right side broke. Photos of him last year looked at least 2.5, so figured he was at least 3.5. Went ahead and lined up and shot. When I walked up on him it looked like I was correct. Right side broke off at base. Looking at it looks like 1/2 or more of it is rotted or something inside. Also something got ahold of that right ear.
Only trouble is later I went out to check cameras, and low and behold, the buck I thought I was shooting was at a feeder a quarter mile north the evening before with both antlers. In addition, while it looks like he's got a little out of the right ear, it isn't near what this one has missing (will post when I'm on the computer instead of phone). This week when I skin out the head I'll check that right base and I'll pull a jaw for age. Whatever the case, I'm bucked out in OK for the year. First time in quite a few years I've done that. I'm behind on taking out some does now, though.
As most have seen in the Live From the Stand section, this is the final weekend of OKs gun season. Today was supposed to be mostly rainy and tomorrow I've got church and the the wife wants to go get a Christmas tree, so took a day off work yesterday. Had a little fork come by around 7:30. About 8:15 looked up and here came two deer up over a little hump. Looked close and it was two does, but behind them I could see another deer head sticking up over that same hump. Looked through the binoculars and it was a good 8 pt, or I should say half a good 8 pt. Got cam pics of a deer with a good left (4pts) but really weak right side. Got a good idea it's one that I found a shed from last year that shed really dirty.
Looking at this deer, checking out body, trying to decide whether it's the same buck (just broke off that weak right side) and whether to shoot him or one of the does he's tailing. Finally decide it's got to be him. While not a genetic aberration, that right side is liable to always be weak, not necessarily in size, but physically weak, hence (I thought) the reason his right side broke. Photos of him last year looked at least 2.5, so figured he was at least 3.5. Went ahead and lined up and shot. When I walked up on him it looked like I was correct. Right side broke off at base. Looking at it looks like 1/2 or more of it is rotted or something inside. Also something got ahold of that right ear.
Only trouble is later I went out to check cameras, and low and behold, the buck I thought I was shooting was at a feeder a quarter mile north the evening before with both antlers. In addition, while it looks like he's got a little out of the right ear, it isn't near what this one has missing (will post when I'm on the computer instead of phone). This week when I skin out the head I'll check that right base and I'll pull a jaw for age. Whatever the case, I'm bucked out in OK for the year. First time in quite a few years I've done that. I'm behind on taking out some does now, though.
Never got back on and updated about that rifle buck. Jaw showed 3.5 years old. Also quite certain now that he's not the same buck as pictured and likely not the same as the shed. G2 and G3 on left are shaped different and overall smaller in size. Amazing how tenacious he was, that he didn't end up a bone pile in the woods somewhere. Cleaned out the skull, and as expected, he had injured that base in a previous year (besides breaking it off again this year). Just a small sliver on the back side of the pedicel actually grew anything this year, 3/4 or more of it was just an blank, cartilage-filled cavity. After breaking off again this year I don't know that there would've been enough to grow anything next year. Once cleaned out you see that the bone broke off over a half inch down in the skull. Didn't breach the cranial cavity (which is probably what kept him alive), but really surprised it didn't abscess up and cause such cranial pressure that it decapacitated him and turned him into coyote food. Also kind of interesting to see the deossification of the bone surrounding that base. Can sort of see it in the picture, but there's a ring about 1/2" out from the base where the bone now looks like swiss cheese. (the extra white areas in the picture are baking soda. Got the skull home and was looking at it and messing with it and realized the gray area inside that base was soft and needed to come out before it rot and stank. Cleaned it with a knife as best as possible, then packed in some soda to draw out moisture and deodorize the area.)
Been a while since I've been able to get on and post. After rifle season ended I was looking to see who made it through. This big guy made it. He was around in late Aug and early Sept, then disappeared. Talking with the taxidermist that is working on my ML buck he showed me a couple trail cam pictures I thought were from his lease. Turned out it was from a little 20 or 40 acre place right behind his shop, about 2.5-3 miles from our farm, and this buck had set up shop there. Rut is winding down and I guess he's come back "home".
After thinking I'd got him, then checking pictures, conformation, etc. and changing my mind, I wasn't too surprised to see this guy. Bad angle in the photo, but it's one of the few from the color camera.
This is a nice little buck that should really be something in another year or two.
Still missing the nice 10 pt that was running around before season. He looked thin and sleek in the body, hoping his adolescent desires didn't override his critical thinking skills and he can get a year or two more, too.
After thinking I'd got him, then checking pictures, conformation, etc. and changing my mind, I wasn't too surprised to see this guy. Bad angle in the photo, but it's one of the few from the color camera.
This is a nice little buck that should really be something in another year or two.
Still missing the nice 10 pt that was running around before season. He looked thin and sleek in the body, hoping his adolescent desires didn't override his critical thinking skills and he can get a year or two more, too.
This past week (and through this Sunday) is the Holiday Antlerless Season here in OK (basically a rifle season targeting specifically does). Usually I take 2-3 does and maybe 1 buck (a lot of times just a buck every other year). This year I've shot two bucks and a friend just getting in to hunting shot a button buck, so I'm feeling really lopsided on my harvest this year. Also have had an inquisitive little partner wanting to go out hunting for the last couple of years. Well, the time finally came, the weather was pretty good and things looked positive for an evening hunt (she doesn't do mornings well, and its a touch on the chilly side still). Hoped to make it out Monday evening after the cold snap broke figuring deer would really be on their feet. Didn't make it, but got stuff loaded up and headed down Tuesday afternoon. She got a bag of snacks loaded while I gathered up the gear and we headed for a tower blind I built with this type of thing in mind a few years ago. Didn't look at sunset time until we were settled into the blind, and I got us out there way to early, but fortunately I had a phone with enough charge that she could watch the PBS kids shows for the nearly two hours before sunset arrived. She did very well, whispered, paid attention when dad looked like he was seeing something, kept reminding me that if I saw a deer I should let her know. Few minutes after sundown saw a deer feed into a shooting lane in the food plot. That button buck my friend shot earlier had a little buddy he was running around with, so I wanted to check and make sure. I got Miriam's attention and showed it to her and got the binos to take a better look. Sure enough, couple little dark spots on his head. I told her it was a little buck fawn and I was wanting to try to take a doe (although "antlerless" is the legal definition here in OK). She told me okay, but it counted as one. Just a few minutes later a second deer came out and was noticeably larger. I got her attention again and again checked it a little closer, and it looked like clean doe. Told her that was an okay one to shoot if she was alright with it. She shook her head yes and I made sure to tell her again to hold her earphones (the ones she'd been using while watching my phone) tighter over her ears when I got ready to shoot. I got positioned and heard her whisper "I want to watch", so I scooted over a little so she could get beside me. A nice neck shot dropped her in place (and, my hope was, kept the gutting a little cleaner). What an absolute blast, and it kept going. She wanted to help load it in the UTV, help while I was gutting (she held a leg so it wouldn't roll on me while working), help with the skinning, and most importantly (at least in her mind) wanted to see how I got the head off (only from a 4-year old can you hear the phrase "I want to watch you take off the head" be said with such innocence). Can't wait til she's ready to start doing this herself (physically, I'm guessing she's quite ready in her mind right now).
Course then we had to discuss limits and proper timing of seasons and all that as she later asked me what we were going to go shoot the next day.
Worked on the skull today and have the hide in the freezer. Don't know if it's cause I was kind of rushing it this time or that the bones on a 1.5 yr old are just that soft still, but it came out a little rougher than usual. Pretty cool to see the tooth replacement, though. Would like to try to come up with a place to do a hair on garment tan for a throw in the house. Barring that I've got some coworkers that do honest buckskin work.
Course then we had to discuss limits and proper timing of seasons and all that as she later asked me what we were going to go shoot the next day.
Worked on the skull today and have the hide in the freezer. Don't know if it's cause I was kind of rushing it this time or that the bones on a 1.5 yr old are just that soft still, but it came out a little rougher than usual. Pretty cool to see the tooth replacement, though. Would like to try to come up with a place to do a hair on garment tan for a throw in the house. Barring that I've got some coworkers that do honest buckskin work.
This was the view from the blind. Keep doing a little clearing on the shooting lanes. They're about right, but each year the trees at the edge put new growth out into it, and I keep cutting back plus a little more. Chipping away at it slowly, don't want to denude it too much. Actually wanting to do some significant work in here, restoring a more natural meander to the little waterway that is in there, but need to come up with the dozer man (or just the dozer) and the money to pay for it.
To the NW (shot that doe in the farther green strip, by the tree on the right side of the lane).
To the N.
To the NW (shot that doe in the farther green strip, by the tree on the right side of the lane).
To the N.
