Kaleo Hills-Property tour

Here is what my 30-06 looks like with the first crop. I'm anxious to see if they fall during hunting season or just hang on the tree all winter.

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That’s a good looking tree. The small yellow crabs I have must be on a 10 point.


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I can’t believe it’s been nearly two months but I finally made it up the hill for some November hunting. No matter the month, the rut is not yet on in western NC. Bucks are daylighting more, it’s only a week or so away.

Plots are looking good, I think the surplus of apples in September and October helped take pressure off.

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The 11 has been all over the place. I still think he’s three but that’s an impressive set of antlers in the mountains.

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2018 planted NWC, droptine

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A bear decided to break a branch. Two other non producing trees were also damaged.

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These nuts are from the hickory I’ve talked about in the past. All 9 deer that visited my ridge plot Saturday morning spent time under this tree. They love these for some reason.

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I’m headed back at the end of the week!

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The rut really started to kick off in my corner of Appalachia the past few days. I watched a nice buck walk across the middle of one of our plots Saturday evening. I was a few hundred yards away but that was the first mature buck I’ve seen in broad daylight this year.

Sunday morning I set up in a tree I prepped on the N end of the small ridge plot. There’s a young red oak still holding leaves in the perfect spot. (Post shot picture).

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It took me longer to get out of the tent than anticipated although it shouldn’t be a surprise when transitioning from warm sleeping bag to 28F!

I walked slowly up the leeward slope trying not to sweat. Once in the tree I raised my bow and started adding warm layers. I had just finished putting on my overboots when I turned to scan the plot, it wasn’t legal shooting light yet but getting close. I was really taken by surprise to see a huge bodied deer with antlers visible in grey light. I ranged him at 37 yards. It was now legal light but not good conditions to consider a shot like that.

I held my bow for a minute or so hoping he would come my way and he did just that. I stopped him broadside at 14 yards between two small poplars and executed the shot. The impact sounded familiar but not in a good way. He looked hurt immediately, jogged 50 yards, stopped for a few seconds, and walked off.

I gave the buck 5 hours then climbed down to inspect the arrow and blood. It was dark and sparse so I assumed liver (better than what I initially thought). I backed out about 75 yards in. I could scan most of the area ahead in wide open hardwoods and didn’t see him.

A local friend gave me the number for a buddy of his with a “great dog”. Nine hours later the most excellent dog took us directly to the deer.

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I’m planning to bring my oldest daughter up next week for her first hunt (as the trigger person)!


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Last edited:
The rut really started to kick off in my corner of Appalachia the past few days. I watched a nice buck walk across the middle of one of our plots Saturday evening. I was a few hundred yards away but that was the first mature buck I’ve seen in broad daylight this year.

Sunday morning I set up in a tree I prepped on the N end of the small ridge plot. There’s a young red oak still holding leaves in the perfect spot. (Post shot picture).

64023a34e11a1caa62e28917eed534e2.jpg


It took me longer to get out of the tent than anticipated although it shouldn’t be a surprise when transitioning from warm sleeping bag to 28F!

I walked slowly up the leeward slope trying not to sweat. Once in the tree I raised my bow and started adding warm layers. I had just finished putting on my overboots when I turned to scan the plot, it wasn’t legal shooting light yet but getting close. I was really taken by surprise to see a huge bodied deer with antlers visible in grey light. I ranged him at 37 yards. It was now legal light but not good conditions to consider a shot like that.

I held my bow for a minute or so hoping he would come my way and he did just that. I stopped him broadside at 14 yards between two small poplars and executed the shot. The impact sounded familiar but not in a good way. He looked hurt immediately, jogged 50 yards, stopped for a few seconds, and walked off.

I gave the buck 5 hours then climbed down to inspect the arrow and blood. It was dark and sparse so I assumed liver (better than what I initially thought). I backed out about 75 yards in. I could scan most of the area ahead in wide open hardwoods and didn’t see him.

A local friend gave me the number for a buddy of his with a “great dog”. Nine hours later the most excellent dog took us directly to the deer.

c00a7f8c5699bb2afc07377db053277e.jpg


ef36a72c42eeee09b0bc6c2e53aa1daa.jpg


20726537f164885f3266126cb4322d10.jpg


I’m planning to bring my oldest daughter up next week for her first hunt (as the trigger person)!


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That is one heck of an awesome bow kill...!
 
The rut really started to kick off in my corner of Appalachia the past few days. I watched a nice buck walk across the middle of one of our plots Saturday evening. I was a few hundred yards away but that was the first mature buck I’ve seen in broad daylight this year.

Sunday morning I set up in a tree I prepped on the N end of the small ridge plot. There’s a young red oak still holding leaves in the perfect spot. (Post shot picture).

64023a34e11a1caa62e28917eed534e2.jpg


It took me longer to get out of the tent than anticipated although it shouldn’t be a surprise when transitioning from warm sleeping bag to 28F!

I walked slowly up the leeward slope trying not to sweat. Once in the tree I raised my bow and started adding warm layers. I had just finished putting on my overboots when I turned to scan the plot, it wasn’t legal shooting light yet but getting close. I was really taken by surprise to see a huge bodied deer with antlers visible in grey light. I ranged him at 37 yards. It was now legal light but not good conditions to consider a shot like that.

I held my bow for a minute or so hoping he would come my way and he did just that. I stopped him broadside at 14 yards between two small poplars and executed the shot. The impact sounded familiar but not in a good way. He looked hurt immediately, jogged 50 yards, stopped for a few seconds, and walked off.

I gave the buck 5 hours then climbed down to inspect the arrow and blood. It was dark and sparse so I assumed liver (better than what I initially thought). I backed out about 75 yards in. I could scan most of the area ahead in wide open hardwoods and didn’t see him.

A local friend gave me the number for a buddy of his with a “great dog”. Nine hours later the most excellent dog took us directly to the deer.

c00a7f8c5699bb2afc07377db053277e.jpg


ef36a72c42eeee09b0bc6c2e53aa1daa.jpg


20726537f164885f3266126cb4322d10.jpg


I’m planning to bring my oldest daughter up next week for her first hunt (as the trigger person)!


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Heck of a deer especially for a mountain big woods buck. Not easily done. Place looks great. Congrats.
 
We ended the season New Year’s weekend in western NC. We rented a nearby Airbnb for the family thinking it was going to be cold, Nope! 70F New Year’s Day.

I set up a blind and put corn out in a few spots, I really wanted to get a first deer for my daughter. She’s 12 and has been practicing a good bit since the summer. We still hunted, blind hunted over corn, and blind hunted without corn but no dice. We did have an encounter with a beautiful black bear but couldn’t get her on it fast enough.

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My daughter opted out the last evening so I recruited little brother. He just turned 7 and has never been deer hunting with me.

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I had him take a few practice dry fire shots but even our Ruger compact .243 dwarfs him. I just didn’t feel comfortable with him shooting a center fire for the first time at a live animal. Less than an hour after getting set up a doe steps out at 25 yards. I pulled Zeke into my lap and he made the decision for us to shoot the deer.

Rounds away.

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This was my first rifle kill in 16 years. I was really hoping to get a deer for my daughter but her decision not to hunt the last evening created a great hunting experience for her little brother.

We celebrated the kill with deer heart tacos this week.

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Now it’s back to work! Chainsaw time!!!


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I’ve been slacking getting this update out!

I took the man-cub up to our property in February for a work trip. We trimmed ~40 fruit trees and removed the buckets. I hope the bucket (wasp nest) removal helps deter the bears, almost every cage had some damage. It wasn’t all work, we both enjoyed the weekend!

Plots are lip level.

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I had to remove the central leader from this tree, it had the most significant bear damage.

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This is the first time any of these trees have been trimmed, all planted in 2018 or 2019.

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Hoping to make it back soon!


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Last weekend we returned for another work trip. I finally got around to cleaning out my chestnut tree cages. Some of you may remember these were planted in 2017 just a few months after we purchased the property. They’re Walmart Dunstans my dad was able to pick up on sale.

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We cleaned out the cages, removed buckets, and trimmed back the brush. These trees are on the edge of a logging road in a ~7 year old clear cut.

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We got our mineral sites topped off.

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Cleared deadfall’s off a road that drops down a hill from or largest food plot into bedding.

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A deer bed with a view.

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Evening pano from the west side of our property.

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We enjoyed a few breaks too.

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Signs of spring, these ramps were starting to push.

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We just returned from a family trip to our property. The main goal was to take advantage of the NC delayed harvest trout water opener for the kids, it was a successful fishing adventure.

I broadcast 100 pounds of buckwheat into two of my fall plots. These plots are pretty clean and I’m curious if the additional BW might help keep the summer annual weeds down and add some attraction. Right now vetch is king but it usually peters out mid summer.

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I flattened about 1/4 of this plot with my ATV just to see if it made a difference (positive or negative) with the BW. No herbicide this time.

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Smooth hawksbeard is really doing a good job of outcompeting my planted crops in one of my plots. I may ask a neighbor to till (first time) this year after a burn it down in August or September.

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I moved my “turd in the punch bowl” scrape tree to a spot that offers a good shot opportunity. Hopefully they’ll like it here, it was very popular just 40 yards away.

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This small crab is loaded two years in a row. To pinch or not to pinch….

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Vetch is on fire.

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2017 Walmart Dunstan’s showing promise.

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Bears are jerks, another camera bites the dust.

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That’s all for now.


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