Recreating a Deer Woods
- Thread starter Chainsaw
- Start date
shedder
Active Member
Didn't look but likely.
Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
Hope lots of you had a great spring day. There were no solid signs of spring here but there were signs that winter was fading a bit. The morning started off with a short but welcome sunrise and flirted with us throughout the day and deer were bedded out front under the double pines from sunrise until about 8:30 am.
And then by the time coffee was ready turkeys made their appearance with the very first struts of the year.
And while the turkeys were displaying their plumage a lone deer visited the apple tree down below which still has an apple or two hanging on.
And then a deer bedded where Model often beds *(no antlers so we can’t ID him)
And two more came and bedded within view and seemed to enjoy the high of 41 degrees. It was so nice to go outside in a tee shirt again after wearing sweatshirts and jackets all winter!
And then a threesome came out into the driveway.
And how healthy they look up close.
Then a deer bedded in my daylily garden somehow getting past the double e-fence; this happens this time of year but it usually doesn’t last. We will put peanut butter on the hot wire tomorrow to be sure he gets the message.
And then as an end to a perfect day while we were having dinner in the sunroom with our farmer friend, 32 deer fed in the Triticale field below us. This picture shows just half of the deer in the field; it was quite a spectacular sight and we all kept watching them until darkness over took the scene.
and while we were watching enjoying an after dinner drink, a lone deer walked by our window so we took his picture as well.
So signs of spring-no, but winter is awinding down for sure. And it was a great day with thirty plus turkey sightings and 75 or so deer sightings without going as far as the road. Hope everyone else had a wonderful day as well. To think that only a few days ago we had 17 inches of fresh snow; The strong sun this time of year melts the snow quickly. I hope the guys south of us are seeing some melting. I have heard that they had three plus feet the other day.
life is good!
Thanks for the book reports Shedder, I'll be sure to check out the Jacobsen book right away. It sounds like a fun one.
And then by the time coffee was ready turkeys made their appearance with the very first struts of the year.
And while the turkeys were displaying their plumage a lone deer visited the apple tree down below which still has an apple or two hanging on.
And then a deer bedded where Model often beds *(no antlers so we can’t ID him)
And two more came and bedded within view and seemed to enjoy the high of 41 degrees. It was so nice to go outside in a tee shirt again after wearing sweatshirts and jackets all winter!
And then a threesome came out into the driveway.
And how healthy they look up close.
Then a deer bedded in my daylily garden somehow getting past the double e-fence; this happens this time of year but it usually doesn’t last. We will put peanut butter on the hot wire tomorrow to be sure he gets the message.
And then as an end to a perfect day while we were having dinner in the sunroom with our farmer friend, 32 deer fed in the Triticale field below us. This picture shows just half of the deer in the field; it was quite a spectacular sight and we all kept watching them until darkness over took the scene.
and while we were watching enjoying an after dinner drink, a lone deer walked by our window so we took his picture as well.
So signs of spring-no, but winter is awinding down for sure. And it was a great day with thirty plus turkey sightings and 75 or so deer sightings without going as far as the road. Hope everyone else had a wonderful day as well. To think that only a few days ago we had 17 inches of fresh snow; The strong sun this time of year melts the snow quickly. I hope the guys south of us are seeing some melting. I have heard that they had three plus feet the other day.
life is good!
Thanks for the book reports Shedder, I'll be sure to check out the Jacobsen book right away. It sounds like a fun one.
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Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
Just saw this today Jeremy, on the NDA newletter. Evidently a bill for increasing the APR areas has been submitted..
https://nationaldeeralliance.com/editorial/new-york-senator-introduces-antler-restriction-bill
Chummer
Active Member
Those deer look great Dave. Don't send them up the Hill yet, we still have 2' in the woods. Starting to thin in the field and around the edges. We had 2'+ down here last week and it has been way to cold for March. I am hoping to get up to release those apple trees we marked next weekend. Next week looks a little warmer.
Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys, we are pretty happy to see the deer in such great shape on this date.
I thought those of you enjoying the warmer temperatures in different parts of the country might get a chuckle of what we are "enjoying" here. These pictures show a days worth of wood for our outside furnace. This was for a fifteen degree type day two days ago. The 16 pieces of 32 inch long wood lasted exactly 22 hours. It kept the 3,712 sq. ft. barn nice and toasty warm and the 385 gallons of water in the furnace at 165 degrees.
As you can see in the next pic. the wood doesn't even fill the firebox halfway; actually the furnace would hold about triple this amount but it is only filled to maximum when the temps hit minus twenty or more which isn't very often thankfully. If we did put in double this amount and the temperature stayed 15 degrees with zero wind it would likely not need refilling for 44 hours or more.
Today the temps will be thirty to forty degrees so even less wood will be used. Hopefully we will have the furnace running only another five or six weeks.
I'd really like to remove the plow from the truck now but we still may need it for one or two more storms.
I thought those of you enjoying the warmer temperatures in different parts of the country might get a chuckle of what we are "enjoying" here. These pictures show a days worth of wood for our outside furnace. This was for a fifteen degree type day two days ago. The 16 pieces of 32 inch long wood lasted exactly 22 hours. It kept the 3,712 sq. ft. barn nice and toasty warm and the 385 gallons of water in the furnace at 165 degrees.
As you can see in the next pic. the wood doesn't even fill the firebox halfway; actually the furnace would hold about triple this amount but it is only filled to maximum when the temps hit minus twenty or more which isn't very often thankfully. If we did put in double this amount and the temperature stayed 15 degrees with zero wind it would likely not need refilling for 44 hours or more.
Today the temps will be thirty to forty degrees so even less wood will be used. Hopefully we will have the furnace running only another five or six weeks.I'd really like to remove the plow from the truck now but we still may need it for one or two more storms.
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Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
It never ceases to amaze me how attuned to growing things some people are. Our farmer friend that plants our tillable acres that we do not food plot in has rye, triticale and barley which he planted middle to late August. Two days ago at the beginning of a warm spell (40 degrees) driving on snow scattered frozen ground he fertilized the five fields with a light dose of Urea. He left minimal tire tracks and of course minimal ground compaction. Today the snow is gone, the ground surface is thawed and showers are forecast--PERFECT TIMING.
If he had waited until thaw the fields would look like a logging skidder had been thru them a hundred times. The water table here being 1 to 3 feet down this time of year makes it tough to get on the fields early enough to fertilize the grains when they need it. Of course too early and he risked a possible fast thaw washing the fertilizer away.
He and I are quite anxious to see the growth of the field used so heavily by the deer. The field that 10 to 32 deer have fed in mostly daily since early January is surprisingly soil map wise our worst field. It is classified as GMAC. We don't know if all of that heavy browsing will have a negative effect on yield or not but we shall see come mid July.
It makes me laugh; after owning this land for close to thirty years we are still learning about it!
If he had waited until thaw the fields would look like a logging skidder had been thru them a hundred times. The water table here being 1 to 3 feet down this time of year makes it tough to get on the fields early enough to fertilize the grains when they need it. Of course too early and he risked a possible fast thaw washing the fertilizer away.
He and I are quite anxious to see the growth of the field used so heavily by the deer. The field that 10 to 32 deer have fed in mostly daily since early January is surprisingly soil map wise our worst field. It is classified as GMAC. We don't know if all of that heavy browsing will have a negative effect on yield or not but we shall see come mid July.
It makes me laugh; after owning this land for close to thirty years we are still learning about it!
Weasel
Well-Known Member
That is one of the reasons you are so successful Chain, you constantly have your finger on the pulse of your land with a mind open for learning.
That is one seriously efficient wood stove!
We had a very mild winter at the Double A in NE Ohio. I have never gotten so much work done this early. Down side is my buddy had a tick crawling on him on Sunday. I've never seen one at the Double A.
That is one seriously efficient wood stove!
We had a very mild winter at the Double A in NE Ohio. I have never gotten so much work done this early. Down side is my buddy had a tick crawling on him on Sunday. I've never seen one at the Double A.
Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
Yes the winters are cold. Without the furnace we'd have the heat set at 60. As it is we normally just wear t-shirts in the house. We keep it very comfortable in the seventy range. If we were buying oil it would be a different game. Its really pretty easy here. I have been to Chummers area which is just ten air miles or less away and have walked on three ft. of packed snow in April. The temperatures though are something everyone simply gets used to. I've seen guys in T-shirts in ten to twenty degrees with a spring sun out. Me I wear a coat and hat but ten degrees in the spring is just a beautiful day if the sun is out and the wind is calm.
If we don't get hurt, burning wood is a wonderful thing. It gives us lots of exercise. Ie; to load the stove with twenty pieces of 32 inch wood. takes twenty walks to the end of the wood pile and back and then to the stove 20 times fifty feet or 1/5 of a mile. That's no big deal but it is something. Add in snow up to your hips and it gets interesting. And then if there is a whiteout with the rope tied to your waist so you can find your way back to the barn is a bit of a drag. Filling the stove on a tough day is a real accomplishment. Luckily most days aren't that tough.
Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
Thank you for your kind thoughts Weasel. On the stove, yes no doubt about it, it is unreal the heat it gets out of a stack of wood. The real test though is yet to come;ie; is it cost efficient? The furnace cost $6900 in 2006 and maintenance and repairs have been around $200. To date we are in for $7,100 for 11 years so far. Its getting close to very cost efficient at that but we'll see what the next five years brings before any conclusion can be reached.
On the ticks we have noticed the same thing. No ticks for the first 18 years here but four to six a year since. They evidently are acclimating to all areas as time goes by.
farmhunter
Well-Known Member
Those wood stoves have made a big difference for a lot of people I know. Enjoying your updates - have you found any sheds yet?
Oh I found your post - good luck matching some of them up!
Oh I found your post - good luck matching some of them up!
farmhunter
Well-Known Member
Some years the deer yard up on ours like that as well. We are in the southern zone south and east of syracuse in the hills and we probably only get 150" of snow most years. But in those years when its worse and yarding occurs - we couldn't possibly feed them all. They come from all over - The hemlock woods on our property offers thermal cover. You'll remember a couple winters ago FEB was ridiculous - we lost a lot of fawns that winter - and we had a lot of transient deer that winter as well, I found sheds from bucks I'd never seen before. Most years, I know all the bucks I find sheds of. Most years we leave about 8 acres of corn and beans and always some turnips as well. Rarely is it not all gone by March, Your deer look to be in great shape - I think that mid winter break like we had this year makes a big difference, -
Also reading back on your post -we have apple trees just like you - a lot. Some of them are very old, I have letters from my Great Great Grandmother talking about some of these apple trees in the late 1800s - Im pretty sure that some of the ones she mentions in the letters, are still there today around that old foundation. Others are much younger - and like you - many are getting swallowed up as the woods age. What used to be pasture is now mature woodlots. I think you've inspired me to release a few trees this Sunday! When the spring blossoms come I'l take pictures to add to my Property Tour as well.
Also reading back on your post -we have apple trees just like you - a lot. Some of them are very old, I have letters from my Great Great Grandmother talking about some of these apple trees in the late 1800s - Im pretty sure that some of the ones she mentions in the letters, are still there today around that old foundation. Others are much younger - and like you - many are getting swallowed up as the woods age. What used to be pasture is now mature woodlots. I think you've inspired me to release a few trees this Sunday! When the spring blossoms come I'l take pictures to add to my Property Tour as well.
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Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
Farmhunter, there is no doubt that we and the deer lucked out with the easy winter. Due to the near drought conditions in the summer I did not get my winter food plots planted at the correct time and the result was way less food in the winter plots. Luckily the woods are producing more and more browse and the winter was easy for them besides. Eight acres of corn and beans is a lot of winter feed;There is no doubt you are kicking in your share PLUS to help the neighborhood. Wish you were near me.
That's really special having apple trees dating back to your great, great grandmother. That calls for not only releasing them but mulching and maybe even putting lightning rods in them to protect them from the storms. I look forward to seeing some of your spring apple tree bloom pictures this spring.
Here are some apple tree releasing thoughts of mine that Steve B posted on his facebook page in two parts. There is nothing revolutionary in it but you might find something in it interesting related to apple tree release. Here is the link to part two; https://www.facebook.com/steve.bartylla/posts/755155691333028
Part one was the week before two but not being very facebook savvy I couldn't find it to link to it.
So yes Farmhunter, release as many apple trees as you can. Most every wild apple tree out there is capable of producing hundreds of pounds of apples annually; they just plain need sunlight and space. Thousands of lbs of apples will add nicely to your planted plots. Stay safe.
Chainsaw
Well-Known Member
Your Dad was right Lak. And further having a pile of split wood ready for winter is just plain a beautiful thing. Couple that with a freezer full of venison and the taxes paid and we are good for the year.
Buckly
Well-Known Member
In 41 years here, this is the very first year I have seen a deer tick on a deer I harvested. It really surprised me but, I attribute it to the last few mild winters although there could very well be other reasons. You'd think those couple of brutal winters in a row a few years back would have wiped every thing out.
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