River Ranch Project

Need to compare notes on crappie at Cedar Bluff. Never fished it and just bought a boat last year. Really want to try that soon. I've heard that the deer hunting out that way is very good too. Here is to good rain for all of us this year though. My baby oaks will need all the help they can get.
 


Got a total of 38 Chinkapin and Sawtooth planted. Pretty hard digging really since the pasture grass is well established and root systems are extensive. Did 25 tubes and 13 cages with fabric. Give these a year and see which works best on our place. Going to be back for turkey season and will try to water them about monthly. Not as much as I'd like but hoping for some rain. At this point, its really dry out in western KS.

Worst case I got some exercise with my kids and had a good time. Found 2 more turkeys that were killed and eaten. Probably bobcats getting them but guess it could be coyotes too. Planted 25 willow cuttings along river banks also but thinking those may not last long. Beaver activity picked up again.

Next year going to find spots for 25 Bur oaks.
 
Looks good if they act like they aren't growing there could be hardpan.I had this on some of mine and took my smallest auger on post digger and drilled about 12 inches away from trunk to break ground
 
That Friday night storm was something else. Power lines down, round hay bales sent through fences and tossed across fields, trees down, steel buildings wrecked. I'd left my tent up tucked down along the river and expected it to be gone when I went back Saturday. 2 tent stakes pulled out but it held tight.





Did manage my first turkey gobbler ever, just a jake, but neat to get one on the place this year. The longbeards kept going south of my place but hoping to do more mowing next March or a burn if weather cooperates.

Had a nice sunset Thursday night camping with my daughter. And the little Kubota did great plowing ground that perhaps had never been plowed before. Avoided the cedar stumps and things were going great. In this pic I was using the bucket to knock over high points while dragging across the rows. A bigger tractor and disk would be great but making due with what I had. Lost a seal on the back right tire sadly and repair shop was backed up. So missed opportunity at getting plot fully planted. I got one end smooth and planted milo there. This weeks rain may get it going. The neighbor planted 80 acres in corn on his irrigated field in the time I worked on my food plot lol.

The sandbar willow cuttings had a high success rate. Hoping the river level stays constant until they get established. Deer and beavers may like browsing them and roots should help hold the soil for me in a few spots.

Watered in the oak trees and also transplanted 26 cedars as a start to a windbreak/privacy screening on east side. Good weekend all in all.
 
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Can't get pics to orient correctly. Sorry about that. We've had some nice storms roll through Hays lately. Anytime I camp, we usually get a good one. Guess I need to do that more often. Anyway, the Sawtooth and Chinkapin are up and green. Lost a few but majority looking good. Seeing if cages or tubes will be the way to go on those. My small milo plot is up and looking good. Planted 200 pounds of soybeans and 8 hours later got a 1.5" rain on them. And more since then so maybe they'll sprout for me.

IMG_0018 (1).jpg IMG_0020 (4).jpg IMG_0021 (2).jpg IMG_0024 (1).jpg IMG_0022 (2).jpg Each time I visit the place I find dead turkeys and deer. The coyotes and bobcats are wrecking havoc there. Kind of disappointing for sure.

So much greener there now. My yucca killing and mowing seems to be setting the stage for a native grass win. We'll see as summer progresses. Looks like 20 of the 26 cedars will make it. Will backfill the 6 and start adding to that string either this summer or next spring.

Drew a bighorn sheep tag for August so may not get much else done this summer.
 
Very distracted this summer lol. These things are in my head a lot. Hoping to hit the 80 acres in late July for some work then its up the mountain for a few weeks to try and close this deal. The mountains got steeper since my last sheep tag in 1999. Strange.
 
Kurt said:
A summer full of scouting, hiking, and bow shooting paid off. Got this guy on the second day and now will have time to work on my fall plot and hope the rains finally come to KS.
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Congrats!! Keep praying for rain!
 
Kurt said:
A summer full of scouting, hiking, and bow shooting paid off. Got this guy on the second day and now will have time to work on my fall plot and hope the rains finally come to KS.
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Unbelievable! It’s a bucket list for sure. I have 13 points in utah but I’m under no illusion that I will ever draw. Where did you draw?
 
Kurt said:
S32 second season archery tag here in CO. I think there is a nonresident tag for 1st season that is issued.
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Awesome, so just north of 70 near Idaho springs. I was just out there this weekend and in July. Buddy drew a resident moose tag near steamboat. Went scouting in July with him
 
A couple years ago I won the DU raffle when they raffled the CO moose tag.Shot a 43 inch bull with my ML and the next year drew WY moose.Now my wife can't draw a WY tag with 19 points.Congrats on a great ram
 
This year the rut has really brought some nice mature deer out. Many are broken badly but some are still looking good. Son has had a number of close encounters. See if he can close the deal still.
 
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