The Brushpile
- Thread starter Brushpile
- Start date
Just prior to deer season Elkie was dragging me along, and was 100% on blood trails.
However, when deer season started Elkie's tracks had been followed many times over by hunters, their friends and family pets, which dispersed scent all over the woods. On several tracks Elkie tracked back to the hunter's car, because the hunter had blood on the soles of his boots. Deer hunters made following scent difficult, because they scatter it all over the woods, creating a maze.
However, when deer season started Elkie's tracks had been followed many times over by hunters, their friends and family pets, which dispersed scent all over the woods. On several tracks Elkie tracked back to the hunter's car, because the hunter had blood on the soles of his boots. Deer hunters made following scent difficult, because they scatter it all over the woods, creating a maze.
This pic has an interesting story behind it. This young mother had her infant with her in her tree stand. She and the toddler were having fun talking and opening candy with crackly wrappers when this buck walked up and posed for a shot! The bow was only about 45 pounds, so there wasn't much penetration, and the buck was recovered with the arrow still in it.
This buck is also an interesting story. The hunter and his wife searched for this buck the night it was shot and until late morning the following day. When I met the hunter, he figured the buck was still alive and back to chasing does, but he wanted to be sure and he wanted to see the dog work. I asked the hunter where he thought he hit the buck, and he said he aimed right behind the shoulder with a 5.56mm/.223 AR15. When we arrived to the sight I had the hunter and his wife mark blood with orange flagging tape while Elkie and I proceeded to track, and about 300 yards from where it was shot laid the buck.
We couldn't find a wound until the buck was dressed out, because a 5.56MM/.223 makes a tiny little hole, and that tiny little hole went through the center of the heart!
Both this track and the fore mentioned track took Elkie 2-3 minutes.
We couldn't find a wound until the buck was dressed out, because a 5.56MM/.223 makes a tiny little hole, and that tiny little hole went through the center of the heart!
Both this track and the fore mentioned track took Elkie 2-3 minutes.
Elkie's tracking season ended with a Booner, that I'm told, scored 220!!! Those who know me, know that I'll go to extremes and have stubborn determination. So when I got a call about a monster buck shot in Kansas, 300 miles away.... I took the call! The hunter told me that the buck was gut shot with a .308, and dropped, but got back up. I knew a gut shot would be an easy track for Elkie to follow. By the time I drove 300 miles and Elkie arrived at the sight, light was beginning to fade, so I put Elkie right to work, but the hunter insisted the buck didn't go where Elkie was tracking, so Elkie was directed in other directions, and Elkie will find a deer to follow, so we followed healthy deer until dark.
At dark the hunter was talking of giving up, when I told him that I'd come 300 miles and I wasn't giving up until we found his buck. I also said that after dark the only option was to follow behind Elkie and let her go where she wants to go. Elkie went right where she wanted to go in the first place. We tracked into a wild plum thicket and Elkie stopped at a hump on the ground. With my flashlight I could see that the lump had hair!!! The hunter was in disbelief, and he's since called me to find out where he can get a dog like Elkie.
At dark the hunter was talking of giving up, when I told him that I'd come 300 miles and I wasn't giving up until we found his buck. I also said that after dark the only option was to follow behind Elkie and let her go where she wants to go. Elkie went right where she wanted to go in the first place. We tracked into a wild plum thicket and Elkie stopped at a hump on the ground. With my flashlight I could see that the lump had hair!!! The hunter was in disbelief, and he's since called me to find out where he can get a dog like Elkie.
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This is a Concordia Oak. Concordia Oak is a rare triple cross between a Swamp White Oak, Chinkapin Oak and Dwarf Chinkapin Oak. All three of those oaks produce acorns at an early age. Concordia Oaks were discovered in Concordia, MO and were sold as bare root seedlings by the MDC.
dogdoc
Well-Known Member
True to form, my little Concordia Oaks have produced acorns for last 2-3 years.
Have you grown any of these oaks from acorns or all just seedlings?
Jason Broom
Well-Known Member
This thread is like walking into your local watering hole and ordering up your favorite drink. Ahhhhh!
wbpdeer
Well-Known Member
Brush,
I just learned from you, as did others, why we need Concordia Oak on our farm. Additionally, you told me where I can get it - at MDC.
Then you share that letemgrow helped you with this tree. As you know, time matters more each decade in life we add on - I will get this fast producing tree on my farm. Thanks to you and letemgrow.
This is just another example why your Brushpile thread had the most views on the old place.
I just learned from you, as did others, why we need Concordia Oak on our farm. Additionally, you told me where I can get it - at MDC.
Then you share that letemgrow helped you with this tree. As you know, time matters more each decade in life we add on - I will get this fast producing tree on my farm. Thanks to you and letemgrow.
This is just another example why your Brushpile thread had the most views on the old place.
lakngolf
Well-Known Member
As I was growing up my Dad had different areas cleared of timber and a dozer would pile up all the stumps, limbs, leaves, and such and would put it in a "Brushpile". There was no telling what you would find there. That was my thought when I first read this thread over on qdma. I have not been disappointed. Keep it up, Brush, we enjoy riding along
Thanks for the kind words, and I'm happy that we've remained together; this is a super group of people!
Naming my post "The Brushpile", was a play on words. I've hunted and observed deer throughout their range from Wisconsin and Iowa to Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama, and of course Missouri! I've even seen White-tailed deer in GITMO, Cuba! On the Xerox Corporation Facility in Leesburg, VA I saw deer that made daily trips to the cafeteria to be hand fed apples and carrots, totally unafraid of man, because they lived inside a sanctuary where they were never hunted. However, from my observation most deer are heavily pressured and seek seclusion in brushy cover. So when I began planting The Brushpile, I tried lots of bushes and shrubs, to include: Silky Dogwood, Roughleafed Dogwood, Flowering Dogwood, Red Osier Dogwood, Grey Dogwood, Fragrant Sumac, Blackberry, Black Raspberry, Ninebark, Golden Current, Chokeberry, Choke Cherry, Schubert Choke Cherry, False Indigo, Wild Plum, Mexican Plum, Crabapple, Elderberry, Nannyberry, Highbush Cranberry, Serviceberry, Alleghany Chinkapin, Sequin, Dwarf Chinkapin Oak and many others. My intent was to create thick brushy cover and browse, though browse was secondary in my location but is essential in Northern climates.
In this thread I'll discuss... BRUSH, and much more.
Habitat work is fun!
Naming my post "The Brushpile", was a play on words. I've hunted and observed deer throughout their range from Wisconsin and Iowa to Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama, and of course Missouri! I've even seen White-tailed deer in GITMO, Cuba! On the Xerox Corporation Facility in Leesburg, VA I saw deer that made daily trips to the cafeteria to be hand fed apples and carrots, totally unafraid of man, because they lived inside a sanctuary where they were never hunted. However, from my observation most deer are heavily pressured and seek seclusion in brushy cover. So when I began planting The Brushpile, I tried lots of bushes and shrubs, to include: Silky Dogwood, Roughleafed Dogwood, Flowering Dogwood, Red Osier Dogwood, Grey Dogwood, Fragrant Sumac, Blackberry, Black Raspberry, Ninebark, Golden Current, Chokeberry, Choke Cherry, Schubert Choke Cherry, False Indigo, Wild Plum, Mexican Plum, Crabapple, Elderberry, Nannyberry, Highbush Cranberry, Serviceberry, Alleghany Chinkapin, Sequin, Dwarf Chinkapin Oak and many others. My intent was to create thick brushy cover and browse, though browse was secondary in my location but is essential in Northern climates.
In this thread I'll discuss... BRUSH, and much more.
Habitat work is fun!
Jason Broom
Well-Known Member
Hopefully some relief from the very high heat in another couple of days.
The Concordia Oak I posted above is part Chinkapin Oak, which produces the best tasting acorn, and makes a good snack in the field. Some, but not all of my Chinkapin Oaks produce acorns in three years. Chinkapin Oak acorns are the first acorns to drop in Missouri, and where there are Chinkapin acorns there will be turkey and deer. However, everything eats Chinkapin Oak acorns to include flocks of blackbirds, so the acorns don't last long on the ground.
Chinkapin Oak is drought tolerant, and grows in poor rocky soil. This is a Chinkapin Oak that I planted about 3 years ago as a bare root seedling from the MDC.
Chinkapin Oak is drought tolerant, and grows in poor rocky soil. This is a Chinkapin Oak that I planted about 3 years ago as a bare root seedling from the MDC.
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