The Massey

[white cloud]

Our land is in timber so the forester wanted to spray to kill off the deciduous trees. We decided that wasn't what we wanted. I am happy with our choice.

I am having trouble with posting pictures today.

 

[George]

That looks like a good deer hunting spot KSQ2.

G

 

[KSQ2]

That looks like a good deer hunting spot KSQ2.

G

Thanks George! We have a few good ones running around usually. They flock to our place in the summer, it’s not uncommon to see 25 bucks of an evening. Unfortunately, most of them are long gone by season; but again, a few of them hang around.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Here's a few pics I took last night around our house, it's located 13 miles away from the Massey.

We've had trouble the past year or so with water getting over our drive (we basically live in a ditch). I hired a buddy to bring his mini-excavator over and dig the ditch out. He dumped the dirt/mud over on the other side of the drive, so I got the job of hauling back behind the old barn.
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For you tractor guys. It's not a Massey, MennoniteMan

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Thanks to you guys, I now know what a female persimmon tree bloom looks like, this was good timing because this is the first year for blooms on our place. We have lot of native persimmons popping up all over the last few years.

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These are the only 2 bearing females I've found, but more are popping up around them. I might try pulling off of these next spring to graft on to some of the male trees around.

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Louie loves riding around in the cart behind the house. We have an underground fence, even when he's not collared, the only time he'll leave the yard is in the truck or the cart.

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This is the bee plot on the backside of our place. On the left is established alice, ladino, and red clover. I broadcast some rye and wheat into it last fall just for kicks. After some reading on here, I'll be doing more of that kind of thing in the future. On the right is clover, wheat, oats, and rye, planted last fall. Catscratch turned me on to awnless wheat and all I can say is I'm a fan!

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A few deer hit this plot this time of year, mainly after dark. They hit it very hard all winter. The main reason we have it back there though is for our other pets. We raise a few bees; the hive is small right now because I lost them this early spring, and had to order a new package of bees. I believe they absconded because of varroa mites; we're still beginners at bees and have only harvested honey one year. I'm having to learn a lot more after the hive took their honey and ran; the learning curve is intimidating. We should be adding another deep hive body in about a month; I'm prepping it now.

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Here's a look at our place from the bee plot. This was all pretty much hay meadow when we bought the place. We've planted a variety of fruit trees, dcos, sawtooth oaks, American plums, chestnut trees, and some other shrubs for pollen production. It's a work in progress, I'd like very much to be able to deer hunt on the backside of our place one day, but that's still a ways off. We do have one deer story I'll share sometime that took place basically in our back yard the first year we lived here; but it seems it was a fluke.

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Lastly, here's the biggest persimmon we have on the place, it too just bloomed this year; unfortunately, it's a male tree. Since it's in the yard and the Mrs likes it, it probably won't be one chosen for grafting. It's about 16' tall.

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I love the tractor. I was practically raised on a 784 International, basically the same tractor, so I have a soft spot in my heart for red tractors.
If you have so many deer on the massey in summer, but not in hunting season, what could you do better to hold them there? Thicker cover, food, switchgrass, etc?

 

[KSQ2]

I love the tractor. I was practically raised on a 784 International, basically the same tractor, so I have a soft spot in my heart for red tractors.
If you have so many deer on the massey in summer, but not in hunting season, what could you do better to hold them there? Thicker cover, food, switchgrass, etc?

We have been improving the cover every year and it has helped greatly, but it’s a little bit of a unique situation. There is some big country to the west of us. Blackjack oak ridges with vast warm season rangeland. Several thousand acres of it receives little to no pressure. Our property is located in a lowland area dominated by about 600 acres of crop ground. Many of the mature bucks summer down on and near us and then head back west soon after velvet sheds. I know a couple hunters west of me and have seen fall/winter pics of bucks we have on us all summer. I’m not complaining, we have some bucks that show up on us in the fall too, just more leave than show up. Like I said, it’s getting a little bit better each year.

 

[KSQ2]

I went to the Massey barn this evening and enjoyed the cooler spring-like (it’s too early to say fall-like, right?) temperature. I saw at least 11 deer, the majority being does. One thing really intrigued me. The 1/3 acre in the plot area I mowed last week; the part that looked like nothing much was growing in; attracted 5 of the does. They trotted right through the lush white clover to the mowed area and puts their heads down and grazed. Maybe some of the berseem clover/oats made it? Maybe deer just like fertilized ground? I’ve often wondered if you could make a deer plot by just fertilizing what’s already naturally there. I learned from our first farm years ago, that deer vastly preferred fertilized wheat over unfertilized. They wouldn’t touch the stuff that hadn’t had any urea.

 

[KSQ2]

The farmer to the north harvested wheat last week and we wanted to get a stand up for the girls for youth season, before he got the beans in. So that was our outdoor chore for the day. I usually don’t set stands until August. Addison helped out, which is good because this will be her stand primarily. The shots will be a little too far for Audrey right now.
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[KSQ2]

Kind of interesting, I uploaded the above post with the app. I pinned two pictures; the app forum has one picture and the web forum has the other. Lol, I guess I’ll just upload one pic at a time from here on out. This was really just a test to see if I can upload pics from the stand next fall with the app. Looks like it might work, very cool feature!

 

[KSQ2]

The other picture...




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[KSQ2]

For Father's Day the girls took me to Casey's to pick up a pizza yesterday evening, then we went out to the Massey barn to do some deer watching. We didn't see a lot, a couple bucks and 3 does; we were hoping to see a fawn or two. The deer just don't have to come out into the open, there is plenty to eat while still being in the thick stuff; also, as I've mentioned already, we don't have beans to draw them out this year. It was still a great time -- pizza, root beer, and deer!

Though you can't see it, there was a doe near the tree line in this pic.

 

[KSQ2]

Headed out in Puffs (our old motorhome, so-named because it looks like a Kleenex box coming down the road) tomorrow for a little local camping and fishing. Most years we head to CO in Puffs pulling a jeep, but no big trips this summer. So, we're trying to take quite a few trips to various lakes within an hours drive or so. It's not CO, but it's still nice to get out a relax every few weeks. My brother-in-law has an old catfish boat so we set jug lines (legal in OK) and pole fish at night some. We also swim and eat real good!

 

[KSQ2]

Put the brush hog on the tractor to knock down some young maples in the small pasture by the house this evening. Afterward I went back to the bee plot to mow down some blackberry briars for easier spraying next fall. This is the first year we’ve let the wr and ww go back there, per advice in here. The red and white clover looks great coming up through the now mature cereal grain; and to top it off I jumped a really nice young buck out of the plot. He wasn’t too spooked from the tractor and he almost gave me time to get a pic of him at the fenceline before he trotted off. I’ve NEVER run a bedded deer out of the plot back there before. I believe I’m even more of a fan of letting the cereal grain go to maturity now! Thanks guys!

 

[KSQ2]

Headed over to the Massey and got a couple cameras hung this afternoon. Here’s a look at the back plot. I hadn’t been in there since March. The plot looks pretty good, last spring it was flooded out and I had to redo it last September. This year it looks like it might not need as much attention to get it ready for season. I jumped a couple does out of it when I rode up. Here’s a few pics:
Had to knock some of the stubble down a little for the camera.



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[KSQ2]

I’m a fan of the HME brackets, I like their adjustability. You do have to make sure the big wingnut is very tight though, I’ve had hawks and owls flip cameras over before and some of them aren’t very waterproof when upside down!



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[KSQ2]

There were beds all over the plot



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[KSQ2]

Here’s the double ladder over the plot. We really don’t hunt it much. I’d much rather be in the thicker stuff about a hundred yards away.



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[KSQ2]

Louie was thankful for the creek to cool off in...



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[KSQ2]

The first trail cam pic of the summer. This is in the bee plot behind the house. I don’t think this is the young buck I kicked out of the plot a week or so ago. The other cameras will set a while before we check them. I’m hoping to get two more set tomorrow.

 

[KSQ2]

I’m REALLY excited about these two native persimmons behind the house! Both trees are loaded and this is their first year to produce. I just wish more of the others were females.



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[KSQ2]

Also set up two more cameras this evening. They are in pretty easy to access areas, so I should be able to check them a little more often. The last camera is set where Dawna and Addison shot their bucks last year. It will be interesting to see if any new mature bucks move into the area this fall.