Upstate Obsession

With the first only a handful of days away I hope you are up to getting out there and connecting with that bruiser.
 
Place looks great ,Elk. Good selection of bucks for you this year. I agree with you on the hinge cuts. Good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Beautiful place you got! Hope you're able to get out there with the bow and chase some of those nice bucks you got.
 
image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg Thanks for the kind words gents. Doing all I can to heal. This buck is motivating me to try to get out next week. This bear is making regular appearances in the same plot (this is from a plot watcher hence the poor resolution). Interesting this mature buck still hasn't rubbed.
 
Last edited:
image.jpeg With the drought we've faced, newly planted grain/clover/chicory plots have really started slow. Compared to past years, I'd have expected growth to be 3x as much as it is (this plot is 3 weeks old). Part of my concern is we had a hard frost last night which will slow growth when growth is already way behind. Any thoughts? The good news is the deer are hammering the young oats.
 
image.jpeg image.jpeg Thought I'd provide an update on some of the plots. These rutabagas and Winfred brassicas were planted the end of July. They are now knee to nearly waist high in places. Deer are hammering them (much earlier than LC's mix last year). They're also bedding in them. Rutabagas are baseball to softball in size which is ok considering they should have been planted much earlier. If the bulbs get eaten, I will have found a go to brassica mix. I have noticed more insect damage this year (you can see it in the pic with the hat).
 
Last edited:
image.jpeg The grain/clover on the right was planted a month ago. It should be 3 times thick/high. In the damp spots, the clover has started to come in nicely. The plot on the left is brassica mix that has been struggling to keep up with a heavy grass infestation. PTT are racquet ball sized notwithstanding the limited top growth. They were planted first week of August.
 
Last edited:
image.jpeg Notwithstanding the stunted growth, the deer are hammering the mix. I'm hoping all the moisture forecast for later in the week helps revitalize them.
 
Last edited:
image.jpeg Any fungi experts on the site? I came across these in a dark stand of hemlocks. Do they provide any benefit to deer? Enjoyed the color.
 
Those look like spent chicken of the woods. When ripe and ready, should be orange and soft. Don't think deer eat them, but they make a fantastic meal for a jackpine savage any day.
 
View attachment 3421 View attachment 3420 View attachment 3419 Thanks for the kind words gents. Doing all I can to heal. This buck is motivating me to try to get out next week. This bear is making regular appearances in the same plot (this is from a plot watcher hence the poor resolution). Interesting this mature buck still hasn't rubbed.
How can you tell the buck has not rubbed?

Hope you get the rain you need. We missed our last chance for the next 10 days yesterday...
 
Those plots should fill in a hurry if you can get some rain. Sounds like a lot of us are looking for some showers. Hope you are able to get out there after those bucks. They look nice.
 
Hoping you and many of us that need it get rain in the next 10 to 15 days. Planted today with decent chance of rain tomorrow.
 
IMG_0072.JPG Had a friend come out for the opener to help with doe management. He had 14 deer come into our new mountain plot. All the does had twins--he was hoping to find a dry doe. Last night, he insisted we sit together in a blind (I'm not comfortable climbing stands yet). Our number 5 buck came and fed in front of us for 15 minutes. It was great to get out and is therapeutic. Here's the buck that came in--he rubbed this week (no hard horn photos yet).
 
IMAG0480.JPG IMG_0202.JPG For comparison, this is our number one buck. Same frame but a year or two older and 50+ lbs heavier.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top