Food Plot Progress October 18, 2011

Ten days post planting, and some gentle rain since has gotten things rolling on the small plot planted on the 8th. Rye and peas are up, plus some rape and turnips. Looks pretty good, although I'd like it better if the leaves hadn't fallen in the interim...probably didn't help with germination rates.

Food Plot Panting Part Two October 11, 2011

We worked ahead of the rain today to finish planting; this time the bigger food plot. Another bag of Pennington seed, then over-seeded with five pounds of inoculated turnip seed, along with lime and 10-10-10 fertilizer. We'll see how she does.

The six foot tiller on the Kioti prepares a really smooth seed bed. Metering the seed was difficult with the yellow seeder on the John Deere. Turnips, rape, and clover are tiny, winter grasses are bigger, and the cowpeas are very big. Spreading this seed with any shot at even coverage was an excercise in futility. We finally settled on a setting of "7" for fertilizer and "8" for the seed. Next year, I think we'll make a small seed pass and a peas pass if we're still broadcast planting.

A quick drag with the small chain harrow behind the mule, and we're done. On these small plots, this rig is a whole lot easier to drag with than a tractor with the big harrow. Wish we had a cultipacker though. The rain started as I dragged the plot, and kept up nice and gentle all night. Some seed had sprouted within 3 days.

Food Plot Planting October 8, 2011

I was late getting fall plots in, just as I'm late posting up these notes. This is a small, secret spot. Managed to turn the tractor enough to till it, but planted the plot by hand, with a push spreader.

1 bag of Pennington Buckmaster's Feeding Frenzy, two of 10-10-10, and some lime. October is at least two weeks too late, but we'll see. This mix includes rye, wheat, oats, austrian winter peas, red clover, radishes and turnips..

October Trailcam Photos

Completely missed early ducks this year. Work killed three days, and then realized too late last night I hadn't picked up my duck stamp yet. Oh, well. Some days chickens, other days feathers. Let's try making up for it with some trail cam pics.

Lots of doe action...few bucks

These guys visit this spot almost every morning

This one turned out to be a nice surprise

Another coon came by 10 minutes earlier

Still in Velvet

Checked the game camera today. Guess I know where I'll set up opening day. Don't ask...I could tell you where, but then I'd have to kill you...

November 20, 2009

As if the events of the first few weeks of November weren't enough, I lost my job of sixteen years on the 12th. There are no excuses, however, for ditching the outdoors. I spent many hours quietly still hunting our woods Beyond Bibbs Store. The leaves were still crisp, and rustled all around in the breeze and underfoot making the woods pretty noisy until late afternoon when the wind died and nap time called. I took this shot with my phone camera as I lay down to doze in a leaf pile by an old log in the late afternoon November 20.

Naptime by an old log--Benelli Nova

Muzzle Opener

Saturday, November 1

Put the tree stand out Friday afternoon just off the pasture. Climbed up Saturday morning and sat for a few hours with the Hawken. Must've seen a gazillion squirrels...the freshly fallen leaves made for a veritable cacophony of hopping rodents. Didn't see any deer..since it was getting pretty warm by about 9, I quit and headed to the house. Watched the Hoos drop one to Miami in OT.