Archive through February 13, 2010

[bbowman]

Got bug bit again!
Bobby B.

 

[kweaver]

Walleye are feeding up getting ready to hit the nest in a day or two.
Going tonight to see if I can find the new world record ...

 

[bbowman]

Been huntin' hard for three weeks and finally connected this morning!
Three to four year old gobbler;beard was 11-1/2" long,and spurs were 1-1/8".
Got him to gobble early,but he got henned up.
Went back to him at 9:00 a.m.,got a strike,and worked him for about 30 minutes until he couldn't stand it any longer.
Just goes to show you what all that testosterone will get 'ya!

!

 

[bcarl]

Nice one Bobby!

That's the way to set the bar high for the rest of us. PA season doesn't start until May 1st.

 

[bbowman]

Thanks Bruce!
If I 'member correctly,you took a good bird last year,didn't 'ya?
Good Luck!
Bobby B.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Bobby, nice bird!

I don't get to turkey hunt this spring.

I stopped by the farm on my way home and checked on my food plot, I found a decent shed antler, (for a couple photos of it click here --> SHED ANTLER) about 25 yards out of the food plot, went looking for it's mate and bumped a hen turkey out of the pines. Not sure if she's starting a nest or what,

seems early for nesting, but she sure was hanging tight to that location, I walked to within 15 yards of her, that's when she spooked and I first noticed her. I had my eyes to the ground looking for antlers. She was setting in next to a dead fall. After she walked off calmly, I did the same but in the other direction. Never did find that other antler... The antler I found had the brow tine broke off flush and the G2 was broken off about half way along it's length.

 

[bbowman]

Kraig;

Sorry to hear you won't be able chase birds this spring.Hope it isn't a health issue!
Turkey hunting is my biggest challenge and I will really miss it when I can no longer get after 'em!
The shed looks like a match. Should be a great deer come October!
Bobby B.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Bobby, thankfully my health is fine, more of a time issue. Busy spring schedule this year. I was quite pleased to find that shed antler as the deer have not spent much time on the farm in the winter in recent years, perhaps my food plot has helped hold them closer. I hope to start on a project to further improve the habitat this spring by planting a mixture of trees, oaks, pines, maples, chestnuts and tamaracks and perhaps even put in a much larger food plot. The food plot will have to wait, I don't really want to plow under the alfalfa that's growing there now. I'll wait until that's exhausted itself. The deer eat it anyway so it's already a sort of food plot, just not optimized with the best plants for deer and turkey. Come fall I want to transplant a bunch of the white oak and red oak seedlings, that are popping up all over my yard, out to the farm. If all goes well in a few years I'll have a much better deer and turkey hunting property and I'll more than make up for lost hunting time.

 

[kweaver]

Kraig - Throw in a couple of apple trees while you're at it. Give you and the critters something to snack on. There were 4 apple trees in our yard when we moved here and we had deer all the time. Trees are gone now but the deer still jump the wove wire fence and check to see.

 

[kweaver]

Something to consider in the first aide line ... I just ordered one.

 

[kmcconaughey]

KENtucky, there's no shortage of crab apple trees on the farm. Back in the 1970's we planted a double row of them along one fence line, in recent years they've been seeding themselves around the area. Even found an arrow head while planting them.

I should post this in the food plot section but oh well.

 

[bbowman]

Kraig;

If you can get them and if they'll grow in your zone,I recommend saw-tooth oaks.It's a rapid growth oak that makes acorns in 3-5 years,and it is a favorite of deer and turkey.They can be purchased through most nurseries,and if you can't find any I'll mail you some this fall. Just let me know!
Bobby B.

 

[wshytle]

Kraig-

Have you ever put a mineral block out near your food plot? I've always had good luck with the deer (and many other animals) going to the block. It's not to hunt over as much as the plot itself but it adds a little enticement to the deer. I use to break a piece of the block and then break that piece up to almost granular then just spread it on the ground. The deer will actually eat the dirt to get the minerals.

Are all properties in a rectangle out there? I can see where it would make things a lot simpler as far as posting or just knowing the boundary.

Looking forward to some pics of dead things that stuff a freezer.

 

[jbaker]

KENtucky I wonder if they have a kit like that for beard fires?

 

[kmcconaughey]

Bobby, I checked into the sawtooth oak when you first told me about it. Unfortunately, it's too cold for it to grow up here.

Wayne, putting out a mineral block for deer would be breaking the law in Wisconsin. During the deer season they can be placed as bait. Seeing that we have horses on the farm, I can and do place mineral blocks for them in the barn yard area. The horses are fenced out of the back portion of the farm where the food plot is. If I were to place a mineral block there, it would be hard to explain to a game warden...

Back when we could feed deer, we would place a mineral block and corn out in the yard at the cabin so we could watch the deer come in to eat. We can still do that, but only during the deer hunting season.

Yes, most of the larger properties are rectangular.

 

[wshytle]

That doesn't seem to make much sense; you can put the block out during the season and it's illegal during the off season. I guess that way it would be legal for the hunters and illegal for the poachers (off season). It sounds like you have politician problems in your state like we do in North Carolina. We are allowed to bait all year though.

I forgot about the legallities when I first asked.

 

[wshytle]

Well, my buddy Damon finally had success this morning. He's been hunting this turkey for a couple of years now. He had just finished setting up his blind when the turkey gobbled about twenty yards away in his roost tree. He couldn't believe the gobbler allowed such activity and didn't just fly off. After he gobbled he flew down to the edge of the field. As soon as he hit the ground a hen started clucking and he was off afoot. Damon didn't have time for a bow shot so he shot him with a twenty gauge. It weighed 20 lbs, had an eleven inch beard, and the spurs were 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" respectively. I've known Damon all of his life and he knows the land I live on better than me. His father is an old friend I went to high school with and he use to bring Damon out before he could drive in order to hunt. I was even with Damon and his father the day he caught his first fish at age three. He has turned out to be an exceptional hunter and now, in his early thirties, he has two boys of his own that will hopefully be coming out to hunt the land themselves someday. Yall may be hearing from Damon someday because he's showing more and more interest in my cubs every time he comes out.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Wayne, Congratulations to Damon!

I've been hearing the local Toms gobble like crazy the past week or so. Driving me nuts 'cause I didn't get a turkey permit this spring.

Plenty of turkey activity at the farm as well. Oh well, more turkeys for next year.

 

[kweaver]

My biggest White Bass. 18.5"

I had to come to a complete stop to wait for a hen turkey to get out of the road when I left the lake around 9:30am this morning. Not to mention the 5 squirrels that like playing dodge truck ... I saw where one had lost.

 

[mhomrighausen]

Nice catch KEN.