These two shots demonstrate what I have been doing the past few weeks besides archery practice. I fertilize and lime the plots just before August. On the annual plots I then rototill them to mix the lime and fertilizer (or harrow) then roll them, seed them, and roll again. Voila! I plant several types of annuals, Secret Spot, NoPlow, brassicas, and mix it in with an excellent clover. What that gives us is a great fall forage, and in the spring the clover comes up to feed the deer through next summer, when I start all over again. This month I also planted a quarter acre of Tall Tine Tubers (turnip) and of course my two acres of perennial clover. All the plantings emerged within three days and are doing well. By mid September, the deer will be back on them!
The two shots below are hilarious. This little guy just can't stand the turkeys eating in his special place. I have a dozen shots of him chasing them off. Apparently this does not discourage them much because they just come back for more. This is up on the Far Ridge.
Since it is well into August, I have been working hard to hone my archery skills once again. This three shot group above was shot from thirty yards, and just meets my standards. Those being, a one inch group at ten yards, two inch at twenty, three inch at thirty and four inches at forty. The forty yard standard is of course the toughest, but I am almost there. Many say that one should allow for a bigger group at forty yards, but I disagree. Just a small movement or step by a deer at forty yards makes a huge difference. I have always been able to make this standard, but when the day comes that I cannot do it consistently, then I'll limit my shots to thirty yards.
A nice shot of a doe and fawn....
Somehow this little guy is still around! I don't know how he does it, since we have so many foxes, coyotes and bobcats in the vicinity...
No idea what kind of mushroom this is, but I thought it was kind of neat. It was six inches across the top, and I was sure there would be a toad under it! Also, I could never seem to learn which ones are edible, so I just leave them alone...
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Here is a night time doe in our clover field. The camera is on a lone apple tree in that field, and in a few weeks I'll have pictures of the deer feeding on the apples at this site.
We will pass on this buck in the east plot. Doesn't look to me like he'll make the required eight points. next year maybe...
When I was plowing up the West plot, I looked up to see I had left a hanger in there last December. I climbed up and found the foam in the cushion completely gone, to line a squirrel's nest somewhere, and the cover chewed to pieces. Each year we learn this lesson all over again - which is to say, we never learn! Bring in your hangers and suspended seats from your permanent stands - otherwise it will cost you money!
