Mid-Spring at Long Ridge, 2012

These pictures date from about a week or so ago, but I decided to post another run of them because things will be heating up here in the woods over the next several weeks...fawns will be born, turkey hunting starts in a few days (youth weekend is NOW!) and plowing and seeding of food plots is happening.,..below are some recent shots from the Far Ridge mineral plot...

 The doe below is quite bagged up and looks as if she will fawn out this week or so...getting her protein and minerals at this lick.

 This handsome turkey boy is a taker on the East Plot, and I trust one of our hunters will bag him if I don't.

 This rangy boy is handsome in his own way, and I hope, oh, I hope, one of the hunters take him if they get a chance.

 I guess a grey squirrel...what do you think Wisconsin? Worth a shirt?

 Four feeders at once.

 I am sure the tom above will be in here, for her!

 A lot of arguing goes on here so I am establishing a second mineral lick, see below...

 Check the date, April 20, and his antlers are still on! When they finally pop off, we'll hear it all the way to the farm!

 It looks like a "Hello, what is THIS piece of apparatus?"

 Bunnies like minerals too.

 The other day it was full sun, and raining at the same time. This is all I could get but it is quite pretty I thought.

 While I was on the lower trail establishing a new mineral lick, this nest blew from a tree onto the ground next to me. All birch bark on the outside, and pine needles on the inside. Which of you birders knows who is responsible for this forest littering?

 The new mineral lick. I'll check it in a few weeks to see if it is used, and if it is, then relocate a camera to it.

Today, I tore up another half acre food plot, and I'll show you the details in a week or so! What is going on with you!

 jackzeller@myfairpoint.net

Staying Busy at LRDC

Late April, and here below is the remnant of 20 tons of lime delivered to the farm three years ago. This pile will go on two new food plots, to bring ph up to 7, so that clover will grow fast, and strong.

This spreader takes a 1000 pound load, so at two tons to the acre it is a lot of work for this ATV...

One of our deer mineral licks about a mile from camp is just above this spring you see below. There is a game trail beaten right to the water as this is a year 'round source. To the left you can see a hemlock that was thrashed and beaten by antlers on the bottom, and fed on during the winter on top.

The bottom of the spring is about five feet deep and I had to zoom in to get this dead frog to show. No idea what caused his demise, but warm weather will assist him in tainting THIS water!

Here is last year's turnip plot that was so useless. I tilled it over twice, limed it, and seeded to clover. We just got a bunch of rain, so the next warm spell will see this plot turning green ( and brown with deer).

We don't just have chickens. We have chickens that come to a call, that prefer the front step to the barn yard, and that fraternize with our 20 pound cat!

Plenty of apple blossoms this season. I just hope it gets warm enough for the bees to be out and pollenizing them before they go by...

Below is the apple tree in the Far Field. This is the tree I get all the apple eating pictures on in the fall. Looks good so far!

How I missed this scarred up spruce tree I do not know. This tree is within 120 yards, and in sight from deer camp porch. Since it is about ten inches in diameter, the buck that hit this tree in the fall was big. Very big. I never saw this til I was trimming the other day...

Below is a view from the Tall stand...I have freed up these two huge white oaks and the camera shot is taken from twenty feet up in a stand. The next picture is a clear lane I just opened up from the same stand to

the Far Field 

Just a few of the things going on here. Next week I will spray a 1/2 acre in the Far Field and then till and renew a planting of clover. Also will pull camera cards and see if the bears that have been terrorizing the neighborhood happen to show! Stay tuned!

jackzeller@myfairpoint.net

April Inertia At LRDC

Things are quiet up here on the Long Ridge...Spring hit so early that we are getting things done on the farm that usually take place in May and June. It is mid-April and already I have most of the camp wood in. I have turned over a plot of turnips sowed last fall. They came in fine, but nary a deer ever went near them. I thought that once it got good and cold the deer would be pawing them up and devouring them - that is the hype I received from the company...Forget it. I just limed and seeded the plot over with a great clover, and THIS will help the lactating moms and babes this summer.

Below are the last few pictures I brought in the other day. I pulled the camera from the East Ridge plot and moved it to the East plot, hopefully to get a bunch more creatures. I saw a porky grazing there, and hope to have him revisit for the camera.

 A little buck on his way...

 Turkeys near the Far Ridge

 This guy has had a long life span for a hare!

 Decent beard on this fellow...

In the next few weeks I intend to spray, lime, till, and reseed to clover another 10,000 feet in the Far Field, do one more shoot of my Savage model 11, and then move on to a new range project! Stay posted, and stay well.

jackzeller@myfairpoint.net

April Fool's at Long Ridge Deer Camp

Fox Bait!

Just kidding...these chicks are splayed out in a hot spring sun just soaking up the rays! April Fool's!

The next six pictures show two deer on the East Ridge plot..They look winter worn, and not all that healthy...definitely not part of the Far Ridge group that follows...there are only two deer in this group of pictures.

The next set of pictures are all on the Far Ridge, either a plot or the mineral lick. These animals all look sleek and shiny.

No idea where THIS picture came from. We have no snow, and I suspect it is from back in Feb/March. See the chicken feather in his mouth, and the chicken remains beneath the tree/ That was several posts ago. Silly camera!

This guy still has antlers as of April 4th! Imagine that!.

This buck, clearly much bigger than the little guy, has already dropped his antlers and the bulbs have already started to grow!

Subservience...

There will be a nice set there by fall, we hope.

Two cameras out of batteries, and one camera to be repaired..I'll keep posting pictures and hopefully have all three cameras out again soon! In the meantime, I have rototilled the Tall Tine Tubers plot ( that was a useless endeavor, more on that later) and clover goes there  during the next few weeks. Out comes the lime spreader etc!

Stay in touch and let me know how your spring is going..

jackzeller@myfairpoint.net