Mid-Fall, LRDC Getting Ready!

 

Tons and tons of game in our woods this fall. Deer, fox, coyote, bears, porcupines and more! I was worried about the mast crop, but the acorns recovered and are plastered everywhere. Nothing that feeds on them will go to winter in poor shape! No apples, and I don't see much soft mast at all, but there is plenty of food out there. Because of a nasty overseas accident in the family I have not been able to hunt yet. I do hope to get out muzzle loader opening day though. Each ten days I am gathering camera cards and you see some of the shots below. Only one buck in over 900 pictures of deer. Pretty sure I do know where they are though...below you see some bears. Several different moms have been passing through and all have at least two cubs.

This one has two.

Guilty looking fox. Probably the one that got one of our hens a bit ago...

Turkeys dressed in pink. Don't know why this stealth cam continually does this...

A doe in excellent condition.

Mousing in a food plot.

Only buck in 900 deer pictures!

Not sure what this doe is eating...

Mom and babe.

Nice size coyote. Hope to get him one of these days...

 

 

The doe below looks actually fat! She would dress out above 140...

And a mile away, another.

Best of buds on the mineral lick.

Spring babies.

I took this apple bud picture on September 17th. Mid September our apple trees re-leaved and blossomed out! Must be confused from the drought...

A good friend helping to maintain stands. Without a ladder, stacked logs get him up there! A+ for improvisation!

I did finally get my 40 yard groups where I want them.

More moms and babes.

A spirited entry to the east plot.

 

 

Spots on this fawn are gone now. This was mid September. Never mind the date on this camera, it will NOT reset correctly!

With momma

This barred owl was sitting on the edge of the Far Field on my morning walk with the pups, and graciously allowed this picture.

I feel blessed to live where I do, and to have two deer camps planned in the next several weeks.

Camp wood is stacked and ready, water jugs full, and the game pole is ready! Let me know what your plans are!

 

jackzeller@myfairpoint.net

Pre-Archery Pics and Summer Notes

It has been a long hot summer, and the farm is down to one woods water source for game. This may account for the boringly similar games pictures we have been getting on our cameras. Still fun to look at, but nothing striking.  No big bucks, just plenty of fawns and does, who all look fat and in good shape. We have only just gotten in the last of the food plots. Late, I know, but planted any sooner, and they would have died off in the drought. We did get a half inch last evening, so I am in hopes they will all green up soon. Not a month left until frost possibilities! After my nasty eye (chainsaw) accident I was unable to practice bow, but am about fully mended now and shooting every day. My standard is a four inch group at forty yards and I am about there when I concentrate. Bow season starts in a week! Tightening up stands, and getting ready!

Below you see a buck at the mineral lick. No pictures of anything much bigger than him so far.

I love the 'on alert' pictures

One of our very healthy fawns on the Tall Stand.

Same four pointer as about. Symmetrical, but too young.

The coyote below is one of several that have crept back into this territory. I am sure they will meet their demise this winter at the hands of my neighbor sown the road. Because of the utter lack of them this spring I did note the does did not fawn out quite as close to the barns.

 

Twins at the Tall Stand.

Next two pictures are the same group.

This red fox is probably responsible for our recent chicken loss, but his life is in danger from the coyotes that are here now.



A doe, and a little buck, perhaps the same one, on the Far Ridge

Fat little fawn in the Far Field.



The snakes below are one of the most interesting pictures I took this summer with my camera. These two guys were sunning together in a stone foundation at the winter barn. One is a garter snake, and one is a twice as big common milk snake. Typically the milk snakes will kill and eat the garters. Their heads were right together until I approached to snap a picture. If you click on it you can see the garter's head just inside the shadow.

Turkey on the East Plot.

On the prowl, also on the East plot.

En Garde on the East plot

The doe below has been nursing two babes all summer. Look at her health, and tell me there is not a lot to eat out there!

Below with a babe.

Pretty good selfie for a youngster!

We sense the camera

We may flee...

 definitely nursing!

 

So folks, it's off to archery. Plenty of game out there! We don't shoot does with babes, so we may have to wait a bit. But THAT makes it what it is! Good luck to all this fall, and LRDC will keep you posted. Last, I will be doing just one more review on the S&W 1911 Sc Commander, and the results may surprise you. Stay tuned!

jackzeller@myfairpoint.net

Mid Summer Tribulations at Long Ridge

Plenty of game at Long Ridge this summer, and most are fat and healthy. There is

plenty to chow on, but things are not looking too good up ahead. We are in the midst of a nasty drought. We have only two water sources left on the property. Every stream is dry, and the fields are brown, and dead. I put in two new food plots, and a clover planting this spring. The food plots are just OK, but the clover never came up. The perennial plots I have not mowed because it is far too dry. If we begin to get rain we can plow them under and do some fall annuals, but where we'll be mid August is anyone's guess. The acorns are dropping because the oaks cannot sustain them. Apples are being let go now, not even golf ball sized. Below you see an argument at one of our mineral licks.

 

The fawns are mostly twins, and quite robust...

These guys miss their wet streams and frogs!

The doe below has big twins.

A big doe.

 

Below are the twins I mentioned. This is the Tall Stand, within sight of camp.

Another visitor to the mineral lick.

This is a different bear than the mom with triplets.

" why hello there!"

A popular spot.

Slim is beautiful!

We can tell this doe is nursing babes!

A little buck.

Wiley...

Back to the den?



 

 

Tall Stand again...

Flip's Stand

Night time raiders.

Coyotes like to check out the lick.

 

This buck is up on the Far Ridge.

These guys have already whacked some of our chickens.

We'll see what fall brings, and in the meantime, I'll publish again soon because I have so many pictures!

 

jackzeller@myfairpoint.net