Finally ! ! !

We were able to make it down to the farm, chainsaws in hand, one final time a couple of weekends ago before my dad went under the knife for a long overdue knee replacement surgery.  We knew of several clusters of marked trees left in the 20+ acre patch of timber that we hadn’t hit yet, but arrived at the farm as the sun was rising in hopes to knock them all out that day.  The progress was a little slower, as we had to walk longer distances between trees to find others that were marked, but some ~100 trees later, we could no longer find any that were left in the area…FINISHED!!!

There’s still a lot of work yet to be done, as we want to clean up the area we will be duck hunting so we’re not tripping over submerged debris as we wade through the timber in the early morning darkness or chasing after cripples.  Probably the best way to classify this area for the time being is “enter at your own risk”.  We became quite proficient at dropping trees using our chainsaws and wedges throughout this ongoing project, but there are several instances where there is just nowhere for the tree to go without getting hung up on its way down.  Other times, the tree just didn’t go exactly where we wanted!  Either way, there are plenty of “widow makers” strategically placed throughout the timber as a means to keep our local trespassers/thieves wary about entering…okay not really, but it almost seems that way.  I’m sure as soon as my dad’s doctor gives him the go-ahead to get out of the house, he’ll be back at the farm “supervising” Jason and I from atop his mobile throne (aka 4-wheeler) as we attempt to bring down most of the “widow makers” where practical.

We girdled some of the trees, mainly the larger ones, that we knew we couldn’t get to the ground.  For those that don’t know, this basically entails cutting two rings  around the base of the tree a few inches apart, while ensuring that the saw cuts through the cambium layer of the tree.  This prevents the leaves from transporting nutrients to the roots and effectively kills the tree, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor since there is no longer a dense canopy from the tree’s leaves.  These trees will slowly rot out over many years and will eventually fall to the ground, but will provide great habitat in the meantime for woodpeckers, birds, and other den animals.  Who knows, wood ducks may even use these as nesting trees some time down the road.   (that’s my biology lesson for the day!)

Again, no pictures this time around as we were short on time and focusing on completing the project, but rest assured there will be plenty in the future.

As for the next items on the agenda:

• Get our permit filed and approved for the dirt work and levee improvements we are planning for our duck fields/marshes and get the work started (will probably have to wait until after the annual spring floods)
•  Run a fire through one of our fields to burn off the thick/tall vegetation…this should be FUN but not sure it’s going to happen this year with the spring rains coming soon.
• Replenish mineral licks for deer.
• Scout for turkey!
• Shoot turkey!!! (I plan on leaving the shotgun at home this year and toting the Bowtech Destroyer 350 so things may get interesting)

TSI Project Almost Done!

Typical of most weekends...my dad, Jason, and I put in another long day of TSI on Saturday.  We probably got more done in that one day than we ever have.  We were working in an area all day that was almost entirely pin oaks..and fairly big ones at that.  We had a private land consultant from the MDC come through and mark which trees to drop to release the more healthy trees.  It's amazing how much dropping one tree can open the canopy.  We did have our first casualty of the project, when a large oak pummeled one of our chainsaws 18 inches into the muddy ground and broke the rear handle and throttle assembly.  Fortunately, the main casing, engine, bar, and chain seem to be okay.

My dad and brother-in-law went down for another day of cutting on Sunday.  After another day or two of running the saws, we should be wrapping up on our 26 acre TSI project...finally!  There's a lot of clean-up left to do, but getting the canopy opened up and releasing the oaks was our priority.  We'll get a bobcat and tractor equipped with a bucket and grapple claws in there to clean up most of the debris in the areas we'll be duck hunting in.  The rest we'll probably leave as cover and browse for the deer.

I've said it before, and I'll probably keep saying it, but I can't wait reap the benefits of all our work come this fall...both for deer and ducks.  I imagine we'll see more turkey activity this spring season as well once things start greening up, and may even have some turkeys nesting in that portion of the timber in what used to be nothing but a barren flat of leaves because of the thick canopy.

No time for pictures this time around, but I'll try to update our progress with pictures as we start the clean-up process...

First Shed Hunt of the Year

We made it out to the property for a couple hours over the weekend in hopes of finding some sheds and to let the dog run off some built-up energy.  I have still yet to find a shed but Jenny managed to find two in our short walk...beginners luck I'm sure!

Checked the cards on the cameras while we were down there.  The deer are really grouped up now...got several pictures at different locations with as many as 8 does in them, as well as several pictures of bachelor groups.  There's still a few bucks holding one or both sides.  Hoping to put in some miles on foot in search for some more sheds before things start greening up.

One of two sheds we found was the right side to this big guy!

Winter Wonderland

Put in another long day of TSI this past weekend.  Made a lot of progress again and the project is coming along nicely. We have a few more weekends where we'll be working hard to drop as many trees as possible, and then will move on to cleaning up the mess we've left in the area we'll be doing the duck hunting.  For the rest of the area, we'll leave the clutter on the ground as it provides great habitat and shelter for deer, turkey, and other small critters.  

The area we have been working in was thick with deer tracks and beds, and there were many areas we could see where the turkeys were scratching in the snow for any acorns that are still around.

I managed to sneak away for the chainsaw for an hour to do some scouting and check a trail camera while my dad and Jason continued to work, and took several pictures along the way.

A few pictures of some of the progress we've made....

My scouting mission....

Set this up on a trail crossing through some heavy cover

Found several rubs from this past season

Kicked up several does bedded here

Lots of traffic along the field edge

Remains of a young deer

Hitting the new mineral lick I started last fall

Plenty of food left for the critters still

Lots of traffic, bedding, and browse in our TSI area

Always good to see some sign within bow range of your stand

Had a reconyx set up over a standing bean field.  I can't say enough good about these cameras.  My only complaint is that it took TOO MANY pictures this time out.  The turkeys were hitting this portion of the field hard for several days after the heavy snow, and I didn't have the camera delay set up with that in mind.  Ended up getting 7,230 pictures over the course of a couple weeks...the card filled up just a couple days before I checked it.  Battery life still read 72% after taking that many pictures.  Got some great turkey shots and a couple nice bucks hanging around.  I have a feeling I'll find a shed or two in this field...can't wait!

Looks like there'll be plenty of turkeys around come spring season!  Here's a timelapse video of all the pictures combined, followed by a few select still shots.  I had the camera set to take a picture every 5 minutes for the first and last 2 hours of daylight...notice the turkeys roosting in the trees in the background.