Farm Hunter

Shed Season 2010-2011

2010-12-29T17:52:00.000-08:00

Usually I don't look for sheds until after Jan 1st - even then most deer are still carrying their antlers at this time. This year we had over 70 inches of snow starting early in December - and we heard about several people taking bucks mistaking them for does or having the antlers come off after shooting them towards the end of the season. So I took a hike on December 26th - and found a couple sheds - one a real great 5 point side with mass. I'll spend some time trying to match it up over the next 2 months!

Hunting Season 2010

2010-12-29T17:26:00.000-08:00

This year several of us in the hunting group decided to pass on bucks less than 2.5 years old. It was a difficult decision because not everyone is "in" - but we decided to leaqd by example. At the very least - if 3 or 4 of us didn't take two 1.5 year old bucks - than theoretically - that could be several more that might make it into the next year class.

After passing several young bucks the first week - John struck 1st on the second weekend of bow - with the "ripped ear 7 point" We knew this deer well - had many many pictures of him He has junk on the left base instead of a brow tine. We had talked about passing him - and decided in the end that he met our goals as a 2.5 year old. He weighed 160 lbs dressed out.

Several of us passed several more bucks the second week - and on November 4th I shot my best buck to date - 184 lbs dressed out - 10 point! This buck we did not have any photos of that we kow of. He was a real hog of a deer and I couldn't have been happier.

A couple days later I took a nice Doe with my bow from the same stand.

Then Rifle season arrived - and we knew some young deer were going to be taken - and still some of us held out. I was very happy for my son who is 15, he took his second buck ever on opening morning with me from his Pipeline shooting shack.

My Dad also took a 4 point, my cousin a 7 point, and my uncle a Spikehorn. I was able to take a nice doe on the second day.

A couple more does were taken by the other hunters - and I was able to finish the season with a last weekend Blackpowder doe coming to eat the beans. For me, a mature 10 point and 3 does was a perfect season.

2010 Cam pictures

2010-12-29T16:42:00.000-08:00

In 2010 we had only one camera going - but got 1000s of great pictures. Here's a look at some of my favorite from the year.

2010 Planting Pictures

2010-12-29T16:32:00.000-08:00

In 2010 -we planted Soybeans, Corn, and put more fields back into clover. Later on we did some Brassicas and Rye. Here's a look at some of this year's plots.

Winter/Spring Shed Hunting

2010-03-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Its been a good year shed hunting for me. So far I've picked up 17 sheds with 4 being sets. 3 fresh - 1 a year old. Pleanty of other single sheds too - still 3-4 weeks to go - hoping for a few more good ones.

2009 deer season - Ryan & Sean

2009-12-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

2009 update

2009-09-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated this blog in quite a while. With all the other Web offerings out there, this one of mine seems to get pushed aside because its never been easy to use or update.

Anyhow - 2009 has been a pretty good year for food plots in CNY with lots of summer rains. The corn seemed to take forever - bu finally made strides in growth by mid August.

Here's a few pictures from the Farm this season.

Wintry 2009 Hunting Season

2008-12-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

2009 was a successful Hunting season - we harvest more than usual, which we expected coming off a couple seasons of low doe take (only 1 last year)

We took 8 Does, 8 Bucks and one Button Buck. of the 17 deer taken, 10 different hunters were successful. Personally, I took 2 doe, a 4 point Buck with rifle and another 4 point on the last day in Blackpowder season.

We had more snow than normal, which made our standing Beans and Corn quite the Draw. In the last 2 weeks we passed up dozens of deer - still the older bucks managed to elude us. We stayed mostly out of the woods and hunted the fields - which kept the deer around well - but, I feel that the older bucks just waited till nightfall to come out.

Still a super season in my book - Now on the winter doldrums.......... we do have a couple cams out - hopefully we can produce a couple interesting Winter Pictures.

Fall is Here!

2008-10-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Fall is upon us - and Bow season will open in about 1 week. Things are shaping up for a good year!

As of October 10th, we've had several frosts - but still no snow, not even in the air. Its not far off.

The pictures show the fall property and food plots -

Next post - HOPEFULLY - some harvested deer!

September Clover Plots - Protein at its PEAK

2008-09-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats clover in late summer and early fall in my mind at least - for deer use and protein going into winter. Sure - there are carbohydrates and fat also - but protein is what what makes clovers special.

Here's a couple looks at our September coover plots.

Late Summer Progress!

2008-08-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

Whats new in CNY - We'll get to hunt deer with Rifles this year - how about that! 20 years of a 12ga - and I'll drop it like a bad habit!

The plots are finishing up nice. Lots and Lots of Rain this year -

Will finish up mowing the 3 Clover plots Labor Day Weekend -

Also - we put in a Pond!

7-26-08 - Plot Update

2008-07-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

Not much to talk about - the plots are coming along good - the deer pictures on the cams have been poor - just cannot seem to get the right spot. These pictures are all from the week of July 21st. We only broadcast 46-0-0 Urea for a fertilizer on the corn at planting this year - we tried to put down 200 lbs/acre - but I see some areas that we must have been thin on. Overall - we cannot complain - we'll have clover, beans & corn come hunting season and the deer will be there!

One thing really different this year - is that The neighboring farm was ALL planted in Soybeans this year - last year it was corn. This is the 1st soybean planting for MILES other than ours in all the years we've been here. Already - we see that OUR soybeans are MUCH less browsed -
We full expect that the deer will eat in SOYBEANS from the neighboring 10-20 acre fields - which is fine with us - Once harvested - ours will be the only 6 acres of standing soys (and corn) for MILES.

Its all good for the herd - and we are very excited about it.

Summer 2008

2008-07-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Summer of 2008 has been a wet one compared to some years. Ample rains mean extra weeds in the food plots - as well as good growth of the crops planted. It took several weekends of targeted Roundup Applications - but the corn & soybeans look to be set well for Jully/August growth. Almost all the spraying was done the last week in June.

We also put in a pond this year - and have already started stocking it with Bluegills.

The Trout picture is from an evening at the local trout stream.

2008 Spring Planting

2008-05-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

With High Hopes - we get started on the 2008 Spring Planting Season. As of May 10th - everything is plowed - plans are to Disk this weekend and have the corn/soybeans all in by May 20th. We are putting down 200 lbs 46-0-0 Urea at planting and using Roundup Ready Soybeans & Corn. 3-4 acres of each if all goes well.

The Birdhouses are getting some new residents - and we were lucky to get in a little Turkey Hunting in the morning!

March 1st - End of Winter is Near

2008-03-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't know it today, almost 18" of snow is on the ground, and its snowing and blowing as I write this. But there is reason to be optimistic - the days are getting longer - and surely the snow will Melt soon.

Here are some Late winter pictures from the last couple weeks.

2007-2008 WINTER

2007-12-29T18:35:00.000-08:00

Hunting Season is over - and we had a successful season overall with 8 bucks taken and 2 Does. Normally we'd like to take a few more does, to do our part in keeping the buck:doe ratio in check - however, we know our neighbors to the south took 4 does, 1 spike and 1 fawn buck - so its not as skewed as it seems.

We had more older (2.5yr+) bucks around this fall, and we harvested 3 of them. All three had broken antlers points - seems like a lot of fighting is going on.

The Soybeans were a big draw this fall - and 2 acres was NOT enough - we are hoping to go 4-6 acres next year.

The Corn held up real good - and has been getting alot of attention from December 1 through now. 4-5 acres of corn split into 3 plots worked well for us.

The Brassicas (turnips/rapseed) are just now getting alot of attention - the deer are pawing through snow, and have shredded the leaves on much of the plots now.

The Clover always gets attention as long as the snows less than 1 ft. The open field areas are even bare right now, and the deer are manicuring the ground on these plots.

Here's some pictures - Happy New Year!

The Deer and Turkeys both are spending A LOT of time in the Old Orchards - pawing for whats left before going to the corn/clover

Hunting Season!

2007-11-19T21:04:00.000-08:00

Its been a great growing year. Our deer herd really seemed to have benefited from the plots we've planted - as well as other animals. Its neat to see the variety and diversity of animals around. Hunting season is upon us and we've done well so far. All the deer have been healthy and heavier than the past coupoe years for their age classes.

Fall Plots Ready for Hunting Season

2007-10-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

Its Early October - and there isn't much left that can be done on the food plots. The clovers have all had their last cutting and are filling in nicely -The Brassica are ankle to knee high - the turnips are apple sized. The corn is starting Yellow, and dent and the leaves are falling from the soybeans. Time to sit back and see how the deer relate to this fall's

Some things we could have done different, but overall I like this years plots and results. To do it again, I'd probably have put in a 2 acre Rye plot on Sept 1 - Maybe next year?

Here's a recent look:

Late Summer Update (9-2-07)

2007-09-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

Hello all. The summer in Central NY has been warm & relatively Dry. Great corn weather - and really decent growing weather overall. I had last posted July Updates - so these are the PEAK PLOT pictures from 9-2 - and updates. Above I posted a bunch of Pictures - and then some Cam pictures of the better bucks we've been seeing.

We've got growing CLOVER, CORN, SOYBEANS, SUNFLOWERS, and BRASSICAS currently. I can say that this year we do not have a plot fail, maybe a first! Some are doing better than others - but overall - every plot planted or maintained has been positive. The Apple crop this year is "better than average" - with more than 1/2 the trees producing good amounts of apples.

This year the 2.5 year old Batchelor groups have been using our property as "home base". Its been a definite change from 5-10 years ago wen we started our food plot program. Sure we saw the occaisional 8 point or bigger back then - this year, it feels like we've turned a corner in our managment plan.

I'll post some Fall Pictures soon.

Thanks for checking in.

Summer - 2007

2007-07-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

A Mid-Summer update of the plots and their progress.

Our plots were fairly traditional for us this spring - consisting of Corn(4-5 acres), Clover (3 acres) & Soybeans (2-3 acres). The plots supplemented our existing 3 acres of clover.

So this year -our plots are heavier in clover than in the past few years - and less corn & soybeans. We did this because our two farming neighbors are VERY heavy on corn this summer and dowm on green feilds compared to past years.

Here are some mid July pictures:

New Clover Plot - Before 7-15 1st mowing

5-12-07 - Spring Preparation

2007-05-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

The "new" plows are a 3 bottom - and they seem a little too large for this tractor on sod ground - but they do a great job where beans or corn were last year. Just
about all the fields to be planted with
beans or corn are plowed - and next
weekend we plan to disk & plant.

Its been busy with the Kid's baseball & softball.
Its gets harder every year to find time do do plots right.

We are also putting in about 3-4 acres of clover this year- and theses plots will be ready to plant next weekend too.

But it hasn't been all work this spring. The beavers have been busy
- and have expanded their pond to epic propotions.

Also - I had time to do a little Shed hunting. No "big" sheds were found - but I did find a couple - including this little 5 point shed.

Also - Last year in hunting season - we had trouble
with wet wood. Tops on the priority list this spring was a good sized wood shed at the Cabin.

2-19-07 - The Dead of Winter

2007-02-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

The Real winter of Central NY finally showed itself starting in Mid-January - until today, when we now have on the ground an honest 3-4 ft of snow.

You can see from the picture to the left from 2-18, that the deer have abandoned the corn plots now - they have switched to woody browse.

Any corn that is left, will be used up when the snows melt back in 3-4 weeks. Then the deer will go back and paw for clover & rye in the other plots too.

My Cuddeback has taken some pictures of several bucks coming to the corn before the snows got real deep. The 10 Point on the left was never seen during hunting season, and I never had a cam picture of him. He should be a nice buck next fall!

Below is a nice Coyote on the same trail. There was a dead doe nearby the corn field, that the coyotes were feeding on. I only got a couple pictures of them coming and going though.

Another look at the 10 point - leaving the corn field at the end of January - Still before the heavy snows fell. The Corn was getting some serious use until the 3-4 ft of snow fell between 2-10 and 2-17.

A few other bucks showed up - some with only one antler. Some of the other does & fawns that came to feed every night are pictured below.

This fawn found the camera!

1st plowing - 2007

2007-01-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

Its been very mild - and we've had below normal snowfall. I had time, so I plowed a small plot - this isn't common for us - but since there was only brown grass growing - why not?

12-30-06 - Winter is setting in

2006-12-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

Time to start thinking about what to plant, and where. I want to have a cohesive plan by April 1st - and I'll lay it all out several times between now and then.

My son & I had a good Grouse hunt this week -
We put up 7 birds and I got off two shots. 1 for 2 is pretty good!

A couple other pictures from this week as well.

Happy New Year

Late Fall Pictures

2006-12-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

Every fall, no matter how good our plots looked in the summer, I'm surprised how much they thin out by late fall. I always think we "need more green". Its interesting - because the deer NEVER touch the corn until the snow is near 1 ft deep.

We've found that if we mow the corn - the deer will get on it - even without snow - but we plant corn to sustain deer through the winters - which can be harsh here - and we leave it standing, even if it means that the deer don't come to feed on it in a mild hunting season like this year was. Bot though - they LOVE those bean pods when they start cracking in November - and even when there IS Snow -they will be pawing to get this high protein/fat food source in November.

Every deer we took this fall had Green (clover and or alfalfa) and soybeans in their stomach - and many had apples too.

Here's some late season pictures of the plots this year:

Early November 2006

2006-12-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

Well I was lucky to take a nice 8 point buck with a bow this fall. Its a young buck probably his first rack - but I was happy to have the chance to take him with a bow. We ended up taking 2 bucks and 1 doe with bow and 2 bucks and 5 does with gun/blackpowder this fall. 10 deer including 4 bucks on 200 acres is a pretty good year for us. None of the larger bucks we've occaisionally seen were taken, the hunting pressure is enough to keep them off the property most of the hunting season.

Mid September Post

2006-09-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

Well - the final peices are in place for our Fall/Deer hunting program. The last fields have been mowed. All the planting is done, its a matter of seeing how the plots do and how the mast (apple mostly) crop shapes up. We are seeing plenty of deer - and more fawns than the past several years - so things are looking up. Mature deer seem to be scarce - but aren't they always?

Here's a last look at some of our plots in Mid Sept - Late Summer.

I hope to have some deer pictures to post over thenext couple months - harvested and otherwise photgraphed. Check back come October - we'll see what we can come up with.

August 19th Plot Updates

2006-08-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

This time of year - I could post every couple days, things are growing so fast.
The Main Soybean plots are filling out and the corn is earing and tassling well. The Clover plot looks as good is it can be - and the Fall planted Brassica/clover plot is coming in well - except still some grasses.

Also posted is a picture of one of the Corn Strips that did REALLY BAD. We ended up broadcasting Soybeans over it in late June - and Rye over it this weekend - to try to salvage something of the plots for the fall.

The Concord Grapes at the old Homestead (burnt in Mid -1940s) are still producing. They have taken over an apple tree and a Large Buckthorn. This year they seem particulary heavy with the milder winter last year and plenty of summer rains.

2006 Cam Pictures

2006-08-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

To follow - are some Trail Cam pictures - from 2006 - I'm not sure yet if I'll just add to this post - or post periodically - either way the Horse Block in the picture - happens to attract deer too - so I thought it would be a good place to place the camera - we do not use Salt Licks or supplemental feeding as part of our management program. No Bruisers - but our program rarely produces Truly Large bucks - Just a good number of 1.5 and 2.5 year old bucks - and healthy does.

Fall Planting - Clover & Brassica Mix

2006-08-07T18:47:00.000-07:00

Not to sound like a Whitetail Institute Commercial - but if you are interested in their products - you might want to keep an eye on our success/failure with this plot. On July 5th (2 weeks after a local farmer baled it) - I Roundup sprayed a section of Pipeline - Just under an acre of what was Orchard Grass and Timothy. The section is roughly Boxed in red at the far end of the pipeline in the picture. The plot is 1/2 Imperial Whitetail Clover and 1/2 their new Product "Winter Greens" Which is a Kale Based - Brassica Mix.

The hill is Southeast Facing - and a great setup for a Kill Plot - which is what this is to be ( as well as provide a decent year round food source of course).

1 week after Spraying:

It took about 3 weeks for the sodbed to be 90%+ dead - then we disked and planted on July 30th. We cultipacked - then seeded - then cultipacked again. 200 lbs/acre 15-15-15 was added for the heck of it.

Clover Progression - 2006

2006-08-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

In 2005 - we started a new clover plot in the fall. This was a 2004 Soybean plot - that was left fallow then sprayed in June 2005. The plot was over seeded and rolled in with clover in July 2005.

The Clover grew - though it was thin in September of 2005. The deer used it some - but we know it could have been a better planting, and that we would need to re-seed in the spring.

On April 9th Spring 2006, it was indeed very thin after the initial smowmelt - we expanded the plot and frost seeded more White clovers in April, then rolled the plot. We also put down 200 lbs/acre of 15-15-15 Fertilizer. Normally we do not put down any Nitrogen with a clover planting - but this plot needed a Jump Start. After expansion - the Plot ended up being about 2 acres.

This is how the plot looked on July 30th a week after its after its second mowing of the year - obvoisly it is coming in decent - responding wellt o mowing as well as the fertilizer. Still some Ragweed, Daisy, and some grasses - but overall the clover is dominating.

The last mowing of 2006 - The plot is now ready for Hunting Season:

Soybean Plot - Progression

2006-08-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

The roundup ready soybean plots are similar to the corn plantings - in that they respond quickly to the application of Roundup.

Here is the Soybean pictures:

1 week after Spraying - July 9th, 2006

This Picture is from July 25, 2006 - same Soybean Plot. You can see the darkening of the leaves as the plot begins to absorb the nutients now available.

On August 6th - the plot is filling in nicely. This plot was sprayed a second time on August 5th - the day before this picture was taken. This final spraying should take care of the spraying for the year - as the canopy closes with the plant growth. Heavey deer browsing may require us to apply on last application of roundup - but it is not likely on this plot.

The Last picture below - is a closer view of the soybeans - and how they relate to the corn we always plant in close proxmity to the soybean plots.

Summer Plots - 2006

2006-08-06T20:21:00.000-07:00

Well - Since June 5th when I last posted - we've been busy, In addition to normal summer camp type work - We've sprayed roundup on the Corn & Soybean plots - We've mowed clover, overgrown fields & trails. We've put in a Brassica/Clover plot - and over seeded a small corner soybean plot with the same Brassica/Clover mix as an experiment.

The Trail Cams - have been up and working good - No big bucks su far - but that's OK - we are seeing twin fawns and good looking 1.5 & 2.5 year old bucks - The older ones aren't far off - its just that they are not likely falling for out camera set up.

To follow is kind of a cronological look at our summer so far - Its neat to see how the plots respond to Roundup applications. We'll Start with the corn:

July 9 - 1 week after Spraying Corn

Same Corn Plot - 7-25-06

And again 8-6 - Corn is just Tassling.

Spring Planting Update

2006-06-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend - May 28th and 29th - we finally got the corn & Soybeans planted. Some of the sections were really too wet to plant - but we did anyhow. The forecast called for dry, warm weather the next week - so as long as we didn't bury the disks or planter - we figured getting in the corn especially was more important than having perfect planting conditions. We put down 200 lbs/acre of 15-15-15 with all the corn - and most of the soybeans. There is still one more field (1.5 acres) of soybeans - maybe June 11th we'll get it in.

Spring Planting

2006-05-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

2006 Spring Planting

The Spring planting really got started in Early April with some Frost Seeding clover. One thin clover plot was over seeded, another Fallow field was disked to expose some soil - and seeded with a ladino clover mizture.

The corn that was still standing was brushhogged down - and the fields were turned over for new corn and soybean plantings. The Spring has been quite wet at times - so we have been a little behind. On the wettest days I spent time transplanting trees - and planting some Blueberries, Pears, Apples and Rasberries in the orchard near the Cabin.

Spring Also Brings the Swallows and Bluebirds back to the Farm.

In the Next Week or Two - we will plant our Corn & Soybeans.

Winter in Central NY

2006-02-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

So far this year - we've had a lot of snow in December, and a very mild January followed - and we lost most of the snow. This is all GREAT NEWS following several very tough winters here with over 150" of snow and temperatures in the -20 degrees in January. This will give our Deer Herd a real chance to rebound - after falling each of the last three years in most areas.

We plant alot of corn, to get our deer through the Winter months usually. While our population is down, its not as bad as in other areas. I think we can point to a strong winter management program as a good reason.

Right now the plots (we have about 20 acres that can be planted) are feeding the winter deer population. The corn is still standing, and the Soybeans are gone. With the mild weather, our clover plots are getting used more than normal for Mid Winter - usually thay are covered in several feet of snow. The deer do not seem to be yarding. While much of these plots have already been depleted- enough still remain to ensure that the deer will have pleant to get through February and March - without destroying the young tree/brush growth in the woods and bedding areas.

This is the time of year where we evaluate the deer herd. We observe their winter patterns, and sometimes make or move treestands to take atvantage of future late season hunts.

We also go over our food plots - apple production, and browse usage - to determine what to do this coming spring. We've determined this winter - that our Clover Plots have waned - and will not offer the same forage at "green up" as we are used to. So this Spring, our first priority will be to establish 2 or 3 clover plots, with at least one being over two acres. Also, we will rotate our Corn an Soybeans.

Over the next couple months - I'll post some ideas we are considering for 2006.

First post -

2006-02-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

Hello all -

Blogging is new to me - so bear with me - hopefully I'll "grow" with you all.

Hopefully you will recognize me as an "average hunter" - that knows a little about food plots - and is willing to share ideas and information. I post on several Hunting threads - and was looking for a place to consolidate my information - with luck THIS will be the spot!

Check back - as I will post what has and has NOT worked for me in the past.

FH