Uncrating the Buffalo, New Toys, More TSI

Eric came down this week to help with uncrating the 2024 safari and to collect his portion of it. I had considered leaving my portion crated until the elk room expansion was done but I made the decision to just make space and hang them somewhere.

Can you believe that I have another damaged shipment?  We took the lid off the crate and looked down on the lechwe to see this.  It looks like someone shaved it.  There was nothing touching this spot in the crate and no hair loose in the crate.  Could Splitting Image Taxidermy Splitting Image have loaded it like this?  Would US Customs damage a shipment like this?  I have started the conversation with Splitting Image. In any event, it's not shipping back for repair - it took 2 years to get here.

Anyway, we proceeded to unload with the smaller stuff out the top first.  This included some tanned skins, some Euro skulls, and a director's chair that Eric had made out of his blesbuck skin.  Some animals ship with the horns removed.

Next we worked on the sable.

Then we had to rotate the crate because the buffalo and the waterbuck were attached from the bottom.

Joan trying out the director's chair.

It was shipped with the new nicely tanned leather pinched in the chair pivot.  Seems unnecessary - could have just been folded with leather up.

If you followed the hunt, Buffalo and Sable 2024, you would know that the buffalo sustained a second shot that caught him in the horn.  He shook his head like a fly was bothering him but that 375H&H went in and didn't come out of that horn. So it wasn't really a surprise that there was some artifact of that event showing.

The person responsible.

This is the entry wound.  The crack is visible for 270 degrees.

This is the crate emptied down to the 3 largest heads.

The sable is out and the crate rotated.

And finally, all three out.

The mass on this buffalo is hard to comprehend.  

And it was especially noticeable when trying to lift him to his temporary home on the wall. Couch clearance may be compromised.

Splitting image put some great hangars on these mounts but then they covered it with back felt that made it impossible to get a screw head up the slot. With some digging and cutting it was ok.

Here's the lechwe with his horns on.

I made room by relocating two of my whitetails.

Four new African heads in their temporary home while the expansion project happens on the elk room (behind).

Van saw this picture and said the sable was reading Eric's phone.

The dogs are coming to terms with the new residents.

Eric's trophies - shoulder mount of impala, springbuck, and duiker.  Euro skulls of black wildebeest and blesbuck.

We also did some touring.

My roundup burndown and re-seed is in process in two plots.  This one should have oats (fingers crossed).

And the old pumpkin patch should have brassica.

Eric also helped (tremendously) with my two new network gadgets.  First is the Birdbuddy hummingbird feeder. Sample video here.  Hummingbird (Ruby Throated)

We also mounted and set up a WiFi rain gauge.  I forgot to get a shot of the sensor but this is what the phone app gives me.  The 12mm was our testing with sink water.

Eric and I also had a morning walk once the fog cleared.

Last Friday I got another visit from Gavin Nupp. He's the State Forrester for this area.

We reviewed the 3+ acres of TSI that he marked up previously (looks great) and he marked up another 2+ acres for me to work on.  I learn a lot on each visit and tour with him.

Some photos of recent chore work.

Plenty of turkey activity this week.

Gavin kept noticing mushrooms everywhere.  It's a great year for them.  This was a jack-o-lantern one.

Taxidermy Delivery, Bird Fest and Chores

The cameras has some interesting bird shots this week.

Bluebird?

Cardinal.

What is this one?  An owl?

Turkey.

Crow.

Red tail hawk (I assume).

Crow.

The taxidermy has arrived from the July 2024 South African hunt.

They sure do pack them in there.

Buffalo and sable.

I elected to have the buffalo done "natural".  I guess that includes the crack from the horn wound.

Some come with horns removed -like the sable.  They just slip on later.

Impala, springbok, wildebeest and duiker are all Eric's.  Buffalo, sable, lechwe and waterbuck are mine.  Mine may live in the crate for awhile waiting for the expansion of the elk room.

I have two fields that are buckwheat and weeds. I'm trying the method that broadcasts seeds right into this mess, then sprays it with roundup, then rolls it.  We'll see if anything comes up at all.

In the old pumpkin patch I'm doing winter greens (brassica).  In the upper pond field I'm trying some oats (with triticale). 

I also did a lot of spraying in the clover plots that are looking pretty weedy right now.  That's partially due to the amazingly wet growing season that we're having this year.

The pond is high in mid-August.  I hope that I successfully plugged the leak but it may just be the bountiful rain.

The shooting house is getting over-run with weeds.  I need to do something about that someday.

I have thought about expanding the prairie plot out front where the cedars have started to take over.

So I did a lot of brush-hogging to start the prep for that planting.

It helps if you don't run the tractor out of fuel.  The gauge said I had 1/8 left - it lied.

I tried to save a few stands of natives like this staghorn sumac. Also an occasional pine.

And a cluster of young redbuds.

My plan is to cut down the cedars.

I'm not sure how I let them get this big.

My Service Forester, Gavin, was out again to help me mark up some areas for TSI (timber stand improvement).  We marked up another 2.5 acres and took a look at the completed 3 acres.  During that tour he pointed out these dancing aphids on a beech tree.

I had a long day between tree marking, plot planting, and spraying.

This series is a young buck who decided to pick pears off of the driveway tree.

There was a lot of space walking going on this week.

This licking branch does get some attention.

Does and fawns are in their summer routine.

Sometimes they mix it up with the turkeys.

Twins.

Striking a pose.

Seems early to be losing the summer coat.  But they do normally go from red to grey.

It's been a wet August.

The turkeys are also active.  I saw a lot of them while walking around.  Here's a few videos.

Turkey1

Turkey2

Turkey3

Hen dusting while poults rest.

A bold young buck.

Still strutting.

The coyotes are busy.

Coon.

Fox.

Airborne.