Gorgeous Weekend

We decided to harvest this prizewinner pumpkin since we won't be back for a few weeks.  We didn't want to risk it being nibbled (like happened last year). I think it was just about done growing anyway.

We also picked some regular pumpkins.  They were mostly the smaller pie pumpkins.  Hopefully we'll have some big jack-o-lanterns when we come back.

The ornamental gourds were ready too.  I think that there are more out there but I won't find them until a freeze kills some of the leaves.

I have been told that this gourd looks like a duck...that's exactly what I thought too.

Pumpkins loaded for the trip home.

On the way in, we noticed this sign about a mile down the road.  There's a log cabin with 30 acres available for $309k.

Dave came out Saturday to help with chores.  First we checked cameras.  Then we moved a ladder stand.  Then he helped with pumpkin harvest.  Then he cleaned stands while I worked on the driveway plot.

Here's Dave checking out the view from the relocated ladder stand.

Dave did a great job clearing mice, wasps and pigeon poop out of both the driveway and barn stands.  This is not a fun job and Dave has done it for me two years in a row.  Much appreciated.

I got the driveway stand field ready for planting clover.  I sprayed it with a germination inhibitor - keeps the weeds from sprouting but not the clover.  Then I smoothed it with a chain drag.  I spread the seed Sunday morning.  Pray for rain.

This is the sunflower plot that has been replanted.  There is lots of brassica up but it needs rain badly.

The soybeans in the orchard field are getting hammered but they are holding up to it pretty well.

Dave noticed a number of new rubs.  The bucks are out of velvet.

Nice sunset Saturday evening.

The fawns are losing their spots.

The other big news this week is that this year's elk hunt is falling apart.  It appears that our outfitter is either insolvent, a fraud, or a flake.  We've put him on notice to return our deposits (fat chance).

On Sunday morning I finished up the recovery of the hi-rise stand from the pigeons.  I used bleach and went over the whole inside.

Many of the big pumpkins are still green.  We're going to be out of town for a couple weeks so hopefully they'll be ok when we get back.

My bride decided that it was so nice, we should go home and play golf.  So we did and it was really nice.

There won't be many 70 degree Sunday evenings left this year.  Neither one of us got our money's worth on the golf course this year.

Traicam update

Pumpkins, Food Plots and Pigeon Poop

We were away for two weeks and we finally got some rain.  Van dumped 0.4" out of the rain gauge on Thursday and this is what I found on Saturday.

It has been an extremely hot and dry summer.  I keep meaning to plot this rain trend versus previous years.

When I went to the pumpkin patch, this is the first thing that I saw.  A deer had been inside the plotsaver tape and had eaten this pumpkin.  I was pretty worried about the big Prizewinner pumpkins since they got nibbled last year.

Luckily, they were untouched.  This is the biggest one - I don't know if it's still growing.

This one isn't quite as big.  There are still more growing on these vines.

I didn't see any other deer damage in the plot.  There were pumpkins at all stages of development.  This one was still green.

Some were already orange.

I decided to triple protect the big ones with plotsaver tape. We will be out next weekend but then we will not be back for a couple of weeks.

The ornamental gourds also look good.

There are several varieties.

I'm not sure what we will do with these things but Joan wanted some.

Next I decided to tackle the pigeons that moved into my hunting stands.  They made an absolute mess out of the hi-rise stand.

There had to be 20 pigeons living in here.  Amy says that pigeon poop carries asome nasty stuff that causes lung disease so I was very careful.

All equiped for pigeon poop patrol.

I was taking the stuff out of there with a shovel.

I decided to dispose of the carpet that was in there.

I got it pretty well cleaned up and then I put netting over all of the openings.  I only did the one stand - I'll have to get the others next week.

The soybeans in the orchard field look pretty good.  I used plotsaver tape to let them get established before the deer devour them.

Outside the tape, they eat the leaves and leave the stalks.  I took the tape down and the deer can get in the whole field now.

This is the sunflower field that was a total loss.  I planted some deer food and it looks like it's germinating after the rain.

The lone surviving sunflower did manage one blossom in spite of being eaten by the deer.

The driveway stand soybeans never got established and weeds were taking over.

I decided to plow it under.  I'll try planting clover here next week.  It's getting late for planting but it's worth a try.

I liked my birthday camera so much that I bought myself another one.  Here I am after just setting in up.

I put it on a cherry tree down in the valley near where the main trail crosses the creek in front of the valley stand clearing.

The Ranger is parked at a trail intersection and the camera is on a tree behind the bed.

First customer at the new camera.

While I was out touring, I found this huge oak tree snapped off on the edge of a neighbor's field.

It looks like it was just wind - no lightening signs.

Absolutely splintered the wood.

Nice sunrise Sunday morning.

The woods are starting to look like Fall.

The pond is still really low.

Vitamins for the deer.

On an atv tour of the cameras.

Lots of fawns around - several sets of twins.

Let this be a warning to any pigeons who are considering take up residence in my hunting stands - squatters will be shot on sight!

 On two separate days this camera was covered like this - bug? leaf?