Current Events

My nephew Tom graduated from West Point last May.  This week he completed Ranger school.  It was apparently quite a test.

Here he is with his his Mom (my sister Sara).

At the farm today there was a fly-by with three Army choppers.

While Amy is living in a hotel in Virginia, we have houseguests.  Zulu on the left is Amy & Doug's and Chloe is ours.

And Ridley on the left is just visiting too.  Sydney is ours.

A very nice day at the farm - sunny and close to 60 degrees.  The pond is almost overflowing.

I went for a walk and found my first shed antler of the year.  It was in the woods just below the dining room in the barn.  Below is not a shed antler - it's a broken tine from a fight.

It is a decent 5 point - 21" on the main beam.

It's always disappointing  to find the damage from the deer.  This tree had been rubbed which left a wound that weakened the tree.

It's amazing the tree was alive.

This one probably won't survive.

Near the driveway stand - the trunk is about about 10" in diameter.

Poop of the week out in the main field.

Nature has been at work on this carcass.  I believe that it is the leftover from a doe that Leo butchered.  Three months and it's gone.

A deer highway coming up to the hi-rise stand.

A pile of deer hair below some barbed wire.

A coyote showed up on camera in daylight - pretty unusual.

This is more typical - a flash going by in the dark.

I put some minerals out for the deer.  It isn't antler growing season yet but you want to keep them out of a mineral deficit situation.

Also a little corn.  We'll see who shows up.  These last few weeks before things green up are the toughest time for the deer.

Another mineral site.

There was a pretty good snow storm last week.

Can't believe that this little guy hasn't shed his antlers yet.

Incidentally, I saw another woodcock this week.  I did some reading on them and they don't bore into trees.  Those holes that I saw last week are definitely woodpecker - probably the pilated ones.