There was impending doom according to the weather man so, in order to placate my wife, we went out and back to the farm on Saturday before the storm hit. 0.10" of ice followed by 4" to 8'" of snow is forecast.
This was the first visit in a couple of weeks. The snow was melted and a high of 50F was predicted. March 1st. Seemed like a perfect day for hunting shed antlers.
Lots of evidence that there had been high winds while we were gone. Broken branches and pine cones down everywhere.
I took my antler hunting dog out for a walk. Check out my new hunting jacket. I sprung for a Sitka in an after-season sale.
During the walk I found this deer drag tool. I had apparently left it out beside the gut pile from the doe that I shot at the end of archery season. No evidence of the gut pile. The scavengers were quite efficient.
My antler hound found many things of interest - deer poop, coyote poop, fox poop, etc.
But not one antler. The old girl was getting tired so I traded her in for a younger model.
Similar results - not one antler but many flavors of poop.
The turnip field is picked pretty clean. There are a few fractional remnants.
More wind evidence - this was a huge wasp nest.
After the sub zero temps, the hose bib in the barn would not flow water. We were concerned that the valve (below ground) had frozen and would leak while we were gone (if it warmed up). We have been opening this meter pit and reaching down to shut off the main valve to the barn.
It's not bad on a day like this but with a foot of snow on the ground, it's no fun. Anyway, with 50F weather, everything should be thawed. The hose bib in the barn flows water and the leak detector on this meter shows no leak. I have to assume that the hose bib was frozen in the riser above the valve.
I got the John Deere out and ran it for the first time in a couple of months. Started right up.
Practice for Africa. These 10 shots are from sticks (standing) at 100 yards. Seven inside the first ring but three yanked left. My vertical hold is much better than my horizontal hold.
I moved back to 200 yards. I didn't try to hold over. All 10 shots on paper but once again horizontal hold is worse than vertical. There's work to do - not sure how to get better at this. It can only be worse in real life after running to get in position and with heart pounding because of the animal standing out there.
The cameras showed the full range of weather. Our neighbor's lab is cutting tracks in the snow here. Looks like a deer parade had already been down that trail.
An hour later, here's a fox following in the lab's prints.
I think this is a buck that has dropped antlers.
Does were moving everywhere.
Out in mid-day when the sun is out.
Still checking under the apple trees.
The turkeys are in huge flocks. I had a dozen pictures of this group. They were still trickling out of the woods at the back in this shot.
Eleven minutes later, this is the caboose of that train.
They showed up in multiple camera locations.
I wonder what they do in the heavy snow? Stay on the roost?
The predators show up on camera more than the deer at this time of year.
Coyotes
Fox
When the weather breaks, the deer parade resumes.
The weather was a little different at last visit. It's been a long winter. Already. More to go.
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