Weather Change

Saturday at 11:00 am.

 24 hours later.  Supposed to rain later today.

I really like the snow because it reveals traffic patterns.  This spot is obviously a highway.

 It's hard to tell just a day later. I relocated a couple of cameras based on the tracks in the snow.

The radish, turnip and sugar beet field.

And a day later.

Poop of the week discovered in this field - buck bomb.

I went for a walk on Sunday morning,  Six weeks or so ago there were four gut piles right here.  I couldn't find a trace of them.

 I bumped a nice buck on my walk.  He was bedded here just off the ridge trail.  I was about 100 yards away when he stood up and took off.  I think that I recognized him from the trailcams.

 It amazes me how selective they are on what they rub.  These little spruces have gone nowhere in about 12 years - I suspect that this is why.

 Almost every one has been rubbed.

 I found this young buck carcass a year or two ago.  This is all that's left.

 I decided to make a batch of jerky.  I use the ground meat method and I prefer the Backwoods Original spices.

 I use a jerky blaster and about 3 or 4 hours in the dehydrator.  This was about a 5 pound batch.  It took three batches thru the dehydrator.

I have stored my bird seed in these plastic bins for years.  Some rodent chewed thru the plastic this year.  Ugh.

 One of my cameras in the woods had this trail of prints going around the back of it.  Do they know?  I moved the camera - we'll find out.

 On the last visit, we cleaned the fridge out and dumped the old veggies here.

 It got some attention but I think the cracked corn was what they really wanted.

 There was some conflict over the goodies.

 But it was all gone this week.

 Even after taking three bucks off the property this year, there are still nice bucks around.

 I'd be glad to see this guy next season.

 This might be the buck that I bumped on my walk.

 There is a series here with a mutant, the one sider, and a youngster.

 A fair amount of doe activity.

 Not one coyote picture in the last two weeks.

 Flocks of turkeys.  I walked into one of these flocks in the woods.  They just kept taking off and flying.

 No coyotes but the fox still appears.

The pond is frozen except for the aerator.

We are starting to have quite a collection for the birds.

3 months or so until turkey season.  Time to study the seed catalogs.  Also planning a fall elk hunt out west.  Not finalized yet but looking like this is the one Hubbards Yellowstone Outfitters.