Sunday, February 27, 2022

A Visit From Friendly Forestry Guys

I have been a member of Southern Ohio Forestry Association SOFA for years.  I was encouraged to join by a State Forester (Lee Crocker) but I have never made it to a meeting.  I've just been a passive observer of the website and newsletter.  Recently Wayne reached out and we made a date for him to come see the farm.  He brought along John and they came bearing gifts. 

John brought venison chili, Wayne brought baked beans (and the above goodies), I made hotdogs and Joan contributed the chocolate chip cookies.  We didn't starve.
It was chilly and I hadn't finished clearing the trails from the recent ice and wind storms.  Wayne told John "you'd have to pay for a ride like this at Kings Island." No one was injured.
Anyway, it was a very nice visit and fun to chat about farm and woods stuff with other guys who have similar interests.
I finished working on wood splitting this weekend without further injuring myself.  I got the stitches out this week and I have few restrictions on my use of the finger.
We saw a pile of deer in the main field when we arrived the other evening.  They seemed to be working on these few greens left in the brassica field.
Of course there are turnips, beets and radishes out there too.
Various degrees of evidence of those being eaten.

The radishes didn't seen to get hit very hard before they started to rot.
I spied a rib cage from our bedroom window.
I'm guessing that this is what's left of Eric's buck.  For some reason, I decided to hang it in a tree.  Remarkably intact.
Violet and I went out for a walk.
We found the "Poop of the Week".  I'm not sure if these are coyote, fox or bobcat.  The top is fresh and the lower one is weathered with just the hair remaining after all of the rain. My field guide says "if greater than 3/4" in diameter, unlikely to be fox".  I didn't measure.
We lost our older dog, Chloe, this week.  She was diagnosed with a kidney tumor months ago and she hung in there for quite awhile.  Recently, she pretty much stopped eating and it was time.  When special preparations of beef, chicken and venison don't attract, you know it isn't good.  She was a happy girl until the end.
Interesting trailcam - some sort of hawk on the hunt.
Raccoon climbing a tree.
Fox.
Coyotes.


A gaggle of deer.

A few bucks still sporting antlers.
And the turkey activity seems on the upswing.








Sunday, February 20, 2022

More Wind, Drama Update

 So, I cleaned up all those branches last week and look what I found this week.

I just walked a few of the trails and there is a ton down.
I wasn't willing to do too much this week.
I'm still nursing the injury from last week.

This is what's under that bandage.  Stitches should come out this week.

I did finish up spitting some of that wood.
I'm not sure why - it will probably take me a decade to burn this stuff.
The fire affected area doesn't look too bad at all.
The worst part is the tractor ruts from trying to get a fire break going.
I forgot to take a before photo - this is the after.  I have a reappearing sink hole in the driveway.  I have put several buckets of gravel in it over the last year.  It was a foot wide and a foot deep again.  I filled in in once more.
Not sure if this tree is going to survive.
I took a stroll thru some of the pine stands.  Seems like a perfect place for a buck to bed in cold weather.
I didn't find any shed antlers but I pushed one buck who was still wearing his headgear.
There is not much browse for them in the deep woods.
Out cruising around.
I think this might be the guy that I saw.



There are some one-sided ones about.

Not much clover left in the field but they still try.
A gobbler out for a spin.
Fox
Coyotes
Bobcat