Sunday, September 17, 2023

Getting Crossbow Ready - September 30 Opener

I haven't shot the crossbow in quite some time.  Archery season is coming - thought I'd better get things tuned up.

Thirty yard target and hitting pretty true.
Then I shot 3 at this block style target at 40 yards.  Note to self - block doesn't stop crossbow bolts.  I crawled around and recovered two of three bolts from in the grass behind the target,
So I moved the bag to 50 yards and was satisfied with the way it was shooting.
I got out a new package of lumenocks and mechanical broadheads.  I'm ready.
The pond is really low.  It's been very dry but has never gotten this low before.  Typically, this rockpile is always submerged.
I tried my flyrod for a few casts.  Notice the aerator.  I changed style from bottom bubbler to surface churner.  My helper Van suggested that maybe that turned evaporation up a notch.
We had a surprise overnight shower with 0.4" of much needed rain.
Turkeys outside the dining room before Daisy barked at them.
The pumpkin patch is weedy and dry.
Even so, there's good pumpkins, gourds and squash out there.
I just harvested the ones where the stem was dying. There's a surprising number still out there that seem to still be growing.

I've given up on the weeds at this point.
This week's harvest of the ones with dry stems.
I had a nice walk with each dog.
My nose has healed most of the way - no more bandages.
This is Violet.
And this is Daisy.

Violet found a carcass of some sort.  I'm guessing that it was a racoon.
Poop of the week.  This was pretty massive diameter - not sure who produced it.
Clover fields are burnt up where there's direct sun and no water.
Some are better but right on the verge of going brown.
When the clover is stressed, other stuff starts to take over.
Hopefully the shower will help.  Not much more showing on the forecast.
Violet.
This was fixing up the mock scrape last week.
I mowed around it too.
Van was out doing some chores this week.
The does seem to be doing just fine.
Girl fight.

Is this arty or poorly exposed?

Coat transition.

Licking branches getting some attention.
Sparring starting to happen.

Here's a buck shedding the velvet on his antlers.

The usual coyote traffic.




And the turkeys.



The birds did better planting sunflowers that I did this year,
I don't get many butterfly shots.