It's Berry Time!

 This is the most pleasant invasive species on the property.  It's wineberry.

I have had some issues in the past with chiggers when I waded into the patch to pick berries.  So now, I usually spray down and close all openings in clothing.  I wasn't really prepared for it this week so I just picked around the edge.

As I was picking, I was startled by a huge thump.  I turned around and saw movement in the weeds. And this guy emerged.  He fell out of a tree behind me.  The nearest branch was at least 20' up but he seemed fine.

When I got home, Joan was on her way to the Cone and that worked out perfectly.  My favorite way to enjoy these berries.

There's always something broken at the farm.  This tire holds for the day but is flat by the time I return the following week.

While I was fussing with the tire, I turned around and spotted this emerging from the headlight area of my car.  I'm not sure of the species but he moved on unharmed.  Can't image when or how he got in there.

When I checked on the pumpkins, there were hoofprints inside the tape. I had just rototilled last week.

Quite a few hoof prints.

And some of the sunflowers had been munched.

This area was heavily browsed.

And this are wasn't. I reapplied the plotsaver stinky stuff to the tape.  Fingers crossed.

I tilled around my one row of pumpkins again and we got 0.25" of rain overnight.

I actually ate this peach - product of this damaged but surviving tree.  I had to eat around the deer nibble and the ants but it was really quite good.

Getting close to Africa time. I thought that I'd do another zero check on both guns. This is Eric's 308 and I wasn't sure if I had supported it on this bipod gizmo last time.  I made sure that I missed it this time.

The 308 is the bottom target.  That was three 3 shot groups with no adjustments (cooling time in between).  The 375 is the top target off sticks.  I found my zero quite a bit off.  That might explain some of the damage on my Bubba target.  Anyway I ended up putting 3 MOA in to the right and 2 MOA down. My last 3 shots were just left of the bullseye.

Driving around afterward with rifles in the rack

This heron is getting on my nerves.

And this was an interesting series with a hawk.

And turkey vultures.

I guess that they were cleaning up remnants.

Activity on the pond camera - check out the temps.

Twins!

Lots of fawn activity.

Twins again.

I saw an article about whether ticks can kill fawns.  OL Fawns and Ticks  It was kind of creepy and then I saw this photo of a fawn.  That eye looks worrisome.

Turkeys on the prowl.

Including with poults.

And the crew looking for fawns and poults.

Bucks in velvet.

This is one of the plots that I planted in sunflowers.  Completely taken over with pigweed.  Ugh!

Heat Dome Week

 Temperatures were in the 90's all week with no rain.  I expected things to be browner than they were.

Although the ground looked parched, the sunflowers in the pumpkin patch looked ok.  They were protected inside the tape.  The one row of pumpkins also looked decent.

I went ahead and trench watered the pumpkins.  And I tilled around the row.

And then a couple of heavy showers rolled thru.  We got 0.4" twice - 0.8" total.

Van worked on the shooting house.  He added a window for a cross breeze in there.  And I did some practicing off sticks from 130 yards.

Inside, he added a sitting bench to the work bench.  Rifle rack still to come.

Meanwhile, Bubba is showing signs of wear from this practicing.

I walked the camera tour.

Mushrooms caught my eye this week.

Several varieties.

I have two survivor trees from my attempts to plant new orchards.  This one produced 3 peaches.

And this one has a number of MacIntosh apples.  Neither tree is looking very hearty.

The terrain for butterflies is flourishing - two types of milkweed.  Not many butterflies yet.

The food plots planted in sunflowers look terrible.  This one in the main field looks to be taken over mainly by grass.

This one by the pond is mainly by annual weeds (pigweed, galinsoga, ragweed).

What sunflowers remain have been browsed.  The tape at the pumpkin patch is doing its job.  I've been reading articles from the NDA that says that these annual weeds are nutritious for the deer.  It's a good thing.  That's about all that will be left in these two plots.

Regular visitors to the feeders - a cardinal pair.

Lots of interaction this week.  Skunk - deer.

This coyote is spotted by the doe in the background.

And she's not having it.

These does cleared out for some reason.

And here's the reason.

There are a lot of little tasty morsels around for the coyotes.

My fishing competition.

Having a drink during the heat dome.

A few turkeys still around.

And some of the regulars.

Bucks putting on inches of antler now.

And mowing last week.