Snakes, Bobcats, Coyote, Deer, Fish, and Birds

 Look what I found out the kitchen window.  We appear to have a mating pair of blacksnakes living under the slab.

 I'm guessing two five footers.  I wasn't aware that there are more than one kind of blacksnake but there are.  There are black rat snakes and black racers.  I'm not exactly sure which these are - the good news is that both eat mice.

 It was a cold morning and they came out to sun.  If startled, they darted under the slab.  Here's a short video of one moving.

 I came back several times to check on them.  They would sun for awhile and hide for awhile.  Is it a coincidence that this is 10 feet from the birdfeeder?

 Two heads.

 Great gobs of snake.

 This was pretty exciting too.

 The bobcat showed up on two cameras - both in daylight.

 Bluebird, cardinal and dove.  All snake-bait?

 Redwing blackbird.

I took the flyrod down and threw the popper a couple times.  It was cold and I wasn't expecting much - but this large bluegill hit it.

 The bat house on the pond stand. I think it is time for occupation if it is going to happen this year.  Not sure how to tell - I guess that I have to watch it at dark.

 Turkey hunting last week.  I had a fun morning this week.  I had two gobblers talking to me - I think that it started from the roost.  It sounded like they were coming in from the left and the right.  Got really loud and then...silence.

Eventually I went in for breakfast and then headed out to the driveway stand.  I had seen some action there on camera.  I was trying to be careful as I got close to the field but not good enough - I saw a turkey fly into the woods.  I set up anyway and called.  After 30 minutes a coyote came in.  He came in from behind.  Hopped right up to the decoy and kept going.  I'm not sure if a turkey load would have done the trick at 30 yards.  No time anyway.

This is why I set up here.  I actually leaned against the stand post and had a decoy just past the turkey in this shot.  It will be interesting to see if the camera caught the coyote.

Lots of birds on camera.

 The three amigos.

 1.2" in the rain gauge.

 About 0.4" in the Bloomsky.

 Could bird poop be the cause?  The wires are supposed to keep the birds off.

 Our last old cherry tree has cherries.

 Pears look good on one tree, missing on the other.

Apples looking good.

Several varieties both old and new trees.

 And, for the first time, peaches.

 The deer are doing their thing.

Some bucks are starting to grow new antlers.

 Interesting coat on this guy.

 I had one camera with no shots.  Think that I have it figured out.  I did some mowing even though it is quite wet.  Too wet for turning the plots that need to be planted.

It's green now and everything is growing - too fast.  I tried to start the rototiller.  Somehow I missed the fact that it had been filled with oil for the winter.  Oops.

Turkey Hunt - Am I Being Mocked?

 When we arrived at the farm this week, three gobblers ran out of the clover in the orchard field, crossed the driveway in front of us, and ran into the woods.

This is the view from my blind down the trail - I have a decoy out.

 View out the other side into the field - another decoy.  I sat here from before sunrise until about 8:00.  I heard a couple of gobbles in the distance but never really got any communication going.  So I got up and went for a walk.  First along the field edges, then down into the woods.  More distant gobbles - no action.  As I headed in, I came up the atv trail into the barn field.  I was careful at the field edge and caught sight of a couple gobblers.  I froze but they saw something and headed toward the field edge.  I gave them a couple yelps but they were out of sight.  I waited, called, waited and then looked around the corner.  I could see two red heads sticking out of the woods edge looking my way.

 I took a quick shot at the first one and he went straight up in the air about 20' and came down in a brier patch.  I went to look for him and saw no sign.

This photo is from the drive out.  There were at least six turkeys in the driveway with one strutting as we came around the corner.  By the time I got the phone up, only two were left.

 The rest of them headed down into the woods.  I could see three bright red heads.  I'm pretty sure that they are mocking me.

Only a chance for a couple hours of hunting.  May get to try again.

 On the walk I passed this huge ant hill - looking quite active.

 The ferns are in their glory.  I didn't spot any morels.

 Various flowers blooming.

Orchard clover looks great.  I did some spraying in some of the other fields.

Huge bullfrogs in the small frog pond.  Also lots of peepers.  These tadpoles are in the fish pond.  Not sure what they are.

Below is a video of them.

 

 An interesting moth on the barn while I was filling the sprayer.

 The old fashion rain gauge showed 1.5" of rain this week.

 The fancy new hi-tech weather station showed 0.32" in the last 24 hours and 0.26" earlier in the week.  0.58" vs 1.5".  I think I believe the 1.5" - it was wet.

 Some of the turkeys that were mocking me.

 The three amigos.

 A curious buck.

 In for a closer look.

 Look at the size of Mama.

 Little points starting.

 Expecting.

This is not a large looking buck but look at the size of these antler bases.

Wow - good start.

 Other items of interest - a crow.

 Groundhog.

 Possum.

 Fox tail.

 Interesting neck fur.  A mane?

 Photo of blind last week.

 Chores, chores, chores.

They may be mocking me but I don't give up easily.

Wildlife Ownership and Conservation

I received a survey recently from a South African University that was investigating world wide perceptions of their "game ranch" industry.  I hope to see the results of that survey some day.

I'm not sure how many people are aware of the philosophy that underpins most of the wildlife conservation laws in the US.  Here is a summary of that model written by the Boone and Crocket Club.  The North American Model Of Wildlife Conservation

I witnessed a different approach when we went to South Africa.  I stumbled across this article recently that describes some of the practices there.
South African Wildlife Ranching

Not sure that there is a right or wrong.  I much prefer wild, free ranging, naturally occurring.  But you can't argue with the success of South Africa preserving and growing populations that would otherwise be depleted/extinct.  The extremes of the SA game ranching approach - breeding genetic oddities for trophy hunting, "put and take" lion hunting, etc are too much for me.  Not sure where the line should be drawn. 

To a degree, even QDMA practices are "game ranching". And US State Wildlife Department quotas and seasons are "game management".   Some people argue that the extirpation of predators that occurred in most civilized/agricultural areas over history is the same thing (hence reintroduction of wolves, etc).  I suppose that I'll vote my opinion by what I choose to participate in.  I will always favor wild free-ranging versus high fenced and managed.  But I'm afraid that over time, there will be less and less wild and free-ranging.