Summer-like Weather for Mother's Day

This Mother is happy with 87 degree weather, a good book, and a comfortable seat on the porch.

 Meanwhile it felt like August to me as I was disking up some fields for planting.

 Barn field is getting close.

And look what is going on while I'm off disking up the main field.

And turkey hunting is all day now - the first two weeks are morning only.

First outing for my new "tick-gaiters".  Learned about them from SOFA and got them online line from Forestry Supply.

I actually sat in a couple of deer stands while turkey hunting this week - Just didn't feel like sitting in the weeds.

Last week - cooler and wetter.

 And they were frolicking all week.

The only ones that I saw this week were a couple that I pushed out of the pond field while walking into the woods.

I didn't hear any gobbling.

Redbuds are done and everything is green.

 I sat in this stand for awhile too.  My calling didn't impress anyone.

 Anyway, the weather was so warm and dry, I decided to do more chores and less hunting.

 Spraying last week.

 Minerals for the deer.

 I got out to the furthest corner and sunk a fence post at the corner iron.  I had the bobcat down and worked on some of the trails.  And lots of mowing.  The finish mower has pretty well died - I have a new zero-turn on the way.

I believe that this is crimson clover.  It was in one of the NWTF mixes that I planted.

 Not too bad on predator activity.

The bucks are starting to sprout.

 Preggers.

Tick infestation behind the ears.

Some stuff sprouting in the prairie.

Spring Finally Happened

 This is the transplanted redbud in Mason. Pretty much at peak on Friday.

And the neighbor's crabapple on Sunday evening following a thunderstorm.  Knocked the petals into a carpet at the base.

At the farm, the dogwoods are now out - they weren't last week.

Most of the redbuds are past peak.

We had a very wet Saturday and Sunday morning.

 The woods are definitely greening up.

 I'm not sure but I think that this is a pink dogwood that hasn't popped yet,

 One of the newer apple trees.  Either I missed the bloom on the big ones or it is going to be a lean year for apples.

 I'm not sure but I think that this might be the invasive - autumn olive.

The warm season grasses in the prairie plot don't seem to be stirring yet,

There are some forbs in there that have started though.

 Other stuff emerging all over the place.

Even the oaks are greening up.  This is white oak.

 And red oak.

I'm not sure but I think these are chestnut oaks.

This might be damage from a rub or it might be winter damage from feeding.  I think that this is a slippery elm which I have seen the deer peel the bark completely off for food before green up.

 And then I found these things in cedar trees.

 Almost looked like an anemone growing out of a slug wrapped around a branch.

I'm glad that there's google.  This is what you get when you search for orange blob in cedar tree.  Would you believe that it is a fungus - link

 Joan first spotted this Baltimore Oriole at the feeder.

There was a lot of activity - grackles, doves, redwing blackbirds, red bellied woodpeckers, goldfinches, and some tiny little sparrow things.

Last week I sprayed some Butyrac (2,4,D-B) on the clover fields.

 It appears to be working on the thistle and other prickly stuff.

 It's May - lets be sure that the bucks have what they need as they start to grow antlers.

And they are - pedicles are bumps now.

 Last week was glorious weather - I did some trail work with the bobcat.

 This weekend was too wet - I didn't even get it out.  There's lots to do when time and weather permit.

Deer bolting last week at 6:00am.

 Right ahead of me entering the area to set up for turkeys. 6:02am.

 Last week I covered a lot of ground trying to find them.

This week I just set up on field edges and tried to call them in.  I find that they tend to come to the fields after a rain.  It was a theory anyway.  Didn't work.

Here they were avoiding me last week.

 Very pregnant.

Coyotes on the prowl.

 Groundhog.

 A happening.

After a good drenching on Saturday thru Sunday noon, it cleared up for Sunday afternoon.  I got some more spraying done and then we encountered thunderstorms on the drive home.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Scary article by the QDMA on this "Mad Cow-like" disease affecting deer and other wildlife.

QDMA on CWD