No Luck Looking For Sheds

The cameras would seem to indicate that the antlers have mostly been dropped.  I took the dogs for a walk thru the fields and we didn't find any.

It was wet and they got pretty muddy.

Joan was not pleased.

But they had a great time.

I did something different with the 375 H&H.  I decided to simulate a hunting scenario.  I loaded up a magazine, took a first shot standing off sticks at 100 yards, did a follow up shot, then hurried up to 80 yards while reloading, took a couple more shots, then reloaded and hurried up to 60 yards, took a couple more.

I did this drill twice and had the expected fumbling around on reloads, trouble reacquiring the target, putzing with the scope magnification, etc. It wasn't great but I learned a few things.

Putting the top one in on a full magazine requires some care to seat it in the magazine.  These control round feed actions don't like loose cartridges rolling around in there.  I even had hollows (TSX) and solids.  Much more practice to do.

I finally put together this new shooting bench that I got.  It is sturdy and the shooting stool is actually a drummer's chair.  They are really expensive but are a quality item. Stukey's Shooting Benches - WY

On the next day, I went for a walk myself to just follow deer trails thru bedding areas.  The woods haven't quite awakened yet and it was wet.

The traffic areas are faint but you can make them out.  I just followed them into the deepest cover.

The prickers are starting to green up - multiflora rose I think.

The only other green is moss.

I covered a lot of ground and my knee seemed to hold up.

Woodpeckers at work.

I found this on some of my atv trails.  There's a lot of work to be done down on those trails.

Last week chores - spraying.

And frost seeding.  It is actually supposed to freeze tonight.

Last week was almost tropical.

Joan came out for a tour.

Lots of turkey action this week.

The does are looking to be in pretty good shape.

This is the toughest time of the year for them - before green up.

The blond coyote was around.

And a pack of neighborhood dogs.

Crazy Warm This Week

 The weather is now oscillating between winter and summer.

This week we have daffodils.

Last week we had snow.

The daffodils are preferred.

The deer have been grazing both the turnip bulbs and some of the greens that are sprouting from them.

I decided to terminate the turnips (Roundup) and replant this plot in clover.

This clover seed is worth its weight in gold.  Normally I "frost seed" but it doesn't look like there will be much freezing.  I hope that I have enough bare ground to get good soil to seed contact.  Time will tell.

The dogs and I had a glorious walk.

We covered a lot of ground.  Here's some videos of their frolics.  Dogs Frolic 1  Dog Frolic 2

They love to be off leash and run.  Joan is not so pleased with the mud and hitchhikers.

Helping me put the food block back up on the stump.

The deer do seem to appreciate it but it doesn't immediately disappear.

The salamander (vernal) pond out front.

Cherry trees tend to do this a lot here.  I'm guessing that they don't have a deep taproot and these soils let them blow over.

I think that I've posted this before.  Out in the woods is this metal hoop.  It looks to me like it was a steel tire on a wood wagon wheel. There are some bolts and a remnant of an internal rim.

The dogs and I looked for shed antlers without success.  We walked thru the pine stands.

And checked all of the clover fields.  A couple years ago, I frost seeded this clover field after a brassica planting (no tillage).  It came in great.

I also shot the 375 H&H.  The 250 grain CX load off the bench at 100 yards and the 300 grain Barnes load of the sticks at 60 yards.  And that includes the scope swap.

This morning, when I took the dogs out, we could see a couple deer thru the fog on the pond edge.  The iPhone actually reduces the fog effect.

The turkeys are back from wherever they spend the winter.

I think that these are crows.

And the deer doing they're normal thing.

Bobcat.

Coyotes - this one is a blondie.