Trip Report

[Buckrub]

First time I've hunted at the wife's family farm since I was 28 or 29. First time to seriously hunt it at all.

Very impressed. 80 acres of prime hardwood, 3/4 of a mile behind the farmhouse. Other areas of trees bordered by fields. Rice, corn, and soybeans abound, by about 14 Gazillion Acres, all around me. I always thought there were not many deer there. Wrongamundo. Deer were there, and sign of many deer. I didn't really hunt hard, just wanted to get a lay of the land for a few days, see what's there, and hunt the spot I worked so hard on, in my new stand.

I saw 2 Sat morning, 4 Sat afternoon, and about 8 on Sunday. Deer were more skittish than I would have thought they'd be in a patch of hardwoods, and were NOT 'slipping' along. I coulda shot a doe, but didn't want to. I THINK I saw two bucks, but WHOOSH they went across my lane about 85 yards down, in a fast gait. Nothing behind them. Running quartering TO me so it wasn't me that spooked them. Dunno. No headgear jumped out at me, so no monsters, but I thought they were bucks. Big deer anyway.

So very upbeat about this spot. I need 4 more stands, and have 3 ladder stands that will work just fine. I am bordered by fields and by other areas that is hunted.......by folks I don't know. Last year I stayed in deer camp for the whole 5 week season, and I ain't doing that again. Bored with no deer, and Mama wasn't happy. So now I can leave camp, go to the farm, see Mama AND hunt........off and on. Best of all worlds.

Oh....on the way down there, I had a blowout on the trailer. US 63, about 4 miles north of Stuttgart. Barely enough room on shoulder to work, 2 lane road. Big trucks (it's harvest time) whooshing by. My leg would stick out into the highway if I wasn't careful. Lug nuts were put on by an Ape. A BIG Ape. I finally broke 'em loose, and the only jack was that sorry crap in the truck. I finally got it off, and the spare was on the carrier with a LOCK. I thought that key was in the truck but nothing worked. I looked and the lock was jimmied, or screwed up inside somehow. I did have a hammer (proving in one blow that the lock was worthless, and only slowed down and ticked off both me and some thief). Bam, and the spare is off. One old geezer stopped to help me, that's all. He was great. THANKS SIR!! But the spare wouldn't fit. Wheel not same??? I think in retrospect that we didn't have it jacked up enough, but maybe it doesn't fit. Anyway, I called 2 places (all that there are in Stuttgart) and neither had a truck available. So I took one spare with the blowed up tire (man, was it blown up, tread falling off of it, etc. LOOKED fine treadwear wise. But old and a 4 ply cheapo tire. Lasted a LONG time though) and went in, bought two tires, had one put on the rim...........went back out to where I had dropped the trailer, and put it on. Hooked up trailer, went back to the store, and had the 2nd one put on. 8 ply good trailer tires. So I'm fine, but that was a heck of an ordeal for an old man.

I DO need a 6X16 trailer, though. I have too much b/s to carry to get it all in my little 5X10.

I take Mama to the airport very early Wed morning.........and then come home and repack and head to camp for rest of the week's ML season. Ends 10/27.....

Modern gun opens 11/09 for five weeks.

But now, I have two nice places to hunt. One of 'em even has a few deer!!!!:bj:bj

[Cards01]

glad you saw some deer and have a great place to hunt

[Bwana]

Sounds to me like you need to be spending more time at the farm instead of the lease. Think I told you that last year, didn't I?

[Big Muddy]

Remind me again, where the farm is located.
All hardwoods???....Sandy wants to know!!!
;)

[Captain]

Sounds to me like you need a good tractor and bushhog, maybe a scrape blade, and disc, or tillage tool. You'd be as right as the mail then.
Glad you got some Bambi's on the place. Sounds like a sweet setup.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

[Buckrub]

Buddy took his tractor there to help after the 2012 September work at lease....but there was a new mosquito hatch and we couldn't even get outside. Literally. But I'm sort of scared of putting a tractor in there. I did all this by hand.......weedwhacker, chainsaw, "chainsaw on a stick".

We disc and plant the piney woods at camp........to feed and retain deer. But dang, these deer have more food in 500 yards than I could ever feed 'em.

My take is.....if I can see a few deer in 2 days with a 100 and 140 yard narrow lane, and just 'woods' around me, then if I could make some sight lanes here and there, I'd be fine. Also, I have two spots picked out with woods behind me, and bean fields in front of me for about 2 miles!!! The ladder stands are on the ground. Just need to get there and possibly have a little help. Remember, my summer last summer was from H*(*........and I shouldn't have to spend 4 months like that again.

And Bwana, I hear you......but at one time we saw 20-40 deer per DAY at the lease. It's in prime deer country, we just have habitat issues, I think. Besides......the farm doesn't have my deer camp buddies. At this age, that means something. Not everything, but it's part of what I look forward to.

I DO have some 'engineering' issues at the farm, need two bridges. But I already have my crack team of Engineering Specialists on it, and a plan has begun to be formulated. Hopefully by spring, access will be easier, and more stands will be erected, Lord Willing.

Ed, sandy is welcome.

[Thumper]

That reminds me of something I witnessed that pretty much amazed me. I'm sure it's waaay more than what you are referring to or have a need for, but I figured I'd pass it on as just a cool experience.

I was in Canada bear hunting and we rented a cabin from an outfitter up there. It was a super cool spot and very remote, but it was a bit of a hassle to get to. There was a wide creek (a small RIVER if it rained much) that had to be crossed, but there was no bridge. He had a dirt road leading to it, but once we got to the creek (the creek bed was deep and maybe 30'-40' wide) we had to park the trucks and carry everything across the creek about 1/4 mile to the cabin. (we hauled everything across with 4-wheelers, but it took quite a few trips).

When I was there last, he had a small dozer and was cutting the bank right where the road ended. He'd purchased an old flatbed trailer (a very large one, like a semi would pull on the highway). It had out-lived it's usefulness on the road and was scheduled to be scrapped. He hooked it on his dozer (or backhoe ... can't remember) and pulled it out to the end of the road. He removed the wheels/tires, then dragged it across the creek and up the other side just far enough that both ends were on solid ground. He leveled everything up (buried the axles), filled in the gaps with the dirt he'd scraped making the road extend to the bank and he had the slickest dang bridge you've ever laid eyes on. You could have driven a D-9 Cat across that thing when he finished with it.

Your "needing a couple bridges" reminded me of that and I just thought it was really cool the way his turned out and how easily it fit the bill. On a smaller scale ... I'm sure there are some "flatbed" trailers around that are used for car haulers, etc. and pulled behind pick-up trucks that could be adapted the same way if anyone here needs a "ready-made bridge". ;)