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Post by jbird on Sept 10, 2018 8:39:05 GMT -5
very nice. You put your work in there for sure! What county? Decatur County.....
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2018 8:59:33 GMT -5
Well, like almost every weekend - even with the rain, I couldn't stay in the house! Made an unexpected purchase.....unexpected simply because I had not seen them for sale before. I was at my local Rural King store and I noticed they had gotten some more chestnuts in. As I walked over I noticed mixed in with them was some grafted persimmons trees (females). So I HAD to buy some. I limited myself to just 2, but planted in in area where I know the neighbor has some males..... I also collected some swamp white oak acorns during my trip to Rural King.....I have a spot. I placed several acorns in pots on the back porch. This was friday.....I went out to check them sunday.....and the #$%& squirrels cleaned me out! I have since replaced those acorns with some white oak I collected and those pots are not inside a wire dog crate.....some time the cage is to keep things in.....sometimes it's to keep things out! I'll get some more swamp white oaks..... I only lost the battle, not the war! While I was out checking on other things I also checked on my Chinkapin oaks (which are doing well) and I found some of the biggest pawpaw's I have seen in a while.... The turnips are also coming along..... As you can see I had some additional inspectors! I figure these should grow some decent bulbs yet this fall. Also found an opportunity. With the weather we have had I found where a small yellow/tulip poplar had been uprooted and decided to take advantage and placed my trail cam over it just to see how the deer react. Time will tell..... I also freshened the drip vine with a new one (sorry pic was blurry) but the sap began to run as soon as it was hung so I look for it to get some attention.....I'll move a cam to it soon to capture any activity. I pulled both cam cards and nothing really to report. We did get a video of a young curious buck (a forkhorn), but other than that just a couple does and their fawns. Fawns are just starting to loose their spots here. White Oak family of trees: The White oak has no need to produce tannins to protect its acorns because the acorn germinates immediately upon falling from the tree and quickly converts its stored energy into new roots. The acorn quickly loses its nutritional value, which is changed to living plant tissue. Acorns cannot be stored for longer than the few months until spring. Acorns need to be plant as they drop for best results.
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Post by jbird on Sept 10, 2018 9:53:28 GMT -5
Well, like almost every weekend - even with the rain, I couldn't stay in the house! Made an unexpected purchase.....unexpected simply because I had not seen them for sale before. I was at my local Rural King store and I noticed they had gotten some more chestnuts in. As I walked over I noticed mixed in with them was some grafted persimmons trees (females). So I HAD to buy some. I limited myself to just 2, but planted in in area where I know the neighbor has some males..... I also collected some swamp white oak acorns during my trip to Rural King.....I have a spot. I placed several acorns in pots on the back porch. This was friday.....I went out to check them sunday.....and the #$%& squirrels cleaned me out! I have since replaced those acorns with some white oak I collected and those pots are not inside a wire dog crate.....some time the cage is to keep things in.....sometimes it's to keep things out! I'll get some more swamp white oaks..... I only lost the battle, not the war! While I was out checking on other things I also checked on my Chinkapin oaks (which are doing well) and I found some of the biggest pawpaw's I have seen in a while.... The turnips are also coming along..... As you can see I had some additional inspectors! I figure these should grow some decent bulbs yet this fall. Also found an opportunity. With the weather we have had I found where a small yellow/tulip poplar had been uprooted and decided to take advantage and placed my trail cam over it just to see how the deer react. Time will tell..... I also freshened the drip vine with a new one (sorry pic was blurry) but the sap began to run as soon as it was hung so I look for it to get some attention.....I'll move a cam to it soon to capture any activity. I pulled both cam cards and nothing really to report. We did get a video of a young curious buck (a forkhorn), but other than that just a couple does and their fawns. Fawns are just starting to loose their spots here. White Oak family of trees: The White oak has no need to produce tannins to protect its acorns because the acorn germinates immediately upon falling from the tree and quickly converts its stored energy into new roots. The acorn quickly loses its nutritional value, which is changed to living plant tissue. Acorns cannot be stored for longer than the few months until spring. Acorns need to be plant as they drop for best results. Yes. I plant white oak family acorns right away (chinkapin, white oak, swamp white oak, bur oak - to name a few) - the critters also like these (as you mention due to the lack of tannins). I however didn't think the little tree rats would steal them off my porch in a matter of days! They need to go get their own! Red oaks (northern red, black oak, pin oak - to name a few) have a higher tannin content and tend to be less desirable, but still better than nothing but require cold stratification process before they will germinate. My property has mostly chinkapin, Bur and northern red oak and I am trying to add some diversity. The white oaks will generally produce acorns every year while the red oaks only every 2 years....generally speaking. Having a mix tends to ensure against a total acorn crop failure.....that's what they say. I have been a student of native trees to Indiana since my high school FFA Forestry days. Those days are now roughly 25/30 years in the past.....but I have used far more from my FFA classes - forestry and soils in my habitat work far more then anything they tried to teach my in Lit class!!!!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2018 10:16:49 GMT -5
White Oak family of trees: The White oak has no need to produce tannins to protect its acorns because the acorn germinates immediately upon falling from the tree and quickly converts its stored energy into new roots. The acorn quickly loses its nutritional value, which is changed to living plant tissue. Acorns cannot be stored for longer than the few months until spring. Acorns need to be plant as they drop for best results. Yes. I plant white oak family acorns right away (chinkapin, white oak, swamp white oak, bur oak - to name a few) - the critters also like these (as you mention due to the lack of tannins). I however didn't think the little tree rats would steal them off my porch in a matter of days! They need to go get their own! Red oaks (northern red, black oak, pin oak - to name a few) have a higher tannin content and tend to be less desirable, but still better than nothing but require cold stratification process before they will germinate. My property has mostly chinkapin, Bur and northern red oak and I am trying to add some diversity. The white oaks will generally produce acorns every year while the red oaks only every 2 years....generally speaking. Having a mix tends to ensure against a total acorn crop failure.....that's what they say. I have been a student of native trees to Indiana since my high school FFA Forestry days. Those days are now roughly 25/30 years in the past.....but I have used far more from my FFA classes - forestry and soils in my habitat work far more then anything they tried to teach my in Lit class!!!! Same deal. I have a good mixer of Red/White family trees. My whites are loaded this year. My wife calls me a tree nut. She just told me no more trees. I had two chestnut trees dug up last year. That's when I removed the tube style protected trees with real fences cages. That stopped the rats. Still fighting the moles!!!
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Post by jbird on Sept 10, 2018 10:38:55 GMT -5
My acron bandit returned......no dice this time. GO GET YOUR OWN!!!!
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Post by jbird on Sept 10, 2018 10:44:30 GMT -5
Yes. I plant white oak family acorns right away (chinkapin, white oak, swamp white oak, bur oak - to name a few) - the critters also like these (as you mention due to the lack of tannins). I however didn't think the little tree rats would steal them off my porch in a matter of days! They need to go get their own! Red oaks (northern red, black oak, pin oak - to name a few) have a higher tannin content and tend to be less desirable, but still better than nothing but require cold stratification process before they will germinate. My property has mostly chinkapin, Bur and northern red oak and I am trying to add some diversity. The white oaks will generally produce acorns every year while the red oaks only every 2 years....generally speaking. Having a mix tends to ensure against a total acorn crop failure.....that's what they say. I have been a student of native trees to Indiana since my high school FFA Forestry days. Those days are now roughly 25/30 years in the past.....but I have used far more from my FFA classes - forestry and soils in my habitat work far more then anything they tried to teach my in Lit class!!!! Same deal. I have a good mixer of Red/White family trees. My whites are loaded this year. My wife calls me a tree nut. She just told me no more trees. I had two chestnut trees dug up last year. That's when I removed the tube style protected trees with real fences cages. That stopped the rats. Still fighting the moles!!! I am the same way, buying apple trees, crab apple trees, chestnut trees, persimmons trees or growing my own from acorn source or even growing my MG from cuttings. I seem to always have something growing on the back porch. I have never used tree tubes. Some guy loves them others hate them. I use wire cages.....when I can. I also don't use wood mulch anymore around my trees due to voles getting under it and chewing off the roots. I can't say I have had any issues with moles....accept in the lawn....and who cares about a lawn?!?!? Heck sometimes I just collect acorns and walk in the woods and drop them on the ground and push them into the dirt. If they grow great if not, I'm not out much but my time. I'm sure many are food for critters, but a few make it. Planting trees in the woods is a waste of time so I try to focus on some clearings I have from some logging.
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Post by jbird on Oct 16, 2018 11:14:58 GMT -5
So fall has really set in here. We have had cool temps and even a good frost.... We even had a thin bit of ice on some rain puddles this morning. This was the view off the driveway this morning on my way to work....yes work. I'd rather be hunting.....but I got bills to pay! I did get some work done over the weekend as well.....when I should have been hunting... Put a cedar tree to good use. It was in a livestock fence so it had to go and I was going to use it in my folks pond for fish habitat....but it's a rub post now....we will see if it gets any use. I pushed off some corn stubble and the like to expose some bare ground and spread some winter wheat as well..... I was checking stands and clearing entrance paths and the like.....decided to take in the view for a bit.... about 15 acres of cut corn, a 120 foot CRP buffer and 5 feet wide "deer trail" that I tossed out some wheat between the CRP and the trees. Here, deer...deer...deer...deer! Had a nosy neighbor in that stand. Dang coon was trying to reach the berries on the green briar vine! Funny watching them do their thing. HE would hold on with his back paws and leans way out there like a little kid trying to reach the cookie! Set up a new licking vine/branch as well......This one is one a small oak lined "ridge" I have. Hopefully it sees some visitors. Normally fall, real fall, doesn't come this early. Normally I'm still fighting the skeeters and the heat, so I was caught a little flat footed as far as having stands ready, but I'm in good shape now. So now it will get hot again!!!!
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Post by jbird on Oct 29, 2018 15:57:04 GMT -5
I was able to get out Saturday evening to hunt. Took some pics along the way. I did see 3 deer - 2 does and a young buck. I am seeing signs of the early phases of the seeking and chasing phases. Seeing more deer in the ditches, bucks I had not seen all year on cam and some actual chasing and rubs and scrapes... The 2 does got chased out of the woods buy a young buck, but nothing was what I was looking for or even got close enough for a shot. These are the view from my stand as a pan from left to right... While out and about I also found some rubs in the willows... Nothing huge, but signs of some frustration... Turnips are about the size of softballs as well...
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Post by jbird on Jan 7, 2019 13:56:58 GMT -5
Over the weekend I was able to get this years antlers up on the barn... I added colored zip ties to them all so we could remember who's is who's...I tend to forget some of my earlier ones. These are those we didn't get shoulder mounts of of my boy's, my daughter's and mine...2 we found dead on the place. Also interesting to see how far we have come...from yearling bucks several years ago to some that are pretty respectable (the largest I am guessing is in the 140's). I did this as we ran out of room in the house and I thought the barn face would be a great place for them...
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Post by jbird on May 6, 2019 12:13:19 GMT -5
My order of trees and shrubs came in this week from MDC and I finally got them in the ground yesterday... 100 in all...with a shovel! 10 of each...buttonbush, spicebush, persimmons, black haw, ninebark, nannyberry, beautyberry, arrowwood, aromatic sumac & rough leaf dogwood. My place lacks shrubs and my goal is to simply establish a seed source for mother nature to do the rest. if these do well I hope to do another project like this next year with other varieties. I already have grey dogwood and elderberry around... The older I get the more I like the idea of permanent food and cover and less of the annual plotting stuff. I won't stop plotting, but I am certainly cutting back. I also had some left over chinkapin and SWO acorns I tossed out as well. Now only time will tell.
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Post by jbird on May 28, 2019 10:15:17 GMT -5
Had a busy weekend...bean plots planted, checked on some of my shrub and tree plantings as well. My MDC shrubs seems to be at about 80% success thus far. I seem to have lost 2 chestnut trees (1 has a very slight sign of life, but I am doubtful) and one of my grafted female persimmons I had to cut back almost to the graft joint to find life.... Not sure what the deal is.... Plot was mowed, tilled. broadcast and packed. I just avoided the standing water....I'll plant something in those areas later. Got a bag of year old RR beans for $15! My crabapple trees are doing well and I have a few apple trees that appear to be willing to produce some level of fruit this year as well. Found a turkey nest as well....that's 2 in 2 years....so they seem to be enjoying my effort.
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Post by jbird on Jul 1, 2019 17:03:31 GMT -5
Well I was out in the heat this weekend sweating my behind off... I looked on weather underground and they said Hartsville was 95 but felt like 154! Ummm...it was hot and humid...but not sure it was that bad! This is a grafted persimmons that the graft died over the winter...I cut it back to some good wood and it's bouncing back. My only issue now is that I got 50/50 of what I get. It's gone from a 4" stick in the ground to 2 feet thus far, so we will see. I did a lot of mowing on the tractor since I have seen evidence of the fawns being on their feet (knowing that makes me feel like I run less risk of hitting one with the mower). This is a road screen of MG, cedars and some native honeysuckle growing on a wire fence behind the cedars....I hate nosy people...especially those with guns and spotlights! My north triangle plot is seeing some use...and I was surprised to not see it covered in weeds. Its a clover chicory mix. The "plan" is to use the draw of the chicory in bow season. For some reason on my place the deer hammer the chicory right when we start seeing cooler night temps. And for the bad news... I pulled my dead chestnut tree. I have been in touch with Chestnut Hill who seem interested in making things right. I am told it's an 8 year old tree, but we have yet to determine the cause of death. This WAS a 8 to 10 feet healthy tree that produced nuts last fall with no signs of stress....and then this spring...DEAD! I used my FEL (which will lift 900 lbs) to pull the tree and I had to work at it to get it to come free. We will see what Chestnut Hill does....
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Post by chewbacca on Jul 2, 2019 8:26:10 GMT -5
I would assume the last winters polar vortex got to the chestnut tree. My friend had a chestnut that's been around for years and it appears dead now. We just assumed it was a result from the polar vortex this past January. Who knows?
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Post by jbird on Jul 2, 2019 11:25:02 GMT -5
I would assume the last winters polar vortex got to the chestnut tree. My friend had a chestnut that's been around for years and it appears dead now. We just assumed it was a result from the polar vortex this past January. Who knows? I figured my other trees....not 30 yards away would have shown signs of damage if that was the case....they seem fine.
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Post by jbird on Jul 29, 2019 11:18:09 GMT -5
Well I had a good day....and a bad day.... Sometimes, things go your way.... My boy and I have been working on an idea of a mobile shooting house for a while. I have a bottom area that floods nearly every spring and as such I can't put anything permanent down there without the worry of it ending up in the next county (literally) next spring. As such we have been working on an idea of using something on wheels that I can pull out of the bottom once hunting season is over and pull back into place come summer....or even move to a different part of the farm. This is the beginning of our "gravity wagon" project. She gets a little squirrelly over 30 mph, so it was a long drive home (bought it east of Milroy and North of Lake Santee)....but for $250 I think we did pretty good. All new tires, new wood beams, fresh bearings and no significant rust that I can see. I almost feel bad not trying to sell it and make some money....but this works perfectly. I think we are just goin gto build on top and not actually cut on the wagon itself. It's 6 feet wide x 9 1/2 feet long and the top lip sits about 7 feet off the ground. We will put an enclosed home-made blind on the top and be set! THEN....sometimes things DON'T go your way!!!! I was/am SOoooo frick'n #@$%ed! I crossed the creek like I have in the past without issue. I went to come back across and the tractor slid and sunk! I worked for 3 hours trying to get it out....blew out my infamous flip-flop in the process!!! This is the 2nd time I have had it stuck that I required assistance to get it out. We will be pulling it out this afternoon. I had to walk away from it.... I was so upset I either had to walk away or I was going to set it on fire! Walking away was tougher on the pride, but cheaper in the long run. Man was I a cursing fool! I'm not sure who came up with the front wheel assist concept on these things but the whole power to the free wheel concept is a bunch of garbage. I'm thinking I need to see if they make a detroit locker type front axle for my tractor!
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Post by jbird on Aug 5, 2019 10:32:36 GMT -5
Amazing what the proper tools can do..... Big Bobcat....with a 20,000 pound hydraulic winch and anchor attachment - had me out of the creek in 5 minutes. Took longer to get unloaded and to the site than anything else! Tractor had sat for a week, but got it home cleaned up and was back out mowing on Sunday.....
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2019 11:32:01 GMT -5
The right equipment makes the job so much easier and better.
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Post by jbird on Aug 5, 2019 11:35:51 GMT -5
The right equipment makes the job so much easier and better. I agree....I'm just glad I got some friends with some pretty neat toys.
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Post by jbird on Aug 5, 2019 11:36:55 GMT -5
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Post by featherduster on Aug 5, 2019 15:58:21 GMT -5
Do you realize how lucky you are? congratulations on living the dream.
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