Fascinating trail camera chronology of Lawyer's hunt the other day. As you can see from that dates and time stamps on the camera photos it was a real 'marathon'. What nerve!
Arrival at 9:44 AM
Departure at 12:33 PM (bird in hand)
At 11:52 a gobbler heading west in his direction at a distance of roughly 50-60 yards.
click on images to enlarge
Two birds came-in to his calling in full strut. This might have been the bird that approached on the mowed trail. The other bird came into his decoy set from behind him.
Gotta love this technology. Three birds is a new turkey camp record. Streak!
Interesting trail camera chronology of Braumeister's turkey hunt. After a four-year long drought he killed a gobbler in one day in a matter of a few hours.
One more gobbler down. That's three in a the last week.
Braumeister? Yup.
Swamp Gas? Yup.
Lawyer? Yup.
Lawyer even had the temerity to sashay into camp yesterday morning and get set-up in a blind by 10 AM. He had his gobbler down by early afternoon.
As the story goes he had two come into his set from different directions. One from the fireroad and a second from behind. Both in full strut. And moving quickly. He killed the larger of the two.
Twenty-four pounds - nice bird!
click on image to enlarge
This is turning-out to be the best turkey season I can recall...
I am not suggesting anyone is being untruthful. Truth be told the disclosure on this bottle of refreshing Harp Lager Irish beer is exceedingly and honestly clear.
What I would like to know is did Canada annex Ireland? Is Harp Irish Lager now brewed under a Guinness license by Molson? If there a genuine, bonafide, Guinness brewery in Canada should the beer be called Harp Canadian lager?
It tastes a lot like a product from north of the border that has a blue label...
Found this the other day while performing corrective pruning. A complete and articulated deer skeleton. A buck too.
click on the bones to enlarge
Had to be a spring death from a year ago as the animal had already shed its antlers. Which would also make it impossible to be a wounded deer from the hunting season. It was found within a couple hundred yards of the edge of the road however. Likely scenario is that the whitetail was struck by a vehicle and made it this far before expiring. But I'm not excavating it for a forensic exam to look for broken bones.
My pal Braumeister bagged a really nice gobbler last Friday and we prepped the tail fan and the beard for a mount that he can put on the wall of his Man Room
First step is prepping the tail and the end of the beard by removing every last vestige of red flesh and fat as possible.
click on images to enlarge
Then wrap the items in with a 50/50 combo of canning salt and borax. Pin the tail in the proper position and let it set in the coolness of the cellar to cure.
I'll post a pic of the finished product later this summer after it's affixed to a respectable walnut plaque.
Had a scare with the blonde Lab. Poor girl started puking and didn't improve. The Frau bundled her off to the Vet on Saturday. Initial diagnosis was a bowel obstruction. By Saturday evening - pending a second set of X-rays - we had authorized a surgical procedure.
The new this morning was the surgeon took that second look and kept the pooch on an IV with some meds overnight. Discharged today and sentenced to a bland diet through Wednesday.
On a positive note I had an
extended chat with a chatty hen. Called her in. We clucked it up. She
left. So I called her back. We clucked it up some more. Nice to
know another language. (Will post a short video later).
On a
negative note my neighbor decided today was the day he was going to do
deer stand repairs. As soon as he started-up with the hammering the
gobbling stopped. Birds beat it out of Dodge.
On an awesome note Braumeister sashayed in last evening and was hunting way up
on the north end of the property today - far from the anvil chorus I had
to put-up with.
After a four year drought - he bagged a nice gobbler.
After a break I'm heading back out. Hopefully the racket that scared all the birds away will have ceased. Sheesh.
Opening day first season hunt today was in the mid 60 degree temps. Nice enough to hunt in a long sleeve cammo t-shirt. That's a big change from last year's blowing wind and snow.
Saw birds too. A couple of hens cruised thru to check-out my set-up and a big gang of seven jakes hung around for a bit.
click on image to enlarge
No gobblers and definitely no gobbling. It's early and I know there are some big gobblers out there. So I'm holding out for one of the big boys.
Old house for sale. One room, no bath, no roof. Great view. Too large for finches and too small for robins. Too well built to be doves. It's a mystery to me.
I was under the impression that everything was largely done (at least on my part) after last weekend. Not so. Finished the southwest quadrant today by myself.. The Frau and I will finish the last of the northeast quad tomorrow.
For the record the tree swallows returned sometime in the last couple of days. They are soaring and flitting above the grassland out behind the house. Impressive!
Before nightfall yesterday an adult bald eagle swooped-in from the east and sat in the tall ash tree that harbors a deer stand on the creek just north of the house. Judging from the distance between the floor and rails of the deer stand that bird was more than a couple feet tall. Spectacular!
Me? I'm sore and my hip is talking to me.
Time for a soak and an ice-cold Molson product. Just got out of the tub and I'm feeling like a stewed prune...
During the winter and spring deer continue to move in familial groups. Usually one or two does and their fawns from the prior year.
Later this year as the current year crop of fawns are born the yearlings will be kicked-loose to completely fend for themselves. If they are girl deer there's a strong chance that in good habitat like southern Door County a majority of them will be pregnant by the time winter rolls-around.
Amazing, eh?
Sequence of photos of another group moving through at the end of the day...
I have noticed over the last few years that any number of the trees we originally planted fifteen years ago are reproducing themselves. Yes, they are generating their own progeny. By seed of course. The seeds either fall to the ground, blow in the wind or are moved by birds and animals by means of passing through their feces or clinging to their fur or feathers.
Take this might spruce for instance.
click on the tree to enlarge
About four to five inches tall this little fella will grow into a giant eventually. Maybe. Unless some animal browses it for a meal...
A couple of days ago I spoke of my pruning chores. The Frau and I share this task every winter/spring. Walking up and back the rows of trees, singling-out the valuable oaks and taking a limb from here or there. The idea is to eventually get a nice straight trunk that is free of defects. Fifty years from now someone is going to harvest these trees for veneer or custom saw boards and they'll say - Whoever planted and nurtured these oaks sure did a terrific job of it.
Trail camera caught me starting out on a row with the blonde Lab frolicking in the puddles.
click on image to enlarge
If you look closely you can see the piece of fluorescent flagging I tied to a branch where I had previously left-off.
Busy day today. For all intents and purposes I am finished with my pruning of the oaks. There's some touch-up to be completed but the big stuff is done.
The girls tore it up pretty good today but came-up short on their shed antler hunt.
The blonde dog did find and retrieve a skull from a nubbin buck and she was mighty proud on that score.
Both dogs did their level best to perform the Labrador retriever impression of a hog wallow. The blonde Lab was a good barometer of really how filthy, dirty they get.
Been experimenting with some trail camera photography - deliberately positioning the camera to exploit lighting effects during certain times of the day.