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Buck Warnings

Started by SLawyer Dave, February 27, 2015, 01:04:37 AM

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SLawyer Dave

I really didn't make this up.  Ok, I may have ascribed some of the motives and conclusions, but the incidents really happened.

So there is this very old walnut orchard that is on my way home, that no one has managed for many years.  It is on a so called "island" of the Sacramento River, (meaning at some point in the past it was cut off from shore).  I guess it was stuck in probate, but now the heirs have hired a contract farmer.  It is 348 acres, right on the river, and very private.  The farmer started trying to clear all of the dead and down trees, and quickly realized he was over his head.  He invited me to come out and "take all of the dead wood and trees you want".  It seemed like a good idea...at the time.  It actually is, it is just a pain trying to clear all of the debris.  After the first day, I gave up on falling all of the dead trees, (there are literally hundreds of dead and standing trees), and am now only trying to clear the rows of the downed limbs and trees so that he can start to get in and mow.  I have cut and hauled over 10 cords of wood and am maybe 20% of the way through the orchard. 

I was at first excited because of all of the great wood I now had access to, (there is well over 100 cord of dead standing trees), I realized that this place is like a hunter's wet dream.  In my initial survey of the orchard, I spooked over 80 deer, saw several different flocks of turkeys, and more quail and pheasants than I could count.  So I talked with the Farmer on Tuesday, and he doesn't hunt and said that if I continue to help him out, then he would have no problem with me hunting there.  So started my hunting plans.

So yesterday, I started looking for shed antlers to try and get an idea of what the buck population might be like in the area.  About 11:30 am, while slowly driving down the row to the next downed wood, I heard a "pop" and then a very loud "hissing" sound from a trailer tire.  So I hopped out, and found a shed antler, nicely sticking out the side wall of my quickly deflating tire.  Well me, being prepared as always did not have a spare.  Not that it really mattered, because it turned out my tire iron didn't fit the lugs on the trailer either.  So off the 20 miles to town to buy a lug wrench.  Then 20 miles back to take off the tire.  Then another 20 miles to go get another tire mounted on the rim.  Then another 20 miles back to put the new tire on the trailer.  Due to this, I worked right until dusk, and when I was starting down the access road, I spooked another group of deer.  Most ran off a ways, but one moved a bit to the side of the road and just stared at me.  In the feint light, I realized that he was a buck, and had a single fork horn on the right side, but the left was missing.  Then it hit me, he was showing me that he still had another horn and that if I decided to hunt there that he would set another trap with his horn for me and shred another tire. 

It almost worked too, because today I saw some downed limbs not far from where I was parked, so I just walked over to cut them up, and laying in front of them, right where I would have normally parked, was a forked horn, just waiting in ambush.  At least now I know he won't have any more horns to come after me, (unless he can talk his friends into doing the same).   ;)

I think the wildlife is already getting used to me after only a week.  I had a friend come and haul some firewood I cut for him out today, and he couldn't get over how close the turkeys and deer were to us while we worked.  I figure this is really part of my plan.  I need to lure them into over confidence until spring Turkey season starts, then I will surprise them with the sound my shot gun makes.


sawguy21

 :D Don't mess with Bambi. He doesn't get mad he gets even.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

thecfarm

Here on my land I see more deer with a tractor and chainsaw than when I am walking. I do not hunt,but the stepson has been trying for 4-5 years without getting one yet.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

cbla

Its funny just how curious they are when there is a chainsaw going

coxy

deer are like some neighbors there   NOSY  :D

LAZERDAN

NO PIC  it never happened.       LD

petefrom bearswamp

Nothing sawable in this mess?
However the hunting should be good when you learn the terrain.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

tyb525

It is funny how I will see all kinds of wildlife while working in the woods, but if I intentionally go in the woods looking for wildlife, I will see none! I think animals have a sense of that. I see it all the time in our horses, they can sense if we want to feed them, or catch them, before we get anywhere near them. I even try to keep the same body language and they still seem to read my mind.
LT10G10, Stihl 038 Magnum, many woodworking tools. Currently a farm service applicator, trying to find time to saw!

SLawyer Dave

Quote from: petefrom bearswamp on February 27, 2015, 07:18:42 PM
Nothing sawable in this mess?
However the hunting should be good when you learn the terrain.

For firewood purposes, there is a whole lot of wood.  There are a number of 'living' trees that have been blown down, (they still have some root and leave activity), which will make great firewood after seasoning.  A lot of the dead and down branches and trees I am clearing now do have a lot of rot and punk, so I take what still has btu value, and the rest I stack in lengths for the farmer to pick up with his brush hog.  Many of the dead standing trees also have some areas of rot in them, but overall they died from a root fungus disease, and the tree died from the bottom up.  That results in many of the dead standing trees as dense, hard and seasoned wood that is ready to burn right now.     

As to sawing for lumber, there is not much available.  The orchard was all planted as English walnut grafts on to black walnut root stock.  Most of these root stocks are at most 2' high.  While I love black walnut wood for projects and wood working due to its color and beautiful grain, English walnut is pretty plain.  There have been a couple of blow downs of decent sized trees that were still "green", that could have been sawed, but it is pretty few and far between.  There are a few black walnut trees that have grown out from the root stock, and if they are dead, then I will end up taking those.  However, from what I have seen so far, I don't think they will make very good lumber. 

square1

QuoteWell me, being prepared as always did not have a spare.  Not that it really mattered, because it turned out my tire iron didn't fit the lugs on the trailer either.  So off the 20 miles to town to buy a lug wrench.  Then 20 miles back to take off the tire.  Then another 20 miles to go get another tire mounted on the rim.  Then another 20 miles back to put the new tire on the trailer.
It occurs to me that you could have bought a tire mounted on a wheel and a tire iron in one trip ;)

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