Deer

The day after Thanksgiving was a good day of hunting.  I watched deer from 10 minutes after getting in the stand until I climbed down, 35 minutes after I shot this buck.  I saw two spikes, a doe, a 4 pointer, a 6 pointer, and another 8 pointer.  The deer weighed live weight 210 lbs., one of the largest weight bucks I have ever taken.  It was like watching a hunting video.

We have lots of young bucks on the property this year.  I have already seen eight bucks this year and finally one that was a shooter. Every day hunting is a good day but this day was special!

Deer Season Has Started, Lodge Finished

The hunting season has started with things being kind of slow.  We have seen several does: a 4, 5, and 6 pointer, and three coyotes.  Abby slowed one of two down Saturday morning.  Pawpaw was able to climb up in a tripod on the first morning after his stroke.  That was the best thing so far this season!

We are 98% complete on the lodge with most of the work left to do is landscaping on the outside. This weekend while we were there a hawk landed in the tree next to the lodge.  I think he was saying he was keeping an eye on things while we are away.  He just posed for his picture while we made several shots of him.  He was showing off his sharp beak here.

In this picture you can see his powerful claws that he uses for hunting.

The lodge has been decorated for Thanksgiving.

The handrail is made of hickory that we cut off of Dewberry Lands. 

The deer racks make it feel like you are in a hunting camp.  Most of the racks came off of our property. 

The table is made of wood salvaged from downed trees on Dewberry Lands, compliments of April 27th storms.  The trees were Mountain Chestnut Oaks and the table is made of the heartwood from those trees.  It was made into lumber, planed, and I built it for the lodge.  It is beautiful wood.

....and oh, this is the view from the porch. 

Random Hits

It was great to see Dad back in the woods this weekend as we checked on and made repairs to our tree stands.  It has been about two months since Dad had his stroke.  He is a little slow but getting ready for hunting season is good therapy for him.

Last post I had a tree oddity on our property with a huge burl.  This post I have included another on our property.  Are these two trees joined by a root or a limb? Click on the picture to see it better.

I just finished teaching another hunter safety course with the Alabama Game and Fish.  Officer Rowell is seen here teaching part of the course.

About two weeks ago we had fifth graders out on our property for 2012 Classroom in the Forest.  They were good students and really paid close attention to what we had to say about the forest.  Mattie, our granddaughter loved sharing her forest with the boys and girls.

She is only two but she thought she was as big as the fifth graders. 

Thanks to all the volunteers that made this day a success! 

Alabama Forestry Commission and the Clay County Forestry Planning Committee