Interesting Two Days

Yesterday and today has been an intresting day on Dewberry Lands.  There will be pictures we took yesterday added to wildlife and wildflower pages but I thought I would put a few here.  Go to the other tabs to see more pictures.  First is a picture of a grasshopper that is being attacked by yellowjackets.

Next is a picture of one of our hens with a beard.  She is not the only one, one of her little ones from last year, now has a beard also.  They were both out back but I only got a picture of the old hen.

Yesterday we saw some mushrooms that were over a foot tall.  I have never seen any like this.         (Pictured below)

Yesterday there was a fawn that came out and ran around in the woods putting on a show then it joined the doe.

Last picture happened this morning before we left for church.  It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining bright.  Seven hens came out and feed then eased back into the edge of the woods.  Then the five one and a half year old jakes came to feed and they saw the hens.  Their heads turned red and one started to strut.  This started something and all at once all five started to strut and it is September 25th.  This was an amazing site.  They strutted as they followed the hens off into the woods.  For more pictures click tabs.

Busy day!

Day started at 5:00am this morning in Blount County.  Stopped and bought cool season vegetables before getting home.  Planted vegetables first after getting home then I worked on the bushhog putting new bearings in the tire.  Loaded the 4 Wheeler and seed and after lunch planted McCollum and most of Bowden Grove.  It was cool, cloudy, kind of dark over there and very quiet over there by myself in the woods.  I planted mostly crimson clover mixed with some ryegrass, wheat, and white clover (pictured below).  Need some rain now!  Saw no snakes today.

When I was about to unload the 4 Wheeler a doe walked out in the road where PawPaw and I saw one last week.  I started walking toward her and made picture.

As the doe ran her fawn walked out in the road and followed her.

Seed mixture.

Another Timber Rattler

After bushhogging Thursday and getting two snakes we went back early Friday morning to finish everything except Skyview Road.  Matt was bushhogging at the tripod below cabin at the foot of the mountain and got another big timber rattler with the bushhog.  You had better wear snake boots or chaps over there this time of the year if you are going to be in the weeds.  This snake was about four and a half feet long.  Well, this is three less we will have at Bowden Grove.

September 8, 2011

Today was a bushhog day.  Matt had his tractor and that helped me so much.  We accomplished much but we will be back at it again in the morning.  Things are looking better and deer are everwhere!  Dad came over after we had left and he said he saw a small rack buck.  As I drove in this morning I saw 9 young turkeys, Matt saw a doe coming in, I saw a doe in the road while bushogging and I saw a fawn at the kudzu patch. 

I wish James could have been with me because he liked the snakes at the zoo this weekend.  He would have liked seeing the two we killed pictured below.

This was a 4 foot copperhead we killed in the bottoms out from the tree stand.  The bushhog got him.

This was a timber rattler, about 5 feet long, we also killed in the bottoms.  Matt got him with the bushhog. 

Random Notes

Last week we had RA’s from church on Wednesday evening.  There were about 20 boys that visited.  They had a blast feeding the fish, walking the trails and looking at different tree types.  We are so glad to be able to share our blessing with others.

Some of the boys feeding the fish.

They were good at hearing what I was telling them about the forest.

It was good for them to be out in the woods and these young men that help with RA's do a good job in being a  role model for those boys that have no male to look up to in their lives.

Then on Thursday I went to Montgomery with Lisa (Felicia) to the Farmers Federation Cooking Contest.  Sister Shubert was the guest speaker and did a great job talking about her company and how GOD had blessed her.  I didn’t know she was from Alabama and went to Auburn.  Anyway, there were 34 counties represented in the contest and Lisa got 3^rd.  The 1^st place winner has ties to Clay County.  Her husband and I are 2^nd cousins once removed.  The link below will provide other information about the contest.

http://www.alfafarmers.org/headlines/headline.phtml?id=6072

That evening we attended an Alabama Forestry Association Regional meeting at Sellwood Quail Plantation in Alpine (Talladega County).  It was a legislative update and a presentation on inheritance and asset protection.

Last, but not least, we are getting some great scuppernongs and muscadines from our three year old plants this year.  We have been able to can some of them. 

Thank goodness for cooler weather, maybe I can get some bush hogging done this week.

Abby and Mattie Visit

Mattie had such a fun time the first of the week riding in the Jeep, enjoying all the new things to learn about in nature and letting the wind blow in her hair.  She was so good.

At Bowden grove the acorns continue to grow.  The deer are just waiting for them to start to drop.

There is a good quanitity of grain sorgham seed at McCollum.  The turkey and deer will enjoy this when the weather gets cooler.

A massive hole in one of our food plots developed over the summer.  I was glad I saw it when I was bush- hogging the other day.  I think you could crawl down in it and go underground to the stream about 30 feet away.  This was strange!  I can't see a reason for this hole to develop.

Bush-hogging complete at McCollum.  The longleaf pines are really growing on that tract. 

The Mountain Chestnut Oaks at McCollum are loaded this year.  The deer will have lots of acorns to eat this year.

Last week was bush-hogging at McCollum, and I also had a State Tree Farm Committee meeting in Montgomery.  This week another trip to Montgomery for a meeting on membership with the Alabama Farmers Federation.  I hope it cools off some so next week I can bush-hog and work on getting ready for the people from Haiti to come the first of October.  Saturday morning I will be helping the Game Wardens with a Hunter Education Safety Class at Mountain View Plantation (Richard Sprayberry's).  I hope to spray some Saturday evening. 

Don't tell anyone but I have got to go back to Montgomery again next week and a meeting at Sellwood in Alpine, Talladega County, on  another day.  Just plain busy right now.

Fall Work about to Start

Today it was cooler, which was just a reminder that there is lots of work to do.  I have got to get Pine Grove bushhogged and ready because the last day of the month RA's from church are visiting for some time to hike, talk about trees and feed the fish. 

The first of October everything must be finished because the students from Haiti will be visiting for a ten day seminar and learning experience.  I have much work to do and I will probably start at Pine Grove today and maybe finish McCollum this week.  One day I will be in Montgomery for a State Tree Farm meeting so that reduces the number of days to work this week.

GOD is good and I love the fall!