Animal Rescue to Huckleberries and Summer Food Plots

The other morning while we were eating breakfast we saw something in the pool, it was a young chipmunk.  He was desperate to get out because he swam right up to me for me to get him out.  He stayed on the concrete for a short time then scampered off to his home.

We found a patch of huckleberries the other day after a rain while out.  We picked several for eating.

WHAT KIND OF BERRY WILL EAT ANOTHER BERRY?......... A Dewberry!  

James and Selah enjoyed the berries right out of the hat.  James said these were the best berries he had ever eaten, I agree!

Between rains we were able to get one soybean/browntop field in.  The deer are working on the soybeans but the turkeys will be fat on all the seed that are to come.

A sampling of the deer tracks.

Lots of Rain

It has been a wet and rather cool year so far this summer. We were not able to get corn in this year and only have one field planted in soybeans, browntop, and sunflowers.  We still plan to plant chufas and more summer crops if weather will permit.  Had a welcomed site where we were unloading the tractor the other day before all this rain, it was where young turkeys had been dusting in the road.

Last week I spoke to loggers school and certification.  I spoke on prescribed fire, a landowners view.  It seemed to go over real well.  I was one of three presenters that day. 

4-H and Relic Hunting

I have added several new pictures of "Wildflowers" to the Blog from this spring.

Yesterday, I had the privilege to judge the 4-H wood projects at the District Competition.  It was good to see what these young people had constructed from wood. 

The other day we were riding over the property and my grandson wanted to look for artifacts left behind on the railroad bed from about 100 years ago.  His dad assisted him with the discoveries of old spikes, bolts, and other metal pieces. 

It is so good for my grandson to be able to explore the outdoors.  That is what being a boy is all about.  Before we looked for artifacts we panned for gold in the branch.  We found some small specks but no large nuggets.  Maybe next time!

Warmer Weather after 6" of Rain

The catfish were really hungry this morning after all the rain we had Saturday.  The water was dingy but this did not stop them from finding the food.

These two birds, one male and one female, are called cow birds.  These birds followed the buffalo when they traveled across most of the United States and this caused these birds to develop strange habits. They are the only birds in the U.S. that use the nest of other birds to lay their eggs and allow other birds to raise their young.  These habits were developed because the buffalo was always on the move and they were following them and could not raise their young.  They were photographed in our pasture.

Late Spring Prescribed Burn

Perfect prescription for this 13 acre spot that needed a cool fire run under it to complete a WHIP contract.  This was the third time this spot had been through a controlled burn. 

My daughter helped me with this burn.  She knows what it takes to manage a forest because she has been helping manage our property since she was in the FFA.  One of our most helpful tools for burning is our 

4-wheeler.  The water tank on the back is great for quickly putting out small fires and the drip torch on the front is a must for a prescribed burn.

Below is a picture I made one morning while turkey hunting at one of the old home places on our property.  The Narcissus were beautiful!

Earth Day

Every day is Earth Day on Dewberry Lands!

Busy Saturday

Early Saturday morning a Bluebird was collecting worms for the family in one of the nesting boxes at the lodge.

Saturday was spent cutting lumber from downed trees from the recent thunderstorms that produced high winds. 

There was some nice lumber produced from these trees.  I plan on using it to make a covered bridge over one of the streams where we have on a trail.