Another Christmas Come and Gone

It has been a busy time trying to make all the Christmas family gatherings and a New Year is looked forward to.  Since last post we have been able to work some hunting in and arrangements are being made to reforest the area in 2014 where we completed the harvest cut.

This was one of the strangest things I have ever seen at sunrise over Dewberry Lands. It was cloudy except for the horizon on the eastern sky.  The sun came up shining under the clouds and at the same time there was light rain in the area.  The sun and the light rain made a rainbow that was vertical like none I had ever seen before and never a sunrise rainbow.

Just before dark my grandson and I came out of the woods from hunting on the property where we had timber cut, James found a stump cut off up high and he had to climb up on it.  He wanted his picture made.  He was a forest statue.

On another day we were hunting and he saw a spike coming out in the field where we were sitting in a stand. He pointed out the deer to me as came out in the field.  It kept coming until it was with in ten steps of us.  This was the closest a deer had been to him out in the wild.  I was able to get a picture of it as it came to us.

Nathan got his second buck Christmas Eve.  This was his second eight pointer, so for the remainder of the season he will have to be very selective of the last one he can harvest. There is a three buck limit in Alabama.

Wood For Buildings

Below is a link to a video about wood.  It was sent to me from the American Forestry Foundation and I wanted to share it so others could see it.  This is a really good video about how wood makes a building more appealing.
http://vimeo.com/62786226

Christmas On Dewberry Lands

We went out on Saturday before the Auburn/Alabama game and looked for a Christmas Tree.  All four of the Grands (ages 7,5,3,and 2) were with us and they were so excited about finding a tree. 

You can see the excitement on their faces as I started cutting down the tree.  It was a cedar that I had been trimming on each year as I would walk past it while hunting or trimming limbs along the road. 

After cutting the tree James went over to the stump to count the growth rings to see how old the tree was.  He said it was eight years old. 

We loaded the tree up on the truck to leave the forest.  James said he was glad we had Dewberry Lands.  He is already developing an appreciation for the forest and you know that really pleases Granddaddy! 

This is what Christmas is all about!  These three little Dewberrys were so excited as they helped their dad decorate the tree that we had gone out and harvested off of our property.

Deer Season Is On

This morning my grandson was able to go hunting with his dad and I.  This is what it is all about!  He was so excited about getting up early and getting in the woods.  Can you tell?.  We sat in a tripod. (Try sharing a tripod with a seven year old.)  It was cold and frosty and you might think we would not see anything but it was just the opposite.  We first saw a doe and a yearling then we watched three coyotes just off our property and not able to shoot them.  We then watched ten turkeys fly down and feed in one of our green fields. Later James was with his dad watching for deer.  We then saw five deer as we rode back home.  We saw 14 deer 20 turkeys, and three coyotes.  James had a blast and is already asking when he can go again.

Two days earlier, Thanksgiving morning, it was cold. 16 degrees.  I wanted to back out but I knew it was a good morning but this cold this early, I am not use to it. 

There was still a good bit of snow on the ground from two days before.  It was like January but such a beautiful morning. 

Nathan got a nice eight pointer that morning that was in the longleaf pines.  The deer weighed 185 pounds. 

25 Years Ago

Twenty-five years ago on my first trip to Kansas City, Missouri and my first FFA Convention I was leading FFA members as their advisor.  It was all new to me.  We had won the State Forestry contest and one of the team members had won the state and regional FFA Forestry Proficiency Award.  He was one of the seniors on the team along with another senior and two freshmen and he had to decide whether to remain on the team or compete in his individual award area.  Only three could compete nationally at that time.  I encouraged him to try to win the Forestry Proficiency Award because of all the hard work he had completed on his property and that is what he did.  He won the National Award in Forest Management and was able to tour Europe as part of his award.

At the same time as he was going through interviews the team was competing against 42 other states.  These young men had worked hard preparing from June to November for the contest reading and studying everything they could about forestry.  Their work paid off for them!  They also won the National FFA Forestry Contest, a first for Alabama.  This was such an honor for me and a great learning experience!     

Smokey the Bear

Last week I worked with our Clay County Forestry Planning Committee at Heritage Day.  We had a special guest that was a big hit with the children, it was Smokey the Bear. Smokey you did a great job!

Leaves are Changing on Dewberry Lands

The leaves have really changed this week, it seems like over night.  They are beautiful!

I think the big frost we had Saturday morning contributed to this.  the picture below is of that frost. 

Fawns Losing Their Spots

We had twins out behind the house Monday morning.  Their mom is the doe with the white spot on its back.  This was the first time they had been out with her.  One of the twins allowed me to take its picture.