Berniez

I love mushrooms and pick some on my farm BUT, When I was in college I asked my pharmacognosy professor about how to ID mushrooms. The short answer was “Find a “stada Baba Polock” ( Old peasant grandmother from Poland) “She knows the stuff better than me. His longer answer was” Pick three or four species that you CAN”T be mistaken for anything but edible. You need a book and a loop or magnifying glass when you go out there. I like mushrooms so I make sure of my species before Taking them home.” And as an old marine sergeant once told me,,,,”Don’t be too stupid to live”. Both of these advices hold especially true for mushroom pickers. I pick only a few species that I cannot mistake for anything but edible and can eat them with great confidence. Around 2001 We had a long-time mushroom picker consumed some white mushrooms he picked at a state park on a Sunday morning ate them that evening. He was sick a few hours later, went to the local hospital treated, felt fine and was released that evening. On Wednesday he started to feel ill and returned to the hospital. Lab results showed meteoric rise in liver enzymes and the start of kidney failure. By Friday morning he was rushed to my hospital in acute renal and liver failure. He was bright dayglow orange (signs of both liver and kidney failure) and in incredible pain…..screaming and thrashing around. We never ID the mushroom though his family said it was pure white, leaving some to surmise amanita phalloides (also known as the “destroying angel”),,,though that mushroom is not native to the US but has been found in Maryland and the west coast. In any case the poor guy died screaming by Friday afternoon waiting for a liver transplant. (In 35 years of treating patients this was the only fatal case of mushroom poisoning I ever tried to treat. (Most just make you sick as a dog, doing some liver damage and just wishing you were dead. Unless you are sure leave it alone) IF you are serious about mushroom picking utube has a great lady “Yellow Elanor” who explains mushroom identification in detail and watch this and other videos she makes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sylVme-EfA This is worth your time and can save your life (please ignore this message if I am in the will!) ID’ing mushrooms is way too important to take anybody’s advice on this site especially if it’s prefaced with “I think” or “Could be” I love mushrooms and pick some on my farm BUT, When I was in college I asked my pharmacognosy professor about how to ID mushrooms. The short answer was “Find a “stada Baba Polock” ( Old peasant grandmother from Poland) “She knows the stuff better than me. His longer answer was” Pick three or four species that you CAN”T be mistaken for anything but edible. You need a book and a loop or magnifying glass when you go out there. I like mushrooms so I make sure of my species before Taking them home.” And as an old marine sergeant once told me,,,,”Don’t be too stupid to live”. Both of these advices hold especially true for mushroom pickers. I pick only a few species that I cannot mistake for anything but edible and can eat them with great confidence. Around 2001 We had a long-time mushroom picker consumed some white mushrooms he picked at a state park on a Sunday morning ate them that evening. He was sick a few hours later, went to the local hospital treated, felt fine and was released that evening. On Wednesday he started to feel ill and returned to the hospital. Lab results showed meteoric rise in liver enzymes and the start of kidney failure. By Friday morning he was rushed to my hospital in acute renal and liver failure. He was bright dayglow orange (signs of both liver and kidney failure) and in incredible pain…..screaming and thrashing around. We never ID the mushroom though his family said it was pure white, leaving some to surmise amanita phalloides (also known as the “destroying angel”),,,though that mushroom is not native to the US but has been found in Maryland and the west coast. In any case the poor guy died screaming by Friday afternoon waiting for a liver transplant. (In 35 years of treating patients this was the only fatal case of mushroom poisoning I ever tried to treat. (Most just make you sick as a dog, doing some liver damage and just wishing you were dead. Unless you are sure leave it alone) IF you are serious about mushroom picking utube has a great lady “Yellow Elanor” who explains mushroom identification in detail and watch this and other videos she makes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sylVme-EfA This is worth your time and can save your life (please ignore this message if I am in the will!) ID’ing mushrooms is way too important to take anybody’s advice on this site especially if it’s prefaced with “I think” or “Could be” I love mushrooms and pick some on my farm BUT, When I was in college I asked my pharmacognosy professor about how to ID mushrooms. The short answer was “Find a “stada Baba Polock” ( Old peasant grandmother from Poland) “She knows the stuff better than me. His longer answer was” Pick three or four species that CAN”T be mistaken for anything but edible. You need a book and a loop or magnifying glass when you go out there. I like mushrooms so I make sure of my species before Taking them home.” And as an old marine sergeant once told me,,,,”Don’t be too stupid to live”. Both of these advices hold especially true for mushroom pickers. I pick only a few species that I cannot mistake for anything but edible and can eat them with great confidence. Around 2001 We had a long-time mushroom picker consumed some white mushrooms he picked at a state park on a Sunday morning ate them that evening. He was sick a few hours later, went to the local hospital treated, felt fine and was released that evening. On Wednesday he started to feel ill and returned to the hospital. Lab results showed meteoric rise in liver enzymes and the start of kidney failure. By Friday morning he was rushed to my hospital in acute renal and liver failure. He was bright dayglow orange (signs of both liver and kidney failure) and in incredible pain…..screaming and thrashing around. We never ID the mushroom though his family said it was pure white, leaving some to surmise amanita phalloides (also known as the “destroying angel”),,,though that mushroom is not native to the US but has been found in Maryland and the west coast. In any case the poor guy died screaming by Friday afternoon waiting for a liver transplant. (In 35 years of treating patients this was the only fatal case of mushroom poisoning I ever tried to help treat. (Most just make you sick as a dog, doing some liver damage along the way and just wishing you were dead. AGAIN,Unless you are sure leave it alone) IF you are serious about mushroom picking utube has a great lady “Yellow Elanor” who explains mushroom identification in detail and watch this and other videos she makes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sylVme-EfA This is worth your time and can save your life (please ignore this message if I am in the will!) ID’ing mushrooms is way too important to take anybody’s advice on this site especially if it’s prefaced with “I think” or “Could be”

Problem is the 4 acre cornfield was sprayed for corn Simazine,2-4 D, Dual Magnum. That prevents wheat soybean or clover to be grown for 4 months effectively preventing the replant scenario. Though with rain everyday I may get away with wheat as the herbicides are getting washed out. Its so wet I actually planted a rice hybrid (from Hancock seed) which supposedly grows in 70 days. We shall see. My gravel fields will grow if I plant but, its close to the road and I already get enough road kill without trying. I forgot to mention one of my treestands was destroyed when one of the storms ripped the 60in diameter willow into the ground. On the bright side, I wasn't in it.

I’ve been playing farmer for 20+ years and for the most part have had great returns…until this year. This year has been a total disaster since the New Year. · It was a cold wet winter leaving my fields wet and sloppy. It wasn’t just the weather as beavers moved in blocking 2 culverts, thus making a series of shallow lakes on my property instead of fields. They also made a 4-acre pond out of some of the best deer/rabbit habitat I have. ( Yes I get a permit to destroy the beavers/dams/everything but I am not there 24/7 but they are) · I had to replace 1 culvert pipe entirely. · The cold spring kept my fields too wet to plant but geese and ducks enjoyed it. I’ve been playing farmer for 20+ years and for the most part have had great returns…until this year. This year has been a total disaster since the New Year. · It was a cold wet winter leaving my fields wet and sloppy. It wasn’t just the weather as beavers moved in blocking 2 culverts, thus making a series of shallow lakes on my property instead of fields. They also made a 4-acre pond out of some of the best deer/rabbit habitat I have. ( Yes I get a permit to destroy the beavers/dams/everything but I am not there 24/7 but they are) · I had to replace 1 culvert pipe entirely. · The cold spring kept my fields too wet to plant but geese and ducks enjoyed it. · MY 4wd 82hp- tractor broke down forcing me to delay planting the fields until my 2wd NH 3930 could get onto the fields without getting stuck · After draining everything (Backhoe and excavator needed) and planting corn and beans we had no rain for 4 weeks, stunting the growth leaving the fields severely deer damaged. I had to replant the corn and hoping the beans could make it. I had some quests over and sprayed my bee hives so their kids won't have to stay away from the hives.....exit 4 hives Who would suspect that would kill the colonies?? · We got rain and the crops started looking good UNTIL we had a severe but very localized grape size hail storm ( My neighbor’s video appeared on TV) that shredded the corn, all the beans and stripped about ½ the apple trees bare.. I replanted the beans. Again, the beans suffered bird (pigeons) and deer damage and I thought things were going good until the last 2 weeks of heavy rain. The fields are wet with standing water and I’ll be lucky to get some deer cover out of the corn. · The cereal rye grew great but it was too wet to combine. Now there is enough ergot mold growing to poison half the county or allowing enterprising organic chemists to make LSD for the masses. · My tractor is still in the shop, delaying other field work MY 4wd 82hp- tractor broke down forcing me to delay planting the fields until my 2wd NH 3930 could get onto the fields without getting stuck · After draining everything (Backhoe and excavator needed) and planting corn and beans we had no rain for 4 weeks, stunting the growth leaving the fields severely deer damaged. I had to replant the corn and hoping the beans could make it. · We got rain and the crops started looking good UNTIL we had a severe but very localized grape size hail storm ( My neighbor’s video appeared on TV) that shredded the corn, all the beans and stripped about ½ the apple trees bare.. I replanted the beans. Again, the beans suffered bird (pigeons) and deer damage and I thought things were going good until the last 2 weeks of heavy rain. The fields are wet with standing water and I’ll be lucky to get some deer cover out of the corn. · The cereal rye grew great but it was too wet to combine. Now there is enough ergot mold growing to poison half the county or allowing enterprising organic chemists to make LSD for the masses. · My tractor is still in the shop, delaying other field work So all in all it has been and still is an interesting year….and with our Governor hinting about more restrictions …..one can only hope for the best

I hate, hate, hate digging. Home Depot and rent a small tractor w backhoe attachment or hire somebody.... now that's fast and easy and if you're over 55 it's reduces your risk of a heart attack. .....that makes it fast cheap and you'll be alive to enjoy the barn.

Here's a pict from last month. I got weight estimates from 200 to 450 lbs. I like some comments on weight. LOL I just want it away from my chickens.

Wheat is a grass and broad leaf weed killer will not bother the wheat just the broad leafs. Couple of years ago I did NOT use a weed killer on the field and it was so choked with weeds that the entire field was a loss. If you spray 2-4D or something like that the field will still be green but with the plants you want making harvest easy.

why it lumber cost going up Many living and quite few dead folks voted often and repeatedly for the current administration. They want a wave of inflation (Just like Jimmy Carter's time) to make everybody dependent on our "leaders" Don't believe me? Just ask Chuck and Kirsten how better off we are now under their tutelage . It took Jimmy Carter his administration years to turn a nickel candy bar into a $1.75. These folks want to turn $1.85.g gas into $8.00/gallon and force us all into the cities where they can control everything we do. ...I retired because I would not tell my patient's that masks make a difference. Dissent will not be tolerated. The reason is...we are still buying the lumber at that price. Find a small local mill and you can still afford to build

They die from the top down and pretty quickly. Don't wait cut 'em and plant something else. I cut my woodlot last year and those I didn't cut I should have. Make room for the Darling58 Chestnut tree. This will be an important addition to increase the food supply for wildlife.

If not fertilizer they were spraying a weed killer for broad-leafs... so they could keep the combine from clogging when harvesting the wheat.

Japanese Knotwood can be killed but it takes TIME. Use DICAMBIA on a 8-1 mixture apply. Stuff works like a charm but the it will return either later this year or next spring.... You kill it again and by year 3 it will be pretty much gone. Problems: 1. Dicambia will kill clover/broadleafs but not grass. So you may need to plant oats/wheat/rye/corn/sorghum (dicmabia resistant soybeans) until the problem is resolved. 2. Spray the leaves with little runoff. For small areas you can use a hollow needle to inject the dicambia directly into the stalks with little worry about harming anything but the knotweed. (see:https://www.jkinjectiontools.com/stem-injection ) It works great and is time consuming.... but may be best for small/sensitive areas, 2. When using this you need to wear protective clothing as it is corrosive....so unless washed off quickly it will destroy clothing. I wear rubber boots.... hosed off with water and detergent and rinse really well. Immediately wash everything in hot soapy water and triple rinse. Throw everything that's heavily contaminated away. This is the only herbicide that Ive found to be really effective in the long run Good Luck BernieZ Now yellow nutsedge is another issue and use pigs instead of goats as they will root out the underground nuts that goats can't get to. Besides when done it's time for a pulled pork and sausage party.

There is always the question of what to plant and what’s best. I’ve been planting plots for 20 ++years and here is my 2 cents. In any area deer have a local preference for certain foods. So what gets hit in 1 place gets overlooked in another. A big factor is what the surrounding area has for feed. If you are in an agricultural area go with crops. If in big woods they’ll eat anything green and easy to reach. Twenty years ago I planted soybeans which was NEVER grown in that area. They did NOT touch them the first year, began eating them the second and have hammered them ever since. Any field I plant beans in if less than 2 acres is a waste of time. They eat the plants not waiting for beans to form. I still plant about 10 acres of beans and by March 15th they are completely stripped.….but the deer hammer them all thru the season and beyond. I’ve tried brassicas/kale/turnips for a few years and in my area, I find them useless. I planted the same field ½ in soybeans and the other ½ in turnips/rape/kale. Both grew. Attached is the field in Late DECEMBER. If you look at tracks you can see they walked across the “greens” and pawed their way to get into the soybeans. To me that’s a pretty definitive test. So plant what they want and you will have deer. Don’t just read how “great” the miracle food is and expect a bonanza…you have to find what they like in your area. I like beans, corn, clover, oats and cereal rye. I’ve switched to a Kasco No till eco drill so my old equipment is obsolete. If you or anybody else wants a cheap JD 4 row bean corn sorghum planter that works (sans hydraulic cylinder) but no fertilizer bins or an old seed drill (Set for oats/rye give me a shout ) I just want it off the property because its taking up room in the barn and my Eco-drill plants it all. IN any case good luck and keep planting

True but I'd bet that field has been there for many years. Once infected the land is infected. Fescue tends to take over and the field becomes a mono culture, killing the forage you want. whttps://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/news/how-to-convert-tall-fescue-pastures-for-wildlife-usage/article_0d4c86d1-cbd0-5276-bd5a-f8fd6ac18891.html I mostly plant cereal grains, clovers, buckwheat, corn, beans (there deer have almost completely harvested/destroyed the entire 8 acres or corn and beans as of yesterday). (nothing but deer trampled those fields) I'm just a guy whose personal experience leads me to my admonition on the planting grasses. (Except switchgrass but that's another story)

Once you get use to it you will really like it. I have a no till Kasco eco drill 72 inch and love it, as it saves time and diesel. You need to get use to it and follow the directions. The first year I had it, I called it a NO PLANT as my administrations to the fields were not the best. Once I learned to read the directions I found it actually works...and works well. My property has 2 types of soil: 1: gravel with a top layer of stone (you can’t get a spade in the ground) and 2: river bottom that can be wet but is rock free. But I am now use to it and have planted, clover, switchgrass, corn, beans, buckwheat, turnips, etc all with very good results. I like it so much I want to get rid of my grain planter,a JD corn/bean, sorghum planter and springtooth harrow as I no longer have a need for them. Just remember you need to get the seed in the ground and sometimes you need a lot of weight on the planter (I use pieces of rails) Once you get use to it….you will extoll the virtues of the machine as a time and fuel saver.

You can look it up but deer really don’t eat much grass…..when you see them in a field it’s the broadleafs and clovers that are mixed in the grass that the deer are eating. You see them eating in the field after you cut it is because the cutting has exposed the clovers/vetch and other stuff mixed in. Fescue is probably the worst grass there is for anything but cows. Fescues are the worst (www.plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_feru2.pdf] Some varieties contain endophytes that in high levels may be harmful to livestock (Yoder, 2000). Wildlife: Deer, elk, and moose utilize red fescue If not toxic it is detrimental to rabbits and the deer themselves. Claims have been made that fescue can be an abortifacient which is not helping the deer) You have a spot that the deer regularly use it and increasing clover content of the field can only help. Don’t get fancy and stick with clovers and avoid ANY wildlife mix that has fescue in it. That just makes the field look green but does not help the wildlife. So if needed add lime get a good clover stand and don't waste your money.

The deer and geese will destroy any field under 3 acres. I planted 10 acres of beans and corn this year. Twenty five percent of both fields were destroyed before July 15. Once they discover beans it's a problem keeping them from decimating the plot. Add in weed control and you could be disappointed in your endeavor. Smaller fields are better off being in oats/clover. However, go for it and see what works. Let's us know how it turns out.

My grandfather always removed stumps in this manner without any heavy equipment . Using a 2 inch or so hollow pipe he pounded it into the dirt around the stump about every 15 inches angled into the stump as deep as he could. He would them fill the holes with corn and molasses. He had 2-4 hogs and fenced them in the area. The pigs would go for the corn and molasses by rooting and would dig those stumps completely out of the ground. Then he would cut and split the stumps for fire wood and the fenced in area would be tilled and fertilized. The pigs were sold or eaten costing him some whole corn and a couple of gallons of molasses. Silly as that sounds if you electric fenced in the area leaving them a hay filled shelter (they don't eat they hay or soil their sleeping quarters) and make sure they have water, some extra food, it will work just as easily for your purpose. I used that method cleaning up a cornfield field I harvested using a 1 row corn picker which left lots of corn on the ground. The deer didn't mind sharing. I put the pigs in the field Thanksgiving weekend, left them in it until I sold them in late March. They didn't need a heated shelter and gained weight better than the stye raised pigs and ate anything green in that field. I actually made money on the deal. I would recommend waiting until the ground defrosted before trying this but it does work.

Folks, Good luck and make sure it's a safe hunt.

801-acre Hooker Mountain State Forest Otsego county, There are other forests close by that have bears.. Its a couple of miles off I88. I got 3 bear on my place One poor cub with no mama, 1 medium and this one. this is the best pic and He is around every 4th day.I'm only 5 miles from hooker mt. The bear sighting have increased dramatically in the last 4 years. I don't know where they are coming from but they are all over the place (1 got hit on I88 last month) I don't shoot them as they can scream like people and I had enough of that 50 years ago. Good luck

Belo is correct. Those fins are part of the spinal column. Maybe some of us are confusing the spinal cord vs, the vertebra which makes up the spinal column. Spinal cord is the nerves going through the spinal column. Made up of individual bony structures (vertebra) are designed to surround and protect the spinal cord. If you hit the bony structure (including the"fins") the nerves get all messed up and usually suffer loss of nerve control even when missing the spinal cord. That is usually only temporary and the animal quickly needs another shot before it gets up and runs away. There isn't much meat above the spinal column (those dang "fins" get in the way) and the downward angle of Shooting from a tree stand without hitting one of those "fins" would be extremely difficult.

Congrats Don, With all that "pink whipped cream" coming out from the lungs Your shot hit lower than you thought..... right where it is supposed to. How far did he go?

Good luck on the recovery. If you need help I'm sure all you need to do is ask.

Here is two bucks that just spent a few minutes fighting. The RUT is just starting,

GET A CHAINSAW AND OPEN THE CANOPY.... The below pictures will visualize just what I am talking about. Two fields where planted on the same day (No Till) on the same day with the same mix ( White clover and oats) they are 250 yards apart but one gets less sunlight but more deer pressure than the other you should be able to tell which is which. While are being hit by deer one has NO oats left while the other has oats in abundance. Both picts where taken 5 minutes apart (today) showing 1 has more sunlight than the other. Use the chainsaw to give your fields and roads LIGHT If you are going to waste money come over to my place and we will drink it. BTW They like the oats (Just garden variety whole oats from Lutz feed in Oneonta ($8.00 per 50 lbs) While both fields show substantial abuse by deer....the oats are completely gone in one field. The clover will be hit hard the rest of the year. IF you have real small plots use clover and oats anything will be attacked and eaten long before the season, (I had a 2 acre soybean field devastated by September, Picts will be sent if you want). Use the chain saw first and get a soil sample before you spend money on stuff that won't grow.

1. Before you plant anything: Get a soil test and find out if anything will grow 2. Don’t expect anything to grow without sunlight so whatever you plant match its sunlight requirements. Example: a. Full sun is considered six or more hours of direct sunlight per day. It doesn’t need to be six continuous hours, but the light needs to be direct, full sun. b. Partial sun refers to four to six hours of direct sunlight per day. Etc. Once you figure out how much sunlight you have then plant what will grow. Example: Fruiting Vegetables: 8 hours of direct sunlight. Such as Soybean, Corn, sunflowers Root Vegetables: 6 hours of direct sunlight Ex. turnips, radishes etc. Green/Leafy Vegetables: 4 hours of direct sunlight kale, rape etc. I’ve found if you want clover ….it likes >5 hours otherwise it grows but cannot stand any pressure and will be week and straggly. 3. Most of those no-till products are hype unless you have a no-till planter. Even No Till needs a inch or two of dirt to really be successful. Last 3 years I’ve planted 15 acres of no till and have had mixed results. Weeds are a big problem and while you don’t need a clean field you need to give the crops a chance to grow. (Personally I prefer a weedy crop field as the game [rabbits turkeys and pheasant included] like the cover and hangs around longer in the AM in a weedy field before getting into cover. So weed control is essential if you want perennials to last and field crops to give the deer the groceries they need. 1. So.. concentrate on making enough crop debris to make enough dirt to grow what you want. It may take a year or two but once you have it….it’ll make your life a lot easier to grow something. 4. With all that rock sounds like your tiller will need lots of shear pins to get anything done. Five of my acres are so rocky I’d destroy that piece of equipment in 1 year. You may be better off selling it and picking something else that will not be ruined so quickly. 5. Get a 500lb broadcast 3ptspreader. You can do a lot with it. 6. I purchased a Kasco 6’Eco-drill No Till planter 3 years ago and it works like a charm. I can plant anything from clover, switchgrass, cereal rye, barley, kale, radishes, turnips, rape, to corn/soybeans without issue. (as long as your rows widths are in multiples of 7 inches. (My corn is in 21 inch rows, sorghum 14 inches and soybeans and clover work well at 7 inches.) It’s a one pass machine, meaning set your row width, then your depth (1/8 inch to 1 inch) fill the planet and go. It even has a cultipacker on it. No discing, plowing or anything else. (Of course you still need to spray and lime/fertilize but this is so much easier and faster.) I’m going to get rid of my grain seeded, and JD 4 row corn/soybean/sorghum planter and maybe my drags this spring. Note: on the JD the fertilizer bins are shot but it still plants. 7. Kasco makes smaller no tills for ATV’s and small tractors as well as other companies but am I satisfied with this machine. So see what your soil needs, makes sure you have enough dirt available to get he seed in the ground and know what will grow (Not what you want grow) by the hours of sunlight available before you waste money and get disappointed. Hopefully I have attached a few of the bucks that are walking around or killed in the last few years in my food plots.

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