WNYBuckHunter

Nextis the first food plot. This is the smaller of the two. The tree in the middle will stay this year and be taken out next year.

Here are some before pics. First are the trail we cleared.

Just picked up the brush hog. Man that thing looks big on there lol. Gonna start mowing after dinner.

Yeah I’ll get some pics later when I get The brush hog in there. Ive always had fun doing plots over at the farm, but this is completely different with it being my own place. I dont Have to worry about what other people want to do, or what the landowner wants or doesn’t want done. It’s really nice having it be all mine and to be able to do things exactly how I want To.

I figured I would Start a thread to document my work putting in a couple of food plots on the land we bought this spring. This morning we got started cutting a trail to get the tractor back to the plot areas. A few weeks ago I went through and marked some trees to cut to put in the trail, but once we started cutting today, I didnt Like how the ground sloped in some of the areas. There is an old trail on the property line, so Haley and I walked It and found the old enterance. It had been choked by some bushes, but I decided It would be easiest to just open it back up. I pushed Out all of the brush with the front end loader and back blade. We were able to get to both of the plots within a couple of hours by just pushing brush and falldowns out of the way. We also cleared out the few bushes from the plot areas. This afternoon I have To go pick up a brush hog, and then I’ll go through and get everything mowed out this evening. The soil back there still has some moisture in it, so I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to get a plow in the ground next weekend.

Mine has a diff lock, engage that and put it in low and you can put all of the power to the ground. Thats how I run it when Im pulling larger implements, like a spring harrow or something like that. Its all about throttle control. Peak torque comes on at relatively low RPMs anyway, so just mashing the gas isnt how you put the full potential power to use.

They have locking pins for that. I have one around somewhere that I dont bother with anymore. I have insurance on my stuff, go ahead and steal it, Ill get a fat check and go buy something new.

I compress mine as well. I just crank down the ratchets until shes squatting a couple of inches from normal.

Ours was carved out of the woods. Looks like there used to be all grass in it at one time, now its mostly clover and weeds. Im fine with it, the deer are always out there munching clover, it doesnt grow super fast, and it still looks ok when its mowed. Ive done the "perfect lawn" routine of multiple doses of weed & feed and overseeding each year and creating a nice lush lawn devoid of any weeds a few different times at different houses. It ends up growing so fast and thick you have to cut twice a week or it gets out of hand in a hurry. To heck with that nonsense, Im all done spending a ton of time and money on a patch of grass. Hell, we hired my girlfriends cousin to cut our lawn. All I do anymore is trim with the weed wacker. Its well worth the money we pay him.

Our lawn is still plenty green, but I think thats because there isnt much actual grass in it lol

Yeah we are getting pretty dry too. Im taking advantage this weekend and getting my tractor trail cut, plot areas brush hogged and hopefully spraying. Ill be waiting to till and plant until we have a good rain in the forecast.

Any deer with antlers on it longer than 1" is counted as a buck, regardless of what tag you use on it, and you can only enter 2. If you dont like the rules, dont enter the contest, pretty simple. If you choose to muddy up the thread with a debate, your posts will be deleted and youll be handed a time out from the site. I will not allow this to be turned into a pissing contest.

At the farm we use a tiller on the plots. I dont pack it before I plant, I just spread fert with tow spreader, till, spread seed with hand crank spreader, then roll it with a lawn roller. Works perfect.

You can plant now if you like, wont hurt anything.

I plant mine mid to late August

I might as well post that Im in lol Haley is in too

Contact landtracdeerhunter about prize donations, he is handling that.

If youth participants do not have an account on here, their parent or grandparent can enter for them.

Yeah looks neat

I would suggest some heavier straps. I tend to go way overkill with them. I look at it like this, if something happens, I dont want that ATV flying off of the trailer if at all possible. The straps I use are 3" straps from Runnings and are rated at over 5000lbs working strength 18000 lb webbing strength each. If you get them at runnings on sale, they are about $20-25 each and will be very long, just trim them down to size. Ive used mine on cars, trucks, tractors, ATVs, anything short of really heavy stuff that Id use chain binders for.

Looks like you had some fun last night. Along the lines of tying down, I use 2 heavier ratchet straps, even on my side by side. 1 in the front, attach to front corner of the trailer, loop it through the front bumper of the SxS, then to the other front corner of the trailer. The other in the rear, attach to rear corner of the trailer, thread strap around rear part of the frame, attach to other rear corner of the trailer. Its quick, simple and keeps it secure. I would not recommend tying it down by the axles, use the frame and bumpers. Between the two pics here you can see how I do it. You should be able to do something similar.

I mostly use regular folding bag chairs. I also have a bucket with a lid that has a rotating cushioned top that I will use from time to time for short sits. I cant do milk crates, just too uncomfortable to sit on for any length of time for me, so I end up moving and repositioning too much. I prefer to be more comfortable, which means I dont move very much.

Depends on what stand Im in, and what the situation is, but mine are usually hanging up. I always try to have the hanger in a position to put the weapon close to where my hands will be so that there is very little movement involved in taking it off of the hanger. If Im a sitter involved in a drive, my gun stays in my hands.

The last 3 bucks Ive taken, Ive had on cam.

The 2018 deer season is only a few short months away, and we are bringing back a deer hunting contest, The HuntingNY Whitetail Classic! You can sign up for the contest by replying to this thread, sign up starts now and will end at Midnight on September 28, 2018 at which time this thread will automatically lock. In the contest section, each hunter will get their own thread, in which entries should be posted. Contest entries must be submitted by Midnight on January 2, 2019 (Sorry, seasons that run into 2019 are not included in this contest). Contest Rules -The Deer must be taken in NY during the 2018 deer season (Oct 1 - Dec 31) -Deer must be tagged with regular NYS carcass tags (Buck, DMP or Either Sex). Deer tagged with nuisance permits or DMAPs will not count. -There must be photos of the deer included in the post(s), they must clearly show the hunter, the antler points of bucks, a clear picture showing the inside spread measurement (must clearly see where each end of the tape measure is touching), this year's tag attached to the deer as well as a contest card (details below) -Each hunter can enter up to 2 bucks and 2 does Scoring system -Each deer will earn 10 points -Bucks will earn 1 additional point per scorable antler point -Scorable antler points are 1 inch in length measured from the base of the point. Fliers, kickers, droptines, etc ARE scorable -Total score of each hunter will be added up at the end of the contest, highest total score wins -In the event of a tie, greatest measured inside spread of the entered buck(s) will be the tie breaker (if hunters are tied and each entered 2 bucks, the spread on each entered buck will be measured) Contest Card With a black marker, make your contest card on a sheet of white 8 1/2" x 11" paper. Write large enough so it can be seen in one of the entry photos. It should include the following At the top, write - 2018 HuntingNY Whitetail Classic below that include your screen name, and the date and location of the harvest (WMU) The card must be clearly visible in at least 1 photo of deer or that entry will NOT count. Youth Division There is a separate youth division for hunters under age 18. Exact same rules and scoring as above. Prizes We will be announcing this years prizes in a separate thread once we have the contest section ready.