landtracdeerhunter

Nothing could ever replace a lobster and steak dinner on Valentines day

I was hoping for a mild Tuesday, but temps didn't make it above freezing till 5 pm. with plenty of freezing rain. We did manage to warm to 50 by midnight and the trees ran into Wednesday morning with just enough sap to fire the evaporator. Still getting a nice golden color, but the boil down rate is still quite high. I still am debating when to tap the rest of my trees. Most likely be around the 20th.

It cheaper to have a cell phone, than a land line these days, if you stay with the basic technology. Much more dependable too. My phone doesn't run me. I just use it for communication, like a land line.

Heck, it'll be down the storm sewers, come Sunday.

Just something us westerners live with from time to time. LOL.

The question that comes to mind is would the flu shot keep a person from getting sick? I know of two people that had reactions from the shot. Something flu shot pushers don't tell ya.

Some of our young beech are marcescence trees. Deer bed around these quite often. I believe their is some nutritional value when the leaves come down. They also visit the larger maple trees, bedding in their leaf drop on the forest floor.

Deer are still feeding on corn here, Willows are also getting nipped back. They cleaned up on radish new top growth. Bedding heavily in leafy wooded areas.

I've been finding doe, no bucks yet.

Shed fever always latches it firm grip this time of year. Catch it in a field near you. One word of caution thou; once it hits, their's no turning back, LOL.

We'll we have escaped most of the snow all winter. Shoveling these little 2 inch snowfalls have been no problem this season. Makes one sleep through the entire night with no problem at all. Deer are bedding in leafy areas of the woods, a more traditional winter pattern; so it looks like winter will be here for a while now. Maybe I will not have to put miles on the cleats to find some sheds this season.

I still like to use my summer fallowing to combat weed problems.

Always inoculate legume seed. I buy separate packages introducing it into the seed.; even though tag says it already in it. An inexpensive way to fix nitrogen into the soils. Far more productive than chemical ferts,,

Only 42 more days. The way this winter is going, I won't mind it. Another warm up next week.

I am a shed fanatic; thanks wooly! I just can't get myself to cut them up. I'm just to attached to them, when they become unattached. Their my best trophies. Learned a lot about where to find them too. Looking to make plaques to mount them on so I can daydream about when I found them. One plaque going to have to be very long as I have shed antlers from one deer, five years straight, two sets. The last being the largest I have ever found. I am hoping for a sixth year; we'll see. I seen a shed antler chandelier in some restaurant one time. Maybe when the drywall starts to crack, and the studs pull out of the headers , I'll try making one of those. Not even close yet. To me sheds are far cheaper to find than shooting one. I would then have to shell out hundreds of dollars and a lot of labor to get on the wall.

Liquid fert. works far better in dry years. Our soils are lacking Selenium.

As I said above, again; these seats are junk. Legs broke off of it first use. Walmart refunded my money. I think their was a little to much of me to support. No weight limit on the tag, but won't support #220. The end of the legs stick in you butt cheeks also. Zero stars. I picked up some 14 ounce camo cargo pants at Walmart yesterday for $10. Tractor supply have the good folding seats for $12. If they go to $10, I will buy what they have left. I bought some used black Pepsi chairs on the flea market last year like these for $2.50 a piece. No bargin on camo cloths however. I'm looking to add my part in reducing the inflation fate, this year.

This chair is just plain junk. I'm looking at the folding mini folding chairs at Tractor Supply for $12. They get to $10, I will buy them all. I picked up some cargo pants at Walmart yesterday for $10 a pair. I watched them since October. They reduced them twice down to the current price.

I don't know what it is about the first boil of the year. Maybe it's that long wait between the seasons; the fresh smell of sweet steam; the look and taste of that beautiful golden syrup; having success of a home built arch; or people telling you how good your syrup taste. I'm sure I have left out many reasons; but it sure feels good!

I have used Borax on the meat part of the tail with success. I never put salt on it though. I have also removed the feathers to dry, keeping them in order on cardboard until ready to mount. I like the Borax method better as it looks more natural, like fresh off the bird. I will get the nerve up someday to mount a whole bird using shipping fiber and transformer wire or chicken netting. I will first practice on chickens. I need to make a tumbler and grind up some dry corncobs, before getting to excited. I don't know if I'll have the nerve to post it, however, LOL.

Forty years have gone by. Seems like yesterday. We were also experiencing an energy crisis that winter. Many government offices and school were closing for extended periods to conserve. People would be put on list for fuel oil deliveries. We ran short ( as many did) twice in December of 76 with no home heating oil. Lucky we had a backup wood stove for heat. Lines would form at gas stations, many running out. People were placed on a gallon limits/ week. As far as the blizzard, it was bad, to say the least. I have many pictures; old Buffalo News, and Lockport Union Sun and Journal newspapers with stories and pictures that were delivered 2 weeks later, when our road was opened thanks to the owner of County Line Stone payloaders and bulldozers. They were in front of our house with a bulldozer at 2am. one morning, clearing tree top drifts. I remember bouncing around in bed as the frozen ground amplified the vibration of the cleats making it feel like an earthquake. Our well water froze that winter; never before or after, did it. Their were many heros created by that storm. It all melted later in February; we had a big flood. The rest of that winter was a piece of cake.

Sounds great, but down south you get those nasty twirling things that twist trees off and make people remodel their homes.

Does anyone celebrate the Vermont tradition of " Sugar On Snow Party." with homemade donuts and sour pickles. They use to heat the maple syrup and pour it on snow which turns waxy. Then eat.

And to think, each and every one is different in it's own way. Can't wait for the new sheds to start flying off. Thanks for posting.

Do you have Buffalo New York Becks beer cans?