Plot Begins

[growalot]

 

Surprisingly im not sore from yesterday, walking around on 6-8 inches of snow gets old fast and it doesn't help with my desk job.

 

 Lol I told the guys at the gym I can ride 5 miles in 12 mins at a good resistance and walk a fast 1mile at 3.0 and a 6% incline in 20 minutes...with breaking a sweat but not breathing heavy or being exausted...but 1 mile hike around our place and I feel like I ran a marathon...lol snow great cardio...

[growalot]

Wood ash is good for your soil...but I still like thick tall brush piles ...they really compact fast...and if you are using them for walking in cover and or blinds you will want them tall and will need to add to them yearly they make great blinds...

[Zag]

Well I got a few hrs in today. The coldest part was the mile drive in on the 4wheeler. With the foot of snow it actually made the cutting easier. After I would drop a tree and start cutting up, it sat high enough on top of the snow where I could cut right thru and not hit the ground with the saw blade. Most of what I cut were maple trees to help feed the deer. The east side trees are mostly cut down (not cut up yet) and today I focused on the west side corner working the edge towards the other end. Im thinking after next weekend we might have it cleared almost half way. Boy this is a big project.

 

[Zag]

Well with already 1ft of snow on the ground and another 1-1/2ft this week and more Sunday. Damn I don't think ill be chipping away at this for awhile. I guess ill have to use some of my banked time off in march to play catch up.

[growalot]

Zag....... we have snow over my knees in our woods and thats not the drifts....this with 2-4" due today and they say possible well over 7" Sunday thru Monday.The coldest temps of the year to come on the heels of this...snowing as I type.

This is the time I usually am out in the woods downing the crowded and junk trees I have marked so the deer have an easier time and I have a head start on things...I can barely make it to the chickens 200yrds down in the woods...clear a path plowing with my legs...next day drifted back in...even the sled is a pain, I now put two gals of hot water in a back pack to carry down to them daily. tuff times for some critters if this keeps up and I feel for guys that maple and have wood lot work to keep them going...

I know this though...DANG GLAD We're on the high side of the hill and not in the valley! Spring will be interesting to say the least...

[Zag]

Grow, I was hoping you would comment on how much snow you have since I think were kind of in the same neck of the woods. I sometime wonder if my dad exaggerates the snow total in hopes ill take a break for a weekend. It sounds like I probably couldn't even get the 4wheeler thru the snow to get back there. Wish I had more cut down for them but they should have a fair amount of food. From the sounds of the forecast I think ill be sidelined thru feb.

[growalot]

Yep the last trip with the Gator I barely made it back and now it's up to the radiator so it's parked...the snow underneither is very slick even walking...I use my staff to keep from falling for my feet slide in it. Mr B wants to plow a path to the chicken with the big tractor but I say no...he'd have to go across the side of the hill and it's just too slick ...especially trying to move snow as you go...last thing I want is the tractor stuck in the woods....Shoveling by hand gets tough when you have 7 " to move in such a big area...onec a week fine but more than that whips me.....him using the tractor on the weekends is fine by me!....lol

You'll get a lot done in March I'm sure...How do you plan on liming?

Edited February 7, 2015 by growalot

[Zag]

I talked to my buddy who dabbles in food plots, said he has the equipment to spread a couple tons of bulk lime. I have easy access 90% of the way to the plot. The last 10% should be fine once the dozer work is done.

[Zag]

Well with the snow pack we were able to make it back with the 4wheeler today and cut a bunch more cut down. We continued on the Westside working our way towards the south end. I focused part of my time defining the pinch point in the hr glass design on the west portion. Its slowly taking shape. We have piles and piles of firewood. That will be a long task of its own. Its amazing how much snow is still up there.

On our way out we got the wheelers stuck a half dozen times due to the snow loosening up from the freeze. I should have checked the odometer before we started back because those tires were spinning the whole mile back. I'd post pics but my laptop is down and out and this stupid tablet doesn't have a spot for a mem card.

[Fantail]

Keep us posted on plans / work to remove the stumps etc. Interested in how that goes. Taking on a project next year, maybe starting in 2015 on clearing for a new plot as well. I'm certain the David-Brown will be put to work.

[Zag]

Well my brother and dad chipped away some more Sunday and I took the wife and son up today. I got about 2hrs of cutting what was already down. Were between a quarter and half way so its getting there for such a big project. I think I'm gonna take a few days off later this month and try and get this mostly done.

Fantail ill keep this going all the way thru the project. One of these days ill get my laptop fixed or replaced so I can post pics.

[catskillkid]

Zag

 

    Looks like you have quite the project going on there. I did the same as you many years ago. I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but get ready for much work after you remove the stumps and try to turn the soil. You'll have an incredible amount of roots that you will be tearing up. I used a large cat bucket loader with ripper teeth to initially uproot everything and it still took many years before the remaining roots rotted away. Pulling a two bottom plow or cultivator even with my tractor was a real chore for a few years. I can't imagine how the early pioneers did it with mules and horses. You will enjoy the plot once all of your hard work is finished though. Keep up the enthusiasm!

 

Edited April 2, 2015 by catskillkid

[Zag]

Zag

 

    Looks like you have quite the project going on there. I did the same as you many years ago. I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but get ready for much work after you remove the stumps and try to turn the soil. You'll have an incredible amount of roots that you will be tearing up. I used a large cat bucket loader with ripper teeth to initially uproot everything and it still took many years before the remaining roots rotted away. Pulling a two bottom plow or cultivator even with my tractor was a real chore for a few years. I can't imagine how the early pioneers did it with mules and horses. You will enjoy the plot once all of your hard work is finished though. Keep up the enthusiasm!

 

Thanks it hadn't thought about the roots just yet. Great I got more work to look forward to  . And your right its definitely alot of work but the finished product should be something!! I'll do my best to keep my enthusiasm high, I'm more the go big mindset and my dad and brother see it as overwhelming. Having a large food source in the area we hunt should give us quiet an advantage when all said and done.

[Zag]

Well I spent 5hrs cutting today and it doesn't look like I did much, but I only have a few more trees to drop and all the trees will be down on the one side. So hopefully ill get that done tomorrow. What a great day to be in the woods!!!! With all this firewood piling up were really thinking about selling some maybe by the truck load.

[thphm]

As the catskillkid said hire or rent a Big tractor with ripper teeth on the plow or bucket, you will save a lot of money in the future on repairs of equiptment in the future.and the ground will be a lot easier to work., Been there and should have done that.

[Zag]

Boy am I tired. I was solo today but tomorrow will have all three of us going. Half ways the goal tomorrow!!!

 

 

Keepin em cold.

Getting piles for ya grow!!

 

 

 

 

[growalot]

LOOKING GOOD!...Now place strategic openings in it...and if it is a viewing barrier,you can place openings that still hide the view...just pull back from main fence line a few feet and make a short "overlapping" line...then they can walk through either end of the shorter fence, but still cant see movement going by. I did this on both my road side fence and woodland ones...the road side fence is to keep road poaching down, but I needed the deer to be able to enter after crossing the road. It took them 2 days to figure it out and now they actually bed near these openings

[Zag]

Well guns back in the safe and i have a date with the chainsaw tuesday. Time to get back at it. Finishing is the goal and im hoping the weather cooperates much better than last winter. Its go time!!

[Zag]

Had a great date with the saw, chipped away at it for almost 5 hrs today. With the winds today i didnt cut any new trees down but i still had a much laying there from the spring. Half is done, I'm just past the pintch point in the design and can see the far corner tape. Great feeling to be back out working with the land.

[Zag]

A view from way above, kind cool to see it from that view.

[Zag]

So if everything goes as planned will have this cleared this spring. I originally was thinking having a dozer clear out the stumps but ive also started thinking about renting a skidsteer with the mulcher attachment. I guess some advantages of using a mulcher would be no loss of top soil but it only cuts them down to the ground still kinda leaving a stump. Thoughts?

[catskillkid]

I would still have a guy with a cat loader with ripper teeth come in and do the work. The machine would do the job in a fraction of the time of a skid steer and will remove a lot of the roots also. The teeth are spaced far enough apart to let the top soil sift through. Save the manual labor for more important things like lime, fertilizing and planting.

 

God made big machines for a reason 

[Zag]

Well i only cut for alittle bit today. I focused on cutting the maples today. I hate cutting trees on windy days but im still alive!! I didnt take any pics today but pulled the cam i have there and have a decent buck in it. I cant wait to get this done.

We've spent a lot of time trying to create this and I'm feeling like getting as far as we can this winter and just doze what we don't finish. I'm def happy with the progress we've made so far ( we cut a crap ton of trees) just on weekends when were free. I just want to see it full of food!!

Edited January 13, 2016 by zag

[growalot]

That's a nice buck...futures looking good!

[Zag]

That's a nice buck...futures looking good!

Thanks grow, after these pics im really getting impatient and want food in this plot!!