Jump to content

2022 Wolc Journal


wolc123
 Share

Recommended Posts

I finished up my spring plowing this afternoon.  I am cutting back this year for various reasons, including lack of free time, high fuel and fertilizer prices, and plenty of meat left in the freezers.  
 

Last year, I put in 4 acres of field corn and it lasted till March.  This year I will put in just 2 acres, fertilized at the same rate, and hope it lasts until January 2.   I am going to put in the same 1/2 acre of sweetcorn as I did last year (mostly for our consumption and to draw out the local  coons for eradication).  
 

I am going to at least triple my brassica plot acreage from last year, thanks to some free seed from a generous forum member.  
 

My old Ford 8n handled the 2 bottom plow almost as good with one loaded tire as it did with two last year.  Fortunately, the soil moisture content was just about perfect on most of the ground today, or it surely would have struggled more than it did.
 

 One of my original rear rims rusted thru last year, and I lost the calcium solution on the right (furrow) side.  I don’t know if it would have worked better or worse if the left (sod) side had leaked out instead. 
 

Hopefully, I can get that ground worked up, and the field corn panted, before Memorial Day weekend.  There nothing that comes remotely close to standing corn, for good deer hunting in December. 
 

E77FE0EC-042E-4330-A603-411846EBC430.thumb.jpeg.9f8845e315ff6f5765977a2572885f94.jpeg

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I disked up the corn plots this afternoon.  I am going to get fertilizer tomorrow, after a short turkey hunt. I am cutting back a bit, to try and keep my boneless venison cost down , after subtracting all input costs.  That means just (3) $22 50 lb bags of triple 15 this year.  It would be nice to get these planted before Memorial Day.  
 

I think I will also get some buckwheat seed tomorrow (I’d it’s cheap enough) and plant that on the two other spots that I disked up, where I had corn last year.  That will suppress the weeds over the summer, save me some fuel on tillage, and build up some organic matter in the soil.

 At the end of the summer, I will mow that buckwheat down, work up the soil again, and put in a wheat/clover mix.  
A9BAC937-D88C-4FAE-951E-50448409A4DB.thumb.jpeg.f4d50c9d69aab25ce999d61d50ce62ca.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, land 1 said:

buckwheat seed cheap not this year.... 

If I can get 50 pounds for less than $20, I’m in.  We will see in about an hour.   Otherwise, I’ll spend that much in gas, going over those spots with the drag a few more times this summer.
 

Gas is so much less expensive than diesel this year, that I am glad I still have my old Ford 8n tractor.  I can probably work foodplots cheaper with that, than I can with my modern, turbocharged, 4wd diesel.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/20/2022 at 8:38 PM, land 1 said:

buckwheat seed cheap not this year.... 

Man, you ain’t kidding, they wanted $75 for 50 pounds this morning.  I gave the turkeys just an hour this morning, and made it to the seed/fertilizer place 10 minutes before they opened at 8 am.  
 

I dropped $100 there on 3 ($24 ) bags of triple 15 and some sweetcorn seed.  I managed to get my 2 acres of field corn in and about 1/3 acre of sweetcorn (fertilized at less than 50 pounds per acre).  I saved a bag of fertilizer for turnips in July.  
A8EC5B61-63FC-4347-BF11-0390E7237CA4.thumb.jpeg.6201bf4969403f63fe40e9c09b0e7c7f.jpeg

D7D8AFC0-9C0D-4EE8-93E7-9323DB870AA5.thumb.jpeg.c46d70a4334ebb3af9c506cfacf990e9.jpeg

Hopefully, the rain we are getting now gets that corn going.  I didn’t have the ground disked up quite as well as I normally prefer, but looking at the forecast, today was my only chance of getting it in before Memorial Day. 

Things went pretty smooth today, except for a fertilizer hopper chain came off my corn planter once, and I noticed a broken spring tooth on my drag.  I always go over the fields with a drag / cultipacker combo (cultimulcher) prior to planting.
 

 A friend of mine said someone gave him a bunch of those spring teeth.  I will have to see if he will trade me one for some foodplot seed, which I have in great abundance this year (except for buckwheat).

I had to take a break from planting to load up another buddies truck with some barn beams. He paid me well for them.  Now I have some gas money that I can use to keep the weeds out of the fall plots with the drag, since I was too cheap to pay $75 for buckwheat seed this morning.  
 

I think buckwheat is way overrated as a food plot seed.  People just like using it because it has “buck” in the name.  They have no clue that don’t mean “buck” deer, it is from a German word for “black” I think.  What I don’t like about it is that it keeps resprouting until you get a real hard frost.

A fool and his money are soon parted however, an no doubt the food plotters will be lining up in droves, to fork over $75 each for those bags, because they think they will draw in the bucks.  

 

Edited by wolc123
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

I did some “trophy bass” fishing in the rain this morning.  No 20 inchers landed, but I broke off a couple, that looked close to that.  Both of them jumped multiple times, trying to throw out the bucktail jig that was stuck in their mouths.  
 

This 17 incher was the longest that I landed (and the only one that bit after the rain stopped).  I lost both bigger ones, and released (12) that were 12-16” long, in the rain.  
 

I don’t mind fishing in the rain, as long as it’s warm and not too windy.  

7BE00165-2D19-45E9-B0DC-FB63CA56C9D2.thumb.jpeg.d85ec1c3cb669295d298ae0e7e7cda26.jpeg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The sun came out, the wind died down, and the evening bite wasn’t quite as good as the morning.  (2) more 17” smallmouth and a 12” perch.  I kept that in the fish cage at the end of the dock.  Hopefully, I will e d up with a few more by Monday morning. 
4BDF69A7-B660-43D1-99BC-EAD5FD47D2AE.thumb.jpeg.01b184b249b63d9b7b1d6ba1d67056ce.jpeg
 

72EE856F-7AD8-4677-B601-00ED7677C47D.thumb.jpeg.46dd205549596429b2c805f18a43803b.jpeg

 

AA0DA52C-1AD4-4DB4-9B69-06FED9D1BA55.thumb.jpeg.9d6e5dc9525d5086bebcc7fbbad153c5.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Otto said:

Is bass season open now? 

Depends, they opened it this year on the Great Lakes and tributaries (I think) for “trophy” (over 20”) this year, but we got to wait until June 15 before we can keep (5) over 12” on most waters.  
 

I caught my first “legal” of the year (per the new Great Lakes standard) just minutes ago (20-1/2” long) on a 1/8 oz bucktail jig.  I turned her loose because I am looking for a 22” to mount.

Thus particular Lake is privately owned and not subject to NY state regulations, but I usually release all bass outside of normal NY bass season, unless they are badly injured and likely won’t survive if released.  

FC0D6D48-2898-42F9-B35F-9A6A87C183F4.thumb.jpeg.74fdc2541e383528dafd2022b41bfce2.jpeg

Edited by wolc123
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

Yes, they opened it year round statewide for “trophy” (over 20”) this year, but we got to wait until June 15 before we can keep (5) over 12” on most waters.  
 

I caught my first “legal” of the year just minutes ago (20-1/2” long) on a 1/8 oz bucktail jig.  I turned her loose because I am looking for a 22” to mount.

FC0D6D48-2898-42F9-B35F-9A6A87C183F4.thumb.jpeg.74fdc2541e383528dafd2022b41bfce2.jpeg

1st I've heard about this over 20" rule.. ?

Fairly certain St Lawrence and Jefferson County don't allow you to target bass out of season still.. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1st I've heard about this over 20" rule.. ?
Fairly certain St Lawrence and Jefferson County don't allow you to target bass out of season still.. 

I thought it was a great lakes rule and you could keep one "trophy" but I'm too lazy to look it up since Im not keeping one regardless


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, The_Real_TCIII said:


I thought it was a great lakes rule and you could keep one "trophy" but I'm too lazy to look it up since Im not keeping one regardless


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I just looked it up and you are correct in that it is the great lakes and maybe also the st Lawrence and Niagara rivers (not sure on those).  I was in error on the “statewide” part.  
 

Although the lake we are on here is privately owned and not subject them, I have always followed the statewide regs.  The only exceptions I have made was keeping 2 or 3 smallmouth that were hooked deeply on minnows thru the ice (while perch fishing) that likely would not have survived.

Yesterday, I did target bass for about an hour in the morning, with a surface bait.  I won’t do that again, now I that I cleared up “the rules”. Good thing that big one was not an inch and a half longer or it would be in a cooler on ice right now.

I do see that I have a good way of measuring a bass if I forget a tape measure.  It is over 20” , if it don’t fit in a picture on my phone, on the widest magnification with my arm out as far as I can reach.

I will target perch with 1/16 oz bucktail jigs this morning.  

Edited by wolc123
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No perch yet this morning, just (7) minutes 11-14” smallmouth bass on the little jig.  I did just get a “legal” catch though.  Thad only my second of those in 10 years on this lake.  My perch in that time might total a dozen.  Certainly my smallmouth bass numbers here are over a thousand.  Only other fish was a big lake trout about 7 years ago (thru the ice).  
8DFEFB97-F4F5-4868-9098-BC0AAE5AEBD5.thumb.jpeg.79f3bc0acd6f915fb1ffc4c0178062a1.jpeg
 

I will toss that sunny in the cage with the perch and if I can get one more of either , over the next couple hours, I will fillet them for my mother in law.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This 17” liked the downed white pine and the tiny jig .  It’s the only bass I caught near that wind-downed tree so far this weekend.  We need some largemouth bass in this lake. 
10B33F05-D447-4FF1-81B4-32C0DDF24BC9.thumb.jpeg.6ac7c634ef1a60e430d4302255c14971.jpeg

Edited by wolc123
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

With all the recent rain, the food lots are way too wet for any serious work.  I tried a short pass with the drag that I just fixed a broken tooth on.

The 2 acre corn plot is doing ok, but will definitely benefit from cultivation and some Roundup, if I can get on it in a couple weeks.  The grass and other weeds are coming in better than the corn right now.  I like to let the corn get up about 1-1/2 to 2 feet tall before I do that, to avoid burying it with the cultivator.  
 

My old Ford 8n is running a little rough and sounding like it could use some new spark plugs.  I will run up to Lockport on my way home from work Monday and get a set.
 

 I will swing by a Runnings for a couple more boxes of 12 ga Hornady SST slugs, if they have any.  Early antlerless gun season is now less than 3 months away, so it’s time to get my M512 slug gun dialed in.    
 

B98A430F-06EC-4C41-B16F-508A6D395B2D.thumb.jpeg.24b9d1eaf570154d23d59e7f09e4755e.jpeg

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I was bush-hogging our front field this evening, (3) deer were out feeding in a wheat/white clover plot, just across the creek,  that I planted last September and mowed a week ago.  They were liking that clover so much, that they didn’t even look up, when I passed by within 40 yards with my tractor about 5 times.  It looked like a family group, with a mature doe and a yearling doe staying close together, and a yearling buck about 15 yards away.  
 

I hope the big doe and/or another one just like her hangs around about three more months.  I’d like to take (2) like that, during the September antlerless gun season, that has been approved again this year.  
 

That season is 9 days long and includes (2) weekends.  Ideally, I could take (1) doe the first weekend, keep the carcass in my deer fridge almost a week, process it Friday night, then repeat the process for the next week.  My old deer fridge really only holds one mature deer properly, although I have squeezed (2) into it a few times when I had to.  Proper refrigerated aging is critical for any mature red meat in warm weather, if one likes it good and tender, even for ground meat.  I don’t care for tough burger.  
 

That would give us plenty of ground venison, which we use a lot of, and enable me to be more selective with my (2) antlered tags later.  The (2) “leftover” 9F antlerless tags won’t become available until after that early gun season.  That works out well for me, due to my refrigeration limitation and the fact that I love hunting the Holiday ML season (also approved again for this year). 
 

This barely gives me time for bass fishing, but I got the big boat motor running on the garden hose, and the boat ready last Sunday. I hope to get out this weekend for some upper Niagara smallmouth.  The wife and kids would get sick of venison, if that’s all I fed them.  It don’t matter much to me what food costs at the store.  I prefer the “free” stuff that comes as a bi-product from my “paid” entertainment.  Sure glad I don’t play golf.  
 

 

BAB5724C-1131-4198-A1C8-B7CEC96298EA.thumb.jpeg.584b2a51695566dd703f66be193f8608.jpeg63C8B99E-C45D-4075-84B4-DCC03512940A.thumb.jpeg.e942a292195d9e8cc5d4bafc6977c6fd.jpeg

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The food plots were dried out very well today and I got about 4 acres dragged, where I had corn last year and will be planting a wheat clover mix around September 1.   
 

Before I started, I put 4 new NGK sparkplugs in my old Ford 8n tractor.  It ran nice and smooth on the my 6 ft section drag today.  I got about 15 years out of the Champion H-12’s plugs that were in it prior.  I knew that the low idle roughness It had been suffering was not caused by the points or wires because I put a whole new distributor and new wires on it last year.  I don’t ever remember it running as smooth as it did today.  

 

  I hope to get in the last of my sweetcorn in the morning, in another small spot that I got worked up with the drag tonight. That will be the last of my spring planting for the year.  The RR corn, that I planted the weekend before Memorial Day, looks like it will be ready for cultivating and spraying next weekend.   
 

 

Edited by wolc123
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not a bad Father’s Day morning on the upper Niagara. (5) “keeper” smallmouth (12-1/8”, 12-3/8”, 17”, 18-1/2”, and 19-3/4”).  My buddy caught (2) and I caught (3), plus a 15ish pound sheephead.  I release all bass over 20”, so that last one was just shy of “freedom”.

88FEB487-B8D1-407F-B54F-85D5E251A060.thumb.jpeg.2cb6c3af2949314569f450b7fd70fa73.jpeg
 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was a little pressed for time this morning, but managed to get my 2 acre RR corn plot cultivated and sprayed.  I always mix the gly at 2 oz per gallon with this 15 gallon sprayer.  That 2 acres took almost the whole tank full.  
 

My (2) sprayer nozzles are in line with the corn rows and up on the tractor’s loader arms, so that I can adjust them to the height of the corn.  It was about 1.5 ft tall today, except for about 10% of it, which the deer had chewed down.  
 

I definitely need to take out a couple does during the September early antlerless gun season.  We are still pretty well stocked with grind from last season, but my brother in law said he could really use some.  
He raises beef cattle and likes to make jerky using a 50/50 mix of beef and venison.  He says that less venison is too greasy and more is too dry. 


FEB05047-900E-477C-98DA-DB665EDAA809.thumb.jpeg.1ef44ac411686fb06faf8fae54f5d2f5.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...