Spent some time over the last couple of days clearing fallen trees and brush-hogging the "holler", where I deer hunt. The majority of the property is steep, wooded ridges, save for this 60acre hollow that was cleared with axes and mules over 100 years ago. The scenery is not as good as it is in the fall, but it still looks good to me.
Below is the hand dug well on the property that dates to the late 1800's I'm told.
This is my new "deer highway". I walked in front of my hunting buddy to spot for him, and he followed me up this cut the forestry guys made with their dozer several years ago to put out a fire and brush-hogged me a path all the way down the side of this ridge. It is about 80 feet up the side a 400 foot ridge, and the deer often trail that "terrace" I shot my best buck of the side of the same ridge, and it is often productive. There was a nice rub line on it last year. Deer will often take the path of least resistance, so cutting a trail the undergrowth should steer them past my stand which, needless to say I'm moving within bow range of the trail.
We used to never get the undergrowth like this, until these recent rainy years we have had. Pictures form today an 2006 look like totally different places, all the undergrowth hs occured in the last 3 years. I am learning to use it to my advantage, as much as I hate walking through the stuff
Here you can kind of see the field about 80 feet below the shelf the trail is on. The ridge increases about 400-500 feet above (behind the camera) that, all large oak and cottonwood.
Needless to say, If I didn't have to come back I wouldn't. I could goof off there for hours, just exploring.
Below is the hand dug well on the property that dates to the late 1800's I'm told.
This is my new "deer highway". I walked in front of my hunting buddy to spot for him, and he followed me up this cut the forestry guys made with their dozer several years ago to put out a fire and brush-hogged me a path all the way down the side of this ridge. It is about 80 feet up the side a 400 foot ridge, and the deer often trail that "terrace" I shot my best buck of the side of the same ridge, and it is often productive. There was a nice rub line on it last year. Deer will often take the path of least resistance, so cutting a trail the undergrowth should steer them past my stand which, needless to say I'm moving within bow range of the trail.
We used to never get the undergrowth like this, until these recent rainy years we have had. Pictures form today an 2006 look like totally different places, all the undergrowth hs occured in the last 3 years. I am learning to use it to my advantage, as much as I hate walking through the stuff
Here you can kind of see the field about 80 feet below the shelf the trail is on. The ridge increases about 400-500 feet above (behind the camera) that, all large oak and cottonwood.
Needless to say, If I didn't have to come back I wouldn't. I could goof off there for hours, just exploring.
