Saturday, January 28, 2006
Idle Thoughts On A Dreary Winter Day
Seldom am I without something to do. My deer ranch always claims much of my time, as does the archery shop and my bow development, but that doesn’t mean I stop thinking when I start working. Just the opposite: there is always something to think about.
*I’ve been trying to work on my deer feeders. It’s a fact that deer visit the feeders less when the weather is warm, and more frequently when the weather is nasty. My feeders occasionally put out too much feed, and the excess is wasted so I’m trying to fix them so just the right amount is dispensed on a daily basis.
*The rain and warm conditions can create havoc on my roads and trails unless some heavy thought is put into how to access all the feeders without rutting up my trails. Repairing roads is not only time consuming but very expensive.
*Another idle thought was wondering what the rest of the winter might bring. So far, this winter has been mild and the deer are moving freely. We’ve stopped hunting for does and doe fawns because we’ve met my management objectives. Once the hunting stops, the deer slowly begin to move more freely to feed.
*I keep wondering about the big buck I hunted all season. Where is he? Did he make it through the rut and the early winter? Is he the buck that killed two big bucks and one doe during the rut? I’m hoping he made it through the rut, and has recovered some weight, which will allow him to make it through the winter and into the spring in fine shape.
*We’ve been wandering a bit near the feeders and hay bales, and picking up some sheds. We’ve found a number of sheds from decent bucks but some of the larger deer still have their antlers. We will orchestrate a number of searches in the spring in thicker cover in hopes of finding the sheds from two or three big bucks we saw last fall.
*I got to thinking today about three different possibilities for stands that can be hunted on an east wind. The positioning has to be perfect, and three spots look like they are prime areas for a ground blind or an elevated coop. I’ll study deer traffic past each spot on an east wind, and start work on those spots as everything greens up in the spring.
*I wonder whether another three-beam buck is kicking around the ranch. There have been two three-beamers seen, and I shot one two years ago. I’d guess the one I saw this year may have planted his seed in many does, and suspect one or two such bucks will show up in the coming years.
*There are fish in some of my ponds, and each year a special friend—a bait dealer—come two or three times and put forage fish in my ponds for me. One had been planted to brown trout, and we tried to keep track of how many browns were caught. It hasn’t been stocked with browns lately but I hold out hope that one or two good fish remain, and survive on these plantings of minnows.
*Each year, at about this time, I think of the tremendous amount of enjoyment this deer ranch has given me over the years. I feel thankful that I’ve had this opportunity to raise big bucks. There have been mistakes made over the years, but one learns through trial and error how to manage a complex deer herd. I love working the land, building the roads, working out the mysteries of herd management. I think I have a good handle on it, and it’s certainly far more difficult to pull off than many people think.
*I think of good friends, some now gone and others who continue to help me in so many ways. I’m grateful for their friendship, and look forward to many more years with them during hunting season.
There are times when idle thoughts and hard work make the time go faster. Thanks for listening to some of my thoughts for the day.—The Whitetail Wizard