Let 2025 begin....

The economy is shutting down all area Big Lots. I went in to find some deals. Yah...few things actually 40% off but 10, 15, and 20 are good.
They carry tarps "heavy duty" brown/silver for a good price and they carry 10x12 and 12x20 .I use these to build my blinds. I bought 3 10x12 and 1 20x12 @ 15% off. Between the free telephone poles the free wood from our son, the rubber roofing given to hubby by a sub contractor and these tarps I have a good start on this years blinds. Get them up early before turkey season. I'm also concidering a "Gator port" on the edge of the turn around. Keep it out of rain and sun in summer and snow in winter without having to cover uncover all the time. Telephone poles would be perfect for that.
Remember the garden blind is made thIs way and works GREAT. Easy for Gator. 3 sides NO windows.

 

Are any of you making plans? Shopping seeds?. I was crazy busy last year with the garden, chickens, turkey and cutting dead ash so plots went to the way side. I also wanted one year of staying off much of the property to see what happens. I left the previous fall rye to remain standing.
Admittedly this undid a lot of weed seed bank removal. Mice regardless of hardware clothe protection still killed 2 apple and a peach sapling. Now what happened? Well the nieghbors "sanctuary " has been siphoning off the doe herd the last 4 years in peticular. Another 2 neighbors have drastically changed their properties causing night crossings and changed routes. The farms changed their crops. Corn to alfalfa changing movement routes and times.
What happened on us, well we went from a fawning /doe bedding area to Bucks. Not full time, usually early and late.
I had a lot of "sale" seed and bulk seed that never got planted. Forage sorgum, rape, mixed fall plots, clovers. These have been stored air tight but out side. I'm thinking they won't do well so they will be my quick spring drop. Spring plantings here are usually doomed anyways, thanks to turkey and squirrel. I also want to do my usual feed corn planting. I had put a horse hay planting in that spot the last few years but orchard grass and weeds have turned it in to a mess. Kill and disk in the corn. Oh lots more tree cutting, crazy dangerous out there.

What are you planning

 

Here in va they shutdown a lot in our area. Can’t even think of one near me that’s open. But can’t go wrong with discounts and deals!

 

I have been out 4 times cutting trees for bedding areas. These are ares where they normally bed but it has gotten thinner over the years. It is a good mess now with lots of horizontal cover and escape routes, also whacked a bunch of small trees to get more light in there. I plan on making a few new paths so the deer can move through with ease plot to plot. Some sort of water feature too, a small pond or a buried 300 gal stock tank.
The neighbors to the west have really messed up the travel patterns, they are putting to much pressure on the woods and not hunting smart. The deer numbers are also down so I don’t think I will shoot any does for a few years there, but will try to get a couple here at home. I will hopefully build a new box blind here behind the house this spring.

 

So , in best things I mentiond spaghetti squash and seeds. They have a ton of seeds . I want to do a squash/ pumpkin food plot area in the front plot I didn't plant last year. I will also put in a short growing sorghum and red clover. Not sure if I'm making starts or direct seeding we'll see.

 

Ignor post just see blind. Holy cow I shoveled 12" of HEAVY wet snow over 1 solid inch of ice. Mind you very little slope and the roof is 1/2" x 5" x 8' planks with a center 2x4 brace. Covered in cardboad and medium grade tarp then the rubber roofing. Not even over hangs dipped from the weight. I'll admit even I was shocked .

 

I was hoping , seeing we have ppl in way better weather, others plans or efforts toward the 2025 season.
Arrowflingers bedding cut is something I'd like to see pics. of progress on. What are others private and public efforts .
I've been saving every squash seed possible for a big vine covered plot or two.
This after season, has once again gotten seriuosly stunted. Weather and health, though inside planning continues.
Part of my plans need to be based off some observations of farmers fields. Will the alfala remain after a first cuttng or go under for a late spring early summer corn planting. Will spring grains go to corn of soybeans. It all effects us.
What little Ive been able to be on just one little are of property, just so many dead timber sized trees need to be cut. That includes one with a stand removal needed first. Rodents got to at least three fruit trees. I may not replace. Though I have an area thats growing some white pine saplings that I want to transplant. With nieghbors cutting his spruce timber and now his understory beingwide open I want more pine groupings. As I recall from past studies white pine are thes best at radiating a bit of truck warmth during winter.

 

I will get some pictures next time I’m there, there’s over a foot of snow up there right now and I don’t want to walk through that for over a 1/4 mile one way. Maybe next week since we will be getting a lot of melted this week

 

I did find some guys to cut down a bunch of red oaks that were killed by the 2 lined chestnut borer by our driveway up there and take the wood for burning. They said they got about 30 of them taken out, only about 100 to go….. I have been trying to find someone to buy it or take it for over 2 years, to small of an area they would all say.

 

Wow,
are they small oak? We bought a near new, 30hrs., JD frontend load with backhoe out right off just 100 mostly maple, some
Basswood cutting off 9 acres. I haven't checked prices for a while.
After that cut the berry bramble took completely, over 8-10 ft. Tall. That only lasted about 3 yrs before it all died back on it's own
Deer sightings were wild at the time though.
I have a ridge area I rarely hunt that had all the multiple ash die finally, something is also hitti g some of the maple.. It's on the down side of the popular cut I did afew years ago. I have all those that I will be just dropping when snow melts. There are 2 trails through it the deer travel everyday going up and down the hill, it started clearing it's self last year with up rooted timber trees of some maple and popular too big to cut.

 

I drove up there to check it out, this is the average size of trees lost. Some smaller, and a bunch bigger than the one in the picture. It sucks, these are in a small area too, maybe 3 acres .

 

That looks like what my lower field use to look like. They are what I call the slashing. Understory trees are all dead now and some bigger ones as well . I am curious what this year will look like down there. I have a lot of trash to remove. Ground clutter is good but not when spacing is less than the length of my foot.

I have to say I'm having a very rough time wrapping my head around gardening this season. By now I'd have seeds ordered, seeds planted for seedlings. I did buy soil but my heart is just not in it. It could all the "processing" I've had to do the last few weeks, of gifted fruit and veggies. My freezers are literally PACKED with all of it in various forms. I am very appreciative for all of it.
All I actually need now is enough tomatoes for canning/salsa and fresh, the popper peppers, cabbage for saurkraut , fresh only, cukes ,beans, spinach and lettuces. Fresh corn for hubby and some onions. I will plant reds because hubby loves my potatoes. No more planting every square inch of garden. Time to get serious on emptying the freezers of veggies and fruits to fill up with meats.

 

Yesterday , once I got over the sticker shock, Ibought a bag of seed red taters, red and white sweet onions. Pea seed, brocco,i,and a tomato seed. crazy price jumps on everything. So one thing I do know they will go on sale and probably soon.
Sets are all chillin in the spare basement frig.

 

Here’s the pictures I said I would take, of course it looks way different in person.

 

A few more

 

That area is a long relatively flat ridge with a ton of red oaks with a few white oaks mixed in.

 

I wrecked myself this morning. I went to the mid hill swamp and streams to check out what Son said he saw. Eyeroll, just a few big trees went down, bending over smaller ones. Poplar and beech. Actually exactly what I wanted due to hunting neighbor. I went in and cleaned the nasties up and made small brush piles. The creek did get blocked in a few places but that will need the saw. I found lots of deefr piles ,possible beds and rubs.
Then went shopping after, my backs screaming and my knees are 3x's their normal size

 

My back and body has hurt as of late so I have been trying to lay off the “hard” stuff lately. When I was up there I didn’t find any rubs, some scraps from this past fall though. The neighbors to the west have wrecked/ changed it forever unless they hunt smarter. That area I cut for bedding is about 100 yds from the west line so every time they go up that way it will push the deer back to me hopefully

 

We are back to winter weather. In low teens at night and a bit of light snow yesterday. Hoping to start getting a few things done starting this week.
While on restriction I got some plants started and 22 eggs in the incubator.

My Birthday is soon and I asked for a battery powered mini chainsaw. Not exspensive but with good reviews. Hubby has driven me mad since. His go to was an electric chain saw. No, no a 6-8 in limb cutter. Then he went to expensive name brands. Hey Dewalts big oil leaker , Milwaukee battery issues, stops working after a few uses etc,etc.

If any of you guys have a brand you've used and like please let me know

 

Today I candled a few of the light colored eggs. All had spider veins. I'll wait several days before checking them all to see what movement there is.
We are firmly in COLD weather again, low teens at night, 4o-5o day time.
Don't know about you guys but warm then very cold seriuosly messes me up.