Shot a very nice buck!!!

After owning the land for three years and putting so much effort in developing a quality habitat to attract and retain deer I FINALLY shot a very nice buck. I sat in my stand above the apple orchard Wednesday night and thought it just might be time. There are 13 rubs within 30 yards that I saw getting into the stand. Several were brand new. The rut is well on here in Southern Iowa. Late afternoon a very big body buck ran right into the center of the apple orchard. I knew he was a good buck but I didn't realize he weighted 265 lbs! 28 yard shot and I double lunged him. He ran about 20 yards and fell. I have seen bigger bucks on my trail camera but this was the biggest I have seen live so far - eight points and scores 138!!!

Getting Closer

Went down to the ranch last weekend and I don't think you could have asked for better weather to germinate the food plot seeds. It's growing quite nicely but what really amazed me was how the deer are pawing at the ground to get the minerals they need in. A few years ago I put out a few mineral blocks in the same area and noticed how the deer kept digging at the ground even when the blocks were gone. The hole is now about 12 inches deep but was only about two feed wide. Last weekend when I check it again, it must have been at least 4 feet wide! I have a trail camera out over it and will check it in a week or so and will post the best photos.

Less than 60 days before the start of the deer season!

Fields are seeded

Went down over the weekend to seed the food plots. All we need now is some rain! I also check the trail cameras and boy are there three or four nice bucks. Hopefully will be around in a couple of months. I have a very unique 11 point buck with a G1 that goes straight back about 8 inches. Usually the G1s grow straight up and are 3 to 5 inches but not this guy. In fact, one of my friends made a reservation for him this fall!

Getting Ready For Fall

It's really hot! The apple trees are growing faster than I thought they would. In fact there are over 300 apples growing in only the second year. Wonder how many will be there next year!!! I starting tilling the food plots this past weekend . Just getting ready to plant Antler King's Honey Hole again. The deer hammered this plot last year. Funny thinng is they never ate the beats just the tops. I am also going to be planting this mix in the larger field as it proved its worth to me last year.

Fall is getting closer!!!

Mark

Spring is In Full Bloom.....FINALLY!

I think we finally turned a corner on Spring here in Iowa. The food plots are all coming along nicely.

Clover Plot - this is the second year this clover plot has been used. In the past two weeks it really has exploded with growth. The clover is now 6 to 8 inches tall. We also just fertilized with a 0-0-60 fertilizer to help the clover grow and at the same time not provide any nurishment to the weeds. I will also be putting out the trail cameras in the next couple of weeks.

Brassics Plot - This is really my favorite hunting plot. Last year I basically planted it as an after thought in August. It was really only about 40 x 40 Ft square but did it sure get used. Last week I got the tiller out and tripled the size of this plot. Even though I won't plant to late July, I've limed it to correct the ph and fertilized as well. The amount of tracks in this plot is unbelievable.

Apple Orchard - All 30 of the trees are growing nicely. In fact, this is only the second year I have had the trees in the ground but 15 of the trees already have heavy flowers on them. As the years go by this will be the main attractor for deer for miles around. They have all been pruned, fertilized and been treated for weed control. The spraying will begin after the fruit has started to come out.

Regards,

Mark

More Apple Trees

Got outside this weekend (finally)! What a long winter. We actually planted the the last 8 apples trees today for a grand total of a 30 tree orchard. The deer tracks are all over the orchard as well as the attached turnip & rape food plot. Fertilized the trees I planted last year; looks like most of the made it through the year (all except for 2 or 3). I also went up to the clover plot and man have the deer been scavaging for food. Nothing but nubs on the field. It's still a little too early to fertilize this plot. I should have that done within a couple of weeks.

Regards,

Mark

Pruning The Apple Trees

Went down to the ranch today and pruned all 21 apple trees. There still is a foot of snow, wow! I also placed an order for the remaining 9 apple trees that will be planted in April. For those of you who also enjoy hunting - I have 9 different types of apple trees that drop their apples from early August all the way until January. Also back in December, I pushed off some brush land with a dozer to triple the side of one of my food plots for next years hunting (approx 30' x 80'). This plot won't actually get planted until mid-summer and should be perfect for the fall!


Regards,

Mark