Friday, November 25, 2011

2011 Hunt Report

Well, the season came and the season went and this year I failed to bag my deer. It didn't help that I was only using a bow to hunt and that I basically saw very little deer this year. We did manage to get a look at and even do some hunting over in the Nemaji State Forest area, but no luck there, either.

Both John and Tom managed to bag deer though and between them we processed 2 bucks and a doe. No too bad a haul. We are averaging roughly 3 deer per year off of our 20 acres, so that's not too bad, I think.

We did build a couple of brand new stands this year and managed to clear all of our major trails so next year will be a lot easier moving around. I'm thinking of trying to do a little fowl seeding to bring up the numbers of grouse and pheasants on the property. We have plenty of squirrels and not a few rabbits, so I'm not too worried about them. The turkeys in the area are basically not being hunted so their numbers are growing significantly. I'm hoping to draw that turkey lottery ticket so I can take a chance on one of these majestic birds.

Anyway, not much more to report. Hopefully, we'll have a better year next year!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Checking In

Well, here it is the middle of March in Minnesota and there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground. But, the days are getting longer, the sun is getting warmer and soon, it'll be Spring again!

John and I trekked up to camp last month and spent the night when temps got down to around 4°. But, even though it was mighty cold outside, our woodstove kept us snug and warm inside. It was quite difficult cutting through the hard snow just to get back in, but John's jeep made short work of it and once in, we were, afterward able to come and go as we pleased.

This past weekend, we again made a run up, just to see how things looked and to site-in our new Bear Charge bows (see picture left) which we had purchased with our tax refunds. And, as with the previous week, there appeared to be no human disturbance in the area at all, and everything was just as quiet as you can imagine. We had one smallish tree-fall that had to be moved off the road, but otherwise, there were no further issues.

The bows perform magnificently! I found I couldn't miss my target once I got used to using a site with a bow. John still needs to do a mite of adjusting on his to account for his eyes, but otherwise, they are spot on. I can't wait to put mine to use on turkey, deer, whatever!

Lastly, when we were up during the last weekend of the hunt last year, we had lost the canopy from our gazebo. Well, I ordered a new red one and it is ready to install at camp, once the weather gets a little more into the rainy season and less the snowy one.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Happy 7th New Year!

Happy New Year Folks! Nothing much to report as of now. Mostly just to let you know that today marks the 7th anniversary of our ownership of the property! This is most exciting to us, as you might image, and we are really looking forward to ramping up for the Spring runs. What with all the work we have to do around camp and of course fishing and camping and trail riding, it sure looks to be a busy Spring and Summer for us.

A question has already risen about the Summer Get-Together and Yes! We are going to try to put this on as an annual event, so mark your calendars, family and friends! We are looking at potentially trying again for the second week in August -- the weekend of the 13th and 14th -- and I promise, we will get the road fixed long before then and will have many more activities to do, as well. And hopefully, even more sleeping space.