Man, life simply moves far too fast sometimes. It's been forever since I've set down and timed a blog entry here on the website...many valid reasons why but none of that matters at the moment let's delve straight in! Where we find ourselves currently:
NEW PROPERTY
The new property I closed on in early Spring came with a lot of unknowns, neither my father or I had any idea for what its potential for this first year would be....then these photos started rolling in:
I'd be lying if the split G2 buck (named Splits) is the type of buck I hate having around, stud of a suspected 2 1/2 year old that could be just one year from truly starting to show their immense potential. However, while he and a buck named Gary (the one with the non-typical tine shooting up and in on his right beam) kept showing themselves a buck was always barely visible or would hide his head kept "showing" himself without confirmation...then that last picture happened. That buck has been christened Big Dave and from his body I wouldn't place him any younger than 4 1/2 but suspect he is possibly a 5 1/2. Not an enormous rack, but the mass is very apparent and stickers are forming on multiple spots....he is officially causing my anticipation to rise.
Bucks aside though there is an immense amount of work still to be done at the property but for this year it is getting a couple more stands prepped and hung and food plots in...the true transformation will start next year with logging and more intentional plantings.
We have carved out sections on the one side of the property in a fallow field overgrown with raspberry thickets and cottonwood sapling groves to provide the most food we've ever planted on any of our properties. The food plots while encompassing most likely 3-5 acres worth, are winding trails and pocket small food plots that are throughout the area with thick briars and saplings separating them. (more photos to come at planting times)
The new property is unique and I have been filming a ton there and documenting trips to hopefully someday release a full length "property documentary" for people to watch and see first hand how we went about tackling the property.
THE SWAMP PROPERTY
I feel like the swamp property surely feels like that girl pushed to the side by a boyfriend that claims to not have time for her...but he does. Obviously a lot of my spare time has been spent focused on learning and figuring out the New Property...and the swamp property has gone untouched for the most part.
Junior hangs above me as I type this reminding me of the caliber of bucks that cruise this property every single year, causing regret and forcing me to make it priority to get some cams out there. Besides cameras watching for trespassers we've really only had cams up on one spot on the property which haven't yielded much:
Sadly outside of doe pictures that is the best buck we've got on film currently at the swamp property...however we are not worried as this property has the best potential like always for the most 4 years or older bucks running around. I will be pulling camera cards tomorrow from there and hopefully will have pictures of the droptine buck (need a name) or RD or any of the others out there. Looking back through photos there should be about 3 or 4 bucks that are at minimum 4 1/2 years old...and that excludes the biggest buck I've ever seen on camera named Godzilla, as he only swings by around Christmas and never shows before.
A lot more to come from this property as well!
HOMESTEAD PROPERTY
The home place as always seems void of buck activity outside of a couple...but more pics to come for that. However, last year pictures from December on showed Pops and I that there are at minimum 2 or 3 bucks that should hit this year easily on the hitlist...with one or two of them vying for "biggest buck" on list for the year! Stay tuned a lot more to come.
IN CLOSING
As always we still have the river bottom property and the other small place I'll start calling the pasture land....hope to visit those soon and update you ASAP!
God Bless!