Antler lesson...

After having a conversation with the wifey a month or so ago I decide there are misconceptions about a deers antlers.

They do not keep them for life. Every Jan-March the bucks will loose their antlers and begin growing new ones in the Spring. There are 3 basic things that enable good antler growth:

 a. Age - most deer killed every year are about 1 1/2 years old. The HUGE deer you see with
 big racks are usually 4 1/2 years or older. What happens with bucks is that alot of the
 calcium used early in life is for the skeletal system and by age 4 that is mostly done.
 Therefore, after age 4 you will see dramatic increases in antler growth. That it why I
 don't shoot younger bucks - but that is just me. Who knows how big all those 1 1/2 year
 olds would have been? Best buck management is not to pull the trigger.

 b. Nutrition - If a deer doesn't have the nutrition in needs to sustain good antler growth or milk
 needed for fawns in the Spring the deer will not reach its full potential. You would
 think that Indina with all its farming would be an easy place for deer to live and
 reach its full potential - not totally true. Although they do have beans/corn it is
 usually harvested and gone. That leaves Nov - March with forage that is
 sometimes lacking.  Deer survive pretty well, but to have a plan that supplies
 365 days of nutrition is needed to help them reach all they can be. Supliments can
 can help too. Not rock salt - deer are different than cattle. But make sure you
 don't hunt over it - a boo boo according to the regs.

 c. Genetics - Letting a buck get older and giving it all it needs for antler mass is all good BUT
 a deer can only reach its full pontential with how it is genetically programed. An
 eight pointer will usually only be an 8.....

Nothing we can do about genetics really, unless you have tons of acreage and take out some bucks that
lack what you want. But we can give them year round nutrition and let them walk and get older. Most people can't do that - to each their own. If I am taking out a new hunter and he has a shot a any deer, he/she has the green light. For me - I would rather shoot does than a small buck. Sometimes those old does are harder anyway.

There is more that I may post later.

New cam pics

I checked the cam yesterday (Thursday). We had 81 pictures in just 4 days. The deer are actually feeding on beets that Bradley and I planted last August. The deer are actually digging them up out of the ground. Again this show that this is a still a pretty hard time for the deer until things green up a bit. Forage is low and it amazes me how they find food.

Here are some of the pics:

In the beet patch.

Could this one be a mommy?

Now look at the bottom right. If this lil stinker shows itself at anytime - it will get plugged. Coyotes are really hard on fawns in the Spring.

It should be interesting to show how things develop through the year. 

The Bob Beatty rig...

Well, everytime I go to the reservoir I have mixed emotions. I have enclosed a picture to show you why.

Bob and Luke hit it off from the beginning. Bob was amazed that Luke (then only four) would fish for 5-6 hours at a time and not stop. During the outing shown in the picture, we caught over 200 crappie that day. Luke actually caught a double (two fish on one line). We caught the fish on what Luke and I now call the Bob Beatty rig. It is basically a tube jig at the bottom (red and white) with a heavy split shot about a foot above it. You can cast it or troll it.

Today I fished the spot shown in the picture and the Bob Beatty rig worked once again. I think Bob was helping me out a little bit today since the water was 47 degree and stained. I caught 7 crappie (missed that many too), 1 14" bass, and two stinky shad.

Luke and I both miss our fishin partner, but know he is at the feet of Jesus.

The puddle jumper....

Well - 1st day of Spring is here (today) and the Richmond fishing machine is ready to go. This is the 375.00 Dave Ramsey boat I got last year. I did add the lights and panel with the help of Brad "the machine" Beach.

Not bad for 375.00. Patience, walk-a-way power, and cash are the keys to a good deal.

This lil boat is ready to slay some fish!!!! Throw in Luke and the fish don't have a chance.

Spring, does, and the start of antlers

Luke and I went out last Sunday afternoon and put out one of our trail camera's. Today we pulled the sd card and had about 33 pictures of deer feeding on clover and the beets we planted last Fall. Here are some of the pics from today:

                                                                                              Eating beats.

The one next is a buck. Look at the forehead and see the bloody scabs.

Deer hunting for us is 365 days.

Ok been a while......

 Well, as you will notice, the last post was on on Oct. 1, 2010. Life sorta threw me a curve ball and now I am back at the plate again. It always amazes me that when life does that, God usually hits a homerun for us.

To bring us up to date:

         1. I did get a doe with my bow but have no pictures. I passed up several smaller bucks and didn't use  my buck tag. I am ok with that. Just my preference on how I hunt. I would rather whack some more does than a little basket rack.

         2. I did get two coyotes with the bow. Early in the season I saw more coyotes than deer.

         3. Went duck hunting with a friend from KY (Ryano). He shot his first wood duck which was pretty cool.

         4. Luke and I (and Ryano) slayed some gils on the ice. I think 60 was the final count that we took home.

 Now I am in the fishing turkey mood. I have my boat night legal (Thanks Brad) and a fishfinder on the way. My little $375.00 (Dave Ramsey would be proud) puddle jumper will be a fishin machine this Spring and Summer. Looking forward to getting out with my 1st ever boat. I will post pictures later.

I have also put of my cams over our food plot. This to scout not only deer but turkeys. Our clover in looking great and greening up already. Should be some good early food for mamma does. This time of year is hard on them.

Sorry it has been so long. Had to get my wind back. I am so blessed!!!