Who would have thought that retirement would be so time consuming. I retired at the end of January of this year. Between the rain and other obligations, I have been hunting only twice since then. More details to follow.
I spent a total of 91 hours in stands this past season. I saw deer several times, but nothing shootable got within bow range. I now have six stands. Two hang on stands that I bought outright, one ladder stand that I bought so that I could hunt with family and friends, one ladder stand that my wife bought at a church auction, and two hang on stands that my son's father-in-law gave me because he bought some property that they were on and he did not want them. They actually have a plastic seat on them. I saw them as old school stands, but I but one in a tree at our shooting range to practice from. I only put it a few feet off of the ground. It turns out that I have changed my mind about them. You can easily shoot all away around you. I am actually setting it up to ambush some pigs this spring.
I have my cameras out as always. Lately all I have been seeing are pigs. No deer. By the creek where I killed two pigs, I have a simple feeder. It drops corn twice a day. The pigs show up on a regular basis. Except when I go to hunt. I have set in the ladder stand twice in the last week or so and I have not seen a pig yet. I heard one one night, but that's it.
I have also been working on a food plot. There is a place at the end of our meadow that was a nice little opening in the woods. Over the years it has become over grown with trees and brush. I plan to clear it and plant it with something that will feed the deer. I think that the deer on the Farm need a better food source and I hope it will keep them on the Farm.
I figure by now you are bored with my ramblings. So, instead of making you suffer all in one sitting, I will spread it out over time.
