Stressless's 2024-2025 season journal

[Stressless]

All the old structures on the farm are in need of some kind of serious maintenance. The old outhouse was smashed in by a half a sugar maple tree that fell 2 years ago. For whatever reason, the trunk was in a full flush of oyster mushrooms just when I planned to start the project.

My dad, brother and I built the ol'outhouse, aptly named Mt. Doom by the kids, in '97.

Sierra when the current shed was the cabin. No running water, no electric.

So the outhouse, sugar maple and brush all needed to go. Mooch rolled up for chunk of time and this was the #1 priory outside cutting and spraying the plots. Mooch had a couple hours on a mini-hoe so we got one and got busy.

J

Just noticed the difference in my pants, DCU's in the '97 pic after Southern Watch deployment to Qatar and the last of my OCP's from Afghanistan...

Chris came down and pitched in. LoL an Army Arty guy and Marine Fighter pilot on two different levels, funny banter! Debarked some black locust side bucks.

We got the hole dug, foundation and frame done, me and Mrs got it to IOC with the walls, roof and seating. I didn't notice in the plan the front overhang was only about 4". I scabbed some extra length on to provide some cover when getting in and out. I also changed the planned roof to 2 sheets of translucent FRP, which gave me 8' to work with.

It's IOC and the door is done. Just trim then hang the door, calk some wood gaps and add a silicone dab to each screw head that qent thru the FRP. The black locust bucks are 3x thru rebarred into the ground 1 1/2" and 4 x 16" lag screwed into the frame. T1-11 soaked up 2 gallons of water sealer.

A welcome remodel and I think Dad and Bill would love to have a in the new loo.

 

[Stressless]

Had to get some more good-hearted care for mom lined up, so spent a lil time up in TOO.

Last time up I had a 20+" cherry splt and we got the one part that split down but I needed to get the rest on the dirt before I had the MilRay team in to finish the work behind the barn.

Put a nice 3" hinge on it, said a lil prayer and backcut it. It fell just like it was supposed to.

Got the outhouse project done.

Got about 2500sqft matted and graveled via MilRay excavation with a fine young man I've had do some work about every year.

They do a great job and the owner Caleb is a virtuoso with every piece of gear.

Had a problem on the O&G lease road that crossed an area on an old bench that needed addressed as well. The guys got after it and it turned out well enough I set a new stand yesterday for a N wind, "Shaggy" in a 20+" shag bark hickory. Love those trees but man what a pain getting the linemans strap up with all the shags but got it up, lanes cleared, licking branch and camera.

On the bench on the lease road Bill or Dad planted a pear tree 25 years ago or so. It has since been completely shaded, I got the bench cleaned up, left the pear and think there's room for another 7 med fruit trees, planning 3 or 4 crabapple and looking for recommendations on the other 3 or 4 fruit trees. Will plant later this fall when dormant.

The pear tree with sunlight hitting it for the first time in 10-15 years...

Put a field fescue grass blend on the road, had some of my legume blend and tillage radish left so put that on the more open areas as well as the grass. I dint have time to lime so not expecting much. The newly turned areas usually have a 5.0-5.3 pH.

On top of the bench is BackPad plot, moved some spoil around to get the incline on the O&G road better. The big black locust is a standout up there now.

Big shag bark with Shaggy stand in the center of the pic.

Earlier in this trip I replaced all the licking branches across the farm had two fail last season, vines break, when the bucks are being aggressive so trying to get in front of that.

I had some decent buck's roaming around in velvet but with the commotion across the farm I don't expect to see much for a couple weeks after it calms back down.

Plots are all dry, farm didn't get but .04" of rain 🌧 last week when that storm went thru. Put the oats out in front of it and I think all I did was was feed the critters with it. Regardless the plots are doing well and rye goes in in a month.

 

[Stressless]

First hard horned walked in front of a cell cam.

Got a notification and beamed in... fun yesterday afternoon. Nice up and commer and plots doing what they can with the drought going on in my area.

 

[Stressless]

Finally some appreciable rain in the forecast so whats left of the rye has a chance to germinate after the vermin and birds ate on it for 13 or so days.

Yellow acorns ran out tonight for them. Had the bachelor group come in and clean it up the leftovers at dusk. Fun to pan and zoom around at home around the herd in OH.

 

[Stressless]

Looks to be bumping at farm has started...

 

[Stressless]

Must be one hot doe around locally getting the boys up early for the chase phase, colder temps, fall colors and scent time to get back to the woods...

 

[Stressless]

Up for the cold front, lots of personal stuff on-going but this doesn't add to the burden.

 

[Stressless]

Couple up and commers hitting the vine on the new area opened up in Sep.

 

[Stressless]

Mooch got up here today, we decided to go sit a couple close in stands to get the bugs worked outa thesystems. Checked the bows Shot at 30yd and alls good.

Hunting the W side, Spoil N and TipTop stands, of the property with the SW->NW changing wind. Zero expectations tonight with the heat. The cold front rolling in, now thats another matter altogether.

Gonna post up daily sits here so I can go back and see where we were and what we saw.

 

[Stressless]

 

[Sgt Fury]

View attachment 200907

I know you did a lot of work clearing trees and burning brush piles….it paid off! This is a awesome view, especially in the fall with those colors.

 

[Stressless]

In again this AM 47° and light NNW breeze. Sitting North Pine stand, one doe fed thru before light.

Mooch is sitting the new Shaggy stand, first sit for that stand.

I'm in Pine because yesterday at 1400, hot as heck....

Swapped Pine N and S stands and pulled the card from Interchange stand as the neighbor had some.work done in that area and sure as shooting that hot spot is dead.

WNW breeze shifted to N with very light winds took a chance and when down the valley to Swamp stand and the winds are good but not great. Pulled the card in Swamp and had a couple nice bucks but they disappeared about the season start so prolly Amish shit by now. Lease to the East of me.

Great bench across a pinchpoint between ravines that go to the Swamp and oil well behind me.

Finished up at Pine N and a spike ans 2.5 yo 8pt gave me a nice putt at the end of the day.

 

[Stressless]

In before light, setup watching a bench and three trails that skirt a couple begging areas cut 2-3 years ago. SE ar 0 mph lol. Bit it'll be solid when the thermals rise out of the valley food plots are 200 yards out. With no AG they're using the plots as destination plots and hanging all night.

Mooch went to sit a pass thru plot, Greenbrier, sitting Caltapa stand, he shot Herdstrom oita that stand 3 years ago. Higher hopes than yesterday.

Thx to my hunting sensi Cliff for wisdom on packing a stand umbrella in the day pack at the beginning of the season. Rain coming in a hot min...

 

[Stressless]

Went in took care of family business stuff.

Mooch is in PinchPoint stand and I'm in Poplar over 2"Plot, had a nice 8pt in here 2 days ago. We'll see.

South facing slope makes the thermals with a SW breeze make it dang near bulletproof on this side.

Past 3 or 4 bucks so far nothing noteworthy just spikes to a nicely built 2.5 yo 8pt last night.

Past a nanny that looked delicious...

...and 3 bucks all under 110 so just fun to watch the rodeo in BackPad.

 

[Stressless]

Fam issues had me in Canton for the AM thru afternoon. Mooch sat Pine and had hinky S winds from a down themal fighting a NW light breeze moved to the S stand and still had competing winds. So he back to the cabin for coffee and then went to the Redneck, Funnel.

Neighbor Cliff, 72 y/o now, Had two yotes chasing a 1.5 yo buck by his stand and one got a little careless around a master archer....

He's nice and prime with no rubbing so he'll be a nice pelt.

Closed out the evening sit in Interchange hoping the neighbors work busting them outa the field three days ago would be enough for them to return to pattern. Nope got my ass beat. Saw some gazing but nothing rolled thru the kill zone.

 

[Stressless]

Made the trek back to Bottom plot and Beech stand with the promise of a light East breeze only wind I can hunt it. With 0 wind at 0700 waited to roll until 0745 and sunup to get thermals rolling Westerly up the big hollow with the E wind.
The wait with morning coffee isn't terrible from the deck.

Pulled the card and I'm gonna bail in an hour or so to not spoil the area and be back mid afternoon to see if he comes back. Beech stand is in the Beech tree he's just about looking at.

One lil forky this AM.

Recent and regular is about all you ask for in the pre-rut.

---

I bailed and came back late afternoon to bottom stand to see if the buck from yesterday walks the same pattern. Mooch had a great hunt that turned from Great to horrible and back to just bad.

The combat proven Marine fighter pilot gets all caddy wampus when a big buck appears in his wheelhouse. The biggest buck he's seen in life did just that at 0909 this a
AM in Skyway stand off Pipeline.

He was looking at his phone, he got a work trip to Okinawa in couple weeks dropped on him right before he came up.
...anywho...
He has to wear reading glasses and had them on, saw the buck, got the bow in hand and hooked up drew and realized he still had his readers on, buck saw him draw but just stopped and stared... at 22 yds.

So Mooch took bleary aim and released, I said he was a Marine right?

In review of the video he was rolling he hit good L/R but way high. Probably a 4"-5" gash on the top, opposite side. By the vid it was clear he didn't get near any of the vitals, not into the thoracic or abdominal cavities. That bucks wounded but walking, meanwhile Mooch has tail tucked between his crayon eating legs. As he should.

 

[Stressless]

My season goal now is to try and harvest that wounded buck, spent the last two hunts in that section with the hope he'll stay in his core area for a few more days. Hasn't shown up on the one cell cam I have back there. There's no worse feeling or result than wounding game and not recovering them.

Last nights sit in PinchPoint.

Today was taken up with Columbus chores and Canton taking care of mom so no sits. Lot of truck road time thinking where that buck might show when the wx turns colder Fri.

Tough calls. My buddy's son Cliff made a great shot on a drop tine and does and then took two questionable shots in a row and two unrecovered deer, after the second one I asked him to show me he was a good shot, ethical hunter before he could hunt the farm again. He remained a friend and understood, the disappointment he felt was tangible. He passed in 2021 of CoVid, never hunted with him again after that harsh call by me 2 years before he passed.

Mooch and I our first bow hunt 2014

A decade later.

He shouldn't have shot with the realization of his reading glasses still on. We all have a moment in retrospect that we knew what the right decision 'would have been' but chose differently for (that specific rationalization).

Ethics is about rational thought and determination of consequences. Intent is paramount in the determination of culpability.

Mooch gets pass one.

I put this out here to provide the counter balance for my previous post which glossed this area over and has been on my mind throughout.

 

[Stressless]

Got some things done around the cabin, sitting for a couple hours SSW breeze on Pinchpoint to see what may walk at by and eat a pear . Tree that was in almost full shade has a couple dozen and they don't last when they hit the ground.

Don't want push past here until Fri AM cold snap.

Pears on the ground turn like hey have a bridle in.