Checking Out The Locals

This 8-point has been in the neighborhood for over a week, checking out the local girls.

Winter Firewood

After last year's mild Winter, I still had firewood left over. With a forecast of rain this weekend followed by colder weather it was time to add to my firewood stockpile.

I stopped to take a break from splitting wood and this curious young deer came over from the nearby brush to investigate.

The Buck is Back

The buck from last evening's wildlife drive was back in the neighborhood this evening looking for love.

Let the doe know you're in the area by building a buck scrape.

Place your scent high so it will carry.

The buck scrape is in place, time to show off for the "girls".

Check for the scent of doe in the area.

If you build it (a buck scrape), they will come.

Bucks in Rut

Last evening was another rainy day and a good time to take the ATV for an evening wildlife ride. The does and fawns were out feeding when this buck with a dazed look appeared. The buck walked closer to us and got within 15 yards of us. The blur in the background is one of the does scattering.

We continued on the evening wildlife ride and after a short time found the buck had moved to a different location, but still looked to have the same subject on his mind.

The Turkeys Have Landed

I was watching college football on TV when a flock of turkeys flew over our house and landed in the backyard. After a few minutes to regroup, the turkeys moved closer to the house searching for food. Two more weeks until the start of fall turkey season.

"The Rut" Has Begun

The white-tailed deer mating season has begun and some of the local bucks are acting "strange".

I went to check the memory card on one of the game cameras and found this buck standing next to it and paying no attention to me in my ATV.

After a few photos the buck moved out of view. I restarted the ATV, moved forward and again found the buck paying no attention to me.

I now had a few photos of this buck and moved to a location with a better view of the buck. Again, no reaction from the buck which is about 25 yards away. After about 25 minutes of watching this buck, he decided to move off, into the brush. I never did get a photo of the buck with the game camera.

Mourning Dove

We've had a family of mourning doves at our barn since this Spring. The mother hatched several broods this year and now they wait for me to feed them each day. This young mourning dove is just starting to fly and I'm able to hand hold the camera within a foot of the bird.

Blue Mushrooms

Matt found this lone Indigo Milk Cap (Lactarius indigo) along a trail on our cabin property this weekend.

I went back today to get a few more photos of this distinctive mushroom and discovered several more blue mushrooms a short distance up the same trail.

While the outside of the Indigo Milk Cap may be a pale blue, the inside is a deep blue and will ooze a blue "milk", or latex. These mushrooms have a firm/meaty flesh and are delicious when sliced and cooked in butter.

Building Habitat for Homeless Bats

While Matt was in the woods for the first day of archery deer season, grandson Reed and I were building a habitat for homeless bats. I found plans on the Internet to build a bat house from three 6-foot cedar fence boards.

Cut one 26 inch board and one 22 inch board from each of the three 6-foot cedar fence boards. The 26 inch boards form the back and the 22 inch boards will form the front. I used a biscuit joiner and wood glue to form each panel.

A ventilation strip is cut 6 inches from the bottom on the front panel.

The instructions called for cutting grooves or attaching plastic mesh on the inside of the panels, making it easy for bats to grab on and nest comfortably in their dwelling. I stapled stainless steel wire mesh to the inside.

Reed attaching additional supports to the inside of the bat house.

The back panel is complete, now attach the front panel.

Assembly is complete, time to paint and add hangers.

Reed and completed bat house.

The bat house was hung outside the south facing, second floor window of the barn. This puts the bat house about 20 feet above the ground.

West Hill Bathtub

Archery deer season starts this weekend. Time to check the West Hill game cameras. This summer we repurposed an old bathtub into a wildlife waterhole and here are some of the game camera photos.

A black bear stopped for a drink.

Mama bear and cub.

Bobcat

Coyote

It's Not Easy Bein' Green

I was doing some clean-up work near a wetland on our property and found this baby green tree frog. (Shown on my hairy arm)

This little frog on the tip of my finger.

'Eat or be Eaten'

One of the laws of nature is 'survival of the fittest' and the titles of prey and predator can sometimes change very quickly. I was mowing a field of dead grass and goldenrod when I watched a preying mantis fly by and into the web of a Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia). The preying mantis suddenly went from a predator to prey and a sizable meal for the Garden Spider. I stopped my mowing to take a few pictures and release the preying mantis from the spider's web.

Bear in the Neighborhood

One of our neighbors told Mary he had a bear encounter during his morning walk on Joyce Rd., about 200 yards from our house. The bear came up over the bank and circled him before continuing up the hill. He also said another neighbor almost hit the bear with their car.

After hearing this news about a bear, I decided to check the game camera at my deer stand. As I was driving along the access road to the deer stand the bear crossed the road and headed toward our cabin. I circled the cabin area with the ATV, but no sign of the bear. I retrieved the game camera memory card and found the bear had been in the area 3 days before.

The bear smelling a dead woodchuck I had dropped off the day before.

The bear must not like the taste of woodchuck and left it. The coyotes also passed on a meal of woodchuck...

These buzzards thought the woodchuck was delicious.

Bats

I went to retrieve a 2x4 from a pile of scrap wood at our barn and this bat fell out. Bats routinely roost in rafters of our barn. I guess it's time to build a bat house.

Woodchucks

I drove over to our garden with the ATV to retreive a cabbage and noticed movement of the leaves in the pumpkin patch. As I watched the leaves move I assumed the movement was caused by a rabbit, what emerged was this woodchuck. This woodchuck was taking a leisurely stroll through the garden checking the produce. Once the woodchuck noticed me, it made a speedy retreat to an outbuilding. I've seen this woodchuck around our barn area and now I know its current home address. Time to set a trap.

With the trap set and baited with fresh cabbage leaves, it only took a couple of hours before this vegetable thief was in the trap. Unfortunately this woodchuck suffered a tragic accident while being transported away from the garden area.