Report from NW Missouri

[ranwin33]

Due to spring/summer rains many crops are still behind where they should be.  Some soybean fields have plants barely a foot high.  Some corn fields were flooded out and didn't dry up until it was too late to replant beans in them, so they've gone to weeds.  It will be interesting to see what a late harvest will due to the deer season. 
 
During our nightly drives we saw several "shooter" bucks in the beans as well as numerous does so deer numbers appear to remain high.  Game cameras on our farm showed a couple of shooters and a buck that has something really odd going on with him.  He's appears to be an older deer, antlers are of decent size but no real growth on tines, plus he constantly has his tongue hanging out (it's not blue so don't think this is EHD).
 
Wish I could say it was a great weekend, weather-wise it could not have been nicer, but had several equipment failures.  Our brush mower sheared a bolt on one of the blades so only got about half the food plots mowed.  Followed that up with getting stung by a wasp while painting out barn.  Finished the day off by cracking a limb on my bow.  PSE/Browning will fix it under warranty, but will it be in time for my hunt scheduled 9/18?
 
 

[JPH]

Hey, at least you made it out to get some work done. I never got the chance to get to my place.
 
In spite of the lousy crops, the word is that the white oak acorn crop is excellent this year. I hope to be in the timber when they start dropping!
 
Sorry to hear about the sting and the bow breakage.

[ranwin33]

Yes, sorry to hear about your friend.
 
We've got a few white oaks with lots of acorns, most however are almost bare.  Have to wonder if that freeze we had two springs ago isn't still having an effect.
 
Hey, a bad day on the farm is better than a good day at work [:D].  Or so I always tell myself.  In another 16 days I'll be sitting in a tree stand or ground blind, so life is good.
 
 

[JPH]

[:)]

[Robert Rowland]

I took some time last weekend to check some stands, cut some brush, and check deer sign. I stuck to the river bottoms and did not go into the hill ground because I was there the weekend before.
I found that a regular deer trail about 20 yards from one of my stands has turned into a 4 lane interstate highway for deer. I have never seen a trail with this much activity. I do not have a camera in that location, but I will next weekend. I'll check the hill ground next weekend and move a camera from there to the bottoms.
The wife is already tourqued-off about deer season and the preparation.

[ranwin33]

Post some picts if you get some.
 
Buy the wife a bow and let her come along.  [:)]
 
I try to get my wife to hunt, but she has no interest.  She's pretty good about my addiction though. 

[ranwin33]

Still nothing down.
 
Seeing a lot of small bucks and a few does.  More bucks than does at this point, but nothing I wanted to shoot.  Given the lack of does we're seeing we will most likely wait until after the rut to take them out.  I say this now, but who knows what my brother will end up doing.
 
Game camera photo snapped a picture of what may be a new target.  Big, pot bellied deer, photo is grainy though.  I'm pretty sure I know where the guy is living, now it's just a matter of being in his travel zone at the right time.  Seems to come out late in the evening, but also comes out home late in the morning.  Next trip up - October 30, I hope to connect.
 
Ladybugs were starting to fly this weekend - anyone who has been in NW Missouri knows what I'm talking about.  They make things miserable for a few days.
 
Seeing some soybeans being harvested, and some still green.  Spring rains really messed things up for farmers.  Saw one field that had corn harvested as well.