2010 Preseason February

[Professor T]

2/1/10
No better time to start preparing for the 2010 season is February 1st. Austin (#1 grandson) and I headed to the land right after preschool. The intention was to plant some of the trees. Rain prevented that. We just pulled the TC pics, baited the hog trap with sour corn...door is still tied open. We did a little scouting but didn't find a lot of sign in the area I was interested in behind Koltons Korner.

We dropped off a few trees by Rambow's camp. Put the rest in water to keep alive for Friday.

There was a new buck that I haven't recognized. A nice 3.5 yo with short G3's. This could possibly be the one I thought was a 6-point that I saw across the creek on Dr. H's land.

More pigs showed up. They seem to be moving this time of the year. A new sow with 8 striped piglets. Most or all have blsck spots unlike Family # 2 which none showed any black spots.

[Professor T]

2/1/10
Setting up the trap on 1/24/10


Rebaited the trap on 2/1/10

Deer entering the trap during the week. It is now baited with sour corn and I will have a week to see if they are still entering trap.

[Professor T]

February 9, 2010

Didn't look like a good day to start. Rained hard over night but stopped in the morning. I decided to go fopr a two day trip. My intention is to plant 15 crab apple trees, 15 mayhaw trees and 6 Swamp chestnut oaks. Upon arrival I pulled the TC pics then went back to check to see what was on them. Only one hog showed up. It was a medium red and black sow from family # 1.

I moved the E-Plot TC to a tree near the feeder so that I can get pictures in front of bait until my return. I planted three Swamp Chestnut Oaks and six Crab Apple trees on the E-Plot. Five MAyhaw trees at Kolton's Korner and two Mayhaws on the West side of the road heading to the E-Plot.

Across from 4-Trees I planted several Crab Apple Trees and one Swamp Chestnut Oak. In front of the T-Plot Stand I planted four Crab Apples and one SCO.

My wife called to inform me that her Aunt Theresa is having open heart surgery tomorrow morning so I came home for the night so that I can go to NEw Orleans with my wife tomorrow. I did set the hog trap with sour corn. There were no deer caught by the TC entering the hog trap this past week with the sour corn in it.

I plan to return Thursday if everything works out. If not I will call someone to check the trap for me.

[Professor T]

February 11, 2010

Knowing that the weather would be bad today, I intended to go plant the few trees that I was unable to get to on the 9th. Then tie the hog trap door open so that nothing would have to stay in the trap for to long. I had no idea that I would have hogs in the trap because there was only one hog to show up the week before. When I turned the corner coming onto the W-Plot I saw something black in the trap. Then I saw more movement below. When I drove up there were 8 piglets and a sow in the trap. So much for the quick trip to the land.

I called Rambow to see if he wanted any and could give me a hand. I had just got off the phone with him a few minutes before and offered help if I needed it. He was generous enough to come. He said he would be there in an hour.

In the mean time I planted the rest of the Mayhaw trees. I could see the piglets jumping on the sows back. The top of the hog panels has bigger holes than the bottom and I was afraid they would get out. So I threw some corn in the trap. The piglets started eating right away and then the sow started to eat. I left to wait on Rambow and get all the skinning knives and scale ready.

When Rambow arrived we went to the back and killed the hogs and brought them back to the camp for processing. The sow weighed a little over 140 lbs. and we never weighed the piglets but I believe they were around 15 lbs. a piece.

Wound up babysitting last night. Didn't have time to post the pictures. So here they are:


Arrived at the trap at 1:23 am. Notice that there are 4 sows in the picture.



Piglets in the trap at 1:26 am


Sow in the trap at 1:32 am


Door closed at 1:36 am


One of the group is not in the trap. I thought there were only 8 piglets in family # 3 but evidently it was 9 or I caught a piglet from another family. Notice in the first picture the white piglet.


One of the few of the 630 pictures of pigs in the trap that you can see all 8 piglets.



Thank you Rambow for coming to my aid. It would have been a massive job cleaning all those suckers by myself.

[Professor T]

[Professor T]

2/18/10

I made a quick but productive trip to the camp. I pulled TC pics. "Rambow" the deer showed up for one picture. Good to see he is alive and well in February. Not one picture of a hog. They run in cycles so I have no fear that they are gone. I moved the hog trap to a place close by to where I caught the 7 hogs on 2/22/10. I also moved a TC there to see if any hogs are using the area. I baited in front of the trap and a little inside to get them used to going in the trap. The door is tied open.

I cut a few of the small trees that fell across the Ridge Runner trail. I used a battery operated saws-off and the battery drained before I was finished. Didn't bring a chainsaw. I did a little scouting down toward the creek near Buck Point. The deer are using it frequently but the only tree available will face the sun all day this is not an option.

I mixed up a batch of minerals and freshened the mineral lick at Buck Point.

On the way home I stopped by Rambow's camp and we looked at the TC pics. Talked about The Archery contest and S&S site all together. We both like it here alot. Good people.

Hog Tap moved near W-Plot Box Stand


Mineral Lick at Buck Point

[Professor T]

2/22/10.

Little Kevin made his first trip to the land with Pop Pop. He is four years old and really into deer and hogs and anything else alive. We get about a mile from the camp and he falls asleep. I woke him up when we got there and let him sit in his car seat until he was wide awake.

By the time I loaded the 4-wheeler he was wide awake. Then he didn't want to go to the back. Uh Oh! But eventually I talked him into going. Going down the first hill on the 4-wheeler...."This is awsome, Dude!" He began having a good time. Going up the west ridge two deer jumped across the road and he got to see them close up. They were either mature does or young bucks that had shed their antlers. Of course he had to tell me they were does. Good eye.

Hey man! Where you going?


Hehehehe !!!! I bet you thought you were going to have to walk.


We checked the hog trap, baited it leaving the door tied open with sour corn. Pulled TC pics. Then we went to the Ridge Runner Trail to finish cutting the small trees that had fallen and blocked the trail. We checked the newly planted trees on the West side then pulled the TC pics at 4-Trees.

We then went to the east side and pulled the TC pics on the E-Plot. We checked the mineral lick at Buck Point but it did not show usage as of yet. I let him poour the rice bran out at each TC site. Well that was not a complete success. Less than half made it in front of the cameras. Then I let him help me put the corn. This had a little better success. I told him to stand still and I tossed a scoop of corn into the air above our heads and let it fall on us. This was a hit. We laughed and had a great time.

We went back to the camp and I was looking at the TC pics on the commputer while he was on the porch. BIG MISTAKE!!! There is rice bran all over the porch. When I was trying to clean this up he brought rice bran in the camp. Time to go home.

He was a little young for the trip but very good....just being a boy. Yes, that's what it is about. Good times. We had a little one on one. With three grandsons some time this is hard to do. But I remember those times

[Professor T]

2/27/10

I made a quick trip to the land. Pulled TC pics (there were no hogs and only 2 deer with head gear: "Trip" a yearling 3 point had both sides and, "Try to fork right" had one side). I had no sour corn so I just baited the trap with regular corn and ricebran and soured some for next week at the camp. The door is tied open.

I did some scouting at the WOWOWO and decided to make sure to move the stand early this year. "On the way back I walked across from the Ridge Runner Stand and followed the deer trail to the true "Wagon Trail" this is the actual trail that the supply wagons used to go from ST. Francisville to Ponds, MS and then on to Woodville, MS in the 1800's. There was a lot of sign and I may develop a setup later this year with this in mind. I am even thinking about getting a dozer to smooth out this trail and make it a path more likely for deer to follow.