Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

What's ahead...

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
I came to the startling revelation the other day that I have a ton of shit to do in 2011!!! LOL! Dang!!!

I have some grandiose plans for our farm this year, so it’s high time I get off my ass and get to work! I Here’s a little synopsis of what is ahead for Sandridge this year, but it’s a work in progress. Any suggestion or ideas would be welcome…

Saturday, I’m heading out there to pull all my stands and shed hunt/scout. I have roughly 12 stand sites, 3 blind sites, and one gun only set up in mind at this point on 76 acres. It remains to be seen exactly how many stands/blinds I have in action this year, but the goal is to have them in place by food plot planting time. I am going to sell most, if not all of my hang-on stands so I can finance several Millennium brackets and more sticks. (I think Phil has two ladder stands set aside for me TOO, or at least I hope so! LOL!!!) I am hoping to add some acreage to the west/north, but I’m not holding my breath. If I did add any land, I would hunt that via the LW/Millennium combo solely. It is a hell of a lot of sets for the acreage but if there is anything I have learned from this farm, it’s that you never know where they will come from or go. Beyond that, it’s just a matter of being there at the right time. I’m focusing solely on our farm this year with a few minor exceptions, but I’m in this to win it this year! LOL!!!

All told, I’ll have two single man ladder stands that are essentially gun only spots. I have 3 ground blinds at my disposal and it looks like two of them will be dug into a hillside over looking shelves, with the third being brushes in along the creek in the bottom. The rest of the sets will be 20’ of climbing sticks, one section of LW stick that you pack in, and a Millennium bracket. After a decade of fumble dicking around with things, I’ve settled on this as the most comfortable way for me to hunt, which increases seat time. Additionally, I have locks for all the sticks and the brackets, so theft should not be an issue. Saturday’s mission is to find bone and figure out a game plan for stands. (Red dots are potential stands. Yellow are blinds and the purple are gun only ladder stands.)

Once I get back from Missouri, I’ll get my soils tested and wait for the dozer work to commence sometime around the end of April. I’ll be putting in one plot with the quad, and 3-4 plots using a 75hp tractor and a 6’ tiller. I called in the big artillery this year so I could quick dicking around with these food plots and do it right for once!!! I’ve outlined the plots in blue. I’m planting some corn this year, probably in the middle of the farm. The rest of the plots will be turnip, brassica, turnips, grain mixes. I might fool with blending my own seed this year. I have outstanding creek bottom soil to work with on 3 plots, so I think I’ll have some good roughage out there this year.

Minerals are going out where the white dot is located. That’s the legendary “Deuce Hole” and deer are still hammering it despite my lack of attention to it in two years. I can also make a nice watering hole next to it with ease. Once turkey season rolls out, it will be time to get the cameras out. I should have 6 cameras to put out by then, so hopefully they’ll find Moe before the season starts!

I decided to keep my bow and make a few minor adjustments to it, rather than buy something new. The fact of the matter is that bow is better than the operator and it’ll kill deer, so what’s the point in getting something new? I’ve satisfied that itch my whole life and I figure at some point, I gotta learn when good enough is good enough. I plan to change strings and switch to Flatlines for a little boost of speed. I plan to shoot more this summer than ever before, I want no doubts come fall that the operator is operating correctly!

So… lots of shit to come as you can see! I’ll try to do a better job of taking pics this year. I’ve slacked off the last year or two, time to get back into the habit! Should be a fun year regardless of how many tags I eat!!! :smiley_blackeye:
 

Attachments

  • Farm Aerial2011.JPG
    Farm Aerial2011.JPG
    92.3 KB · Views: 152

Buckmaster

Senior Member
14,362
191
Portage
First things first....your weed killer and a sprayer unit for your quad. You'll have a few hundred wrapped up in chemicals before you even begin.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Let me know what ya have and what ya want for the stands.. :) I see you're moving to the 20 ft sticks and 1 additional LW stick rig.. I did that this year and loved it.. Since i use hangons i do the same thing except use 2 muddy sticks at the top..
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Looks like you've got a bunch of work ahead of you, but at least you'll be using some real equipment so that should help a ton. I'm sure it'll all be well worth it in the end. Make sure you take a bunch of pictures throughout the process!
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
I need to check the inventory again. I am thinking I have one of the stands you requested. Got some inventory back from a local archery shop that had them in on consignment. He didn't sell squat but I don't remember if he had one of them or not. Will be in touch with you before heading to the Deer and Turkey Expo! I can't wait to see how this all works out for you Jesse. I think you know we are all rooting for you!