Well, it's that time already. Time to launch into the documenting of yet another season in my corner of the 100-acre wood. Actually, the 80-acre wood, but you Winnie the Pooh fans know what I meant 
For once, I'm a bit ahead of schedule and am pleased with my progress so far given how crazy my life's been between work, kids, and school. I was able to knock out 4 hours of habitat work a few weeks ago, then spent another 4 this past Sunday with my buddy Bryan working on a key access trail and moving a buddy stand. I didn't take pics from the buddy stand, but we both agreed it was a great move. We shifted it down the main creek about 100 yards to where Kaydence killed her buck last year. It's not at the intersection of the hollers and will be a sweet spot to hunt all season long.
This is the trail we cleared going up the drainage. To the right, you see the deer trail coming out of the sanctuary. It took about an hour to reclaim the trail I call "The Stairway to Heaven". It leads up to two different sets, including where Bryan has killed bucks the past two seasons during gun season, and where I killed my buck in 2021. We're making a major adjustment to one stand by shifting it 60 yards W into the sanctuary and reserving it only for those perfect times of the season when violating the perimeter of the sanctuary is worth it. We'll then add a new stand to an old spot I used to hunt from 2008-2012. It'll be a gun only spot for the most part, but it's also a spot where my buck was killable the night before I killed him, so who knows how it will work out.
That trail leading off the hill from the sanctuary feeds into the main creek bottom, which now looks like this on one end. This is 5 years of now mowing and is now to the point I can start managing some of the regrowth and will eventually add some switchgrass and thermal cover. Behind me is a 1/2 acre foot plot that will be beans this year.
I still have about 8-10 hours of stand-related work to do before planting season arrives, and I'm waiting on confirmation from the service forester when his visit will be, but I'm making progress and it should be a productive off-season!
For once, I'm a bit ahead of schedule and am pleased with my progress so far given how crazy my life's been between work, kids, and school. I was able to knock out 4 hours of habitat work a few weeks ago, then spent another 4 this past Sunday with my buddy Bryan working on a key access trail and moving a buddy stand. I didn't take pics from the buddy stand, but we both agreed it was a great move. We shifted it down the main creek about 100 yards to where Kaydence killed her buck last year. It's not at the intersection of the hollers and will be a sweet spot to hunt all season long.
This is the trail we cleared going up the drainage. To the right, you see the deer trail coming out of the sanctuary. It took about an hour to reclaim the trail I call "The Stairway to Heaven". It leads up to two different sets, including where Bryan has killed bucks the past two seasons during gun season, and where I killed my buck in 2021. We're making a major adjustment to one stand by shifting it 60 yards W into the sanctuary and reserving it only for those perfect times of the season when violating the perimeter of the sanctuary is worth it. We'll then add a new stand to an old spot I used to hunt from 2008-2012. It'll be a gun only spot for the most part, but it's also a spot where my buck was killable the night before I killed him, so who knows how it will work out.
That trail leading off the hill from the sanctuary feeds into the main creek bottom, which now looks like this on one end. This is 5 years of now mowing and is now to the point I can start managing some of the regrowth and will eventually add some switchgrass and thermal cover. Behind me is a 1/2 acre foot plot that will be beans this year.
I still have about 8-10 hours of stand-related work to do before planting season arrives, and I'm waiting on confirmation from the service forester when his visit will be, but I'm making progress and it should be a productive off-season!
from here. 