I was able to put two dead standing chestnut oak on the ground, took down a medium sized black gum as collateral damage, and started working on a hung up dead chestnut oak. It felt good to be doing work out in the woods instead of just sitting in a tree. Several dozen more standing dead oaks should keep me busy for a good long time.
mike bayerl I have the same plan but still have a month or so before that happens. Bow season is long here in MD, plus waterfowl starts tomorrow!
Good work Mike. Many years ago I decided I had to many other things I enjoy more that sitting in a tree waiting for a deer to come by. I haven't been deer hunting in the woods in probably 15 years I guess. Looks like I'm going to have to get back into it though. My son is 11 and wants to learn.
Our muzzleloader ended Sat so I'm done...I just don't ever pick the bow back up after the orange army has invaded. The season for many was excellent here, harvest up 77% over last year, but I personally had one of the worst I can ever remember with little rutting activity, hardly any scrapes or rubs and I live in a very historically good area...I know they are here because I have them on cam. That being said, and to echo Gasifier, many times this season perched 20ft above the forest floor I wished I had saw in hand actually getting something accomplished. It's all good though. I joked for years my best thinking occurs 20 ft in the air, that has just been supplanted by trigger time now being my "therapy". Peace and happy holidays to all.
I'm sort of on the other end of this, sort of......I'm a good 5 years years ahead on the hoarding and usually when fall arrives I'm cuttin, I decided last year that I was getting back to the bow hunting after about 15 yrs. I really enjoyed it but did look around at the dead trees a few times.
The same thing goes through my mind when I hunt - man I could be cutting. I day dream about the trees around me turning into firewood, is that wrong?
I always enjoyed the peace and quiet of hunting. The best part was just being in the woods in solitude. (Besides the often annoying squirrels. Little ba*%ages.)
Looking gooder Mike!!!!! Yep, deer season is pretty much over here, but I will still be Grouse hunting and doing a little rabbit hunting. Had a good season, no big ones, but a lot of meat in the freezer. I will be back to cutting now as well though. I love cutting firewood, but nothing I love more then hunting.....
Yep, I'm opposite. This is my first year hoarding and burning wood. I've got a ton of recently dead, standing red oaks. Great BTU's, but, apparently it doesn't dry very fast, so I have to get it C/S/S now for many years to come. Thankfully, I have plenty of faster drying wood to thin out, like red maple, tulip poplar, black gum, and a whole lot of high-quality black birch, to get me through until the oak starts kicking in.
Yep, you have to take care of business and if I weren't ahead I would probably have been cutting the trees down vs climbing up in them.
I took a vacation day today and a neighbor came over with his tractor + FEL. Whew, we got all the wood bucked and moved to the splitting and stacking area. I'm guessing just over a cord, maybe 1.5 if I'm lucky. What a glorious day to be out working in the woods!
I usually see deer when I'm cutting and wish I was hunting....and see firewood when I'm hunting and wish I was cutting. It's all good though.
