World is getting smaller

[deernhog]

I just went to my deer lease that I use to have and reaquired. We had a cabin surrounded by oak and persimmon trees on ridge. Behind us we had a creek bottom below another ridge of large cotton wood and old oak that was turkey roost and deer haven. The rest of the place was a ridge of oak and bois d arc which was food and cover and produced some of our bigger buck and hogs.  I went and scouted it out and just about cried when I saw it. The owner had logged the whole place of the oaks and left it a waste land. There are still trees and some thickets but the deep woods are gone. The only good thing was while walking the property out I counted over a dozen head of deer grazing or bedded.

[AtlLaw]

I hate to see hardwoods cut down...    I'm a tree hugger.  Literally!     If I see a beautiful old tree I enjoy looking at it and touching it.  No stranger then other habits of mine I guess.   

Pines on the other hand are a crop down here.  When my huntin buddy was tellin me they are going to start burning the planted pine areas I lamented the loss of cover.  Then I thought that better brouse may result... especially with a little help.   

Sure would like a few staves of that bois d arc ... 

[pastorp]

Hardwoods represent a lifetime of growing time, pines are more disposable. For good deer habitat you really need a mix and don't mow the edges, then plant some food plots. Sounds like the owner of your lease was managing his property for more than deer, like his pocket book, Deernhog. But it will be his grandson that gets to cash in the next time. Thats if those hardwoods are replanted.    JMO

Regards,

[deernhog]

MY LANDOWNER IS OF THE MINE SET THAT A TREE TAKES UP GRAZING AREA AND THE DEER EAT THE GRASS HE USES FOR GRAZING SO THE TREES GO. THOSE OLD OAKS BRING A PRETTY GOOD PENNY ON THE MARKET. THE COTTONWOODS I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM.  THE TURKEY ARE STILL AROUND, I FOUND PLENTY OF SIGN, BUT THE ROOST TREES ARE GONE THAT THEY ALWAYS USED. I FOUND A HOG SKULL WITH AN IMPRESSIVE SET OF IVORY THAT I SALVAGED. WILL GET A PICTURE OF THEM ON HERE LATER.

[Catfish]

I am far from a tree huger but won`t be without a nice woods on my place. As for deer and turky they would prefer it to be clear cut and and left to grow back as there is more food and cover in the brush than there was in the mature woods.

[pastorp]

But catfish, every deer I've seen loves acorns........   So a few oaks help out with holding then when the acorns are dropping.

Regards,

[highwayman]

we used to have a road called the loop and it was just that.it went about 10 miles into the woods. i have not been back there in a while so i took a ride. now there are houses everywhere and clear cut land. a sicking site to see!!!!!!!

[scootrd]

I hate to see hardwoods cut down...    I'm a tree hugger.  Literally!     If I see a beautiful old tree I enjoy looking at it and touching it.  No stranger then other habits of mine I guess.   

Pines on the other hand are a crop down here.  When my huntin buddy was tellin me they are going to start burning the planted pine areas I lamented the loss of cover.  Then I thought that better brouse may result... especially with a little help.   

Sure would like a few staves of that bois d arc ... 

What does the grain of the wood look like ? What color is the wood?

[AtlLaw]

What does the grain of the wood look like ? What color is the wood?

Heck, I got no i-de!     Ain't never seen none my own self...   I just know it's 'spose to be the prime bow makin wood in the U dot S dot of A!   

[scootrd]

MY LANDOWNER IS OF THE MINE SET THAT A TREE TAKES UP GRAZING AREA AND THE DEER EAT THE GRASS HE USES FOR GRAZING SO THE TREES GO. THOSE OLD OAKS BRING A PRETTY GOOD PENNY ON THE MARKET. THE COTTONWOODS I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM.  THE TURKEY ARE STILL AROUND, I FOUND PLENTY OF SIGN, BUT THE ROOST TREES ARE GONE THAT THEY ALWAYS USED. I FOUND A HOG SKULL WITH AN IMPRESSIVE SET OF IVORY THAT I SALVAGED. WILL GET A PICTURE OF THEM ON HERE LATER.

I selectively thinned my acreage by hand for 2 1/2 years. Just me, my yellow Lab, my Husqvarna and a lot of sweat removing many pines while trying not to disturb any hardwoods. Took a long time but once I got rid of the tall pines that were stunting the Hardwood growth in the lowere canopy  it was amazing to see just how many deer and other wildlife started to frequent the area and even take up residence. I'm not sure why this occurred , but it is a fact they seem to gravitate towards the thinned acreage more so than the un-thinned.  

[Swampman]

Osage is yellow when harvested but turns brown when exposed to sunlight.

[scootrd]

Osage is yellow when harvested but turns brown when exposed to sunlight.

Would it make a good gun stock because of it's hardness?

[pastorp]

scootrd, another name for that tree is osage orange. The wood is very straight grained and dense, a honey orange color. Lots of it was used 100 years ago in texas for fence posts & most are still in the ground. It's also a favorite bowerys wood to make self bows from, which is probably why Richard wants some.  

Regards,

[deernhog]

Hard to find good straight Staves in the wild . Tends to bend or fork quickly. I have good luck with second growth wood which tends to shot up straighter. It's hard to work with as you need to stay with the growth rings unless you use a backing material. That stuff gets hard enough make sparks from a chain saw when it's seasoned for a few years. there are Bois D arc posts at some of the old home places around Ada that are 70 or 80 years old atleast.

[pastorp]

deernhog, do you bow hunt? Do you make your own self bows? 

The last few years I lived in new mexico I only bowhunted and mostly with longbows. I never used selfbows however. Here in alaska there are few bow hunts and none where I'm at plus my shoulders are so messed up I was in pain all the time when I shot my bows, so I went back to gun hunting.

I sure enjoyed bowhunting though when I was younger. 

Regards,

[twohats]

Good to know you ole boys are trad shooters.We have alot of Osage here in VA.Alot of my buddies are selfbowyers and Osage does make for a pretty bow.Alot of my longbows have sage in them,but they are lams though.
 I is a shame to see the hardwoods disipate,but in most areas it's gonna happen.I had seen Dad select cut our old mtn property many times over the years,I really never liked it.The funds did help out the family.I agree.okay to cut but please reseed.My 02.....

[deernhog]

deernhog, do you bow hunt? Do you make your own self bows? 

The last few years I lived in new mexico I only bowhunted and mostly with longbows. I never used selfbows however. Here in alaska there are few bow hunts and none where I'm at plus my shoulders are so messed up I was in pain all the time when I shot my bows, so I went back to gun hunting.

I sure enjoyed bowhunting though when I was younger. 

Regards,

I have bowhunted over thirty years now and harvested more deer with a bow than I can think of. Started with a compound, then a recurve to a longbow then made my own straight bows and cane arrows. Never connected  with the longbow or handmade bow yet. But will keep trying. I lost interest in the hyperspeed  bows ,too much technology for me.  I hunt with a shelf bow but prefer a rest.

[Default_Required]

Had this happen to the place where I saw the biggest buck of my life ( 12 pnt grey nose, missed him that day but two months later he didnt miss the ford ranger on the other side of the mountain ) , Just happened to be my first season to hunt deer after moving away from Kalifornia .. This same place produced my first buck 2 seasons after my very first time hunting.. It will always hold a special place in my heart. So I feel your dissapointment D&H

 A few years after I took my buck in this patch of woods I followed a girl to Florida , A few more years and I came home to find this spot Thrashed, They had thinned it so much and left alot of debris ( mostly trees) all over the area I had hunted and known so well in these woods. I turned around and left just crushed at what was left of my favorite hunting spot.

 A few more years passed by and I had been hunting on my In-Laws land since their 55 acres borders 14,000 acres of national forest and is quite the producer. Well season before last muzzleloading season was starting to look pretty grim, Couldnt afford the cost of gas to drive the 1.5 hours round trip to the In-Laws . So I made the call to go check out my old honey hole since it was maybe a 20 minute drive from the house.

 Well it still had remnants of the fallen trees that werent removed. Well after I got past the debris and was able to find the old trail that lead to the power line clearing a couple miles back . I would spotted 3 doe and took one on their way out of the bedding area later that evening. Still havent seen any bucks but was rather happy to know that this special place to me can still bare fruit ;

 Good luck with your lease there D&H.

[deernhog]

While I'm still crushed over the old growth being gone I have seen as many or more deer on the place as ever before. Every turkey hunt I went on had deer going everywhere and the hogs are all over the place. Looking forward to deer season now and if the creek stays full the flyfishing will be great in the deep holes for rock perch and small bass.