JNRBRONC
Well-Known Member
I woke up, rolled over and saw that it was 4:45 am. Since the alarm was set for 5:00 am, I decided to get up. I had a 6:00 am appointment at the plasma center and since it was “money maker” second donation of the week, I didn’t want to be late.
Getting out of the plasma center, I decided to head to Thiesen’s. I wanted to pick up the raw materials for a mineral lick. They had stock salt and Stockade 6 mineral supplement but they didn’t have di-cal phosphate. I grabbed a bag of the salt and mineral and figured I could always add the di-cal to the lick later. After a quick stop at the county courthouse to find the name of the person who bought a piece of ground I dreamed of owning, I headed out to establish the lick.
I dumped 25 pounds of both salt and mineral supplement into a 5 gallon bucket, grabbed a spade, threw both in the farm truck and headed out. I selected a spot that I knew was heavily traveled, also paying attention to which tree I could hang the trail cam in. There were some bushes that would funnel the deer as well. I think I will let the deer get used to this new lick until late summer before hanging a cam. I’ve noticed that a few bucks in the area are camera shy and I hope to get my first (and possibly only) trail cam pic close to hard antler.
Feeling rather smug, I headed to a friend’s house to watch the NCAA wrestling tourney. When the morning’s rounds were over, I wondered what to do next. Driving in the car, I decided to go shed hunting. It was a quick drive to one of my spots. I pulled up and stuffed a couple of GHF’s into a bag to carry with me.
GHF’s? For those not in the know, Ghost Hydration Formula, not to be mistaken with GHB, though they have been used interchangeable by some unscrupulous types. I had already started hydrating while watching the Hawkeyes, because how can one not? So I arrived at my shed hunting destination partially hydrated and I did not want to risk losing said hydration. Now let it be stated that I don’t advocate this style for everyone. For me, it brought about a calm and peaceful shed hunting experience, in sharp contrast to the frantic escapades I have been on previously this year. I felt more relaxed and not hurried, both critical to successful shed hunting, IMO.
I headed west from the vehicle along a creek. I was trying to think like a deer, wondering where I would bed if I was a wise old buck. The south side of the creek is an extremely steep bluff/ridge, with CRP on the top. I figured I would lay up there on the lip of the ridge, so I could either jump down into the valley to escape, or bound into the CRP. Walking along this edge, I jumped a timberdoodle. I prefer to call them timberdoodle, in contrast to that potty mouth THA4 who calls them woodcock. It was gone before I could even think about getting the camera out of my pocket, which would have meant dropping my GHF (not gonna happen). A couple of steps and I flush another. This makes me happy as these birds probe soft soil with their long beaks looking for worms. For them to be here means that the frost is going out of the ground and spring is near.
I kept trudging on, following deer trails and checking bedding areas hoping to stumble across, errr, excuse me, spot a shed.
I was walking along and noticed a tree that had been severely attacked. I have seen quite a few pileated woodpeckers while hunting last fall and can only imagine that they are responsible for such damage. As I was taking a picture, I wondered if the extent of the damage would come through in the picture, wishing for some type of reference.
Walking away, I came to realize the RNR standard.
Over the ridge, I entered another brushy area. I knew of a hillside that was dominated by multiflora rose and it had been deep in snow the last time I went through shed hunting. Now, with the snow gone, I thought I would give it another look. I followed a deer trail that was half way up the hill side and while rounding a corner, saw this:
I took a few ATL’s, then threw down a RNR next to it for a couple of photos.
So an RNR is a Red Neck Ruler. It has been used previously here to measure fish, though one must be careful about which standard is used. There is the standard can and the standard bottle. Even this can be problematic due to different container configurations. Obviously, I’m using the standard 12 oz. bottle. Before those of the military persuasion go Sgt. Slaughter on me, RNR might have a slightly different meaning to you, but really? Doesn’t RNR usually involve the consumption of RNRs?
At this point, Ghost might be saying, “Hey, that ain’t my formula!” as he may prefer a different manufacturer than I. This brings me to a statement I have heard numerous times regarding said products, something about them all being similar to sex in a canoe. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
After finding this guy, my first of the year, I thought I’d try to find the match. My strategy was to walk ever widening circles from this find. As I kept widening my circle, I found these guys, but didn’t find the antler match. I’m not sure what these critters are since my field guide doesn’t show pictures of decomposed animals. Sound familiar? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
The continual widening search spiral I was on soon bumped the boundaries of the property I have permission for, so no match. Walking back to the car I jumped a couple of woodcock. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
Getting out of the plasma center, I decided to head to Thiesen’s. I wanted to pick up the raw materials for a mineral lick. They had stock salt and Stockade 6 mineral supplement but they didn’t have di-cal phosphate. I grabbed a bag of the salt and mineral and figured I could always add the di-cal to the lick later. After a quick stop at the county courthouse to find the name of the person who bought a piece of ground I dreamed of owning, I headed out to establish the lick.
I dumped 25 pounds of both salt and mineral supplement into a 5 gallon bucket, grabbed a spade, threw both in the farm truck and headed out. I selected a spot that I knew was heavily traveled, also paying attention to which tree I could hang the trail cam in. There were some bushes that would funnel the deer as well. I think I will let the deer get used to this new lick until late summer before hanging a cam. I’ve noticed that a few bucks in the area are camera shy and I hope to get my first (and possibly only) trail cam pic close to hard antler.
Feeling rather smug, I headed to a friend’s house to watch the NCAA wrestling tourney. When the morning’s rounds were over, I wondered what to do next. Driving in the car, I decided to go shed hunting. It was a quick drive to one of my spots. I pulled up and stuffed a couple of GHF’s into a bag to carry with me.
GHF’s? For those not in the know, Ghost Hydration Formula, not to be mistaken with GHB, though they have been used interchangeable by some unscrupulous types. I had already started hydrating while watching the Hawkeyes, because how can one not? So I arrived at my shed hunting destination partially hydrated and I did not want to risk losing said hydration. Now let it be stated that I don’t advocate this style for everyone. For me, it brought about a calm and peaceful shed hunting experience, in sharp contrast to the frantic escapades I have been on previously this year. I felt more relaxed and not hurried, both critical to successful shed hunting, IMO.
I headed west from the vehicle along a creek. I was trying to think like a deer, wondering where I would bed if I was a wise old buck. The south side of the creek is an extremely steep bluff/ridge, with CRP on the top. I figured I would lay up there on the lip of the ridge, so I could either jump down into the valley to escape, or bound into the CRP. Walking along this edge, I jumped a timberdoodle. I prefer to call them timberdoodle, in contrast to that potty mouth THA4 who calls them woodcock. It was gone before I could even think about getting the camera out of my pocket, which would have meant dropping my GHF (not gonna happen). A couple of steps and I flush another. This makes me happy as these birds probe soft soil with their long beaks looking for worms. For them to be here means that the frost is going out of the ground and spring is near.
I kept trudging on, following deer trails and checking bedding areas hoping to stumble across, errr, excuse me, spot a shed.
I was walking along and noticed a tree that had been severely attacked. I have seen quite a few pileated woodpeckers while hunting last fall and can only imagine that they are responsible for such damage. As I was taking a picture, I wondered if the extent of the damage would come through in the picture, wishing for some type of reference.
Over the ridge, I entered another brushy area. I knew of a hillside that was dominated by multiflora rose and it had been deep in snow the last time I went through shed hunting. Now, with the snow gone, I thought I would give it another look. I followed a deer trail that was half way up the hill side and while rounding a corner, saw this:
I took a few ATL’s, then threw down a RNR next to it for a couple of photos.
So an RNR is a Red Neck Ruler. It has been used previously here to measure fish, though one must be careful about which standard is used. There is the standard can and the standard bottle. Even this can be problematic due to different container configurations. Obviously, I’m using the standard 12 oz. bottle. Before those of the military persuasion go Sgt. Slaughter on me, RNR might have a slightly different meaning to you, but really? Doesn’t RNR usually involve the consumption of RNRs?
At this point, Ghost might be saying, “Hey, that ain’t my formula!” as he may prefer a different manufacturer than I. This brings me to a statement I have heard numerous times regarding said products, something about them all being similar to sex in a canoe. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
After finding this guy, my first of the year, I thought I’d try to find the match. My strategy was to walk ever widening circles from this find. As I kept widening my circle, I found these guys, but didn’t find the antler match. I’m not sure what these critters are since my field guide doesn’t show pictures of decomposed animals. Sound familiar? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
The continual widening search spiral I was on soon bumped the boundaries of the property I have permission for, so no match. Walking back to the car I jumped a couple of woodcock. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
