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That’s a wrap!!!!! Thoughts? Up next?

Sligh1

Sligh1

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Well, a 2020-2021 season in the books. Unlike the nutty Covid stuff - the deer season was a great time. Kiddos getting 1st deer was my highlight.

What’s your overall thoughts on this past season? What u learn that do different next? What’s the projects?

Timber Stand Improvement season starts now for me & CRP seeding.

Hope the season was enjoyable. Only 8 months away until it’s here again!!! ;).
 
Great year overall, we had a lot of nice bucks on the farm in Iowa. Projects for 21 will be new stands in key locations, some cedar removal, planting trees (swamp bur oak & apple trees) plus a 5 row tree screen in MN.

Possibly a pond, and some CRP planning.
 
It was below average for me personally, but friends all took good deer, a few of those off my farms. That makes me happy.
I need to clear some crp of trees, seed some crp, get some lime down, sink some evergreens in the pond, plant some apple trees, and prep some ground for my pumpkin growing endeavor, food plots, jeez, I need to make a list..
 
Bow season was good for me on Public and my permission private. Lots of deer and my first buck off public land. Wasn't my biggest by any stretch or the biggest I saw but was a great experience. Late muzzy was a total bust. The I really feel the ice crusted snow was the cause of that. Most of my friends had the same experience.

Covid sucks but I did get to hunt more than normal because of it.
 
2020
Turkey season was great with being off from covid. Boys and I hunted a lot. Enjoyed spending a lot of extra time in the woods with my 2 boys and had some great hunts. My youngest, who is 10, loves turkey hunting. He's pretty much obsessed. Couple mornings he drug me out of bed. Youth season we took a few doe like always. Bow season was long and kind of a grind. Had some really slow hunts. I took a few does early and passed a couple decent deer and was finally able tag a decent buck day after thanksgiving. Late season was a total bust. Hunted back home for a few days with some buddies and had a good time at least. Then head back here to finish season out. Usually get the boys on a decent buck late season but couldn't even get them or myself on a doe for the freezer. Wasn't for lack for trying but most nights we got skunked or they were way out of range. 2021 we have lots of stands and blinds that need tending too. Hoping to really ramp up the food plots this year and maybe even try fencing some beans off.
 
2020 was a rollercoaster ride and a chess match hunting. Been after the biggest buck that I've ever seen on my hunting grounds since the beginning of October. There's a week left for 2nd archery here and he is still staying around his core area. I had some close encounters with him, one was the closest encounter I ever had with a mature buck, I'll post that story later. Lot's of small buck and a few decent buck this year but I never got a shot opportunity which doesn't happen too often. Hope to get out soon and shed hunt, most are still packing and a couple up and comers dropped one side. I'm waiting for the target buck to drop his before I do any shed hunting since I have a good idea where he spends most of his time. Next week I'm going to put some corn and apples out to try to get him to visit more often and perhaps leave me an awesome set of sheds! I've never found any sheds on feed after the seasons, hoping that changes this year.
 
October was def where it was at this year IMO. Late season kicked my ass. Over 2 weeks straight hunting a buck I never saw. Sometimes that's just how it goes.

I’ve got a little bit of TSI to do. Then I am going to start burning some stuff (heavy thatch) in prep for March switchgrass planting. I have a little bit of CRP to get planted as soon as ground conditions allow and then it’s shaping up for an insanely busy spring. My spring to do list is longer than ever. Yikes.
 
Had a fantastic year. Started the season hunting Turkeys with my 13 year old. We hunted my place and ony saw hens. Hunted my dad's permission spot and my son killed a real nice tom first time there. Got my 1 year old pond stocked with fish. Moved my honey bee hives to my place from my in-laws farm. Had 4 loads of rock brought in for my drive and a circle area I park. My uncle, cousin, brother in-law and dad helped me build a 12x16 2 story shed (top is a hunting blind that we call the "pill box" as there are windows on all sides) and it sits on the corner of my food plot. Got 3 new ladder stands put up. Killed my largest buck to date on Halloween. Then during gun season from the Pill Box blind, my son shot his first deer during gun 2. I also killed a doe from it during late Muzz.
Now that sesaon is over, I've ordered Norway Spruce and Red Cedars for some road screening and deer cover. Also ordered two peach trees to put in. I'll do work on the food plot, but really just going to overseed/frost seed in some more clover to a nice plot of clover already. I've got a couple areas I'll also do some TSI work. I think my TSI over the last couple winters is starting to pay off with thicker areas.
Should be a fun season. This is how I survived 2020 mentally. Just the escape and hard work was such a really good break from politics and craziness.
 
Awesome Season but didn't get a buck this year but had some unbelievable hunts . Last year what I thought worked the most was 2 water holes I put in back near bedding areas bucks hit them good morning and evenings used 100gallon cattle tanks . First time I tried them and very happy . mock scrapes with vines worked extremely well.. 2021 Projects

1. Working on more defined bedding close to food plots , got 2 new areas I want to hinge and get browse in , maples , dogwoods , poplar , few pines and cedar to get going in there.
2. getting rid of solid switch fields adding diversity pockets with browse in them
3. adding new 4 acre food plot that will give me about 6 total acres of food on my 88 acres , CRP coming out so going add more groceries . Rye mix adding beans and peas heavy really pulled deer last year so going put in big plot surrounded by switch and bedding .
4. Trying get cover better , might do some selective cutting most my woods solid oak stand .


Most of all having fun..
 
Hunted the least I've ever hunted. A few sits early. Got the 4 year old on his first deer hunt(took him in the turkey blind and he was the lucky charm there). Let me tell you a 4 year old in a blind and then in a ladder stand are completely different. We almost got it done tho. Took the wife EM. Hunted Halloween morning and then tagged out Nov 1. Took my wife the 5th and she tagged out on the 6th. Helped narrow down some patterns for my brothers and then it was gun season. Filled a few tags and then passed a bunch late season. The section i hunt had more big bucks than ever but got hit really hard this year so happy to see some good ones for next year. Time to try to find out what's left and then take the kids for a few walks to see if they can find some sheds.
 
Bet a lot of hunters got Covid or needed to quarantine this november ;)

One thing I would do if I had free time now .... which a lot of guys take these cold times to stay inside.... I’d be scouting & picking stand locations when the snow wasn’t there or bad. Looks just like the fall. I’d actually hang stands & beat the summer heat. Maybe trim em once more later but now is time to get so many things done. Farm or hunting - this is fantastic time to get so many projects and set ups cranking. I’m “mildly excited” to get on this Tsi, crp & redo some stands... say “mildly” as I’m always overloaded & not in my twenties anymore ;). I actually like working outside in the cold though. Hate hot weather!

Side tips for anyone though- permission to farm owners.... this is when u can make big advancements for next season.... treestand spots, fertilizer/lime, Tsi, fixing equipment, getting permission, maybe even doing some projects for a landowner that lets u hunt. Go get after it!!!
 
I had a great year in the woods.
Started out with a double on toms this spring with my Dad.
Took a one week trip to WY and took a small buck at the end of the trip.
Had a good shotgun season taking 2 does for the freezer.
Was lucky enough to take a good buck on public land during late season.

2021 will hopefully yield another western hunting trip and more scouting on public land.
Outside of hunting Iwould like to fish more - starting with ice fishing.
 
2020 archery season was good to me, one doe and one buck was enough to keep me happy. Shotgun was a bust. Next is house projects, dating my wife to build up brownie points and scouting, scouting, scouting while shed hunting.
 
2020 was a good year for myself! Two tom turkeys killed with Bullheads in five hunts.
This deer season was the least I’ve hunted ( 33 hours) in 35 years when I shot my buck on October 29. Very thankful I shot him when I did as I got Covid the next week cause my season would have been over. Excited for 2021
 
I had a superb season.
Did not kill a biggie but spent alot of time in a stand.
I don't know what I'll do differently next year but ill come up with something.
 
Great season for me but didn't shoot a buck. Learned some new areas and reinforced the need to get off plots when the does really start getting harassed.

Most important goal for 2021 is getting neighbors on board with putting some high potential bucks on the do not kill list, especially 3 year olds. It has become very obvious in areas of high pressure that it's pure luck when high end potential bucks make it 4 let alone 5. Wish me luck! On the bright side a few of my neighbors complain about the lack of "big" bucks around so I'm saying there's a chance.
 
My season was like the rest of the year, a roller coaster ride. Hunted the most I have in about five years, maybe more than the last 5 years combined, so thus I "earned" my buck. I spent all the brownie points I had accumulated on the home front, so I need to get back to work on that. Will pull cameras in a couple of weeks to see what survived. Also looking forward to doing a little more shed hunting than I normally do. Then, I need to get some more derecho trees cleaned off the edges of ag fields before spring planting. Got a couple hundred trees on order for spring planting. No rest for the wicked. :)
 
2020 was great hunting wise but sucked donkeys for quarters otherwise.

Really hoping for a boring 2021.
 
Clearing out some honey locust/elm/cedar for a late season hot spot. 26.6 acres of TSI to do to release some swamp white oak and walnuts on the creek bottom.

Missed a good 10 during alternative season at 250....I thought for a second there I was Carlos Hathcock.

https://youtu.be/s23YrSr8vM0


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2020 was an absolute grind. Kids home from school for 6 months working from home (and still am) and wife working from home. The only good thing was I was able to get 90% of the stuff done I wanted to on the farm. To say I was excited for the 2020 deer season was an understatement, but that too led to a grind. Mature buck pictures were not existent on my property. I was hopeful as I watched them from afar on neighboring properties. I hunted hard but to no avail. DNR got called by another neighbor who almost got shot by a poacher. Calmed it down for a bit but it never quit. Very frustrating season. In fact the, most frustrating season EVER. I was never more ready for 1/11/21. The game is on now. I already started working making my food plots bigger and better, in fact, started 1/11 at 8 am. I'm not going to let poaching beat me. I'm going to make necessary improvements for my property to hold more deer. Increasing seasonal food, Increasing bedding towards the middle of the property, and moving a couple stands to give us better opportunity. Positive Mental Attitude in 2021. Bring on the turkey season.
 
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