Muddy- I think I have the photobucket figured out, we'll see.
Yesterday I was swapping cards and moving cameras, so I took a few pictures of the rub trees, that were the most important in getting the bucks my youngest son, Corben and I shot this season. They are so beat up, I may have to cut them off and put em in my house, wifes gonna love it. From what I learned this season, next year I will put skinny trees, 3"-5" around, with alot of branches in about the end of august, but mid october put in fresh big ones, 7-12" diameter. They seem to really like the bigger ones then, with a fork and a couple long branches.
The first one is in a hilltop 12 acre cornfield with clover and brassicas/radishes around the edge and a small plastic lined waterhole. My blind is at the top of a ditch running up a steep hillside, making for an easy in and out without anything on the field seeing us. Both of our bucks hit this tree hard as soon as they moved onto the farm.
[edit- this first pic is from the creek bottom field, cant seem to move it]
This one is next to an automatic water tank, in an old cattle lot by my house. It had 3 year old clover in it that I mowed down to the ground and overseeded brassicas/radishes, aug. 1st. It did real good. My buck never came this close to the house, but Corbens buck was there in the middle of every night.
The other night I was outside and could hear the deer crunching on the turnips.
And this is the creek bottom field we both shot our bucks in. The blind sits at the top of the creek ditch, with a real slick in and out, useing the deep creek ditch. Nothing ever sees us coming or going. Standing corn,2 acres of clover and brassicas/radishes that I overseeded in the edge of the clover and weak spots in the corn. Corbens buck was just getting to the rub tree when he shot him Oct 17th. My buck worked the trees 12 hours before I shot him and was heading to them when I got him Jan. 9th. Originally the 2nd tree was for the camera, but they destroyed a reconyx right away, so I put another one up on a metal camera mount.
The trees made it possible to keep track of these bucks untill crossing paths with them.
I only use the diamond willows, anyone else try others, cedar,basswood? The deer are still scent marking them, but not rubbing much. I suppose they will do that throughout the year. Maybe even use them to get their 2nd antler off. If I bring a couple in the house, what would I want to seal them with, to keep the fresh rubbed color and not dry out?
