Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[rarefish383]

Too large of an area just devoid of grouse to just blame it on habitat.

Seeing so many more coyotes and so many more birds of prey ... they have to be a big factor.

I have also noticed there are far fewer rabbits, and when you see one or two, they are not around for long.

I used to find they had nested in my garden every spring, using whatever I mulched with as bedding.

MD used to Stock Ringnecks. When they stopped the population obviously dropped. To the point I didn’t see a Single bird for years. Then all of a sudden they started coming back. I shot one and told my neighbor. He said come look at this. He opened his garage door and had 100 fox pelts drying on stretchers. This was in the mid 70’s before the animal rights people squashed the fur trade. He said he was getting $100 a pelt. I moved and didn’t see him for a couple years. Next time I saw him I asked how trapping was doing. Said he didn’t trap any more, pelts were down to $10. Last Pheasant I saw in MD was in 1987 when they built my house. Haven’t seen a Quail since then either,and I’m surrounded by corn and wheat fields.

 

[MustangMike]

Well, I guess winter may finally be here.

We had several inches of snow last week, followed by rain that only partly melted it, then it re froze solid, now we are getting more snow on top of the snow! Been a long time since that has happened!

 

[rarefish383]

That's what we do or throw a couple pallets down and stack brush on top. The clover plots really increased the rabbit population in the area I even had a family or 2 of geese last spring! Never would of thought that and all the mama deer basically have there fawns in it. I have some pics somewhere where the mama just had the baby but with 1000's of pics to sort thru its tough finding them sometimes.

Damn geese. We have so many resident honkers now every where you go you walk in green slime. I shifted tractor trailers at UPS my last 6 years there. They would stand in front of trailer and just honk. One of our drivers got in deep goose sheet. While he was bent over pulling the pin to uncouple from a trailer, a goose ran up and bit him in the crotch, just missing his do dad’s. He spun around and hit it with his steel pin puller, then beat it to death. Then called yard control and said he was going home for an on job injury. He should have just tossed it over the hill. He was a hot head, next thing yard control called the cops, cops called DNR, he mouthed off to them, they threw the book at him. Hunting out of season, hunting in a no hunting zone. Company charged him with violence in the work place. Wound up going to anger management before he could come back to work. Lost his hunting license for 5 years, big fine, all for a goose that should have been in Canada.

 

[MustangMike]

You will get into more trouble for "eliminating" and animal that should be eliminated than you will for high jacking a car at gunpoint in NYC!

The politically correct world we live in is devoid of commons sense.

Drive by shootings are described by prosecutors as normal activity, but if a licensed NYS gun owner brings his gun into NYC for self-protection (with no intent to commit any crime) they will throw the book at you!

Meanwhile, police arrest criminals who have guns every day, and they are back on the street the next day!

 

[chipper1]

Damn geese. We have so many resident honkers now every where you go you walk in green slime. I shifted tractor trailers at UPS my last 6 years there. They would stand in front of trailer and just honk. One of our drivers got in deep goose sheet. While he was bent over pulling the pin to uncouple from a trailer, a goose ran up and bit him in the crotch, just missing his do dad’s. He spun around and hit it with his steel pin puller, then beat it to death. Then called yard control and said he was going home for an on job injury. He should have just tossed it over the hill. He was a hot head, next thing yard control called the cops, cops called DNR, he mouthed off to them, they threw the book at him. Hunting out of season, hunting in a no hunting zone. Company charged him with violence in the work place. Wound up going to anger management before he could come back to work. Lost his hunting license for 5 years, big fine, all for a goose that should have been in Canada.

Should have told him he was playing hockey with it, little time in the box and he's all good lol.

 

[UncleBeep]

@MustangMike Same in Philadelphia. Local conservative talk radio calls Philly D.A. Larry Krasner
'Let 'em Loose Larry"

 

[farmer steve]

I don't know FS, when you start noodling straight grain Ash, you saw must be running real well!

FYI, Randy did a real nice thread on the 400 on some other site. Very informative, explains the differences between the 400 and 362.

The conclusion, he is a fan of this model!

I was using the 400 with RM chain on it Mike. Been hand filing a little more aggressive. Ran 3 tanks thru it yesterday for most of that wood. Thinking about throwing an 18" bar on it just to see how it does.

 

[Brufab]

Ive noticed that the scrounge thread always has a hunting element to it hunting for wood and hunting for food

 

[Brufab]

Damn geese. We have so many resident honkers now every where you go you walk in green slime. I shifted tractor trailers at UPS my last 6 years there. They would stand in front of trailer and just honk. One of our drivers got in deep goose sheet. While he was bent over pulling the pin to uncouple from a trailer, a goose ran up and bit him in the crotch, just missing his do dad’s. He spun around and hit it with his steel pin puller, then beat it to death. Then called yard control and said he was going home for an on job injury. He should have just tossed it over the hill. He was a hot head, next thing yard control called the cops, cops called DNR, he mouthed off to them, they threw the book at him. Hunting out of season, hunting in a no hunting zone. Company charged him with violence in the work place. Wound up going to anger management before he could come back to work. Lost his hunting license for 5 years, big fine, all for a goose that should have been in Canada.

Goose breast cut into strips, marinated in italian dressing then grilled with a light coating of bbq sauce is some of the best eating around.

 

[Brufab]

The freeze thaw cycles that are more common nowadays in michigan have had an impact on game birds. When the snow melts alil then freezes rock solid birds can't scratch for food anymore. Not to mention you can't drive 5 miles on freeway without seeing a hawk and feral cats are everywhere now, I've planted pheasants and quail a few times recently and have only seen a couple pheasants looking for gravel for there gullets on our road on on property but most of our property is wooded.

 

[OH_Varmntr]

That's what we do or throw a couple pallets down and stack brush on top. The clover plots really increased the rabbit population in the area I even had a family or 2 of geese last spring! Never would of thought that and all the mama deer basically have there fawns in it. I have some pics somewhere where the mama just had the baby but with 1000's of pics to sort thru its tough finding them sometimes.

Nice, that's on my list of things to do as well. Plan on clearing out an area for my bandsaw mill and make a few smaller plots as well.

Would you rather have a few smaller 1/2ish acre plots or a single 1-1.5ish acre plot?

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Brufab]

That's a good question. I have about 10ksqft planted in the pics, the one pic with the dirt on the left is now flourishing with clover. Main plot 7500sqft, side plot about 2500sqft. My dad has 2 big plots 7-8k plot and maybe a 15000sqft one. Plus we plant shooting lanes. First pic is an elevated blind, we frost seed red clover in it in early spring. Plant your shooting lanes because deer when passing thru usually stop and take a couple bites and give you time for a shot. 2nd pic is one of my dads big plots. Lime and fertilizer is your best friend. We use whitetail institute products and have had great success and they have a good soil test kit. We also use various clover seeds from the local elevator with good results too. I'm no shill for whitetail institute but I have experienced the results first hand and can vouch for the quality of their products. From mineral licks to there seeds. I would say a couple plots would be nice but it depends on terrain and hunting pressure. The results of growth in shooting lanes with little to no sun with red clover frost seeding exceeded our expectations. Just got to get it down before the leaves get on the trees once established it does well.

 

[Brufab]

Come January the deer eat the clover down to dirt and no matter how much snow on the ground they dig thru it to get to it.

 

[Brufab]

I think me and the old man are going to our property Saturday. I should have good pics of apple tree pruning, some firewood scrounging, and felling for deer browse and I will get pics of our plot layouts and post them.

 

[SS396driver]

Sink came in for the master bath . Had to scrounge up some 150 year old oak from the barn to make the vanity box . Not really a scrounge have a big pile stacked inside from the horse stalls I took down to put the trucks away

going to be a small vanity with either Hickory or an Oak slab top

 

[SS396driver]

Well, I guess winter may finally be here.

We had several inches of snow last week, followed by rain that only partly melted it, then it re froze solid, now we are getting more snow on top of the snow! Been a long time since that has happened!

Nice and sunny here . Snow is all south of us . But there’s a foot plus on the ground

 

[turnkey4099]

Well, shucky darn. Late in January, i should be seeing snow cover but it is all bare ground with remnants of snow drifts. Temps generally above freezing. I have been hauling rounds to the splitter then split/piling. Did that Tuesday. Yesterday was shot on shopping with beer at top of list. Got home about noon and checked the wood yard. Looks like the split/pile project is at an end. Frost coming out of ground and whole area is smeary mud. I'll hav to wait until it either freezes up again or spring comes 2 months early to dry up the ground.

I only have about 1.5 cord still to go on the willow for sale so not a biggee if it doesn't get done for awhile. I do have 8-10 cord black locust rounds to be split and add to the 40 odd cord in my 'retirement account'. I work at that during pleasnt weather and try to make it last. If I get totally desperate I can dig the remnants of drifts off of the BL limb sticks waiting to be put through my sawbuck that is set up to produce 5 16" rounds per load. Stack of limbs doesn't last long using that thing.

 

[chipper1]

Well, shucky darn. Late in January, i should be seeing snow cover but it is all bare ground with remnants of snow drifts. Temps generally above freezing. I have been hauling rounds to the splitter then split/piling. Did that Tuesday. Yesterday was shot on shopping with beer at top of list. Got home about noon and checked the wood yard. Looks like the split/pile project is at an end. Frost coming out of ground and whole area is smeary mud. I'll hav to wait until it either freezes up again or spring comes 2 months early to dry up the ground.

I only have about 1.5 cord still to go on the willow for sale so not a biggee if it doesn't get done for awhile. I do have 8-10 cord black locust rounds to be split and add to the 40 odd cord in my 'retirement account'. I work at that during pleasnt weather and try to make it last. If I get totally desperate I can dig the remnants of drifts off of the BL limb sticks waiting to be put through my sawbuck that is set up to produce 5 16" rounds per load. Stack of limbs doesn't last long using that thing.

Gotta make sure you keep it between the rails on that sawbuck or .
The other day I nicked the bucket on the tractor, only damaged one cutter though. Small price to pay to be able to bring the log close to the pile vs picking up rounds and cutting off the ground(which can dull a chain quick too) or a pile. No matter what way a guy does it it all involves a lot of work!

 

[chipper1]

I was using the 400 with RM chain on it Mike. Been hand filing a little more aggressive. Ran 3 tanks thru it yesterday for most of that wood. Thinking about throwing an 18" bar on it just to see how it does.

Maybe you should stick with the 16" on that one .
How you liking that saw, better than the 462 for smaller wood?

 

[Vtrombly]

Gotta make sure you keep it between the rails on that sawbuck or .
The other day I nicked the bucket on the tractor, only damaged one cutter though. Small price to pay to be able to bring the log close to the pile vs picking up rounds and cutting off the ground(which can dull a chain quick too) or a pile. No matter what way a guy does it it all involves a lot of work!

I've seen a video of you cutting the length on the bucket works well and you don't need the sawbuck less handling.