Gobblers in Virginia Begin Anew (Blog 385)

A blast of cold air and two snowfalls shut down all gobbling here in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, that is, all gobbling except for one lone tom. In the midst of a driving wind and precipitation, that old boy was gobbling.

That is the type of bird that I would like to hunt on opening day - one gobbling in the wind and snow. That kind of tom will invariably come charging in.

Still, he was the only one to sound off for the entire week until the warm front came through this morning. Predictably, a gobbler on the eastern side of our property greeted the dawn and was so boisterous that both my son-in-law David and I both heard him. Opening day is just two weeks distant.

Chickens in the Snow (Blog 384)

At 2:45 this morning, I woke up, looked out the window and saw snow falling, and knew what I had to do. Earlier this month, we had a wet, slushy snow, and the netting covering our two chicken runs collapsed, leaving our heritage Rhode Island Reds vulnerable to an owl or hawk attack.

Elaine and I spent an hour or so repairing the damage then. I figured it was better to arise in the wee hours than wait until dawn and try to repair the net. When I arrived inside the two runs, the netting was already badly sagging, so I as delicately as possible tapped the bottom of the netting with a broom to cause snow to cascade through the openings.

I'll go outside at dawn to do the broom tapping gambit again. I expect more such visits will be required during what appears will be a long, snow-filled day.

Gobbling Intensity Increasing in Southwest Virginia (Blog 383)

What a difference a week makes here in Southwest Virginia in terms of gobbling intensity. Two weeks ago, a lone gobble every few mornings was the norm. Now, the "normal" progression of spring morning sounds is evident.

For example, this morning, the crows, as is typical in spring, were the first birds to really announce the dawn in a boisterous way. This seemed to wake up two gobblers behind my house, and they began gobbling every 45 or so seconds. I also noted that the two toms were on opposite side of our 38 acres in Botetourt County, perhaps because they have already endured several skirmishes with each other.

What I expect to happen next - perhaps in just a few days - is an outbreak of non-stop gobbling as one longbeard becomes consumed with the prospects of mating, which, in turn, sets several other gobblers off.

Woodcock Mating Season in Full Throttle in Southwest Virginia (Blog 382)

This morning at 5:45, I left our Botetourt County, Virginia house to walk and almost immediately heard the sounds of a male woodcock doing his mating aerial dance.  Soon afterwards, I heard another woodcock while I was walking up the driveway.  And about 100 yards into my walk, a third one was heard.

Next to hearing the sounds of gobblers in early spring, I love to hear the whistling and peents of woodcocks. Adding to the morning aura was snow flakes falling.  In the distance, it seemed like the surrounding mountains were enveloped in snow as well. The forecast is for snow at dawn on Monday.  I wonder if the woodcocks will persist in their mating rituals if snow falls?

First Gobbling, First Woodcock (Blog 381)

Yesterday, February 28, brought the first gobble of the morning, here in Southwest Virginia. I was out walking when I heard a distant jake sound off.  Not quite believing my ears, I paused for several minutes, then yelped with my mouth. 

Nothing answered, so I resumed my walk feeling that I had misinterpreted what I thought I had heard. However, three minutes later, the jake gobbled again, and this time there was no mistaking the sound. I again yelped and again no response. Several minutes later, the young tom belted out one more gobble.

This morning brought a cool rain and 50 degree temperatures in Botetourt County. While I was tending to our chickens, I heard the distant sounds of a woodcock doing his aerial mating dance. Two sure signs of onrushing spring are gobbling toms and the return of woodcocks.

No Gobbling Yet in the Southwest Virginia Mountains (Blog 380)

For the past week or so, I have been listening a little more intently to the beginning signs of spring as the morning temperatures have been in the 50s. Two days ago,  this winter/spring, I heard a song sparrow singing its mating song for the first time. Cardinals have already broken into song and mourning doves are likewise in full-blown mating mood.

Our two Rhode Island Red roosters have increased the intensity of their morning skirmishes, even though their respective domains are separated by a wire fence. The two roosters often fling themselves against the fence and give each other the evil eye in this battle for one upsmanship.

Still, though, I have not heard the first gobble on our 38 acres in Botetourt County. While I was tending the chickens this morning, two turkey hens began yelping and cutting, and I was sure that a tom would respond to that. But none did. It won't be long, though, because I have at least two longbeards that roost on our land.

More Young Forests Needed in Virginia's National Forests (Blog 379)

This weekend, I am going hiking in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest with Wayne Thacker, chair of the Virginia Wildlife Habitat Coalition. This is a group from such Virginia  entities as the Bear Hunters Association, the Bowhunters Association, the Deer Hunters Association, the Hunting Dog Alliance, the State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation State Leadership Team, the State Advisory Council of the Quality Deer Management Association, and representatives from two Virginia Ruffed Grouse Chapters. 

We will be talking about the need for the creation of more young forests on the GWJNF as part of a Virginia Wildlife magazine story I am working on. Many people, both hunters and non-hunters, do not realize the importance of young forests and early succession habitat for many species of game and non-game wildlife.

A good publication on this is Talking about Young Forests, A Communication Handbook. For more information, contact Thacker at bumcw@aol.com.

Signs of Spring in Virginia (Blog 378)

It's not even mid-February yet, but I noticed an early sign of spring this week - a male cardinal singing in a lusty manner. Of course, cardinals are a year-round resident in Southwest Virginia, and they do sing year-round, which is unlike most songbirds.

Nevertheless, the duration of this particular bird's song was what made it different.  The cardinal, at dawn, launched into a full-throated outburst and kept up the music for quite some time. In a week or so, I wager, our local Carolina wren will begin doing the same, and I also expect to hear mourning doves singing soon as they are one of the first birds to build nests, around here usually in March.

I also expect the two turkey gobblers that have been roosting behind our house to become "restless" by early March. Then I will know for sure that spring is here.

Letting Our Heritage Rhode Island Reds Forage (Blog 377)

Today is bitterly cold and with snow in the forecast for Sunday, Elaine and I decided to let our heritage Rhode Island Reds forage in our backyard while I cleaned out their henhouse. After our chickens had been in the yard for a while, I noticed that Elaine had followed our flock into the surrounding woodlot.

"There's just nothing green for them to eat in the yard," said Elaine, and she was right. It is now February and the depth of winter, and the yard is as gray as the sky on an overcast day. Perhaps our chickens found a few random green tidbits among the forest duff, but chances are that, too, had been picked over by songbirds, squirrels, and rabbits. It's winter and times are hard for wildlife and wandering chickens.

Heading Out into the Virginia Turkey Woods (Blog 376)

It's 5:39 A.M. as I write this and in about 20 minutes my son-in-law David Reynolds will be by to pick me up for us to go turkey hunting on the last day of Virginia's winter turkey season. I have killed my two-bird limit, so I won't be carrying a gun, but I am still really excited to be going.

So excited that I had trouble sleeping last night. Just the thought of entering the woods to pursue turkeys, whether it is fall, winter, or spring, is incredible pleasurable and stimulating to me. The challenge of matching up against a bird whose sight and hearing is far superior to mine and whose instincts are so raw and pure. It's one of the many great things about hunting turkeys.

Who knows whether David will kill a bird or not or whether we will even find a flock. That story will be written in the woods this morning.

Homebound in the Virginia Mountains (Blog 375)

The weather continues to be bitterly cold here in Southwest Virginia, and school is closed once again, so I can't start Of Mice and Men again today with my tenth graders or help my freshmen with their PowerPoints on the 1930s.

Our two flocks of heritage Rhode Island Reds are refusing to come out of their respective henhouses, except for brief forays to the feeder. And Elaine has beaten me three straight games of Scrabble. We were half way through the game last night, and she was already ahead of me by some 150 points. It was then that I did the only thing I could - overturn the board and concede defeat. I used to overturn the board when she was ahead and claim that it was an accident.  That gambit has never worked, however.

Warmer days are hopefully ahead.

Rhode Island Red Pullets Start Laying (Blog 374)

Life is full of small success stories. Last April, Elaine and I watched one of our heritage Rhode Island Red hens, Mary, hatch three chicks on her first try as a mother. Although we had hatched other eggs in an incubator, there is no comparison to seeing a hen actually do what genetically she is programmed to do.

This week, Mary's two pullets began laying eggs.  Elaine has named them Thelma and Louise as my wife is in charge of naming the hens while I give the cockerels their appellations. The first egg appeared on Wednesday and the second on Thursday, though the two young hens have not yet grasped the concept of depositing their eggs in a nesting box.  Nevertheless, it is exciting times in the Ingram household.

Deer Hunting in the Cold (Blog 373)

Today is the last day of deer season, and I am doubtful if I will be able to summon up enough courage to go afield. Monday, New Year's Day, my son-in-law David Reynolds and I went to a Botetourt County, Virginia cattle farm, arriving on our respective stands around 3:15.

The temperature with the wind chill was 4 degrees, and neither one of us made it to the end of shooting light at 5:35. In fact, we ran into each other leaving the woods at 5:15. Neither one of us had seen a deer. David summed up our respective thoughts when he said, "I knew it was time to get up when I realized I was too cold to shoot a deer if one did come by."

We talked earlier in the week about going today in late afternoon when the temperature will be around 0 with the wind chill. I have a feeling that we will probably cancel.

Babysitting the Grandsons (Blog 372)

It's a blustery, cold Saturday, and our wood stove is stoked, and our grandsons Sam (age 5) and Eli (age 3) are having a sleepover. As I write, we are watching a Thomas movie and the boys are drinking hot chocolate. Eli has already spilled his, but, hey,no problem.

I have often teased Elaine that when I first asked her out if I had said, "Go out with me on a date, and one night 35 or 40 years later, we can be babysitting our grandchildren. Would you have gone out with me, if that had been my line?"

Elaine is rather non-committal on that question, leaving me much in doubt if that would have been a good approach.

Finding a Christmas Tree with my Grandsons (Blog 371)

One of the joys of living out in the country and having Elaine's and my two grandsons, five-year-old Sam and three-year-old Eli, living nearby is seeing them experience Christmas. This week one day after school, the boys came over and helped me find, cut down, and drag back to the house a Christmas tree.

The tree was just a scrawny Virginia pine, but to Same and Eli, it was a tree of magnificent beauty and importance. I look forward to seeing them unrap their presents there on Monday

The Joy of Cutting Wood (Blog 370)

Saturday morning, I spent my time working on my next book and several magazine articles. After lunch, though, I spent several hours working in our woodlot, using my chainsaw and splitting maul.

There is something wonderful and satisfying about hard physical labor that is difficult to describe. Several years ago, a huge limb fell from a dead chestnut oak in the hollow directly behind our house.  For the past two winters, I have worked on this log, as it is exceptionally thick and hard to saw. Yesterday, I finally finished cutting and splitting it. The wood from the log now sits on our sundeck and burns in our stove.

When not using our wood stove, Elaine and I keep our thermostat set to 68 degrees. But Elaine loves for me to start up our wood stove on weekends because she says the heat "is warmer." She's right, it does seem to be. This afternoon, I need to work on a pignut hickory that fell close to the driveway last week, and then there's that long dead black locust that lies on the ground. Both need my attention.

Rhode Island Reds See Their Snow (Blog 369)

Elaine and I have two flocks of heritage Rhode Island Reds living side by side in separate enclosures. We call the older chickens the "Big Reds" and the younger ones, the "Little Reds." This morning, the Little Reds experienced their first snow, and their leader, Don Junior, an eight-month-old cockerel, stuck his head out the henhouse door, saw the snow, emitted an alarm note, and promptly announced to his flock in chicken speak that it was not safe to go outside. Approximately, a half inch of snow had fallen overnight.

Of course, next door, Don Senior resolutely led his flock outside and began to do what chickens do best... eating. Meanwhile, I had to lure Don Junior, who so far has not taken after his father in bravery and leadership skills, out of the house by dangling bread bits a few inches in front of him. Once Don Junior was down on the ground, I had to physically remove the rest of the flock to join in.

Last winter, when snow fell one weekend, the younger flock stayed inside for several days, and a mite outbreak took place.  I don't know if that was because they remained inside for several days, but I am going to try to make sure that an infestation does not occur this winter. One way to do that is to make sure our flock spends time foraging - not cowering inside.

Sitting Out the Last Day of Virginia's General Firearms Season (Blog 368)

Today here in Botetourt County, it is the last day of Virginia's general firearms season West of the Blue Ridge. Here I am working on a magazine article and my next Young Adult fiction novel. Elaine's and my freezer is almost full, and I wouldn't mind taking one more doe, but, honestly, I am looking forward to the late muzzleloader season.

I love that season and that time of the year. The weather is usually cold, sometimes, like last year, there is snow on the ground the last week of the season, which is the first week of January. Trudging through the snow, searching for deer sign, trying to dress warmly enough so that I can sit still for hours - it's all so challenging and exhilarating.

Quite frankly, most years I don't kill a deer during the late season, so my success rate is rather pathetic.  In fact, last year during the six antlerless days in Botetourt County, I never saw a doe, just four or five non-shooter young bucks. But during Virginia's late season, just being out in the woods is a good enough reason to be there.

Thanksgiving Eve with the Family (Blog 367)

Elaine and I usually celebrate Thanksgiving Eve at our house with our daughter Sarah, her husband David, and their children Sam and Eli. And so it was last night. The only person missing was our son Mark who is in Alaska teaching.

Elaine fixed a scrumptious venison vegetable soup, made from a deer I had killed and for dessert we had crabapple muffins from our Dolgo crabapple tree. After dinner, we called Mark and visited with him for a while. It was a really good evening.

Virginia Bucks in the Morning, Does in the Evening (Blog 366)

Sunday morning, I went deer hunting on one of our properties in Craig County. I set up high on a ridge where I could overlook a feeding flat below, a place I have killed a number of deer over the years. With the general firearms season in and my being afield with a rifle, I was looking to kill a nice doe or a mature buck.

However, I never saw a doe all morning, though I did see four young bucks, drifting through the area and periodically fighting with each other. The sightings were extremely exciting because at one point, I had bucks around me for almost an hour.

That evening, I went hunting on our land in the Eagle Rock area of Botetourt County. I had never hunted the property before, just having bought it last year.  So I arrived at 2:00, set up by 2:15 and killed a doe by 2:30. I think I will hunt this property more in the future.