Invasive Plant Elimination (Blog 436)

Wednesday after teaching school, I walked the seeded logging road behind our 38-acre parcel in Botetourt County, Virginia. I was looking for invasive plants that were just starting to bud. With loppers in hand and a spray bottle of herbicide, I was ready to do battle.

It was disappointing to find so many plants to target.  There were a few of Russian olive, but the most common one that I encountered was multi-flora rose, which seemed to be growing just about everywhere.

I spent about an hour on this task, which, frankly, has just begun. I've got a lot more work to do, but at least it was a start.

Virginia Toms Gobbling Every Morning (Blog 435)

Almost every morning year round I walk three miles in the dark before going to teach school or begin my summer day. This month is my favorite to walk in the dark because a morning ritual is to see how many gobblers I hear on my pre-dawn rambles.

Two mornings ago, I yelped with my mouth which sent one tom into a frenzied gobbling sequence. Several hens also responded to my yelps. This morning, the longbeard was gobbling on his own as I walked past his roost in the dark.

I conclude my walks on our 38-acre parcel in Botetourt County, Virginia. We have at least two toms gobbling behind our house, but they do not do so every morning. I don't think they have settled into a roosting pattern yet.

Soon, Elaine and I will head to Tennessee for me to turkey hunt, then, of course, come the Virginia and West Virginia seasons. I can hardly wait.

Don and Friday Crowing in Tandem (Blog 434)

One of the most interesting things about raising chickens is observing their behavior. As noted in last week's blog, Friday, our five-month-old cockerel finally began crowing. Our previous cockerels all have started earlier than Friday.

But what is so interesting is that though Friday began late, when he finally did start greeting the dawn it was in a voice similar to that of a mature rooster. In fact, Friday's cock-a-doodle-do is very similar to that of Don, our four-year-old rooster and the biological father of Friday.  Is the way a rooster crows inherited? I have no answer to that, but already I am having difficulty discerning between the crowings of Don and Friday.

Gobblers Gobbling, Cockerel Crowing, Veeries Passing Through (Blog 433)

One of the many great things about late winter/early spring is all the changes going on. The turkey gobblers are in full throat, sounding off every morning that doesn't bring rains or high winds. Cold temperatures are irrelevant to them now, the toms have to gobble.

Two days ago, our young heritage Rhode Island Red cockerel, who Elaine and I named Friday because that was the day of the week he hatched, finally started crowing. Friday also has become caught up in the spirit of the spring.

And several days ago, one of the many gifted singers of the thrush family - a veery - broke into song at dawn one morning. I was walking past a woodlot one and I heard the melodic tune of a veery. Great sounds to hark to here in rural Virginia.

Wood Cutting Season in Virginia (Blog 432)

Here in Virginia, small game seasons are over now, and spring gobbler season is more than a month away. But now it is wood cutting season here on our Botetourt County land. Last week, Elaine and I hired logger Jeff Britt to cut down a number of dead or dying ashes that were near our house and chicken runs. He also cut down some massive scarlet and red oaks that were too big for me to handle.

The next three weekends will be devoted to cutting up this wood so that it will fit into our stove next winter. With our solar panels on the roof and with the wood stove, our electric bill is less than $50.00 a month, sometimes much less.

Rhode Island Reds Resume Laying (Blog 431)

One of life's little joys occurred this weekend. Elaine and I raise heritage Rhode Island Reds, and it is natural for our chickens to stop laying eggs some time in late fall. The laying typically stops when the birds are in the molting process. The last egg came around Thanksgiving time.

Friday, I found an egg inside the chicken coop. Monday morning, I found two more. One of those eggs was on the ground, probably the work of one of our pullets which probably hasn't figured out when her body is telling her it is emitting an egg.

So it was time to put the nesting boxes back in what we call "The Little Red Hen House," which consists mostly of our younger chickens.  And to make sure that the nesting boxes in "The Big Red Hen House" are clean.

Virginia Gobblers Heralding the Season (Blog 430)

Last week, I heard the first gobbler  of the season sound off, which caused a crow to caw. Then another longbeard gobbled. That woke up every turkey in our Botetourt County woodlot. So for the next ten minutes or so, I heard gobble after gobble.

Every spring one of the nice things to look forward to is the first gobbling of the soon to come spring. I rarely hear hen talk among all the gobbler outbursts. It's always been clear that the males are raring to go earlier than the females are.

As far as what all this means for the season to come, well, the answer is usually very little. Still, it's nice to hear the sounds of turkeys gobbling.

First Woodcock of Season Appears on out Botetourt County, VA Land (Blog 429)

This morning, February 8, I went for my daily three-mile walk in the dark, here in Botetourt County, Virginia. As I was walking up the driveway, I heard the characteristic "peeent," which is how I describe the sound of a male woodcock.

I immediately stopped in mid-stride, wanting to make sure that I had indeed heard what I thought I had. Then came another peeent, and my suspicions were thus confirmed.

We've lived on this land since 1989, having bought it in 1988. We never heard woodcocks until we did a timber cut in 2010 and created some young forest. Beginning in 2011, woodcocks have been present every March. Three years ago, they started coming in February. I wonder when the first female will show up?

Finding the Shed Antler of an Eight Pointer (Blog 428)

During Virginia's deer season, my son-in-law David Reynolds and I encountered a fine, young 2 1/2-year-old buck. David saw him several times during the rut and afterwards. I glimpsed him several times in December. The whitetail had the characteristic long legs of a 2 1/2-year-old, but also sported four points on each side.

Yesterday, I was in our 38-acre Botetourt County woodlot, gathering wood from an oak I had sawed up earlier  but had not had time to bring into our garage. There lying near the tree I had cut was one of the antlers. It was nice to know that the young buck had made it through the deer season and would be around next fall. Hopefully, either David or I will have a chance at him.

Ash Trees Continue to Die (Blog 427)

Saturday afternoon, I spent much of my time cutting down and cutting up dead ash trees done in by the emerald ash borer plague. Our 38 acres in Botetourt County, Virginia hosts many ashes that are dead or succumbing.

It is a sad thing to see  beautiful hardwoods like the green and white ash quickly disappearing from the mountains here in Southwest Virginia and across their range. There is no cure on the horizon, either. And on our land, I can find only one mature tree that, to my surprise, has not been affected yet.
That will probably change this summer.

Chickens "Complaining" about Cold Weather (Blog 426)

Here in Botetourt County, Virginia, the wind chill is below 0 this morning and our heritage Rhode Island Reds are not happy. Chickens have a way of... perhaps fussing the right word... when things do not go to suit them. They march up to Elaine and me, and the whining begins.

This is usually after we give treats to the other chicken run's fowl - the two separate flocks have pens that border each other -  and the other flock does not receive any. Of course, both flocks will complain simultaneously if we walk by and don't give anyone anything.

This morning there was quite a bit of ruffled feathers, both literally and figuratively. Literally because the birds were constantly "fluffing" because of the cold and figuratively because they were complaining about the frigid conditions.

Preparing for Snow in the Virginia Mountains (Blog 425)

Elaine and I were supposed to have given an outdoors-related talk at the Bridgewater public library this morning, but the impending snowfall cancelled the event. Instead, we are cleaning both chicken runs, and I am going to cut some more fire wood before the snow starts.

Human nature is strange. We have plenty of firewood already in the garage and more is out at our woodpile.  But cutting wood in front of snowfall just seems like a constructive thing to do. Elaine is going to cook venison tenderloin for lunch and a wild blackberry cobbler is hopefully on the menu, too. Let it snow.

Deer Scarce during Virginia's Late Muzzleloader Season (Blog 424)

I had five different "settings" during doe days in Virginia's late muzzleloader season and only saw deer (two fawns) on the first of the five. I am often amazed when I see stories about trophy hunting for big bucks during the late season, and I struggle to see deer most years during this time period.

Maybe my poor success year after year is because of my hunting so much in the mountains where the weather is colder. Or, frankly, my poor hunting could be because I am clueless on how to pursue late season deer.  In any event, another late season has come and gone, and I struck out again.

On the January and February Saturdays to come, I'm going to look forward to squirrel hunting behind the house and doing Timber Stand Improvement projects on our Botetourt County land.

Success in the Virginia Fall Turkey Woods (Blog 423)

Today for Christmas, we dined on wild turkey burger and venison meatball vegetable soup. The reason we were able to eat wild turkey breast (in the form of burgers) is because Sunday I was able to tag a bird.

I went hunting with Bedford County's Mike Morrell and his turkey dog Bailey.
Bailey is a superior turkey dog and busted up two flocks not long after we arrived. It was a joy watching Bailey work. Next year, I would like to take Mike and Bailey to our West Virginia land in Monroe County.

Tomorrow, I'm going to take my son Mark turkey hunting in Botetourt with the hope that he can tag a bird before he heads back to Alaska to teach.

Spending Saturday in the Virginia Turkey Woods (Blog 422)

I spent all day Saturday pursuing turkeys on a Botetourt County, Virginia cattle farm. And for the first time in my life, I busted up three separate flocks of birds...and never fired a shot. On the first scatter, with the birds on the roost, they all flew in the same direction.

On the second scatter, which was a flock of gobblers, I actually called one of the longbeards in. But I didn't have a shot because I had set up wrong.

On the third scatter, which was just before 2:00 P.M., I again set up incorrectly as birds filtered by just out of sight.

I hope to do better today. People who think fall turkey hunting is easy are people who don't hunt fall turkeys.

Virginia Turkey Hunting in the Snow (Blog 421)

Wednesday of this week, with Botetourt County schools again closed and with my frustration with being inside at its peak, I decided to go turkey hunting in the snow at a nearby cattle farm. I asked Elaine to drop me off around 2:30 and pick me up at dark.

My reasoning was that the cattle would slog their way through the deep snow (16 inches fell) and open up some pasture. This would cause turkeys to come feed in the pasture...or so my reasoning went.

But when I arrived at the farm, the cattle were all down at the barn. None of them had ventured away from it the whole time since the snow had fallen on Sunday. So it was I that slogged my way through the pasture and found not a single turkey track. I had hoped to go turkey hunting today, Saturday, but the steady rains ruined that.  Maybe tomorrow?

Success in Virginia Turkey Woods (Blog 420)

In my 32 years as a turkey hunter, I have never seen so few birds as this year. I've gone deer hunting 20 times this season and only twice during those times did I see turkeys.

So when I scattered a flock of birds Tuesday after teaching school, I was so excited I could barely sleep. Wednesday morning, I went out for an hour hunt before school, setting up at the scatter point.

Fortunately, I was able to call in a bird, killing it at 7:18. Elaine took pictures for a future magazine story, I phone checked the bird and cleaned it, and was able to arrive at school around 8:30. The kitchen was a mess from the cleaning and my hunting clothes were scattered all over the house, but it was a memorable morning.

Time for Chicks to Move Outdoors? (Blog 419)

Elaine and I have been in a quandry all week. Our two heritage Rhode Island Red chicks are now almost 10 weeks old, and they, with their mother Mary, have been living in our basement since the hatching. This is not an ideal situation, of course, yet we also know that the other chickens can kill chicks, as did happen earlier with Mary's first chick that hatched.

Winter is coming on, and if we wait too late to put this trio outside, it will be all the harder for the chicks to adapt to the cold. But, again, if they enter into the run too soon, there's that danger of them being killed. So Sunday tomorrow, with a forecast in the 60s, is the day we are going to put the chicks outdoors in the run. We know Mary will try to protect them, the question is will she be able to.

Cutting Down Christmas Trees for the Family (Blog 418)

Wednesday, I drove to our Johns Creek land in Craig County to cut down a Christmas tree for Elaine and me and also one for David and Sarah and their two boys. While bowhunting there in October, I had noted several white pines that would be ideal for Christmastime. They also were growing near oaks and should be removed anyway.

There is something inherently special about going into the woods and finding your own Christmas tree. It harks back to the time when this was a common thing for all families to do. For the past 15 years or so, Elaine and I have found a tree either on our Botetourt County land where we live or on the Johns Creek property. These trees aren't perfectly shaped like the ones for sale, but we think they are beautiful and perfect, nevertheless.

The Joy of Having Grandchildren (Blog 417)

One of the great joys of Elaine's and my life is having grandchildren living close by. Generally, three mornings a week, we have four-year old Eli at our home for an hour or so before my wife takes him to daycare.

The other day, Elaine was performing her early morning exercises, and, unceremoniously, Eli plopped himself down beside her to join in. One of Elaine's standard exercises is to do some leg lifts with a rubber ball positioned between her legs. The photo below shows that Eli knows how to do this exercise as well.