Outdoorsman Thread

[glennbad]

I just spent a little while now getting caught up on this thread, I was several pages behind. Wonderful stuff, guys, so much variety to enjoy, thank you for sharing it! It's raining out right now, hopefully we won't be getting any more snow. I don't have any outdoor adventures to share, been hanging out around the house most of the winter.

[treefarmer]

We always look forward to our grandsons' spring break when their momma brings them back to where she grew up. My wife and I were wondering when they will be old enough to not be interested in coming back to the farm each spring. A few more years and the oldest will be driving. I think this is something we all anticipate if we live some distance from our children and their families.
They love to fish and do outdoor things. We've planted gardens, we have shot 22s to be able to see how a scoped rife performs and then moved up and fired the .243 to understand recoil, we messed with game cameras, built a ground level shooting house, deer hunted at Thanksgiving for several years and of course fished in between these other projects over the last few years. This week we let them participate in a controlled burn in a small field of planted pines.
I had previously plowed the fire lines and Tuesday morning I called the Forestry Service and got my burn permit for the day. After a foggy morning the vegetation was a little damp so we waited till after dinner and my nap to burn the woods. I figured it wouldn't take but about an hour to complete the burn.
Explanations of what we were doing and why, wind direction and safety were the topics of discussion as we rode down to the woods. We had made an improvised fire starter out of a propane torch in the absence of a real fire pot (drip pot). That is one thing I have never been able to trade for and they are just too expensive to justify for what little we would use one. And the other side of that would be, if you owned one, everybody would want to borrow it and pretty soon it would be gone and no one will know who had it last. I've lost several pieces of 3 point hitch tractor implements like that. So much for all that, y'all know how we lend and borrow in a farming community.
We started the burn on the northeast corner of the pines as the wind was out of the southwest. Soon the wind changed enough that I told the boys we should go on down to the south side and begin firing that side. Of course then the wind changed again and they understood how the wind either pushed the fire or held it back. This particular planting of pines has been burned every season for several years and really did not present any wild fire possibilities. The burn keeps the vegetation fairly fresh as it recovers from the spring burn and always allows a clear view as deer approach either the feeder or the food plot adjacent to the pines.
Here are a few pictures of the grandsons learning to do a controlled burn:

Starting the burn

Just got started, the wind changed

Riding along and setting a fire every 6-8 feet

Fire beginning to run with the southwest breeze

Watching their handiwork.

One less 'skeeter, they were rough during the burn.

Fire picked up by game camera, clover and oats in background.

Finished job.

Treefarmer

[TripleF]

Great experiences these boys are receiving Philip, great experiences! You're planting not only trees, but manly men!

I applaud you!

[royal0014]

I applaud you Philip; not only for using common sense in your approach
to land management, but your willingness to include the kids in the experience.
Those two will be excellent men someday !

[philco]

Philip those boys are having experiences they will never forget. I too applaud your efforts.

[doglegg]

Your grand kids are fortunate to have these experiences and you and them are fortunate to have each other to share these experiences with. Thanks for including us in the fun.

[Quick Steel]

Treefarmer, I certainly agree with the above comments. I find your written description very informative and interesting. I suppose especially because yesterday I was involved in a large trash burn. Nowhere near as extensive or as important as your burn of course. But the shifting wind did give us a few tense moments as the fire spread beyond where it should have into an open field and heading for a neighbors fence line. Took a couple of minutes to get the fire back under control using a prepositioned hose.

I envy your grandkids, getting those practical experiences at an early age.

[treefarmer]

Thank y'all for the kind comments!
It is truly a pleasure to introduce our grandsons to things that are not common occurrences where they live. We hope and pray they will grow up to be honorable Christian men. Their mom and dad are doing a good job with them but they don't have the farm to help them teach the real life lessons that need to be learned. A farm is a wonderful class room for teaching most any subject from birth to death and what causes each one. Math and science are always present on a farm or ranch. I could ramble on but will leave it there and just say, grandsons are special!
Treefarmer

[philco]

So are grandfathers.

[jmh58]

Nice doings there tf !!! Kudos to ya and Grandma too.. John

[TripleF]

Good stuff Philip!!!! Life lessons being learned!!

Had 15 boys today and 3 were newbies!!!

[Quick Steel]

Great stuff Scott. Hats off to you friend.

[doglegg]

I love it Scott. I admire you for that. No water moccasins around there?

[TripleF]

I love it Scott. I admire you for that. No water moccasins around there?

We've seen 2 over the years.....not sure why only 2.....maybe it's because we sound like a train when we roam the scrub palms together...

[jerryd6818]

Holy snarkies. What a crew.

[treefarmer]

Good stuff, as usual! The last picture, that's the way kids' feet should look!
Treefarmer

[TripleF]

Thanks fellas!!

Much agreed Philip!!

[philco]

Kudos Scott. What you are doing matters.

[TripleF]

Kudos Scott. What you are doing matters.

[doglegg]

Not my best bald eagle picture but my best immature bald eagle picture. My wife and I were driving along a little stream just outside of Wilson, Wy. when the ducks on the stream just exploded. We were both surprised and couldn't figure why until this young eagle settled into a tree beside the road and stream. I think that the eagles don't get their full white head and white tail feathers until they are 4 years old.

[TripleF]

Went back to the spot where the mission was Saturday.....remembering I found some Sword Fern.
I wanted to obtain some Sword Fern Tubers ....and I was successful!!

Yes, they're edible! Taste kinda like water chestnuts

[Steve Warden]

Love the raptors!
Nice pic doglegg

[treefarmer]

Scott, that's a new one on me. Haven't heard of a Sword Fern, seems like some of the ferns in the woods were Bracken Ferns and they were poison to cattle.
Treefarmer

[treefarmer]

Early last week we did a control burn on a block of pines with the grandsons. I posted some pictures of the event a few pages back.
I removed the game camera as the fire got close to it's location. I then put it back in position within an hour after the fire was out. I was surprised that with in a few hours the deer were back on the burn and checking out the feeder and the clover. Check the time and date on the pictures.
Treefarmer

Fire coming toward camera, not much danger as the grass was shot and green but the camera was on a tree that was in some heavy vegetation.

About 3 hours later the deer were back at the feeder and the clover patch.

[doglegg]

Pretty deer Treefarmer. They seem to work on the two principles of eat and don't get ate.