Site Discussions

I looked out the window on my parents farm and saw what looked like German Shepherds crossing the field. I watched carefully because it is unusual to see neighbors’ dogs loose on other people’s property. They raise cattle in Mid-Missouri and loose dogs are not welcome. There were 2 of them, probably mates, and as they got closer, they looked more like coyotes, with a somewhat gangly gait. As they walked right across from the porch, I couldn’t tell if they were wolves or coyotes. They were clearly just passing through. My father told me that he had seen what looked like wolves there too, but in theory, they don’t exist in Mid-Missouri.

Really nice article!  Great that you gave more depth of info in the article.  Mushrooms really do seem to be a kingdom of their own. Very informative.  Nice job.

First:  great article, practical and nice tips, e.g. the fan in frig.  We have five decades and can add a tip or two.  Avoid sun, but don’t worry about daytime temps above 40.  Even 50-60, for a few hours won’t be a problem.  We hang the carcass, letting it air dry for a week or more, basically, until it is convenient for us.  Washing the gutted carcass is fine and wise.  With some moderate pressure, we wash off all blood and vestiges of entrails.  Just let it dry.  Butchers wash their USDA meat, so can you.  But be sure the ground is porous or you will be in mud. Hang from the hind quarters, and be sure the neck is fully open, to allow draining. Cut off head and hooves to reduce hair falling off an on to your meat.  If careful, remove hair with a lighter. Smell test is correct.  You will learn to trust it, more than sight.  More later, if time permits.

I have one that hangs around my yard/shop that seems to have been here this summer and last winter. Very curious as he pops in and out of my shop to say hi now and then. In the summer he/she looks out from under the deck. Good natural food here as I’m in a rural jack pine blueberry area. I think mice and chipmunks are part of its diet.

Not that pieces of lead bullets may not be contributing to lead levels in these birds but shouldn’t the study have indicated what levels of lead content those 500 pieces of lead bullet were raising the sheep carcasses to and if those levels were harmless or not?

Excellent article, thanks!
I will teach it to my kids on our next hike :-)

Fascinating! Thanks.
❤️ chickadees

Dave,

Having personal experience both as a midnight-stoker and recently a medium-rare wiener, I woke my dog up and nearly fell out of my rocking chair laughing! All great character building exercises that you represent perfectly.

All the best Sir.

Hello Mark,

1,600 Wow!
I planted 100 three year bare root from Miller Nursery 12-13 years ago. Years later I planted another 75 bare root and have taken nuts from the largest Black Walnut tree in VT and planted in pots and nursed them until ready. I have also planted nuts directly in the woods.

Some of the trees have done very well and others not so good. I have had trouble with deer and weather. My first 100 were doing really well the first few years until we had a wet summer and they bent over. Insects here early on. overall I only have one regret, not planting more 12 years ago on my forty acres. I’m a traveling salesman and I go to the Barre area here and there. I sure would love to visit your grove.

Nice general review.  Good to have someome with real time experience do a review under real use conditions.  Thank you.

Another great article from you folks.  I am glad to see you mentioned the need for wildlife corridors.  Our roadways (especially the higher speed ones) are an extreme danger and with fall being a high movement time for wildlife in search of mates and food, even more so.  Thank again.

The deer had been cleaning up apple drops in our yard for weeks, then abruptly stopped for the past month. The drops were piling up fast in their absence. Then, abruptly, the other morning every shred of apple was gone (aside for those still lingering on the tree). I assumed the deer had come back, but perhaps this time it was a bear.

I have forty acres in Hartland and wood like to get some butternut nuts from healthy trees to plant in my woods. Does anyone know where I could find 50 or so?

We have several beaver lodges in our wetlands here.  One beaver lodge seems to have disappeared.
It was there one day in the middle of the pond and a few days later, not trace of it at all.
Do they ever sink?

Thank you.  I did a Google search for black timber rattlesnakes to see if the snake that crossed the path of my brother’s wedding party was indeed a rattler.  (I had never heard of a jet black rattler with no markings but this snake had the head and a very audible rattle.  Probably 4+ feet and well fed.  Since I assume this comment is visible, I won’t say where this was beyond a hillside in central Massachusetts not too far from the Connecticut River.

That snake was sunning itself on a rock table beside the path.  We were a little too noisy, many and close and after about the first 5 of us passed, it announced its presence and crossed the path between me and my brother; the groom, rattling away.  The good thing is that we were raised in New England woods and while we hadn’t seen one before, we knew what it was and to just make no sudden moves.  (The excitable members of our party were further behind.)

Yes you can tap them. There’s no difference in boiling technique. I’d recommend two taps maximum for tree health. The amount of sap you’d get out of an extra tap hole is not generally worth the stress on the tree.

I was recently hiking and came across a bunch of apples in an open area where it’s fairly coniferous and where there were absolutely no apple trees.  Do bears hoard apples?  Would they have transported the apples to this place - there were several apple trees about 1/4 mile away but no where around where I saw the distribution.  There was plenty of orange bear poop around so clearly they were eating apples.

We live on a 100 acre farm and I put scraps/food out in the evenings for our skunks (most I’ve counted was 10 during summer) 2 gray foxes and an opossum.  I have a “critter cam” set up where I put the food and then upload pics to my computer.  It becomes very addicting to see what goes down outside in the middle of the night. 

All species get along great, even though I’ve read fox urine will chase off skunks because they prey on them…. NOT lol.  The foxes are petrified of the skunks (and their own shadows).  Also, I’ve read a lot that skunks don’t drink much but that’s not the case here.  I have a birdbath on the ground out by their food.  If it gets dry they will revisit it 10+ times a night to see if more water magically appeared. 

There’s a small opening under an old corn crib here and I’ve caught the skunks, opossum, groundhogs and rabbits all going in and out of there.  There’s plenty of groundhog holes under there so I’m sure that’s where they are.

I haven’t seen the foxes in about 2 weeks and the skunk numbers are dropping every day.  Last night was the 1st time I’ve had nobody show up to eat…. so crows took advantage this morning.  Last nights’ temp was the coldest and with 12mph winds.  So I guess they are hunkering down for the winter.

Hmmm, I wonder if that is why one of my apples suddenly (like overnight) lost all of its fruit. I thought there might be a bear in the area. And I didn’t think deer would clean out an overladen tree so fast.

I have a bunch of Norway maples in my yard…not so many Sugar or Red’s about my area…can I still tap the Norways?  I have been getting a wide variety of mixed responses to this question from the all-knowing google.

The Norways that I have are very large, so could I triple tap them in order to get the amount of raw sap i would need to make up the difference to sugar maples?  Also, I have read that the sugar content is lower (depending on the source) but if I tap a Norway, is there a different or special technique to boil it down? 

I would love to tap my own trees for a fun family hobby, but also don’t really feel like wasting my time with A LOT of work if the end result will be less than worth the effort! 

Any insights would be appreciated!

Thanks.

s.