The Bounty of Fall
 

The first days of November in North Missouri are probably the most eventful weeks in the entire year for the sportsman. Bucks are chasing does and checking scrapes, duck season is freshly opened, the quail/pheasant season is under way, and flight woodcock are generally near their peak migration. What's a hunter to do?

This morning I went to my "secret" wood duck pond, bagged two, and was in the truck headed home about 5 minutes after sunrise. I picked up Elaine and after a quick visit to town, we enjoyed lunch on the tailgate with the dogs out at our farm. Then it was off on some trails and through a clearcut with Aspen in hopes of finding a woodcock or two. By then it was nearly 70 degrees, and I had just decided to check out one last area of the clearcut that was just over the northern slope of a large bottom. Aspen flash pointed a woodcock that flushed into the open about 25 yards away. I took a snap shot with a new-to-me VH 20 (I bought this little 26" Parker for the express purpose of hunting woodcock on the farm). I thought I missed the bird, but we saw it go down. I brought Aspen in, and he feathered into the scent and pointed, the dead bird right beneath his nose.

I'd planned these clearcuts quite some time ago in hopes of bringing woodcock back to the farm. It is located not far from the Chariton River, a North-South tributary of the Missouri. It's a dream come true to have woodcock back on the farm after the timber had grown beyond the right stage for the cover the birds need. We now have lots of small plots of early successional forest scattered around the farm, with trails that run by and through the cover.

On our way out as we were crossing the river bottom, we paused to watch a combine in a bean field along the road. As we watched, a very large buck casually strolled across the field, apparently preoccupied with what bucks are about this time of year. I'll sit the bow stand at the farm a couple days this week between bird hunts.

It doesn't get much better than the first days of November in North Missouri.

Photos:

1. Bernard Steel and wood ducks -- a great combination.

2. We don't get the drop-dead color of other parts of the country, but our Oak-Hickory forests shine this time of year.

3. Aspen delivers a woodcock. The first taken on our farm. If you cut it, they will come.

4. Hard to see in this photo, but this is a big buck, apparently unconcerned with the combine or our scrutiny.

5. This 1914 VH is just the ticket for woodcock in our farm coverts. It needs spreader loads, but it's a pleasure to carry. It was blooded on this day.

6. A day too warm, too dry...too beautiful.

Nice stuff Gary. Glad to see the "little russet fellers" in your part of the country.

Thanks for the beautiful pictures Gary, enjoyed.
Stan

Very nice Garry. I especially like what you have done with your woodlod. Will you be managing it for woodcock going forward?




.

Thanks Dean. Our farm is a registered/certified Tree Farm and has been for almost 40 years. To achieve certification you have to have a written management plan...and follow it. Establishing and maintaining early successional forest areas is in our plan. We work with consulting foresters from our Conservation Department. It's been somewhat of a challenge to get some of the foresters to grasp the concept of how important early successional forests are for certain wildlife and insects. I had to get one of the RGS biologists to write and convince one of my foresters that I should leave young trees growing with greater stem density rather than thin the trees at an earlier point. The tree growth is retarded some, but the habitat benefits outweigh that, and our timber is mostly palette grade wood (although we have some nicer potential logs since we've been managing our farm).

Interestingly, the Wild Turkey Federation and the various deer management groups are now singing the praises of early successional forests. We actually get cost share funds from the WTF for many of the management practices we employ (TSI/FSI, prescribed fire, temporary openings, etc.).

I'm proud to say that in 2017 Elaine and I were recognized as Missouri Tree Farmers of the year for the work we'd done on our farm.

It's amazing what nature will do with a little help from us.

Woodcock are definitely in our management plans.

(You can find Savannah Ridge Tree Farm on Google Maps to see our location and some photos of the farm.)

Very nice, been on the warm side in North MO, spending my time archery hunting for deer, and watching lots of small bucks and doe pass, with the big boys running at night...

Pat, a great week to log some deer stand time. Good luck. Your land is in Chariton Co.?

Macon county, just by the Chariton river. :-)

Warm weather has the big boys moving at night. Had to head back home, and will be taking the Ruger No1 6.5x55 out Saturday, as well as my wife. She's up first, weather is supposed to turn colder, that'll help. Have about 7 days to try and find one I like. She's managed to take a buck 4 years straight... We'll see if she can keep streak alive. It's been 3 years since I shot a buck with a rifle....

Good luck...and stay safe. I hope you both get the deer you seek. I'll be out Saturday by myself. Not sure how many days I'll hunt, but we almost aways "escape" the Missouri deer season and head to Iowa for birds. It's nice our seasons don't coincide.

We'll all expect pictures...and least of your wife's big buck.:whistle::)

She's more likely to shoot one than me, and I am cool with that. :D