A Disappointing July

I've spent most of July laid up with a herniated disc in my lower back. Got a cortisone shot Monday and felt good enough to try a fishing trip tonight. I headed for the Deerfield stretch of the river. The last few years it has failed to produced the fish that it use to but it's a nice quiet fish away from the road.

The smallmouth bite was nonexistence but the rock bass and sunfish gave me some action.

After about a 3 hour fish I walked out in the gathering darkness with the Deerfield living up to it's name as the field came alive with deer feeding on the cut hay. As far as fish numbers and size this trip was a bust, As far as seeking solitude in a beautiful setting it was perfect.

A Matriarch

I  fished a favorite creek located southwest of my home yesterday. I decided to try a section that I had not fished for 4 or 5 years. I remembered catching a chunky 15 inch smallmouth in a nice looking pool the last time I was there.

 Today would be an even better day. As I  fished the pool with a homemade 3 1/2 plastic worm I felt the worm stop and I set the hook. The little Daiwa spinning reel's drag began to scream as the fish had deep runs trying to reach the logjam down stream. I was able to stop her each time and slowly guided her into shallow water where I grabbed her by the lower jaw.

19 inches of small creek Smallmouth. I imagine there is a good chance that she's the same fish that I had caught years ago when I fished this pool. Her bottom fin had some sores on it and her tail was getting worn around the edges, signs to me that she was getting close to the end of her years.

As I slipped her back into her pool, she finned slowly in the shallows getting her strength back and I hoped that she would live another year to spawn another nest of smallmouth fry to keep this stream stocked with her genes.

The Start of a New Fishing Season

I started my 2012 fishing season in my favorite stream not far from where it tumbles down off the Allegheny Front. It a rocky stream with clear cold water and holds some large Smallmouth Bass.

Some sort of large Damselfly that I've never seen before caught my attention. 

 I didn't catch many on this first trip with this healthy 13incher being the nicest fish of the day.

My wife came along on my next trip, to a slower flowing stream with more of a mud bottom.

 The Fallfish seemed to be drawn to her lure today with a heavy 12 incher being her big fish.

 I was able to pull in this 12 inch Smallie as my best fish of the day.

It feels good to be out on the streams again and hope to put in alot of water time this summer.

Pictures from around the Homestead

A Brown Thrasher has a nest somewhere between the house and the manshed, but it remains hidden to me.

 Several evenings ago while the dogs were out and about Dance, my mountain cur, brought us a turtle that she had found in her wanderings.

It was the smallest box turtle that I have ever seen although not a new borne by any means. These pics doesn't do justice to the brilliant colors of it's shell.

It soon became bored in it's shell and was ready to get on with it's life.

This morning we had visitors in the lane. We prefer to let the our land "grow naturally" and only trim back the lane when limbs begin to rub against the vehicles. We often see does but this encounter was a pleasant surprise.

 Someone's thirsty.

Finally after a suitable number of pics were taken Mom decides it's time to move on.

The Little Woman's New Adventure

For several years now my wife has wanted a hive of bees. She was concerned about the severe drop in honeybee populations and wanted to try to increase the numbers of these interesting creatures in our area. She devoured books about bees and soon could spout out little known facts about honeybees that made you see these hard working intelligent creatures in a new light. As luck would have it a local Mennonite made his living raising bees and selling all the necessary items to become a beekeeper. So this spring a proper location was selected, landscape fabric was laid down and covered with gravel to keep the growth of weeds down , an electric fence erected to discourage hungry bears and a new hive was set-up. Now all we had to do was wait for her nucleus of bees to arrive.

The big day finally arrived and she donned her bee suit and introduced "her" bees to their new home.

After a week or so of letting the bees adjust to their new home she just had to have a look inside the hive. So clad in her bee suit and armed with her smoker she opened the hive.

As the pictures show her bees have been busy making honeycomb in their new home and the sight of bees on  the various flowers and shrubs surrounding our house is becoming a common sight.

 

A Successful Graft

I've been wanting to learn how to graft apple trees for some years now. Last year I tried several grafts but had no luck. This spring I tried again with 4 grafts and had 1 take.

The tree that I used for the top graft was a multi-trunked volunteer apple tree sprouted from a random seedling in our horse pasture. It reliably produces a small yellow apple that hangs on well into the winter. It will make a great winter food source for the wildlife.

These two pictures were taken in mid-December showing the abundance of apples still hanging in the tree. The rootstock I used were seedlings of the Russian Antonovka a hardy standard sized tree that should provide a good long living rootstock for future hunters to enjoy on the Back40.

Lightning does strike twice

Two years ago "out of the blue" Colette the little 16 gauge Belgium guild hammergun came into my life. Due to unforeseen circumstances her owner Mark Larson had to make the hard decision to sell her and gave me first chance. I quickly scooped her up and thought that this little gem would be my "go to" gun for the rest of my hunting life. About a week ago an email from Mark set my heart to racing once again. He had decided to sell his 16 gauge Husqvarna Model 44 that he had rescued for the scrap pile at Simpson Ltd. I had admired her every time Mark had posted pics of her on the 16ga.com website as he worked his magic to turn her from an ugly duckling into the beauty she was when she was built sometime in the 1880's. I didn't need her but I had to have her for the rare beauty that she is. So without further ado let me introduce you to "Helga" my newest Scandinavian beauty.

She sports 31 inches of beautiful Damascus barrels.

With exquisite engraving on all her metal surfaces.

Her full and modified chokes will have to be opened up for my Allegheny Mountain grouse and woodcock coverts before fall comes around. Colette will have some competition this fall as I reach into the gunsafe to see who gets to share the day in my coverts with the dogs and I.