Date(s): December 4 thru 6, 2015
Attendees: Mike Cerruti, Dave Sterling, Phil Luci

We got our brassicas (a mixture of Purple Top Turnips, Dwarf Essex Rape, and GroundHog Forage radish) planted a little late this year, but we’re pleased with the outcome, especially given the low ph in the fields. Here are a couple of pictures from the Big Field showing how the deer are just hammering the brassicas this year.

Other wildlife sightings:

• Mike saw a 5-pointer, two doe and a button buck in the Big Field on Friday afternoon
• Dave saw a small 8-pointer in the New Field, but passed
• Dave saw a big turkey in the Big Field but didn’t have a shotgun at the time

Projects Included:

• The excavation contractor worked to improve the new road down to the river by adding drainage ditches on each side of the road, compacting the gravel, and putting a more pronounced crown on the road itself

Date(s): November 13 thru 16, 2015
Attendees: Mike Cerruti, Hugh Shytle, Herb Coleman, Lee Owens, Christopher Owens, Jimbo Sadler

In a crazy turn of events, the very next day, from the same blind in the New Field, Mike had an encounter with a deer perhaps even larger than the one Hugh shot the day before! Indeed, the deer entered the field on the same trail that Hugh’s had entered the day before. Mike’s 160-yard shot downed the deer for a few minutes, but the deer regained his composure and slipped away. After waiting 30 minutes, Hugh and Mike entered the woods to recover the deer. We had a brief encounter with the very large buck in the woods at the north end of the New Field, but he was strong enough to quickly climb the nearby hill and escape before Mike could get a shot. Despite 1.5 hours plus of searching without a blood trail, we were not able to recover the deer. We’re not absolutely sure that the deer was fatally wounded, but even if it wasn’t, it was our second heart breaking non-recovery of our lives, both of which occurred this season.

Other wildlife sightings:

• Too many to list, including deer in every single field on the property, deer in the woods, and a chance encounter with some very large turkey while driving in the Polaris near the house in the Tirrell Field

Projects Included:

• Adding a rebar grate to the bottom of the burn barrel to achieve better, more complete burns
• Fixing the lights on the Bad Boy Buggy (nice job Jimbo!)
• The six of us shared the two lone apples from the Goldrush and Yates trees. They were yummy and a harbinger of good things to come!

Date(s): October 30 thru November 3, 2015
Attendees: Mike Cerruti, Hugh Shytle, Herb Coleman, Phil Luci

Other wildlife sightings:

• Again, many deer sightings all over the property

Projects Included:

• After the hunters left on Monday, Hugh worked with Duane on Monday afternoon to augur 27 holes for persimmon trees that he planted on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Hugh purchased the trees from a QDMA forum friend from Louisa County that had grown the trees in rootmaker pots. We have had a tough time getting bare root persimmon seedlings and trees to ‘take’, but with any luck these trees with extensive root systems will thrive.
• Cutting down some cedar trees (to mitigate the cedar apple rust that affects some of our apple trees)
• Herb reinforced several towel holders

Date(s): October 2 thru 6, 2015
Attendees: Mike Cerruti, Hugh Shytle, Herb Coleman

Saturday evening was heartbreaking as we experienced the first ‘lost deer’ of our hunting careers.

Late in the afternoon, Herb arrowed what he describes as a very nice 8-pointer from the box blind in the New field from a distance of about 30 yards. The deer exited the field on the west side about 75 yards from the box blind. While we found a puddle of blood where the deer apparently had laid down temporarily, there was almost no blood trail after that. Without a blood trail, we were forced to search for a needle in a haystack and did so for hours that evening and again the next day. We’re pretty sure that the deer eventually expired, but unfortunately, we came up short and never found the deer. Overall, it was a gut wrenching let down.

Other wildlife sightings:

• Hugh saw (and spooked!) and nice 8-pointer, and a 4-pointer, from a ground blind in the Bonus Field
• Hugh watched a beautiful 4-pointer for several minutes, broadside at 15 yards, from the Millennium stand in the Big Field

Projects Included:

• Zippy

Date(s): May 1 thru 3, 2015
Attendees: Mike Cerruti and George Fly

Harvest: Another blank for turkey hunting this year. Mike saw and missed a jake from the box blind in the Tirrell field, but it was a long shot at about 45 yards. George hunted the box blind in Field 1 with no luck.

Other wildlife sightings:

• None

Projects Included:

• Spraying the fruit trees…damn those tent caterpillars!
• Shooting at caterpillar nests…Mike and George shot 150 shells, mostly in the New Field

Date(s): April 17-19, 2015
Attendees: Mike Cerruti, Lee Owens, Christopher Owens, and Herb Coleman

We had a bit of a scare when the trail cameras revealed an unknown vehicle on the property. The guys spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out how the truck got onto the property and whose truck it might be, only to find out later that it is one of Carter’s guys (our friend from Hilliard Management) checking on the food plots.

Other wildlife sightings:

• None

Projects Included:

• Spraying the fruit trees
• Charging the UTV battery
• Still having problems with the water heater; George is coming up May 1

Date(s): April 10-12, 2015
Attendees: Mike Cerruti, Hugh Shytle, Phil Luci, Andy Rohling, and his son Jack

Other wildlife sightings:

• Hugh jumped turkey near the compound when arriving, and a doe on the ‘other side’ while driving to the New Field

Projects Included:

• Spraying the fruit trees; pinching the fruit trees to encourage a central leader
• Put tree tubes on the persimmon
• Cut down wild cherry trees around Field 1 and killed thousands of tent caterpillars
• Met a contractor to discuss clearing some of the river bottom land, putting in a boat ramp, and potentially putting and ATV/UTV road from the cabin directly down to the river bottom land

Date(s): March 6-8, 2015
Attendees: Mike Cerruti and Hugh Shytle

I so look forward to the pruning of the fruit trees! This year, it was snowing and sleeting while pruning on Friday. As a part of the pruning this year I gathered scions to share with my ‘friends’ on several habitat forums.

Other wildlife sightings:

• None

Projects Included:

• Prune the fruit trees and plant the new Grimes Golden
• Fertilize and lime the fruit trees
• Planted 25 persimmon seedlings from Hallman Farms in South Carolina
• Cleared out a pistol shooting lane behind the cabin, installed the steel target, and did some shooting

Date(s): December 26th and 27th, 2014
Attendees: Mike Cerruti and brother-in-law George Fly

Mike and his brother-in-law George visited SRF the day after Christmas. They hunted the Big Field, the New Field, and Field One without success.

Other wildlife sightings:

• Nothing while hunting, but Mike and George heard turkey in the ravine behind the cabin.

Projects Included:

• George fixed the ignitor on the hot water heater and got the solar power system working flawlessly

Date(s): December 12 thru 14, 2014
Attendees: Mike Cerruti, Phil Luci and Phil’s 24-year-old son Vince

Mike noted strong growth of the turnips and deer use of the brassicas in front of the box blind in the Tirrell field.

Other wildlife sightings:

• Vince heard turkeys in the Big Field
• Phil saw two small deer (Bro and Sis?) in the New Field

Projects Included:

• The gun safe arrived