A year in the life of a farm

[Bayouboy]

Elgato, I'm posting from Avoyelles Parish, known for some impressive Louisiana bucks also. Thank you for this thread. Hunting landowners and lease holders all should read and learn from your no BS, no hype, trial and error lessons you share here. This thread could save them $$$. I subscribed a while back and love it.
Mr Sid

Where at in Avoyelles? My son lives in Plaucheville and I grew up in Cheneyville. Hunted and fished all over Rapides, Avoyelles, and St Parishes.
Attended a private school in Bunkie and have lots of kin in Avoyelles.

[elgato]

Will start mowing the fields preparing for fall planting in a couple of weeks. The process is mow, wait for rain, get weed blush, spray then plant.

In the mean time we are running cameras starting to figure out our herd for harvest. I'll start posting 'hit list' bucks soon but for now will post the occasional buck I like. Here is a nice 9 pt. I think to be 5. Promising future. He's wider than is typical for our area.

[BillyloMexico]

Man he has a killer frame!

[BolilloLoco]

STUD!!!That will be a great trait to pass along. Got anymore like him?

[BillyloMexico]

Okay, Rusty, here is my technical question. I know that you have your herd at probably a 1to1 ratio, bucks to does. Do you have the same problem with them braking horns during the rut....like we do in Mexico? So does that mean you try to shoot them early? Just curious because every picture has 12 bucks in it!! LOL

[jkelbe]

Okay, Rusty, here is my technical question. I know that you have your herd at probably a 1to1 ratio, bucks to does. Do you have the same problem with them braking horns during the rut....like we do in Mexico? So does that mean you try to shoot them early? Just curious because every picture has 12 bucks in it!! LOL

Yeah... were the women at? this post needs more pictures of the ladies.

On a serious note, I am interested in that question too. More interested in seeing a hit list and a live hunt thread.

[ABHC TX]

wow I'm in.

[elgato]

I should have known you Texans would be more interested in the ladies.

I've been talking to my farm mgr. lately about our b/d ratio as it will influence harvest decisions . Based on my observations over the summer, excluding fawns I think we have more bucks than does...by a pretty good margin.Maybe 2 to 1. Thats a guess and we are starting a nonscientific camera survey to test.

For sure we have been shooting more than twice as many does as bucks for as long as I can remember so seems logical to have more bucks than does.

Curiously we don't see as much breakage in the mature bucks as in Mexico. I think it may be because as a ratio we have a smaller % of mature bucks to total herd than there. That will be changing as our herd continues to get more bucks in the older age classes. We do see a fair amount of breakage in the 2 and 3 yr olds. Also we have found mature bucks locked up and dead before.

For a long time I have tried to hunt specific bucks as early in the season as possible. They are easier to pattern, move around less and yes, less chance of breakage. The rut is always exciting, you see more bucks but is challenging if after a specific buck.

Hit list and why coming in due time.

[Mex. Bowhunter]

2 to 1 could be a good thing. Gets the rut over with and less stress on your mature deer. I would keep it that way if I was You.

[Sticks&Strings]

2 to 1 could be a good thing. Gets the rut over with and less stress on your mature deer. I would keep it that way if I was You.

Exactly. I was thinking that El Gato was going to say his ratio was 2 to 1 to make the rut fast and intense but less stressful on the deer. I think 1 to 1 is huge amounts of stress on the bucks as everyone has a chance at a doe, so they fight it out for some action.

[Sticks&Strings]

updates?

[elgato]

Been a bit busy lately . Just back from Telluride and behind on everything.

Lots going on here. Mowing some of the summer food plots to prepare them for fall planting. Building a full blown meat processing room. Laying slab shortly. Will have everything...smoker, meat saw, all the chicken processing equipment, walk in cooler, freezers, ice maker sausage maker.etc. Tired of sending deer to the butcher.

Burning sunflower field tomorrow. Getting ready for dove season. Let the games begin! Will take pics.

Heres a nice 3 or 4 yr old that showed up on camera. I saw him once at long distance all summer. Forked 2 on rt. Forked brow 2,3, and 4 on lft. plus couple smaller points that may fill out. Great to have bucks like this in pipeline.

[DBHIII]

Man, all kinds of awesome going on here. Thanks for sharing

[BillyloMexico]

Man he's a future Rock Star!

[Mex. Bowhunter]

Good Lord Rusty. He is a Stud already. How Long have you been Managing this area? Did you ever think you would have the genetics to grow the size of deer you are Growing when you started?