Cave
2/19/13
I went in search of a cave I heard about in Dry Tank pasture, found it, and it is a good one, so all I'll say is--bring your flashlight. I really don't know if it's the Whiskey Cave or not-- but it doesn't seem like it is based on where I’ve heard their camp was at, which is my next goal to find. There’s been some good work on the new interior fence. It will be so nice to have in place. I suspect it will be done by March. I'm installing a cattle guard at the All Seasons Road fork and at the fork at Pig Blind, so we won't have to get out and open gates every time you drive through. We got about half of Pugmore Pasture burned. It killed a lot of the small emerging cedars and a lot of that Bacharis Willow. (That tall skinny plant that grows in the low areas). Green Grass is already sprouting out of the black. Same for the Coastal Field-- We burned the old grass off of that and it is already bright green. The axis are enjoying this too. I also burned a lot of the cedar piles and slash that were in the pasture where y'all might build a house. Hopefully next weekI'll finish off Pugmore Pasture.
Speaking of Axis-- Jerry started plowing the Sudan Field today. He just radioed me and said that there were 12 axis bucks out on the dirt that he already plowed up. They must like some of the roots from the weeds that are in there. Kinda weird. Eleanor and I spotted a Bald Eagle at the Twin Tanks again. We got a picture this time. Peter has an acquaintance in Fbg. that has some Barbado Sheep (aka Corsican) and was thinking of selling some. So I'm going tomorrow to get them. I'll get some females to go with them too. I'm planning on releasing them at Dry Tank-- and this will give them access to the Hill Top. It should be fun seeing them in these pastures if they don't vanish forever. I think you'll also like the Mouflan Sheep, which I think we should get a few. I met with a carpenter last week and he's getting started today. I'm having him finish out the inside of that building down by where we park the boar wagon.
He's going to add insulated interior walls and overhead storage above the rafters. Oncethat's done, we'll install new work benches, shelving, and gun racks, and of course reloading equipment. Nothing fancy, just utilitarian and functional. I'm excited to get this building in service, and it's a great location for everyone's gear. On the side facing the road, we're building the inside wall right over the door. So the building will still just look like an old out building with an old barn door. Jerry and I are talking about saddling up and making the ride over to the Red House soon, just to see how it goes. I've been wanting to get some good counts on deer and antelope in that pasture soon. Just based on what I've seen driving around, I estimate there to be about 30-40 antelope in there. I've no idea what the male/female ratio is. That will take a little more time to ascertain.
The goat pasture over here needs a major rest. I was wanting to move Eleanor's goats over to the Red House for a few months. I would run the antelope out of that smaller trap and close the gates to keep them confined to that area. They could trim up the cedars and bushes that are in that smaller area. This would also put the dogs to some real tests with the coyotes. I've been doing some thinking on the water situation on the hill top. Instead of a big deep well up there, I'm thinking we could try to harvest some rainwater if we built a small shed or two next to a couple of the water troughs. The shed roofs could feed the water troughs or storage tanks. Obviously, it needs to rain, but we could give the storage tanks a head start with the water truck. Anyway, this is just what's been floating around in my head. I'll do some more research on it. Springtime is fast approaching. We'll plant the field with some kind of Sudan as usual. If we have time, I'd like to plow up the grass fields by the ranch house and campsite and plant hay in those too, but that'll be pushing it with everything else that's going on around here. There's a ton of weed spraying and fertilizing that needs to happen too. The cows are just starting to drop some new calves. We're going to bring the herd in to the pens soon to separate the remaining calves from last year and to separate the bull for awhile. I've been reading my bee books and am getting ready to order some hives. Get ready for A&E Farms Honey! I've got Pat's Whitetail Buck and Angelo's Axis Buck back from the taxidermist. Both shoulder mounted.