Things Are Changing
October 31st, 2006 by Northern FarmerThe wind is starting to calm down this evening but it is below freezing, oh well, as long as that wind calms down things are pretty good outside as far as work goes. The seasons change and so do we. As I write the cattle let out an occasional beller out back of the house, over two hundred mammas and babies still together for a few more days. I don’t know when we’ll wean them yet, but it’ll be very soon, one way or another. It’s kinda nice to walk out back and all them cattle are laying around, the only noise is when a mamma or a baby, (well, I shouldn’t call em babies, they’re five hundred pounds), can’t locate each other in the crowd for milk time. It’s been a different month, October has, with family members going down but it’s finding itself despite it all. Things are getting done, just different then ever before. But that’s life, constant change. I look over everything, sometimes so tired I just fall asleep wherever, and I see great promise. I’m finding people do care when things are tough, and it’s humbling to say the least.
Today, speaking of change, I see Good Farmer John is pulling the pin on his blog. That blog was always kinda special to me, cause he was there when I started out, one of the first commenters. But the good news is, over this amount of time we’ve become almost neighbors, only an hour apart, and have been in touch allot, by phone, e-mail and in person. But the ending of John and his family’s blog leaves a gap, I’ll miss it very much. If there’s anything worthwhile about blogging, it’s meeting the people. Good people.
Tomorrow evening we head to church, but I have a night off from teaching so I can be in the big church. Get some stuff done tomorrow around here, got one more field to work before freeze up. Deer hunting starts around here Saturday, so it’s time to lay low, allot of lead flying. Keep the cattle close to home so nobody shoots a 1200 pound black deer, you never know, the IQ level certainly is not at it’s highest that weekend around here. Almost ready to start shooting back, hmmm, tempting eh! But after hunting, then us landowners are forgotten for another year, left in peace, not needed. I say, good riddance.
I’d better get off my butt and make my rounds around here for the evening, get done and study a bit.
October 31st, 2006 at 10:30 pm
I like those deer’s that are blask with the little white faces. Got any of those at your place. I did notice on the way home that a place off the road has put the orange vests and caps on there fake deer. So when Tom says they aren’t to bright during hunting season he’s right on. They even shoot the plastic ones. I’ll be one of those non-thinkers though. So watch out cows I’m looking for some meat this year. The deer last year was kind of small. Some people said it was a great dane. But I know better. It was a deer.
November 1st, 2006 at 6:44 am
PJ,
I was thinking, if’n I was to have a job, I mean a career working out I think I’d prefer to work for the DNR setting up them deer decoys and catching the folks shooting them fake deer. I can not think of a more rewarding job than to set up dummies to catch dummies. Now that’s a job I could sink my teeth into! Around here I always have to laugh when I hear of some of these folks driving around and see a plastic deer and they blast it, then the game wardens come up with a straight face and nail em. The straight face part would be a little tough for me, I’d be rolling on the ground laughing after the IQ test was over, then haul em to town. What a life, eh!
November 1st, 2006 at 6:49 am
With the time change, the big church ain’t staying late as open as it used to. Yesterday, I was speeding through the fields in the old truck trying to get all the little things done before “lights out”. Big things just seem to have to wait for the weekend.
I was walking my woodlot the other day, and a just built big ol wooden tower was sitting just off the property line. I expect there will be some lead flying around here too. We try to get out hunting a few times, but I made a note to stay away from that area. Some of those boys shoot any color deer they see, even bright orange ones.
Have a GREAT day,
Brad
November 1st, 2006 at 6:58 am
Morning Brad,
I for one am thankful for the time change, can get in earlier cause I figure if all the day year round were as long as July days a person would only have a 35 year life expectancy working to ten at night and getting up at 4:30 in the morning. So I’m tickled pink with the shorter days, kinda a semi hybernation period for the next few months.
In reality I’m not looking forward to next week with hunting, a dangerous time for sure. Then we hear on the news about some housewife getting blasted right in her kitchen by a bullit coming through the house, stories like that just get to me. I thank God we’re in a shotgun area here!
Well, off to work I go, HI HO, HI HO!
November 1st, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Hi Tom, its a catch 22, around our place there is no hunting except with a bow (we are 2 miles from a Provincial Park). The darn things are everywhere. They ruin your gardens and fruit trees and run into your vehicles (or is it the other way around, I forget, maybe I hit them). I have bagged 2 with the truck in the last 2 years and the wife has got one. Sometimes I wouldn’t mind the hunters and take my chances.
Snow storm came up from the states earlier this week, where was my warning. Works both ways you know. Have a safe week.
November 1st, 2006 at 1:46 pm
Guy,
We got plenty of deer here too and they do quite a bit of damage here and there. I got a couple of different neighbors that get there whole families together to thin out the deer during season, and them folks can really get em! Sometimes I even put in my order for one or two! Most of the lands around here we have pretty good control on who hunts, we have three different ways, bow hunting, shotgun hunting, (which can be a rifle if you don’t get caught), and muzzle loader season. If anyone is hunting on our land one thing they have to do is shoot any kind of deer, I don’t need some big buck hunters that let everything else go by. Thin em out I say! I do know what you are going through over your way with an over population problem, they sure can do allot of damage.
As far as the storm goes, hmm, didn’t come from our way so I’ll pass the buck to the Turtle Mtn folks in ND, I hear they got it! But I promise, if any system ever comes up your way from down here I’ll be letting out the warning to you. It does happen once in a while. Have a good one up your way!
November 1st, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Hunting season is the only time we have more than 5 cars go by the house . You would think with all the deer around here they would be pretty easy to shoot. We always see alot when we go for evening drives. We have a friend who gets landowner tags and shares the meat with us so we dont’ need to hunt. Semi-hibernation I understand
Stay warm.
November 2nd, 2006 at 6:39 am
Patti,
I’ll try to stay warm, but it’s a little tough 
My little gravel road gets pretty busy too with the road hunters trying to warm up after sitting on their stands for a couple hours. In reality, the best stand around here is my kitchen window. When some of them groups start deer drives in the near by woods and swamps them deer come right past our house. Around here they have landowner tags nowdays too, trouble is when you get one you give up all rights to your property and the state claims it as public hunting land. So, many landowners just forget the paperwork and pull the trigger and shut up instead
November 2nd, 2006 at 6:48 am
200 momma and babies huh. I bet you and your neighbors love weaning time. It must be quite a racket.
I try to make sure everything is done in our back field before deer hunting starts. The problem down here is that it starts November 4, but it ends in middle to late January. No walks in the woods or far field until February unless I absolutely have to. Then I’m so decked out in orange it will blind you.
Still haven’t fired up the woodstove down here yet, but were getting close. Good thing too because I haven’t run the chain down the chimney yet from last year. The temps dropped into the 30’s this morning (aren’t ya feeling sorry for me
), so probably next week we will fire er up.
This weekend I start dismantling the old JD B to fix the water pump and an exhaust bolt I broke when I tried to stop an exhaust leak. The wife will probably be over my shoulder every step of the way, since it was her daddys old tractor. Funny thing, I’ve rebuilt car engines and repaired balers and I never saw hide nor hair of her, but even if I get near the B she has to be there to make sure I don’t destroy it….
Oh well,
Have a GREAT day,
Brad
November 2nd, 2006 at 7:55 am
I really enjoy coming here and reading about what you have been up to lately!
It seems there’s always an accident every hunting season. There are some real idiots out there, but also many great, conscientous hunters as well.
Have a great day!
~Karen
November 2nd, 2006 at 7:11 pm
Brad,
That tractor is part of her daddy and she’s gonna make double sure daddy’s being taken care of good! So handle with care!
You bet it gets noisy around here! The good part about being so far behind here this year is when we wean coming up, the furnace fan will probably be running in the house all the time to help drown out the noise a bit. Wow! that’s a long season, luckily deer hunting is only nine days here.
You’d better take good care of that “B” for her, a little advice given freely here, although donations are accepted
Thanks and God Bless!
Karen,
Thanks! Kind words are always accepted around here, let me tell you! After all the bull that gets written here I’ll have to say you are correct about the vast majority of hunters. In fact last evening I even set up for a family to bow hunt on one section we have that has mucho deer for next year. It just makes me feel good to see a family out there on our land, enjoying the outdoors.
God Bless!