Solo Trip in July

 On July 17th I headed for the cabin by myself to get some odds and ends done. The most important task was to get 1.25 acres of the big field and 1/4 acre of the small field sprayed off and ready to plant in a couple of weeks. It was an extremely hot weekend but I did manage to get a path trimmed out to where the ridge stand would go and I also got a vine licking branch hung to create a mock scrape on the ridge. After a break, I also picked out a new tree behind the cabin to move the cabin stand and got it trimmed out and ready to go as well.

Due to the heat I took a lot of breaks in the air conditioned cabin and I also enjoyed time sitting by the fire each evening. Before heading home on Sunday, I got all of the mowing done and was thankful for another weekend spent in my favorite place. 

Independence Day Fun

 My parents towed their camper down to the cabin for a long weekend and with very little work to get done we all had a lot of fun. 

On Friday when we arrived, Bridget enjoyed playing on the new saucer swing (which was a big hit) while I got all of the mowing done before mom and dad arrived. After getting the camper set up and eating lunch we found lots of things to keep the girls busy. I hooked up the ATV mower to get the oats mowed off and then walked all of the ATV trails to make sure everything was trimmed back and ready for some ATV fun. 

For dinner we cooked hamburgers over the fire and followed that up with dough boys, one of my favorites. After taking showers and getting all ready for bed, we all went outside to watch grandma and grandpa set off a Chinese lantern. We all got a good nights sleep heading into a long day on Saturday. 

In the morning, Grandpa and I worked on putting up a 22 foot section of privacy fence behind the cabin to act as a permanent screen for deer. It was a really hot day so there were a lot of breaks taken along the way.  After lunch it was time for ATV rides. I took the girls to explore all of the freshly trimmed ATV trails and they really had a blast. Late in the afternoon we got out some water guns and a kiddie pool and the girls had fun cooling off with grandma. I took the opportunity to get out my bow and do a little target shooting. 

Dinner was pizza pie irons, a little girl favorite, and smores for dessert. It was a late night as we headed into Agency to enjoy a fireworks show which turned out to be really good (I absolutely LOVE small town Iowa).

Sunday was a short day but we did manage some more ATV rides along with Abigail getting in some target shooting with dad's .22 with a scope. We played some washers in the shade of the apple orchard before everyone started packing up and getting ready to head for home. Weekends like this are EXACTLY what I pictures when I bought the cabin. Everyone had a great time and a lot of memories were made. 

Camp Shower Plus Mom and Dad's Return

I headed for the cabin on June 19th to pick back up where I left off, trimming the drive into the cabin. I got to work right away but was quickly chased inside when a thunderstorm came through. I dried off in the cabin while I waited out the storm for a couple of hours. Once the rain stopped, I headed back out to clean up everything that I had trimmed so far. Mom and dad arrived shortly after 9:30 the next morning and I was already hard at work. I had continued up the drive a little ways but was now using the pole chain saw to clear overhead limbs. With mom and dad dragging brush and branches while I trimmed, we made quick work of the remainder of the drive which is good news as they are planning to bring the camper down for Independence Day weekend. 

Lots of brush to clean up

ATV cart loaded up

After cooling off and eating some lunch, dad and I headed into town with his trailer to pick up some lumber for our next projects. Their neighbor had taken down an old wooden fence so mom and dad snagged some of the old panels to use at the cabin. We used 3 of them to build a permanent shower enclosure as the pop up enclosure that we have been using is deteriorating fast. The remaining 3 panels will be put up along the back of the cabin to act as a screen from deer that often cross into and out of my property behind the cabin. 

Dad and I set to work on building the shower while mom headed out to mow. It took a couple of hours to finish but I'm very happy with the end result. It sounds silly, but with only having to take the water heater up and down instead of everything, I am much more likely to get the shower out each trip.

Inside the new shower enclosure

Outside the new shower enclosure

Mom all done with the mowing

After devouring some pizza pie irons for dinner, mom and dad headed for home and I set out to finish up the mowing. I also took some time to check on all of the food plots, which are doing amazing, before enjoying a well deserved shower and early bed time. 

Soybeans are growing very well

Clover on the ridge food plot
looks great!

Clover in the cabin plot is
growing well

Clover on the small field responded well to being 
mowed last trip

On Sunday morning I set out to pull the trail camera cards and then sprayed the new big field food plot with glyphosate to knock back the weeds and grasses that were growing to prepare for planting at the end of July. I also lightly sprayed the soybean plot to eliminate the broadleaf competition. I've been trying to baby that food plot this year because I really want it to succeed. The soybeans are Round Up Ready and clover recovers well from being sprayed with glyphosate so that should be the last work needed on that food plot for the year. I also built some supports and hung a new saucer swing for the girls. It is a surprise for them and I think they will really like it.

New saucer swing

Before heading home, I got some archery practice in but was happy to not have any more work to do because it was getting quite hot out. Next trip down I will have the girls in tow. Mom and dad will be down with their camper too so we will all get to enjoy a weekend of camping together. 

Getting some summer practice in

Finishing Touches on the Cabin

After a very successful remodel of the cabin interior, it was time to give the outside of the cabin some love. I headed down June 5 - 7 with the goal of staining and sealing the wood siding to put the finishing touches on the cabin remodel. I have not done anything with the cabin exterior since we purchased the property 8 years ago and the wood siding was starting to look pretty sad. Last trip, I power washed the outside of the cabin to prep it for sealing. 

Cabin before

Another problem that we have been having is carpenter bees boring into the wood siding.While they don't really pose a danger to humans, they are very aggressive and are slowly destroying my siding. Although I hate to kill pollinators, I used some tempo dust in all of the holes to kill off the bees and nests before using wood putty to fill the holes. I managed to get a 1st coat on the front and East side of the cabin on Friday evening before dark. I finished the rest and applied a 2nd coat on Saturday morning and I think it turned out great!

Finished product

In addition to the applying the stain/sealer, I removed the old satellite dish, security camera mount, and rotted out antlers that the previous owner had installed. I replaced those things with a new sign that dad had made. 

After getting things cleaned up, I hooked up the trail mower and got to work on mowing all of the ATV trails as well as the clover food plots on the ridge, big field, and small field.

Big Field clover more than knee high

Big field clover mowed off

The ATV trails were starting to get a lot of overhanging growth as well so I took my pole chainsaw and pruners to trim everything back. I also had to clean up a few downed tree branches on the trails and ended up clearing out an old ATV loop and connecting trail on the north end to add a couple hundred more yards of trail to ride. 

ATV trails all trimmed and mowed

After cooking supper, I spent some time riding the ATV just for fun before taking a well needed shower and heading to be early. On Sunday morning, I got an early start as I worked on trimming back the trees and brush along the drive behind the cabin. I also trimmed back some overhanging branches along the woods that making mowing more difficult. After that, I got to work on the mowing and also sprayed Clethodim to knock back the grasses that were growing in the Soybean food plot. 

The food plots are all doing very well as we have had consistent rain throughout the spring. I think it was also a benefit to get them in nearly a month earlier than I do most years to take advantage of that rain. The garden isn't doing great as I had no luck with the sweet corn or potatoes but I do have several pumpkin and zucchini plants growing. 

Pumpkins up and growing

Trimming brush behind the cabin

Lots of apples and pears growing this year

Clover in the cabin plot is growing very well

Memorial Day Weekend at the Cabin

On Saturday, May 23rd, I loaded up my 2 girls and tubs full of activities in the truck and headed for the cabin. The previous trip with both girls did not go well mostly because they just would not get along with each other, but I did everything I could to make sure this trip was better. Even though there was a lot of bad weather in the forecast, we lucked out and only dealt with a few small storms. 

I only had a couple of small jobs to get done so we kicked things off with planting some Egyptian wheat plot screen. I pushed the garden tiller while the girls carried the seed and spreader. The girls were a big help as Bridget learned how to work the spreader and Abigail actually spread the seed on the small field all by herself. We took a couple of point and shoot cameras along to keep the girls busy while there wasn't anything for them to help with and it worked like a charm. 

Abigail spread the seed on the small
field all by herself!

All ready to plant some plot screen

Bridget learning to work the spreader

The girls played in the cabin for awhile while I ran the drag over the freshly planted plot screen and checked on all of the food plots. With all of the recent rains, everything was growing well but I was most impressed by the soybean plot. The entire acre of soybeans was up and growing very well. All of the clover plots from last fall had exploded and were knee high as well. The oats were continuing to grow and the clover in the cabin food plot was up and growing very well too. I'm very excited that I have the extra time this year to take extra care of the food plots and look forward to reaping the rewards this fall. 

Clover in the cabin food plot

Fall planted clover on the small field is over knee high

Ridge food plot clover

Soybeans are up and growing!

The rest of the day included lots of ATV rides, pulling trail camera cards and cooking dinner and smores over the fire. It was a beautiful day out and all of us had a lot of fun! The girls even spent time playing catch nicely with each other while I enjoyed some time relaxing by the fire. 

ATV Rides

Pizza for dinner

Roasting marshmallows

Enjoying some smores before bedtime

After a good night of sleep, we awoke ready for another day of fun. It was already quite warm and humid outside when we woke up so I decided to get my work done while the girls ate breakfast and got ready for the day. I got out the power washer and power washed the entire outside of the cabin. The cabin has wood siding on it and I honestly have never done anything with it in the past 8 years and it is starting to look pretty rough. It looked very refreshed after a good washing and it ready for a coat of Thompson's Water Seal on a future trip.

After I was done, I loaded the girls into the truck and we headed about a mile down the road to the parking area of the DNR land. We then hiked between 1/4 - 1/2 mile down the hill to a 10 acre lake to do some fishing. We had some luck right off the bat and both girls caught some bluegills. We even kept 2 bigger ones to take home (because the girls really wanted to). Both girls did a great job fishing and we were able to stay for over an hour before making our way back up the muddy path to the truck. Back at the cabin we had some lunch and then spent the first part of the afternoon playing outside. 

Proud girls with their catch

Hiking back up to the truck

Result of power washing the cabin

After a few ATV rides, the girls headed inside to read while I mowed the lawn and drive. Part way through the sky started to get really dark and by the time I finished I could hear rumbling in the distance. We spent the remainder of the evening inside, safe from the storms, playing games and using the microwave to cook dinner instead of the fire. After dinner, we settled in to watch "The Greatest Showman" before washing up and getting ready for bed. 

I made sausage, eggs, and toast for breakfast in the morning and then packed and loaded the truck in the drizzling rain. Before we left, we took a couple of quick rides on the ATV to hold us over until the next trip down. A lot of memories were made and we all had a great time.

Enjoying some breakfast

Cooking some breakfast

Turkey Hunting Success

On May 15th I headed for the cabin for one last try at turkey hunting for the year. The 4th, and final, spring season ended on the 17th and I was hoping to close the deal. My trail cameras had been showing a pretty consistent morning and evening pattern of turkeys moving through the big field food plot so I decided to focus my energy there. On Friday evening I saw 6 turkeys while hunting the big field, but sadly they were all hens. 

One of the hens that I saw on Friday evening

I spent the remainder of the evening getting about 1/3 of the flooring installed in the cabin. I was amazed at how easily the vinyl plank flooring went down and the nice thing is the cabin was fairly square and I didn't have much to work around other than the bathroom wall. The most difficult part was actually moving all of the furniture around to make enough space to work. 

Floor about 1/3 done on Friday

Used the ATV jack and a couple pieces of flooring as a
ramp to get the bunk bed up onto the new floor

On Saturday morning I again heard a tom gobbling to the west in the same area as the previous weekend. This time I approached from a different side and got set up in the direction that he headed last time. After flying down, he again headed in the other direction. I spent some time walking around trying to strike up another bird but didn't hear another gobble. I decided to head back and keep plugging away at the floor. 

There was rain in the forecast so I set up my saw outside under a pop up canopy, but of course it didn't end up raining until later during the night. I spent the next few hours finishing up the flooring install and even got lucky enough that I didn't have any horizontal cuts to make at all. After finishing the flooring I got to work on the baseboard install. The most annoying part of the baseboard was that the east and west walls had about 1 inch of 3/4 inch plywood sticking out at floor level forcing me to use 2x2s while the north and south walls only required 1x2s. With all of the cuts, it took me longer than I expected but I did get the base boards installed as well.

Finished installing the floor 

Installing baseboard in the bathroom

Not to toot my own horn here, but I absolutely love the finished product. Originally I was on the fence about installing the flooring this year but I'm glad I did. The cabin doesn't even remotely resemble what it did before and it is just a much more comfortable space to be. In addition, the new layout provides so much more open space and utilizes the small space that we do have very well.

Bathroom finished product

Finished product

Finished Product

Finished Product

With the interior work on the cabin complete, I turned my focus 100% to trying to fill my turkey tag. I again set up on the big field for the evening and once again, had a parade of hens walk by me but no toms. I had a feeling that if I just stuck with it, eventually a tom would show up. As the sun began to set, I headed back to the cabin to start a fire and cook supper. Venison tenderloin, carrots, and potatoes were on the menu and turned out delicious. While they cooked, I actually worked on replanting several of the mounds in my garden that had been dug up by squirrels over the past week. 

Pair of hens only 25 yards away

Dinner!

On Sunday morning, I woke up to rain showers and fell back asleep for a little bit. Around 6am I headed for the big field blind knowing that this was my last opportunity and sad that it was raining. With the rain and wind, there were no birds gobbling so I was just hoping that the turkeys would follow a similar pattern and work through the big field. I was rewarded a short time later when I noticed turkeys heading my way from behind the blind. There were 2 hens, a jake, and a tom and of course the tom was lagging behind the rest. They took their time moving down the field but finally the hens and jake made their way around the front of the blind. The tom seemed content to hand out behind the blind and I was worried one of the other turkeys might end up scared by the decoys or catch sight of me in the blind. With only a 4 inch x 6 inch peep hole in the back door of the blind, I slowly turned and stuck about 8 inches of my shotgun out the hole. As soon as the tom stuck his head up I shot and he dropped in his tracks. It was the last day of the season, and a crappy day for turkey hunting, but my persistence payed off. 

Turkeys headed my way

More fresh meat for the freezer!

The rain finally stopped mid morning and with the wind, the grass was drying off pretty fast. After getting my turkey processed and in the cooler, I decided to get the yard and drive mowed before heading home. It was a great weekend that wrapped up a very productive spring at the cabin. The interior remodel was complete and I had managed to fill a turkey tag for the 2nd year in a row. 

Turkey Hunting and Food Plots

On the 2nd weekend of May I headed to the cabin with a 4th season turkey tag in my pocket and good intentions of planting food plots and a garden (even though what I really wanted to do was lay the new flooring). On Friday evening, I headed out to try and find some turkeys but was fairly unsuccessful. I did manage to stumble on a few morel mushrooms to bring home for Erin though. 

Found a small pile of fungus

Saturday morning I managed to hear 3 different toms roosted but they were all in different directions. I went after the closest one and set up pretty close to him but he ended up working off in a different direction. I tried to go after one of the other birds but he stopped gobbling after I got set up and never came into my decoys. With the morning hunt a bust, I headed back for the cabin to get started on planting food plots. I had a lot to get done as I had to till and plant 1 acre of soybeans on the big field, till and plant the small cabin food plot and get the garden planted. 

I started with the soybeans first. This year I opted to use liquid calcium to neutralize the soil instead of spreading a ton (literally) of pellet lime. Afterwards, I attached the spreader to spread dry fertilizer before running the disc over it. I have not tilled this portion of the field for several years so it took a couple of passes with the disc. I then broadcast the soybeans and lightly ran the disc over the field again to cover them. I finished it off by broadcasting alice white clover to help fill in where the soybeans don't grow well. All in all, it took me a couple of hours to get this 1 acre planted by myself. 

ATV disc hard at work

Soybeans loaded in the spreader

1 acre of soybeans planted

I'm very excited for this soybean food plot as I learned a lot when I planted them 2 years ago and am more confident in my attempt this time. I also know that they are a huge draw to deer throughout the fall and into the early winter.

Next up was the small cabin food plot that sits along the drive behind the cabin. My woods butt up to the neighboring county land behind the cabin and deer travel through there a lot. It is one of my favorite places to have a camera and even though the food plot is probably about 1/16 of an acre in size it does a good job of giving them a reason to keep coming through that spot. The area is too small for the disc so I put dad's garden tiller to work after spreading some fertilizer. The plot has been planted to clover but I noticed this spring that weeds and grass had choked most of the clover out and it was time to replant. After tilling, I broadcast a clover blend (red and white clovers) and then used the drag harrow to cover the seed.

Cabin food plot planted to clover

Next up was the garden. In the past, I have put the garden south of the orchard in the big field and it has always gotten overrun by foxtail and weeds. This year, since I was planting the entire big field, I opted to spray off a portion of the yard on the north end of the orchard. My hope is that I will be better able to keep weeds at bay and it will be close enough to water when needed. I ended up using the tiller on each side of the garden to plant 5 rows of sweet corn and 3 rows of potatoes. In between, I planted 4 mounds of zucchini, 6 mounds of pumpkins, and 2 mounds of watermelons. The tiller struggled to dig through the dead sod but I managed to get it turned up enough to make planting easier. 

Planting some pumpkins

After getting everything cleaned up and put away, I headed out to try to catch a bird on the way back to roost for the night. I set up on a ridge to the west of my property that had a lot of turkey sign on it and where I had watched a tom and 3 hens back in 2nd season. I sat for about 2 1/2 hours but only had hens and deer walk passed me (I have been seeing A LOT of deer while turkey hunting). After cooking some dinner over the fire I fell asleep fast after a long day. 

The next morning I woke up to 20+ mph winds. I hunted for a couple of hours but was not able to locate any birds. I set up on the big field food plot for awhile and had 2 hens come into my decoys but I just think the toms couldn't even hear my calls with all of the wind. With it being Mother's Day, I headed home early to give my wife some reprieve from the children and enjoy some family time.