Chuck Zimmerman, Page 4

2016 Deer Hunt Underway

It is that time of the year folks. Deer hunting!

An early issue we ran in to though was a couple weeks ago when we found our largest corn feeder on the ground with damage. What could have done that we wondered. The tracks tell it all. Bear. Great. It’s not bear season here and I personally would rather not meet up with Buddy Bear.

We moved that feeder but put up a more secure one very close by. And it is where I put up my new Summit Viper climber stand.

We missed opening weekend due to the wedding of my nephew but started this morning. Haven’t seen anything yet. We sure did setting up camp last week though.

The weather here at the Pig is great. Dry, cooling off temperatures and so far, no wind to speak of.

Stampede by Bad Boy Off Road

I want one of these Bad Boys although I love my old Buggy! Some of us are already getting excited about fall hunting and one of these would really get us to and from our stands quicker. Paul, myself and some other guys spent the day on Saturday checking out our camp and getting our feeders filled and working. It’s getting near that time to plant our food plots too.

So here’s what’s new from Bad Boy Off Road:

Bad Boy® Off Road, a Textron Specialized Vehicles brand, is proud to announce the Stampede™ 900 4×4, a side-by-side with unmatched power, nimble suspension and handling, unrivaled hauling and storage capacity, an extraordinary driver experience and exceptional reliability.

“We designed Stampede to be industry-leading on the features that drivers told us matter most – power, a comfortable ride, and the ability to haul and store everything they need,” said John Collins, vice president, consumer for Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc..

Read all about it on the Bad Boy Off Road website.

https://youtu.be/U02SzF4be-I

Work Day at The Pig

Paul and I just had to get out on The Pig property to see what’s what. So with Joe, tagging along, we spent a couple nights last week.

The pines are growing but there are areas where they haven’t done well. Some of the roads are getting washouts in them so a bulldozer needs to get in there. Mainly we need the firelane around the property dozed soon! One thing that struck us us was a lack of doves. This was kind of eerie since we always see hundreds. With the exception of about 4 doves off in the distance we saw NONE. And we don’t have a clue why.

While we were on site we built a permanent table under our pole barn. It’s made tall so we don’t have to bend our aching backs to work on it. Shelves for it will be next. I’ve got several more stories to post as soon as I have time.

The Pig Team Hunts On

We may not be pretty (well I might be) but we have a good time. That’s from l-r, me, Gary and Paul. Paul is sporting his new Akubra Snowy River hat I got him in Australia last fall. Just in case you were wondering.

I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk about our approach to the property we’re leasing. We have completed our pole barn under which we camp with a nice RV and almost all the conveniences we’d like. But besides our own comfort we’ve invested a lot of blood, sweat, tears and cash into turning this land into a hunting lease. If you’ve been following us you know we started the year the property owner burned all the tree leftovers from lumber crews who cut down all the hard wood. Then the owner had pine trees planted. It has been a challenge in several ways.

We worked with a bull dozer operator to put a fire trail around the property, some road improvements and food plot areas. We also had signs made and posted them ourselves. We’ve worked at seeding the plots, our camp area and some of the road area. We want to have habitat that is good for the wildlife and also helps keep erosion down. I’ve got some new ideas for this after learning more about the Bayer CropScience Feed a Bee program! If you want to learn more about that check out an interview I did at the recent Potato Expo in Las Vegas.

As these pines are growing it is getting easier to see how important our roads and food plots have become. Deer haven’t really had much reason to stay on the property but will as more cover grows up and as our plots improve each year. It’s an on-going project to say the least.

But the benefits to the land, the wildlife, our fellowship and state of mind are well worth it. I hope we have many more hunts coming up.

2015-2016 Deer Season Over

The Georgia deer season for 2015-16 is now over and The Pig saw a reduction in harvest. We hunted quite a bit at different times but it seems like the weather was not our friend this season.

In this pic Paul is taking care of a couple of does he harvested. So he has meat in the cooler. His boys, Eli, Luke and Joe all participated at different times. Eli and Luke are in college now and have jobs so their time was fairly limited. That’s their problem though, not mine!

After about a year away from deer hunting Gary got out on the Pig but his harvest will hopefully be better this fall.

I had some luck on one of my trips to the Pig. I did get a small buck along with two does and that’s meat in my freezer. I also found a great little place near me here in Pensacola that made snack sticks, summer and breakfast sausage for me.

We hunted pretty hard and did see quite a few deer but I don’t think we timed the rut out and in fact, I’m not sure we even saw any sign of it this season. But we’ve got lots of deer working this property. Our trail cams at our feeders bear this out!

Food Plots Erupting

Erupting. That’s how I would describe our food plots so far. We just planted them about 4 weeks ago but they are all green and growing. And they are covered with deer tracks!

We have a few feeders out too and the ground is torn up under them. I’ll get some better images from our trail cams in a couple weeks when we’re hunting. This is the first time we’ve used trail cams.

This photo is actually a picture from a computer screen Paul took with his phone. It does show a pretty clear image though.

The best news IMO is that The Pig has pigs. Yep. We’ve got a number of images of hogs at our feeders. They are nocturnal but even so, this is the first we’ve seen any sign of them since we leased the property.

A little hog and venison on the barbie is what I’m talking about.

2015 Summer Work Days

It’s food plot planting time on The Pig. Next weekend the Pig Team will be on location to till, fertilize and plant our plots! Yep, I’m going to have trouble concentrating on work this week.

Just thought I’d share my most recent purchase to use out on the property – a used Bad Boy Buggie. It may look kind of like a golf cart but it is not a golf cart. I’ve got two floor mounted gun racks in it along with the back facing seat that folds down into a solid table and more. It’s electric (code for quiet).

So, I’ll be putting it to good use on The Pig as Paul, Gary and I get together plant our fall crop. ‘Bout Time.

Grilling Venison

This is only one of many reasons why I like to hunt deer. Eating them. Freezer meat is where it’s at. I hope we have a great fall hunt this year.

Today’s supper menu includes some small steaks that will be quick grilled on a hot fire. These pieces come from what we call the “football roast” in the ham. I take that roast and trim it, muscle it out and then slice it about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. These are marinating in the fridge with Dale’s Seasoning. You don’t need a lot. In fact, I dilute it a little with water. I’ll add a dry rub right before grilling and any good steak rub will do. With a side salad you just can’t beat this for GOOD.

I have cooked venison like this for lots of people and unless I tell them they don’t know they’re not eating beef. Of course I like and cook beef too! Just thought I’d share with my foodie peeps. What’s your favorite way to cook venison?

Hooking Up with James Wesley

I became a James Wesley fan when he sang “Thank a Farmer.” Now he’s got a song about saltwater fishing so he’s adding to the list of songs I like – Hooked Up. This came to my attention via Keep America Fishing:

Country music star James Wesley has a new song and it celebrates the thrill of the catch – and the big one that got away! “Hooked Up” tells the story of fishermen chasing a blue marlin at the Big Rock, a legendary fishing spot off the coast of Morehead City, NC.

Wesley is no stranger to fishing. “When I’m not busy touring, I enjoy being outdoors and spending time fishing with my family,” he said. “I’ve never actually landed a blue marlin at the Big Rock, but it is a long-time dream of mine.”

But this song will do more than get you in the mood to get out on the water – it helps you give back to the resource.

Wesley and his partners at Calcutta are donating a portion of proceeds from every iTunes download of “Hooked Up” to KeepAmericaFishing and the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament Charities. Just by listening, you’re helping to unite American anglers under one voice and protect our right to fish.

So download James Wesley’s newest hit and support KeepAmericaFishing today.

Pig Barn Complete

It is a satisfying feeling to complete the roof of a barn. That’s what we did this weekend at The Pig.

Paul, Gary, Luke, Eli and Joe were on location and got it done and it looks good. We organized our RV and have started some little barn projects to finish as time goes along.

Now we’re going to focus more on hunting. For now that means planning our food plot work for end of summer. We’ve been conferring with the guys at Tekomate about that and they’ve offered great advice. The little pine trees are making good progress so those plots will become increasingly important as time goes on.

Paul brought out a wild hog shoulder which we smoked all day Saturday. You want to talk about some good eating? It was tasty and tender. There’s nothing like some good pig at The Pig!

I’ve got a new photo album started for this year’s work days. We’ll be adding to it after each visit: 2015 Crystal Pig Hunt Club Photos