Interesting article in Sunday's paper on the maps available on the DNR site
Check out this map on
deer breeding season . The article mentions that although the dates of the breeding season don't vary greatly, the weather impacts deer movement significantly. We find that to be especially true. However, I'm not sure if we're measuring deer movement or human movement. When it's cooler, folks go hunting. For years, we've tried to guess when we'd be busiest. It's vital for us to be able to anticipate our busy days in order to call in skinners and schedule shifts. We've looked at moon phases, tides, temperatures, rut cycles, you name it. Then one year, Atlanta was in the World Series and business was dead for a week. We'd been tracking the wrong animal. We need maps on the American male!
These photos were taken during late summer, early fall as we piled up hay for the winter. Our cows graze at will on grass all year. When the first killing frost comes, the grass stops growing. We plant some winter grazing, but don't have enough acreage to support them just on grass. So we bale hay in summer, stack it, and cover it to feed the cows during the time the grass is dormant. The last photo shows what's left here as we end February! We do have other stores of hay, so don't worry, they won't go hungry! But it does explain why farmers have the biggest smiles when the first warm days of spring begin.
