End of 2023 – Starvation Acres

From camping and hunting to pulling out trees and cutting firewood, the later half of 2023 was a great time to be at “The Acres”. It makes one envy the animals who get to stay there year round.

Two does and two fawns. — Whitetail does and fawns browsing in “deer alley” which can be seen from our camp.

A lot of work has to be done in between our deer viewing and owl calling sessions. Some is just plain maintenance, and some is for improvements and expansion. There is even some wildfire fuel reduction to be done. Our biggest job this summer was the expansion of the corral for horses and mules. Thank you to all the friends who donated their time and effort to this big project!

Tamarack Down. — This Larch / Tamarack had died and was becoming a safety concern. Four large trees had to be removed this autumn.

Firewood — This Larch / Tamarack had died and was becoming a safety concern. Four large trees had to be removed this autumn.

Hunting… We do hunt deer and turkeys on The Acres, but with over 1,700 square miles of public land across the street, our predator hunting (bear, coyote, and cougar) takes us farther from home.

Wild turkey trophy. — Wings and tail of a Jake (immature male turkey) taken this year.

Harvested deer. — Wings and tail of a Jake (immature male turkey) taken this year.

Our deer and turkeys are often seen sharing space with the deer when food is plentiful. Magpies, Steller’s Jays, and chipmunks steal all the corn they can when the bigger animals are not chasing them away.