Some Tree Stories and Colored Leaves

[quads]

Dad once told me that when he was a young man, he made a snare/trap using this tree. He never caught anything in it, left it, and the tree grew this way.

I remember when this was the biggest tree in the woods, a white oak. It eventually was passed up by a big white pine. This area has only been woodland for the last 75 years or so. It used to be prairie. We often had picnics in the remnants of an old buffalo wallow. The wallow was filled via bulldozer and a mobile home sets on top of where it was. A storm tore this old oak up pretty bad and it died within the last few years.

I'll be turning this fallen oak into firewood after deer season, in December.

How is this for putting your tree stand in the right place? The week after this stand was put up, a buck scrubbed his horns on the tree in the lower left.

And a few pictures of colored leaves. The oaks have changed, and many of them are past prime color. They are the last ones, so Winter isn't far off now, only a few weeks.

 

[firefighterjake]

Great pics Quads . . . I always enjoy seeing pics from other parts of the country.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Thanks for posting the pics quads. Deer season is getting good now. I saw a pair of bucks sparring last night and they seem to be getting more visible now.

You are right too. Right after deer season winter usually sets in and then the wood cutting starts.

 

[Thrash44047]

Wisconsin is a very pretty state.

 

[maplewood]

Amazing pics. Super memories. Thanks for sharing.
Hope the stand is successful for you.

 

[Capt]

Ahh, Wisconsin! Home of the Ruffed Grouse. Only state in the union with better grouse hunting than Michigan!

Looks like some decent grouse cover in some of those pics with the smaller scrub oaks bordered by pine!

 

[quads]

That's the neighbor's deer stand. I don't hunt anymore, but I still enjoy hearing the stories and hanging around with the hunting party. I heard through the grapevine that the neighbor's son saw a big buck while bow hunting this weekend, but I haven't seen him yet to ask him about it.

Funny thing about the grouse, they used to be thick here. Then they went away and now there are none in the woods anymore. For years one would thump and thump all by himself right behind my house, but finally he disappeared too. There are still a lot of grouse in other areas, but none here. They seem to have left about the time the jackpine became scarce from logging etc. I'm not sure if the two are related though.

 

[woodsman23]

south western nys.

 

[woodsman23]

<<< see the snow look close

 

[quads]

Nice pics woodsman23! It snowed a little here a couple weeks ago, but it didn't stick. Soon though.

 

[savageactor7]

Nice pics quads...don't ever cut the tree in the 1st pic, that's what you call a heritage tree.

 

[quads]

Nice pics quads...don't ever cut the tree in the 1st pic, that's what you call a heritage tree.

Nope, I'll never cut it, at least not until it's dead or topples over. I don't know how it stays up, and we've had some wicked storms that have wrecked many healthier trees than that one. It even survived the tornado that destroyed trees around it. The branch that became it's top is probably 30+ feet tall and you can easily wobble the whole tree with the slightest push.

Now, the old grandma white oak I would cut up for firewood, unfortunately there isn't enough good wood in it to make it worthwhile.

 

[Skier76]

Cool pics! I like the stories that go with them.