Official 2014 St. Jude Ohio hunt thread

[Brian Halbleib]

Congrats to Matty and thanks to his generous donation to the kids, he'll be headed to Double A Farm in a few months. I am excited to host this hunt again and figured I'd start a preview thread with what's happening at the farm and take us up through the hunt.
 
   

The biggest change from last year (first year I owned this farm) is the addition of the first building going up on the property. I have plans for a cabin in the future but first I needed a place to store equipment and a loft to sleep in so I can actually get some work done without hauling equipment back and forth and running to a hotel in town 30 minutes away. A pole barn design made for a quick, cheap build and as soon as the ground thawed, we got started.
     

I built some custom gambrel trusses in my garage and trailered them to the farm.

     

-Brian

[Brian Halbleib]

Before long, the roof was sheathed and I finished the metal roofing.

 

Planting and maintaining food plots will be a lot easier with this new-to-me John Deere. Huge upgrade from my ATV implements.

   

Really looking forward to having a dry, warm place to stay on the property this hunting season.

 

   

-Brian

[Matty]

 
Oh man! Am I ever excited about this!
Thanks so much for the opportunity Brian!
And I love the teaser pics....

[Brian Halbleib]

The farmer that leases my fields originally planned to follow last year's soybeans with corn this year but with falling corn prices, he planted the fields back to beans this year.
 
   

 

I started clearing a road through the property to establish a line of connected secluded plots in an attempt to control deer movements with the prevailing winds in the hunter's favor. The idea is to design a layout to make deer movements more predictable and bowhunting more successful with less impact on the herd.
 
   
 
   

More to follow!

-Brian

[Guru]

[Brian Halbleib]

Should be a great year Matty. I am planting 3 secluded fall food plots in the timber between the north and south fields and a big fall plot in the north field. There will be plenty of turnips, radishes, winter peas, oats and rye to keep the deer hanging around after the corn and beans are cut.

   

It won't be 5 star accommodations but the barn will have lights, heat and water along with an ice chest and some type of cooking vessel. I'm planning on getting a few mattresses for the loft too.

-Brian

[Jayrod]

Very nice work brian I wish you all the best in it ...looks like  your headed in the right direction CONGRATS!! Like to hookup someday

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Looking Great Brian!

[tracker1]

It looks like you are getting a lot of work done this year. Keep up the good work

[Butchie]

Looks great Brian!  This should be fun to follow all the way through your season.  Best if luck to you and Matty!

[Brian Halbleib]

Thanks everyone. Hey Pred, how ya been?

Started getting the fall food plots brush hogged and ready to till. This horseshoe shaped plot has a pinch point upwind of an island of trees within bow range.

 

 

I am planning on tilling this plot in the next week or so and getting my turnip, radish and canola mix started. I plan to put the brassica mix in a strip down the middle of the plot and come back later and add a strip of rye and oats to the sides. This plot curves towards a travel corridor I cut through the timber that leads to the large ag fields in the front of my property.

     

-Brian

[Brian Halbleib]

Here is the newly cleared travel corridor. This connects several small clearings in the timber before getting to the big ag fields. I hope to clear these out into hour glass shaped hunting plots in time for the rye and oat plantings. The idea is to keep the deer moving along this upwind corridor for more predictable ambush sites.

   

That's the plan anyway. My supervisors seem to approve.

   

-Brian

[Cyclic-Rivers]

You should have a  word with your supervisors.... maybe over Ice Cream  

[Jayrod]

Doing great brian would like to hookup soon man...things are looking great for ya hope to see a GOODONE tagged and on the ground this fall!! Best of luck to ya  

[59Alaskan]

You are really doing great stuff with that piece of land!  Looks great.

Deer seem to be much more active this year around here with daytime feeding a norm.  I think they are still working to recover from the winter.  You should have a great season with all you're doing there!

[Brian Halbleib]

Thanks. The deer have already started using the corridor we cleared for them.

   

     

       

-Brian

[Brian Halbleib]

Matty, the table is set. The back field fall plot got a variety of food that will keep the deer in the area all hunting season. The west edge of the plot got a strip of forage beans and peas, the center got a blend of turnips, radishes and canola and the east edge will be planted to oats at the end of August.

   

     

     

-Brian

[Brian Halbleib]

I just have a few hunting plots inside the timber along the corridor to get planted and finish up the barn. With nine weeks before opening day, I'm hopeful all of my goals for this year will be met.

There are three clearings inside the timber along the new travel corridor ranging from an eighth of an acre to a quarter acre. I brush hogged them and have to clean them up a little more. The more open, sunny plots will get a similar mix as the back field with the less sunny plots getting rye grain and possibly oats. I plan to open up the canopy on the smaller, shady plot next year.

     

-Brian

[elkken]

       

[Brian Halbleib]

Things are coming along at the farm. I was putting trim boards on the barn today and got rained out. It's been a wet summer, I hope we are getting all the rain out of the way before hunting season. The fall food plots like the rain and they're off to a good start.

     

Here's a buck enjoying the new food plot.  I will download a better pic from the SD card, took this one of the screen with my phone.

     

-Brian