farmerjan
Herd Master
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2016
- Messages
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- Location
- Shenandoah Valley Virginia
We are bush hogging also and we set the bush hog as high as it will go. Want to get the seed heads and the tall crummy weeds that always grow fast and allow more light to get to the grasses. Plus don't want to get too close to the ground or mow too short, so there is still some shade for the plant roots, and so it doesn't burn them up. The shredded up stuff will act as some "mulch" for the ground but won't be too thick and will add organic matter back into the soil. If you mow it real short, and don't get any rain, it'll just burn up the plants and kill the grass. We don't seem to be able to get to the pastures as soon as we want to get the weeds before they set seed though; usually still in the hay fields for first cutting.
On another note, had to get a new "back wheel" for the bush hog ...now realize we have big equipment for the bigger places to not take forever to do the mowing... it's a 15' batwing bush hog ... So I went and picked one up at a dealer about 20 miles away. Took it to my son and with tools we got the old rim off and the new one on. He looked up and saw 2 real good sized bucks going up through the pasture...about a 6+ pointer and the other at least an 8 or 10 point buck.
We were just talking a few minutes, and I turned around and saw another cow come up out of a swale that is several feet lower than the ground near the fence line and trees ... only to realize it wasn't another cow... I said OH MY GOD, Michael, look at that. He thought it was a big buck until I said, "HOLY S@#T it's a BEAR" .... and there goes a real good sized BLACK BEAR just trotting across the field. The cows were looking at it but not overly upset and a couple of calves were trotting after it with their tails and heads up like they wanted to play with it. We figure it was 250 lbs or so. Definitely not a cub or last years cub.
This is at 11 a.m. in the middle of the day!!!!!
Last year he saw a smaller black bear trying to roll around one of the rolls of hay when he went to go move them off the field and had to drive up near it and yell at it to leave the roll of hay alone. It acted like he was interrupting his (the bears) playtime!!! And it did totally tear one roll apart in the next couple of days before he got them all moved. Bet it is the same bear "all grown up" this year.
I was too shocked to even think about a picture, but then realized after that my camera was in the car and I had brought his truck with the tools he needed. He could have taken a pic with his phone, but we never thought of it.
On another note, had to get a new "back wheel" for the bush hog ...now realize we have big equipment for the bigger places to not take forever to do the mowing... it's a 15' batwing bush hog ... So I went and picked one up at a dealer about 20 miles away. Took it to my son and with tools we got the old rim off and the new one on. He looked up and saw 2 real good sized bucks going up through the pasture...about a 6+ pointer and the other at least an 8 or 10 point buck.
We were just talking a few minutes, and I turned around and saw another cow come up out of a swale that is several feet lower than the ground near the fence line and trees ... only to realize it wasn't another cow... I said OH MY GOD, Michael, look at that. He thought it was a big buck until I said, "HOLY S@#T it's a BEAR" .... and there goes a real good sized BLACK BEAR just trotting across the field. The cows were looking at it but not overly upset and a couple of calves were trotting after it with their tails and heads up like they wanted to play with it. We figure it was 250 lbs or so. Definitely not a cub or last years cub.
This is at 11 a.m. in the middle of the day!!!!!
Last year he saw a smaller black bear trying to roll around one of the rolls of hay when he went to go move them off the field and had to drive up near it and yell at it to leave the roll of hay alone. It acted like he was interrupting his (the bears) playtime!!! And it did totally tear one roll apart in the next couple of days before he got them all moved. Bet it is the same bear "all grown up" this year.
I was too shocked to even think about a picture, but then realized after that my camera was in the car and I had brought his truck with the tools he needed. He could have taken a pic with his phone, but we never thought of it.
A cute bandana would do.
