Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Ryan Groat]

Holy cow! I had no idea that beavers got that big. Are they good for anything besides killing? Can ya' eat 'em? Fur value? Leather?

Smoked beaver is awesome!

 

[Agent Orange]

Holy cow! I had no idea that beavers got that big. Are they good for anything besides killing? Can ya' eat 'em? Fur value? Leather?

Not worth a dam when dead.

Beaver pelts have a value. But not much right now. Castor is where the money is.

 

[hardpan]

Couple months ago, I was complaining about the beavers clear cutting my back acerage.
Well, I got in touch with Trapper Steve and asked if he could help.
"Happy to help, lets set some traps and see what we can do" was his reply.
This morning he had one about 40#. That's three so far, the other two were alittle smaller.
Steve said he'd leave the traps for a couple days to see if he got them all.
The carcasses are going to his farmer friend, to use as coyote bait.
Guess I'll have to go and clean up the mess the beavers made, they're bad loggers.
Lot of hung trees and even a barber chair, hope he was wearing his PPE.
Talking to Steve, He says beavers have become a real problem.
No live traping to relocate, affaid of the Beaver Fever and someother deseases spreading.
No limit, get as many as you can, before March 31st
I still have that big pile of "free wood" to c&s, one butt measured 44". about the limit for a 24"
bar, I can go out to 32".
'

.

I admire the dam building ability of beaver but they are very destructive and worse. Your laws may be different but here the beaver can move in, take down the trees, flood the flat low ground and then the DNR can review the area as a possible Wetland. If they find wetland soils, wetland vegetation and wetland wildlife, they can classify the property as wetland and the property owner has no control over his own property anymore. You can't even drain it. They will however allow you to continue to pay taxes on it at a reduced rate. It is best to get them out of there. Be nice to Trapper Steve. LOL It is easy to tell when they are gone. Tear out one of their dams (not as easy as it looks) and if they don't rebuild it that night, they're gone.

 

[Khntr85]

Hello backyard lumberjack..... Yes sir, it sure is hard work hand splitting, but that wet walnut splits good if you read the grain so to speak.... I used my 461 to cut the huge pieces smaller and then split them into halves or quarters depending on how big they were.....
Ya know I am the type of guy that will always make a point to find the land owner, whether it was a hunting/fishing spot, or a place that I am trying to scrounge wood.... And I have to say the homeowners are actually always very nice whether they will allow you permission or not....when I am granted permission to remove the wood, I always have made it a point to never leave ANY trash, and I always stack the brush in a nice neat pile...with that said over the years I have made a lot of good working relationships with people around my area, and now I actually have people call me and say hey there is a pile here you can have it!!!!
I actually just had 3 jobs going on at once until I just got this last ash/walnut job done, the owner just kept sayin take more I don't need it and want it gone lol....and I just had a guy call me the other day sayin they are going to knock over 2 HUGE ash tree's and I can have that too.... So ya I am very lucky this year to have access to so much wood.... my pile keeps growing!!!!!

 

[svk]

Holy cow! I had no idea that beavers got that big. Are they good for anything besides killing? Can ya' eat 'em? Fur value? Leather?

Fur prices vary and are only worth something when they are prime in late fall through early spring. We give them to my BIL who will skin them and sell the pelts.

I'm told you can eat it but no thanks.

Over the years we have had the state trapper out on our property, we've trapped them, received permission from the CO to shoot them, they even dynamited their house way back in the day when a guy could get dynamite. Eventually they always come back. And they rebuilt that blown out house within a year. If you trap them out, eventually when the young of the year get kicked out of a nearby lodge they will migrate back to that same spot and you have to deal with it again.

At this point between them taking saplings and me cutting larger trees as they become geriatric, aspen anywhere near the water has been eliminated so they rarely bother our property any more. They really prefer aspen to any other species of tree and will travel great lengths to get it.

 

[JustJeff]

Over yonder lies my scrounge. It's been down since the first snowfall last year. Since then I have been itching to let the 365 gobble em up. She is sporting a new spark plug and a new loop of stihl rapid super. I have to keep the bar cover on or the light will catch the cutters when I walk by and I get mesmerized and have been heard making braaap braaap noises.
Till it either dries or freezes, I scrounge vicariously through you guys and enjoy the pics of oak, ash, elm, mmmmmaple....uh uh uh!

 

[hautions11]

Don't know exactly where to put this guys...but since my fishin daughter who likes to wear'em out...Her graduation dress just cost the ol' man about $700 bucks. I asked her if a pair of Wally World Wranglers would suffice?? You can figure out real quick how long that turd in the punch bowl lasted on that thing.

She's my baby...so grown up. She's a beautiful young lady. I just want her and her older brother to be something better than me fellas... I'm just a sweat niggra trying to keep the Air Forces C-17, C-5, C-130's F-15's flyin'. I do what I can for this country...and I won't stop for nothing nor no one.

Here's a pic of the freedom and what I live for...doing my little part for this country, so my baby girl gets her chance....she's my baby girl. And I'm gonna miss her soooo much when she hits college.
View attachment 491965

USMC, love the pics, hogs, crappie, awesome daughters, it does not get much better. I am on the front end if your product, designed wings on the F22 and F35 airplanes. Nothing compared to the kids.

 

[cantoo]

Hardpan, these are offspring from imported boars from Germany or Russia. He was raising them for restaurants. He had a cedar bush double fenced off away from people. There was fenced runways from the bush to the barn where he caught them for treating and processing. I drove by all the time and once in awhile you would see them run back into the bush but that was about it. Apparently they were pretty aggressive but I would bet like any other animal it was only when cornered or when young were around. This guy was making time across an open winter wheat field that was about 6-8" tall. My friends son and I cut across the field, the boar was head down and never even knew we were there until the twang of the arrow. Boar looked up, spied him, turned and ran straight for him. I was expecting it and already had my gun on him, I shot him before he got 10' towards the kid. The kid and his Dad who are both big hunters was also there and didn't expect that it would charge them. I prefer to be prepared for everything and anything.

 

[USMC615]

USMC, love the pics, hogs, crappie, awesome daughters, it does not get much better. I am on the front end if your product, designed wings on the F22 and F35 airplanes. Nothing compared to the kids.

Thanks brother.

 

[Philbert]

Wild boars, even feral ones, are nothing like domesticated pigs, as I am told.

Philbert

 

[zogger]

Well, now that I am back being able to split a little, making some progress, just chipping away at it a little every day or so. That stack is just barely a dent in one of the piles. Bonus pic is wild duck nest.

 

[USMC615]

Wild boars, even feral ones, are nothing like domesticated pigs, as I am told.

Philbert

Wild is wild my man...if you've ever had one run ya up a tree. Lol

 

[crowbuster]

Also guys. Them beaver tails make great knife sheaths or inset on a holster.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

you guys do haul in some big piles of wood...

me, too! I scrounged in some free oak other day... didn't even need a tractor or skidder... I just packed it in under my arm... pretty solid old 'limb'... well more or less... prob bit less...

free, scrounged wood (oak)

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

then today, I got out my Echo featherlight and went to town on that limb... as it was too big for my fireplace and so needed some bucking... cut me up quite a pile... saw shone well... it's a never-fail-me winner!! well, pile good enough for my needs... lol

bucked up, stacked up pile of firewood oak... my chainsaw at the ready....


either way you point it, its a sure hands-down winner!! one sweet machine!!

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

of course, firewood don't do any warming just stacked up in a pile... so I hauled the pile of cut oak firewood over to my campfire... just perfect for today's 2nd feeding of my campfire... and good enough for my needs. I almost never cut firewood without a fire going to keep up the ambiance and to keep me company...

just another day in the life of Brutus, and just another any ol day campfire...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

soon with the campfire going I was off to cut some more firewood... so it goes!

campfire getting along with itself just fine...

bucked and stacked one moment... fulfilling the pledge of firwood the next...


well then... that's my story and I'm sticking to it...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

You bring up a point that I have always wondered about.
We don't have them here, yet. Some people say it is inevitable that they will someday be everywhere. I have seen videos and heard stories of guys "hunting" them and it is no more than livestock slaughter. On the other hand are the testimonials like yours of unprovoked aggression (shooting a cross bow does not seem to be an obvious threat in the pig's eyes). Perhaps just the presence of a tall predator, man, is enough for some pigs. All of the local pig farmers have stories of an occasional aggressive large sow or bore. An old friend of mine was once almost killed by one many years ago. It was written off as the bore was simply protecting his "family". What do you think?

what do I think? I don't think I know...

feral hogs are quite dangerous, besides tearing up so much land for just a bug, or grub here and there... i have seen them walking on side of FM road... just taking a stroll... or in tall grasses flying low and slow... 50-60 ft below... seen them on my place, but I don't shoot them for heck of it, too big to move afterwards. but, i will send a round down to play with them... fun to see them scatter. they may be slow eating, but sure and heck can run when hot lead zipping by! i have eaten BBQ'd feral hog, not bad, but I don't care for it. so then, what do I think? better be careful! that is what I think... and one reason when I am out in the woodlots at my ranch walking about... I have my semi-auto .45 in my R hand! ... in my hand! one in chamber, mag full... hollow points, hammer back and action on safety... any need arises, then safety - click, trigger - BANG!

"click - BANG!!"

what no farmer, rancher wants to see... as feral hogs are very destructive to pasture land....

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

View attachment 492359 Over yonder lies my scrounge. It's been down since the first snowfall last year. Since then I have been itching to let the 365 gobble em up. She is sporting a new spark plug and a new loop of stihl rapid super. I have to keep the bar cover on or the light will catch the cutters when I walk by and I get mesmerized and have been heard making braaap braaap noises.
Till it either dries or freezes, I scrounge vicariously through you guys and enjoy the pics of oak, ash, elm, mmmmmaple....uh uh uh!

ahh, heck!; I don't see no scrounge! just the almost dark of night... even dispite the light reflecting cutters... mostly mud and water, u mean there is wood in there, too?....

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Well, now that I am back being able to split a little, making some progress, just chipping away at it a little every day or so. That stack is just barely a dent in one of the piles. Bonus pic is wild duck nest.

thanks for posting duck eggs pix... and imagine that... right there on the shoreline... great pix! I wonder if u will sneak by from time to time... see when the chicks hatch... and momma duck and her lil brood of ducklings are swimming about? some pix would be nice, a vid link even better.... interesting pix, the next... nice pile, too... I enjoyed seeing the wild duck eggs in their nest foto... some of nature at it's best....

momma duck and her duckling brood...