Yep fish often move to the steady temp and O2 area and them move up , if at all , to feed at the warmest part of the winter day. Most cold tolerant of those fish are the HSB followed by N LMB then Fla LMB and CNBG.
It really not an abnormality but ‘most’ spikes stay spikes and are then considered inferior. Some actually wind up with branched antlers
Dave, like this?
I had pictures of that one from last year and the antlers looked exactly the same. Upon butchering no signs of being hit by a car, so I'm guessing it's genetics. Maybe someone else here with more knowledge about it can chime in?
This one was only seen on camera at night, VERY infrequently, and it's coming to a feeder that is placed where there was no hunting this year. I'd love to get an estimate on age and size.
Tracy why is that spike not legal? Dave spikes might not be a spike the following year. Some actually turn out ok
Pat I agree. A spike may turn out to be a great buck. For 30 years I was told to take all spikes. But, then I learned not to take all of them after reading that they may wind up growing into good bucks. There are exceptions when a spike needs to be taken but if you look at the pic Zep posted it's pretty easy to tell it's a very young buck. It's like all the pond stuff we all have learned about here, same/same with the spike deer.
Zep, after gun season there is black powder season for deer hunting. Those bucks have another 10 days or so of hunting pressure.
Last edited by TGW1; 01/09/2005:59 AM.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
Scott,in Texas, I would figure that buck to be 5-6 yoa. Nice deer.
BTW, I rarely shoot a spike unless it’s a really old one. About 10 years ago, one of the kids that have over run my place shot a really small spike. It turned out that it was between7 and 8 years old. Dang near no teeth left.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
It really not an abnormality but ‘most’ spikes stay spikes and are then considered inferior. Some actually wind up with branched antlers
Dave, like this?
I had pictures of that one from last year and the antlers looked exactly the same. Upon butchering no signs of being hit by a car, so I'm guessing it's genetics. Maybe someone else here with more knowledge about it can chime in?
This one was only seen on camera at night, VERY infrequently, and it's coming to a feeder that is placed where there was no hunting this year. I'd love to get an estimate on age and size.
It’s really hard to tell age cause the buck is in mid stride and lean from the breeding season but guessing minimum 4-1/2 probably older. Nice buck
Thanks Pat. I shot a 138" buck here with the muzzleloader a while back in late December and the skin on it's neck was actually flopping around. A neighbor has at least one picture of that buck from about 1/2 to 3/4 mile away but it's in late summer and still in velvet.
The only thing I did today at the pond was turn off the winter diffuser. We are supposed to get a bunch of rain the next 36 hours and any remaining ice will be gone.
The one laying on the ground definitely needed taken out of herd especially if it has been like that year after year. What’s sad about the laws is that if it’s branched on the bad side it ain’t legal to take, unless it’s 13” inside spread
The one laying on the ground definitely needed taken out of herd especially if it has been like that year after year. What’s sad about the laws is that if it’s branched on the bad side it ain’t legal to take, unless it’s 13” inside spread
Around here in about half of the counties have an antler point restriction to try to get bigger deer, the deer has to have at least 4 points on one side to be legal, which in the above case would make that deer legal.
All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
The one laying on the ground definitely needed taken out of herd especially if it has been like that year after year. What’s sad about the laws is that if it’s branched on the bad side it ain’t legal to take, unless it’s 13” inside spread
Pat, I have the antlers here, I'll measure the inside spread.
Hello everyone. Long time no see! I've been MIA in the pond world for the last few months. Deer hunting, holidays, vacations and the other real life stuff kinda put pond management on the back burner.
So, back in early fall I turned off my surface aeration and went to 24/7 with the bottom diffuser. It's been a couple months now and the pond has remained turbid. I think some of it is due to BH stirring up the bottom. I had a big spawn of the suckers last year. Visibility is around 8". I've was feeding regularly until recently as I dont want to keep feeding BH vacuum cleaners, tho the BG and GSF were still feeding well.
A little surprise came yesterday when I was fishing a little and decided to pull my holding pen up and check on the few fish I had put in it back in the fall. When I got it up, there was a 4" LMB in the pen. I assume he got in thru the fencing when he was tiny and stayed until he was too big to get out. Anyway, looks like my 4 LMB were able to pull off a spawn after all. Also had a 6" river shiner in the pen, so they must have spawned too.
Even with a 24/7 aeration cycle running, I've still had a couple of blooms this fall that I think were BGA. Bright green and smelly if you got down wind. I'm hoping to reduce nutrient loads sufficiently to prevent any major blooms this spring. Time will tell I guess.
It's good to be back and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and the start of a prosperous new year.
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
Mike, look into getting a small Fyke net or making/buying some traps that are specific to catching catfosh/bullheads. I bet if you can knock down the BH population some of your turbidity issues will disappear.
Mike, look into getting a small Fyke net or making/buying some traps that are specific to catching catfosh/bullheads. I bet if you can knock down the BH population some of your turbidity issues will disappear.
I built a couple of cloverleaf traps last year and modified the entrances to allow BH to get in. Baited with pellets in a plastic bottle with holes punched in it. Never caught the first catfish. I'm hoping since my LMB were able to spawn at least minimally, they'll put a little dent in the population. I've got one (#2 of yall recall) that is pushing 3# now so she is capable of eating a fairly large BH, which should be easier to swallow and hopefully preferred over the BG/GSF.
I was able to put a pretty good dent in them last summer with a dip net hitting the swarms when they got close to the bank, probably caught 1000 of the little buggers 1.5" long, but I know I didnt get them all.
Last edited by Mike Whatley; 01/19/2004:23 PM.
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
The one laying on the ground definitely needed taken out of herd especially if it has been like that year after year. What’s sad about the laws is that if it’s branched on the bad side it ain’t legal to take, unless it’s 13” inside spread
Pat, I measured it today. I drew an imaginary line straight forward from the right side of the spike and measured to the inside of the widest part of the right main beam. 10.5" is what I got.
Question for you. If that spike was only 1" or 2" long would that be a legal deer in Texas?
The one laying on the ground definitely needed taken out of herd especially if it has been like that year after year. What’s sad about the laws is that if it’s branched on the bad side it ain’t legal to take, unless it’s 13” inside spread
Pat, I measured it today. I drew an imaginary line straight forward from the right side of the spike and measured to the inside of the widest part of the right main beam. 10.5" is what I got.
Question for you. If that spike was only 1" or 2" long would that be a legal deer in Texas?
The one you took is legal if one side unbranched regardless of length or width
We had a couple inches of rain last Thursday and the burn ban was lifted. I was not seeing any doe so I burned on the last day of deer season. Here is a pic of my mud hole full of water that the dirt guy just will not clean up and will not be able to in the foreseeable future. I burned 5 brush piles and one got away from me. It burned about an acre before I knocked it down and it burned itself out. Not a fun way to close the day! My pond is in the upper left corner of the pic.
How are you going to know unless you try!
NW TX 2ac main pond fed from 1100ac watershed going through 2 2+ac sediment ponds. 1st filled 10/2018 900BG, 200RES, 200HBG, 100CC and 23# FHM...."Free" BH, GSF GSH, LMB & ??? 75LMB 3/2020 I subscribe!
Did you have any kind of contract with the "dirt guy"? That should be a heads up moment for the rest of us. Even if he thinks he is doing you a favor you still want a completion date in writing. I myself would have never thought about it in the first place. Defiantly in the future I will if ever get that type of work done. Glad you only burned down 1 ac at least some have been a lot worse.
Whenever I burn I am a nervous wreck. I take LOTS of precautions. Back burn a 50' perimeter around whatever I am burning. Have a 60 gallon PTO driven sprayer on the tractor. Burn when wind is forecast to be no more than 7 mph, no greater than 5 is better on my nerves.
Burning brush is rarely stress free! Once she was loose panic set in real fast. Knowing it couldn't be stopped I took a moment to decide on calling the fire dept. It was moving rapidly toward the spillway creek and bad ground. I couldn't stop it but knew it would on its own eventually. All that could be done was knocking down areas that were slow moving. Toward the pond are oaks with wet leaves on the ground. Dead end there. Now I have a giant fire break for other brush piles when the wind shifts to the south! Going to have great grass in the Spring.
How are you going to know unless you try!
NW TX 2ac main pond fed from 1100ac watershed going through 2 2+ac sediment ponds. 1st filled 10/2018 900BG, 200RES, 200HBG, 100CC and 23# FHM...."Free" BH, GSF GSH, LMB & ??? 75LMB 3/2020 I subscribe!
Bailed water from one of the boats after a good rain that we needed. Water was a little dirty from the rains. Picked up duck decoys and the only fish I saw was a small school of a dozen or so of Gams. Looked to be sunning in the shallows. Winter seems to have set in at the pond. Cut back the feeder times to 1 sec throw with the 3 feeders. did not get any water temps but I would have liked to know what the temps are running.
I also have a lot of brush from removing willows from the ponds banks. Plans are to burn these large brush piles as soon as I can find a low wind from the N or Ne.
Last edited by TGW1; 01/25/2007:43 AM.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
I went out this morning and pulled a big oak branch out of the pond. It fell out of a big dead oak that I REALLY NEED TO DROP before it ends up in the pond.
From the house I can see a lot of surface activity since I turned off the bottom diffuser during the week. I'll probably put it on a mid-day cycle during the day instead on 24/7 (maybe a 6 hour run) since we're getting into the coldest part of our winter now.
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!