Fun Fun

C

captaincoot

Banned
I'm sorry to admitt this but I've really never tried to help wildlife before:( I've planted trees and honeysuckle more to keep snow out of the yard. And left food plots main reason was I wanted to shoot some birds. But it's all changing this year:) I'm having tons of fun building woodduck house and mallard houses. Just seven of each but it's a start and duckies are looking at them:thumbsup: Got to plant my crp too this spring. I never knew it was this much fun helping wildlife. It must be great working for the DNR and stuff like that. And they even get to write tickets to bad hunters:D
 
You got it Coot.:thumbsup: Nothing like the anticipation of what's to come from your hard work. Particularly once you start envisioning those wild, rough, and tough roosters moving in!:)
 
I am surprised how much satisfaction one gets from planting this and that to help out the birds.
 
If only that was the whole of the job. Unfortunately, we have a direct connection to politics, thus the seiche nature of our directives. So too it is very difficult to work managing/policing people's recreation. Everyone knows your job better than you do. Far too many are arrogant about how they conduct themselves when guests on our wildlife management areas. I often ask if they would do what they do in their mother's presence! Unfortunately, I get to see them do that as well. When it's fun, it's fun! When it's work, it can really be work!!!
 
Prairie Drifter said:
If only that was the whole of the job. Unfortunately, we have a direct connection to politics, thus the seiche nature of our directives. So too it is very difficult to work managing/policing people's recreation. Everyone knows your job better than you do. Far too many are arrogant about how they conduct themselves when guests on our wildlife management areas. I often ask if they would do what they do in their mother's presence! Unfortunately, I get to see them do that as well. When it's fun, it's fun! When it's work, it can really be work!!!
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I admire your patience Troy as you have a unique customer to deal with.

How about "fun work"?!

Hey I met with the fire chief this week and we put a burn plan together and then I submitted it to FSA and now we just need to wait until things dry up a little and it looks like we will get some WSG stands burned for first ime on the farm this spring. I'm excited to see the results.
 
Sure wish I could get a burn plan in place to do a 20 acre CRP patch but there are just to many factors in its location--airport-houses- other CRP and a very busy hi-way. Oh well will just do the mow-bale and burn crap this summer/winter:(
 
I'm lucky I guess in that I've got a pretty fun regular job as an engineer on a fire truck for the city of Springfield MO and I've had lots of fun workin' my arse off at a fire scene but I think I can honestly say I've never had as much fun and worked as hard as when I'm creating covey headquarters or doing some edge feathering or planting food plots for the quail. And while I've never seen a quail using any of my covey headquarters or eating in the food plots, I know that one day they will or that maybe during the next snow storm they'll seek refuge in some of these places and that makes it all worth it.:cheers::thumbsup::cheers:
 
:10sign::thumbsup::cheers: Thats a great feeling Coot, now when you start to see stuff show up it feels better, you also start to not want to kill all of them. I shoot a few birds a year at home and let the rest go. My small spot kinda dictates that. If I shoot every thing off and hunt it every day. I may as well walk the hiking trail cause thats all ya do. Even bigger spots we seem to have to do the same. You can harvest more but it needs a rest too or you can drive out 1,000 just as easy as 100. I rarely hunt the same place more then twice, most just once if I get birds. And I stopped worrying about my 30 drinking Buddy's long ago. Way more peaceful hunting.
 
Results Hell, Uguide, you want to see the FLAMES!!! :) I try to burn 800-1000 acres per year on the area. When it goes well like last year, THAT's FUN! We shocked pike this month and tagged over 100 to get a populaltion estimate with the ongoing creel survey. My QUWF friend in Wichita wants to do a project on the area. I may link that with a young fellas Eagle Scout project. I ran into a handicap fella fishing on one of the boat docks right behind the "No Fishing" sign last July 4. They hadn't seen the sign in the dark and asked why we had no handicap access for fishermen. I had to explain that I had budgeted for replacements for the floating docks we had had to remove because they sank when you walked out on them for the last 10 years. When I finally got funded, we had the main water control structure for the lake fail and had to use the money for that. I told him of an idea I had to upgrade one of the rock jetties to make it handicap accessible and had to say that I just didn't have the $ or time to get it done. I let them continue fishing as they were 2 of the 3 people on the lake and parted. He called the next week and asked if he could shake the trees and see if he could get materials donated to do the remodel on a jetty. I turned him loose on it. By October, he had all of the materials we needed and Dave and I put it together by early November. We poured the sidewalk last week and when we get the barricade built to keep vehicles off of it, we can open it up. THAT WAS FUN!! I've done food plots for 26 years, the fun has worn off of that. I do enjoy tree removal and am just finishing up a $30,000 grant killing cedars for wildfire abatement! FUN! I really like manipulating the marshes for waterfowl attraction and watching those migrants pour into them. That being said, I also enjoyed building new marshes! I am continually enjoying the office I got built for about $22,000 when the floor fell out of my 90+ year old former office. The bid price was $75,000. I got the highschool carpentry class to build it and it ran 10% over material cost. Best project the class has ever done! Yeah, fun. Seems there's a lot of setter pictures on the walls inside there and a good number of gamebirds are represented too. Ask Maynard, he's been inside!
 
Man I hope my lastest idea works. I got this huge mail box I'm going to make a hen house out of it:D If I can only get a hen to nest in it and get a :coolpics: of her and the babies. It would make a cool advertisement for wetlands. You Got Mail:D I can only dream that a duck would do it.
 
Prairie Drifter said:
Results Hell, Uguide, you want to see the FLAMES!!! :) I try to burn 800-1000 acres per year on the area. When it goes well like last year, THAT's FUN! We shocked pike this month and tagged over 100 to get a populaltion estimate with the ongoing creel survey. My QUWF friend in Wichita wants to do a project on the area. I may link that with a young fellas Eagle Scout project. I ran into a handicap fella fishing on one of the boat docks right behind the "No Fishing" sign last July 4. They hadn't seen the sign in the dark and asked why we had no handicap access for fishermen. I had to explain that I had budgeted for replacements for the floating docks we had had to remove because they sank when you walked out on them for the last 10 years. When I finally got funded, we had the main water control structure for the lake fail and had to use the money for that. I told him of an idea I had to upgrade one of the rock jetties to make it handicap accessible and had to say that I just didn't have the $ or time to get it done. I let them continue fishing as they were 2 of the 3 people on the lake and parted. He called the next week and asked if he could shake the trees and see if he could get materials donated to do the remodel on a jetty. I turned him loose on it. By October, he had all of the materials we needed and Dave and I put it together by early November. We poured the sidewalk last week and when we get the barricade built to keep vehicles off of it, we can open it up. THAT WAS FUN!! I've done food plots for 26 years, the fun has worn off of that. I do enjoy tree removal and am just finishing up a $30,000 grant killing cedars for wildfire abatement! FUN! I really like manipulating the marshes for waterfowl attraction and watching those migrants pour into them. That being said, I also enjoyed building new marshes! I am continually enjoying the office I got built for about $22,000 when the floor fell out of my 90+ year old former office. The bid price was $75,000. I got the highschool carpentry class to build it and it ran 10% over material cost. Best project the class has ever done! Yeah, fun. Seems there's a lot of setter pictures on the walls inside there and a good number of gamebirds are represented too. Ask Maynard, he's been inside!
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Troy, This all seems to be about right. But look at what you have and what you have done. I don't know you but I'm a hugh fan of this Habitat forum of which you are a Hugh part. As for it being fun, Sounds to me like a 7734 of alot of work. More power to you and everyone else that puts in the work.:)
 
Thank you Jmac for the vote of confidence and the very kind words. It is all to easy of late for me to focus on the negative. Unfortunately, that is generally out of my control. I do really enjoy this habitat thread. I hope it helps some of you develop habitat that provides you fall sport to fulfill your fall dreams. For others, I hope it educates you as to where to look and to what it takes to get that habitat into a productive condition.

My career definition of FUN is to do the wildlife basics of what I do now with an ADEQUATE BUDGET and ADEQUATE MANPOWER. I'd like to see the best habitat, filled with the targeted species, pursued by class sportsmen, with even classier canine companions. I'd choose weather that promises a storm soon after a morning where the stars pulled me out of my truck seat in the darkness before dawn to absorb their magesty. Quiet moments broken only by the birds leaving their beds, promise of a great day ahead. FUN!
 
Prairie Drifter said:
I'd choose weather that promises a storm soon after a morning where the stars pulled me out of my truck seat in the darkness before dawn to absorb their magesty. Quiet moments broken only by the birds leaving their beds, promise of a great day ahead. FUN!
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Well said Troy! Just from my last trip to the farm I have come to relish just stepping outside the building in the morning or evening and drinking it all in. It is far removed from the city and speaks directly to the soul. That alone is worht the 6 hour drive.
 
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