Honeysuckle - The (almost) Perfect Deer Browse

White Honeysuckle

We are constantly trying to improve and increase the available browse on the C4. Honeysuckle is probably as close to perfect a browse food as is available in North America for whitetail deer. We have two types on the C4 - common White Honeysuckle like you find all over the south, and the more rare Red Trumpet Honeysuckle. Both are high in protein and digestible energy, both very important to the overall health of deer and for optimum antler development. You can also improve the level of phosphorus, a very critical element in antler development, in the plant by simply fertilizing it with a high phosphorous fertilizer. As the deer browse on the plant they will take on the additional phosphorous processing it into antler growth.

Red Trumpet Honeysuckle

We are going to take cuttings off of both of these and transplant to other areas of the ranch to make it more available to the deer herd. We have learned it is best to do this in the winter time when the plants are dormant. Simply put the cuttings in water or potting soil with a some root stimulator to get them to sprout new roots. Once they establish new roots simply transplant in the ground and fertilize - instant deer food!

If you are interested in hunting on the C4 and going after the buck of a lifetime then give us a call or visit our website at www.c4whitetails.com. Even if you don't book a hunt we love talking about it anyway!

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Turkeys on the C4!

Turkeys at the C4

Newton County is one of the few East Texas counties that still has a huntable population of Eastern Wild Turkeys. Texas Parks & Wildlife used a slightly different approach when they re-stocked these awesome birds in this county. Unlike other surrounding counties where they released a single tom and a handful of hens, the release here in northern Newton County was an "overwhelm them" type of approach where they released a large number of both toms and hens to re-establish a thriving turkey population and it seems to have worked. There now seems to be enough birds around that the coons can't possible eat ALL the eggs therefore we have a new generation of birds every year insuring that they will be here for many years to come.

Turkey Nest with Eggs on the C4

Turkeys move throughout the C4 on a regular basis and we love seeing them. They will even occasionally roost in the big oaks near the pond. The C4 Habitat Management Plan put together by Dr. James Kroll includes management practices that will attract and hold turkeys here on our little piece of heaven. He always tells me "good deer management ALWAYS attracts turkeys".

ANOTHER Matching Set of Sheds Found on The C4

Carlee with the 4th matching set from the C4

Matching sets of sheds are quite rare - think about it - the buck has to cast both antlers at almost the exact same time, or you have to get very lucky to find both of them, even though they were dropped several days apart and several hundred yards apart.

We have had some of that good luck recently because we found our FOURTH matching set of sheds on the south end of the C4 from a buck that we call the Split-2 Buck due to his matching split G-2s (very clever name don't you think?) We haven't seen this buck in quite some time and now we know why - the area where Chase found them is a secluded part of the ranch that has some pretty rough terrain so there isn't any road access to that area - you pretty much have to walk in to that part of the property.

Chase is NOT supposed to be shed hunting without me - being there every day gives him too big of an advantage - but sometimes he just can't help himself and he goes "scouting" to check out new stand locations or to look for predator sign or some other likely excuse to get in the woods and wander around.....he really isn't shed hunting - he is just "scouting". He says he can't help it if he wanders into the remotest part of the property and accidentally finds ANOTHER matching set of 180+ antlers....what is a guy supposed to do - leave them there on the ground for the squirrels and rabbits to eat? Of course not!

More to come soon....................

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Got another One of Those Filthy Coyotes!

Chase caught another one of these filthy, mangy thieves! In Texas we can do whatever is necessary to protect ourselves and our property from problem predators without a trapping or hunting license as long as you do not keep or sell the pelts. Coyotes create so much havoc on wildlife and livestock that we have to stay vigilant to keep them under control so we trap them 24/7 and shoot every one of them on sight.

We are building a new day camp at the C4 barn - complete with kitchen and bathroom to make our time there more pleasant and easier for our hunting clients. I will post a few pics as it goes up and we make progress on the it. Also plan to do some more shed hunting so I will post pictures of the ones we find.

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The Girls Rock the Shed Hunting on the C4!

Saturday morning we held the annual Big D Birthday Shed Hunting Extravaganza at the C4.....Sort of.....My birthday was back on March 3rd but according to the scout cam pics very few bucks had dropped their horns by that time so we had to postpone it a full month to give the bucks time to cast their antlers.



Shed hunting on the C4 is a family activity

 It was a beautiful day - 72 degrees and sunny skies - perfect. We decided to cover part of the creek bottom because it would be easier walking for my three year old grand daughter, Lizzy, and for Shelley who was carrying my baby grand daughter, Sadie, as well as the fact that lately we had been seeing a lot of deer using the food plots near the creek bottom. There is always a friendly competition between the guys and the gals to see who can find the most and best sheds.....but the gals are the most mouthy about it!

It wasn't long before April found the first one - and boy was it a good one! I was a good distance away from her but I heard her whooping and squealing loud and clear! At first I thought she had been snake bit but then I realized it was a celebration - and for good reason, take a look at the shed she found! It was gigantic! We later scored it at 124 6/8 - that is only ONE side, not the pair! She never let us live it down for the rest of the day!

April's Shed Scored 124 6/8

A while later Shelley found an unusual looking matched set from a buck we call Kenneth (I know - strange name for a deer - but that's another story for another day). He had damaged the pedicle on his left side at some point causing him to grow a freak horn on that side with a 10" drop time. Both antlers were laying right next to each other - how often does that happen!?!?


Shelley with matched set from "Kenneth"

By lunch time we had found a pretty good pile of "bones".  There are still a lot more of them out there but nobody knows where they are........but isn't that what makes it fun?

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