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For Contact: yeknod43@gmail.com
Winter is a special time at Kelly Road Camp. All is so very quiet and still as if the world had stopped and only the sound of your own heart beating breaks the calmed fantasy.
Then with a blur of motion and the flurry of bursting snow a deer, rabbit or even a lone wolf enters to quicken your breath.
Was it really there you may wonder as then you return to the world of silence and calm.
Kelly Road Camp is private property but visitors are welcome if they make contact and reserve a visit.
This is wilderness camp and visitors are on their own. Bears, occasional mountain lions, and very rare wolves visit the property.
Wood stove heat, with carry in water, gas lights. if using the cabin.
Tent camping you are on your own.
New: 6-7-19 changes to deer blinds and Beaver control.
New: 11-14-2018 changes to Deer Blind on hunting page
New: 10-7-20-18 Deer Blinds on Hunting page
New: 11-30 2016 Deer Tracking , Home Page-1 . New photos on photo page 3-30 2017/ 3-7-18
Above photo is of Philip sneak walking up on a wild deer fawn. I made the mistake of taking a photo when the deer was looking and my flash frightened it away. The technique is to advance only when the animal is looking down or away.
Visit Slayer outdoor products for the finest deer blinds in the USA..made in Michigan
Contact second site: jbjbuck@cs.com Emails and comments welcome.
J.A.Buckner
Thank you for visiting kellyroadcamp.com Please visit again as changes are made often. last update December 20 2017
Address for Map: 1515 Kelly Road, Cheboygan Mi. 49721
Please do not enter property without permission as security cameras and silent alarm devices are used.
Kelly Road Camp is a private wilderness reserve used by guests for:
Year round hiking.
Wilderness camping.
Cross country skiing.
Bird and animal watching.
Botany, Horticulture , Arboricultural research and development and Hunting.
The property is private property and is open at no charge by invitation only.
For Contact: yeknod43@gmail.com
Winter is a special time at Kelly Road Camp. All is so very quiet and still as if the world had stopped and only the sound of your own heart beating breaks the calmed fantasy.
Then with a blur of motion and the flurry of bursting snow a deer, rabbit or even a lone wolf enters to quicken your breath.
Was it really there you may wonder as then you return to the world of silence and calm.
Kelly Road Camp is private property but visitors are welcome if they make contact and reserve a visit.
This is wilderness camp and visitors are on their own. Bears, occasional mountain lions, and very rare wolves visit the property.
Wood stove heat, with carry in water, gas lights. if using the cabin.
Tent camping you are on your own.
New: 6-7-19 changes to deer blinds and Beaver control.
New: 11-14-2018 changes to Deer Blind on hunting page
New: 10-7-20-18 Deer Blinds on Hunting page
New: 11-30 2016 Deer Tracking , Home Page-1 . New photos on photo page 3-30 2017/ 3-7-18
Above photo is of Philip sneak walking up on a wild deer fawn. I made the mistake of taking a photo when the deer was looking and my flash frightened it away. The technique is to advance only when the animal is looking down or away.
Visit Slayer outdoor products for the finest deer blinds in the USA..made in Michigan
Contact second site: jbjbuck@cs.com Emails and comments welcome.
J.A.Buckner
Thank you for visiting kellyroadcamp.com Please visit again as changes are made often. last update December 20 2017
Address for Map: 1515 Kelly Road, Cheboygan Mi. 49721
Please do not enter property without permission as security cameras and silent alarm devices are used.
Kelly Road Camp is a private wilderness reserve used by guests for:
Year round hiking.
Wilderness camping.
Cross country skiing.
Bird and animal watching.
Botany, Horticulture , Arboricultural research and development and Hunting.
The property is private property and is open at no charge by invitation only.
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This site is under construction: Please come back as new things are often added. Last update 4-27, 3017
Trails are rated from family to extreme (Extreme are for 12 years and older and accompanied by an adult parent or guardian who has good compass and map reading skills. perhaps overnight survival skills should be considered needed.
The grounds are prime habitat for most Michigan animals and fauna (plants). Trophy white tail deer, bear, mountain lion, wolf, bald eagle, Yellow and Pink Lady Slippers (rare plants) and the Emerald Green Dragon Fly are some of the more unique sightings.
Pathways and trail roads are set to allow nature viewing in various modes from high ground forest to marshland and are designed to circle back in order to safely return one to the main routes.
Wilderness campsites are set one quarter mile or more apart with a separate path to insure visitor privacy.
Trail cameras are set at various locations about the grounds to help provide an element of safety and security.
Visitors are responsible for their own safety and the safety of their children. Motor vehicles and loud sound devices are not allowed.
Water and electricity are not provided at Kelly Road Camp and any and all garbage must be put in the proper place. Not even one gum wrapper is allowed to be disposed on the grounds.
Please note: All included information is based on years of trial and error field experience but still your needs and wishes may not be the same as ours. Think clearly and use this material only as a place to begin.
Some of the things we have learned from thirty years of wilderness living :
* Deer tracking: New 11-30-2016
For a very long time I depended on my friend Phil Sova for deer tracking. Phil could with only the hoof print and signs follow a single deer with only that. Signs are fresh tracks, broken twigs , a bit of hair, a hoof unique trate and perhaps a blood spot. Now that he is gone I have had to learn the skill myself.
First know that a deer will follow a run way for it's safety as long as he can follow that path and as long as he can think . This he does to insure that what ever hurt him might not catch him whether it be a bear, lion or a gun shot. He will do this with not breaking one twig or branch, untill he is very near death. Yes with not being shot he will stay on the run way for the same reasons. But yes shot or not shot he may just hoof scrape a fallen log in the path perhaps trying to stay low.
First after the shot listen for the fall as a deer may fall dead with a loud noise like a falling tree. That sound should come in about 10 seconds ... After perhaps 60 seconds that chance may be gone except on a very still day when the sound may come in three minuets and even longer if the deer is standing in one place. Next look at the shooting site form your stand or shooting position to remember the place where the deer was hit. Look to examine and remember all landmarks well to be sure that you might find that exact spot such as what is to the left , the log to the right, the bush behind, the distance form a patch of snow or ground, the exact beet or bait, in line from the stand to that particular tree. Write it all down and draw a map if in any doubt. Wait perhaps 10 minuets relaxing and looking over the target spot to give the animal time to die. Next slowly go to that spot. Finding the spot look for hair.. There should be white or brown hair at the hit place often not much perhaps only a hair place the size of a coffee cup or less. Perhaps blood will also be there. Look for the animals track and note size and any distinct features of it such as one short dew claw print on one side. look past the shot for where the bullet hit. Place a toilet paper tie at the first find. Look to the direction the deer seemed to go. Note the run ways going in that direction, perhaps 1, 2 0r 3 in that direction. Slowly travel the first run way with not breaking one branch or even a twig for 100 feet looking for a spot of blood or a fresh track, the identified track or a fresh broken twig. Not finding anything go back with still not breaking a twig and go up run way #2... then #3.
Deer will not go off the runway or break a twig until they are ready to fall over dead. Look close and far because you may spot the deer. Put a toilet paper marker at every sign of the target deer so with that you know the direction he is going... He will often turn off one run way to another run way in order return to his last place of safely so watch and check out each branch off the starting runway. With finding a good sign trail and then it stopping, and all branches inspected 100 feet with no sign then go back to the last marker and begin a search.. first along the run ways looking close and far... and then to look where the animal may have made a last jump and drop dead. A deer can jump 40 feet from his last track so consider that with a widening circle from that last marker. A down deer can still be alive and just lying down. Look at the rest position to see if it is odd for a deer to be that way so perhaps dead... of normal so perhaps just lying down he may spook and run. Sit and wait with gun ready for a few minuets to watch for breathe sign. you might shoot again or continue watching then approach slow. Often a down deer will lift it head before running.
The shot:
It is very easy to get impatient and excited so then to bring up too fast often bumping something to make a noise or moving in the animal view to spook it away. Only practice can ward off these problems as every situation is different. One thing one can do it to make sure there are few things to bump, bang or tip over in a blind or in a shooting position.
The shot might take three seconds in many cases including bring-up, steady, off the safety, squeeze the trigger. Bring up can be shortened by having a gun holding rope in a fixed blind that holds the gun at shoulder level and towards the most desired shooting direction. This beats the gun setting in your lap by a great margin by reducing the bring-up time.
Next the steady, one should see the sight is on the exact place the shooter wishes the shot to be placed. One good method is to imagine a tea cup circle on the animal and steady to feel the sight is not leaving the center of the three inch circle on the animal. The three inch target will often take the animal and with that much control one is likely to shoot in side the circle. With making a good shot the deer should kick back its hind legs. With seeing the kick back one is assured the shot was good and the animal will die perhaps 30 to 100 yards away. Yes a hit deer can go a half mile if pushed but will most often lie down and die at that place..with good sign to follow and not raining or snowing hard a good sign trail is best served with a half hour pause before going forward.
True there are people who are snap shooters that can bring up and shoot in one quick motion, but that skill must be developed long before trying that on an animal as valuable as a deer.
Baiting:
Baiting is legal in many states so faire and a good method of deer hunting. Apples , sugar beets, turnips, corn, and carrots are common. Deer enjoy browsingz so will often include the set bait in their dailey rounds. Apples are a very good bait because deer love apples..but so do bears. The use of apples will often draw in bears so in bear country they may not be first choice. Sugar beets are not a bear draw but are quickly found by deer. Bears will often leave sugar beets alone but if set beets with apples the bear will come in for an apple taste and them stay eating beets untill they are gone to ruin your deer hunt. Turnips , corn, and all the otrher farm animal foods are good but deer are skidish and fear a new food. Often the new food, perhaps punkin should be set out with a common food such as corn or apples to introduce the new food and add it to the diet if not common to the aread or to deer. Peanuts are often uncommon but are a very good bait.
With having two bait sets as with having two hunters or just two places you wish to hunt the deer will make run ways between the two sites so often you might expect deer on that path...Good to have that path not crossing a man track path if you can.
XX *Carrots are very bad for deer genitics causing smaller deer size, poor antler growth, does going dry in only a few years and a number of deer problems. For the sake of deer health carrots should be not be used as bait .
Big bucks are usually very cautious and often may know you are there or where your stand is located. Very often big bucks will come to a baited area to see if any does are there, or if the does are coming into heat. It is not uncommon that a smart old buck has vantage points at different wind directions from the bait and so will go to the vantage point rather that to the shooting zone. Often the wise old buck will even stand with s tree or brush between him and you. Your goal is to watch around the bait close and far so you might see this old buck on his way in and out.
After the score of a deer and the hunt over it is good to canvas the hunt area for next years hunt. Go about in increasing circles to check rubs and tracks.. good to carry a big bag of corn and drop handfuls about so after a few days the deer will forget you walked through and regain some trust to the area. Yes the corn and bag well washe in a stream, hung outside, and dropped with not touching the corn with your hand.
Not Baiting:
Baiting is good for the next day or down the week but not for same day hunting and perhaps not legal in some areas. Deer almost always walk or run on a runway much like we stay on a road. They do this to insure that they can run full speed with not slamming into a tree or a dead end when being chased by a lion or a bear. The walk -in hunter is best served by finding a best deer runway and sitting down in a good shooting vantage point. In a fresh new area to walk on compass with the wind on ones back the best choice.. Finding a good runway one might check for tracks hoping for dew claw big tracks that might mean a big doe or big buck. Just many tracks is good because bucks often follow does and even fauns. A hand full of corn might be dropped at a runway spot where you wish to watch and hunt .. *but the corn from a sack and not touched by your hands or stored in your smelly cabin but corn dipped in the creek bag and all, and you don’t walk back to set the corn because walking a path twice leaves more man scent.
Your man sign:
Deer are skittish so they look listen and smell everything to better watch for danger. Most animals try to travel about the woods with making very little sign. Man often walks leaving Back-track broken branches, accidently broken branches , boot scuff marks in the path... Deer see and smell these signs and so become more on the watch and caution with a stop to look , smell and listen more often. Just a patch of turned sod exposing fresh dirt orvthe smell of one broken branch will spook a smart old buck. Your chances are better served with not leaving any sign in the woods.. Rubber boots are better and trousers left out side over night decrease your sent in the woods.
Gun safety:
All the normal sahety rules apply at Kelly Road Camp and a fewore are added.
* Guns are loaded at the start of the hunt and remains loaded until the hunt is over even if that might be a few weeks.
* Guns are not touched when not on the way to or from the hunt or for cleaning.
* Coming to in-sight of the cabin safety is checked to be in safe position.
* Guns must not be parked leaning on somethin but hung, placed on a rack in or near the cabin.
* Touching ones gun should be announce such as "I am goint to check my bullets " not doing so can count as wrong pointing.
* Wrong pointing a gun is to be mentioned and with two wrong pointings one may be asked to leave the camp or may have his (her) gun taken away for part or all of the remaining hunt.
Direction:
One should know the direction going from camp, and a direction to a road or land feature if the camp should be missed on return rout.
One should check a compass to the wind at the beginning of the day and mid day to see it stays the same (or not) so knowing direction with not looking at the compass ever step.
One can look to see the clouds are going the same way as the ground wind.
Ground level wind changes with the thinning of a forest or a distant mountain so is not good the depend on.
Floating clouds often continue but feathering clouds mean a change of direction..
One should be aware of sun shadow at all times to aid knowing direction at all times..
Clear understang of True North and Magnetic North is a must when traveling in the wilderness. http://www.magnetic-declination.com/
The land:
Water flow is one of the most important things to consider. Adequate culverts and well planned ditches must be employed to avoid flooding during heavy rain and spring thaw if any change is made to the land. Spring runoff and underground flow is noted by wetland plants and absence of trees. For road or path building wherever wetland plants are seen culverts must be placed even if no water is ever present. Spring thaw runoff may be 10 or 1000 times more than the summer flow, and may even be a river where no flow exists at any other time.
When trying to determine culvert size and costs consider the area of the pipe.
Pi (3.14) x radius x radius = area (pi x R 2)
4 inch - pipe 3.14 x 2 x 2= 12.5 inches of area.
6 inch - pipe = 28.26"
8 inch - pipe = 50.24"
10 inch - pipe = 78.5"
12 inch - pipe = 113."
*You can see that to double the pipe size allows four times the flow.
Road building seems to be a lost art with many counties snow plowing all year round to make gravel roads flat. A gravel or earthen road should be built with a generous crown at the center. Water should shed all along the entire length into a ditch or lower land.
Gravel should never be scraped off to the side, it should be scraped up onto the road bed and center. That way each rain makes the road stronger by washing away dirt and sand to leave the stones.
Trail roads should never access to a public road or highway without a gate or a bold announcement of the junction, such as two stop signs, one to the right and one to the left side.
All too often children and sometimes adults are killed or seriously injured by accidentally merging onto a traffic bearing road.
We have found that nature's rule of slope is about thirty degrees. Any hill or side of a ditch that is steeper will erode away until that grade is accomplished. To make plans permanent an approximate thirty degree angle should be set when the work is first done. Buildings should not be built on or under a steep slope that is likely to slide or erode.
Standing water puddles after a rain are havens for mosquitoes and other pests so any that are within one hundred yards of a cabin should be corrected and removed.
Filling can often be done by taking neighboring high spots to fill the lows. Ditching away is also a good method to remove puddles always keeping the 30 degree angle rule in mind.
Standing water in buckets, old tires or the like are also a mosquito hatcheries.
Clearings reduce the presence of mosquito and many other problem insects. Flying pests can be further reduced by the placement of pine trees and certain odorous plants. Sources of such trees and plants can be found on the source page.
Bird and bat houses can help to remove unwanted insects.
Swale or low lying areas that do not support tree growth can often be made productive by adding a shovel built ditch to lower the level of water below ground level and to lead water to a lower part of the property or to a stream. First the water flow direction must be decided, then the best location for a ditch and last where it will exit.
I visualize a swale as a beaver pond that has completely filled in and then I try to place the stream back where it belongs.
The path of a shallow stream can sometimes be altered with little more than a shovel and is most easily done in spring before annual plants begin to take root and grow.
This method is especially useful in the freeze zone states where thawing soil is loosened to the texture of potting soil.
Caution must be employed because the water path must then continue to use the same exit or flooding may occur on the property or miles away.
Beaver can be induced to place a dam in a specific location by making a narrow cut in the water path and then placing gravel at the run through trough. It is also possible to set the size and depth of an existing pond with the use of drain pipes set in the dam.
Over a few years a beaver pond can fill a shallow zone with good soil and so make an area almost tillable.
For property layout a top quality compass that has the ability to read one degree and having an adjustment for magnetic declination is a must have for determining property lines, reference and location. I recommend a D.W. Brunton's or equal quality compass, not just a Brunton type compass that may be of such low quality that is not much better than a campers field compass.
A good quality GPS can be set to UTM and measurements can be made from a survey marker, a fence post or a road with reasonable accuracy. The measurement in meters and feet can be converted by multiplying:
Meters x 3.281 = Feet - Feet x .3048 = Meters.
GPS accuracy will give a position within about 7 to 10 feet with a clear sky, which is quite good for general location but not legal or as close as a professional survey.
The cabin:
The cabin location should be based on access, use and function, drainage, exposure to the elements and safety to the cabin and its occupants. A cabin should never be built in a flood or land slide zone (remember the thirty degree rule).
The cabin position should well planned. Consider sun exposure being an aid to heat or cold as needed in different climates. Windows facing the sun with deciduous (leaf falling) trees for summer shade is a choice for cold zones Wind exposure can be an aid to ward off insect in summer and a problem with drifting snow and high heating needs in winter.
In a wilderness setting a back-up shelter should be planned to be built soon after the primary cabin is finished. It can be a tool shed or even a root cellar with earthen walls and a good roof. The second shelter would be used in the event the first shelter is lost due to fire or any other catastrophic event. It should have a heat stove, water, clothing and supplies for at least two weeks of emergency living.
A cabin foundation should be set deeper than the normal winter freeze depths of nearby lakes. Another cabin base used widely in cold parts of Canada is one that sets the cabin on above ground pads (no more than eight inches square with a pea-gravel base on deep permafrost.)
Winter freezing can cause the ground to rise from one to seven inches and expand outward depending on moisture and exposure. Structures that do not have a solid foundation below the freeze line can rise, bend, tilt or break.
A ground setting cabin should set on a raised pad to insure that during a wet year it will still be high and dry. A raised pad will also help to reduce the rotting of ground contact materials. The raised pad can be made of dirt but is best when it is made of gravel.
The roof should be built with generous overhang to help keep rain and snow from harming the exterior walls. A little extra spending to insure an adequate and quality roof will help the value and longevity many times over the cost.
The roof slope can be set to allow snow to fall and pile in the best direction to help insolate the cabin from prevailing winds to reduce heating costs.
Window seats and any flat areas that would hold water or snow should angle downward
Exterior horizontal areas where water or snow can lie should be plated or calked at a down angle so little water or snow can stand or moisture may soak into and through to cause rotting or mold.
An angle board should be placed above any metal that is prone to sweat at change of temperature to keep walls as dry as possible. Roofing patch tar is good for creating an angle to any horizontal surface.
Ventilation must also be provided to the interior. Closed-off closets and cupboards should be avoided or well ventilated.
The floor should have a generous air space underneath as moisture is always coming up from the ground. Crawl space must be well ventilated on leeward side (opposite or away from the prevailing wind) or mold can begin then rot out the floor. The windward side should be protectd in winter to keep snow build-up from accumulating under the cabin floor. The floor is best served with a empty air space protrected on the wind side and vetilated to the side away form the most common prevailing wind.
Auto undercoating (the kind that looks like tar) is very good for sealing the under floor area of a raised cabin. It is very durable and its odor repels many insect pests and rodents.
A roofed drying area should be planned to dry wet clothing and boots. Wet things should not be taken inside of a cabin in order to avoid rotting and mold.
Danger trees are the demise of many wilderness cabins. Most problem trees can be cut to fall safely on a low wind day. All danger-zone trees and branches that overhang or touch a roof must be removed.
Fire is one of the most serious dangers to a cabin. Extinguishers should be close at hand and a safe place designated to dispose of hot coals. Escape routs, alternate shelter, and plans should be made and practiced.
Liquid fire starters made for outdoor campfires and BBQ are much too dangerous for indoor use.
A Trigger start butane torch can start a fire quickly and safely.
Mold can ruin a cabin. Care must be taken to keep the interior dry and well ventilated.
Supplies boxes, coolers and other things should be placed with an air space between the item and any outside wall.
Effort should be made to keep wet clothing and boots outside of the cabin.
Weeds should not be allowed to grow under or near the cabin.
Snow weight on the roof During calm wind and heavy snow many cabin designs are inadequate for the amount of snow that can accumulate. A stand pole such as a 4x4 (two for a long cabin) should be erected in the cabin and accompanying support should go from the ground level to the roof structure to hold the roof against heavy snow in the snow zone if the cabin is to be left unattended for a length of time. The base of a stand pole should be dug below the freeze line if the crawl space is open to weather to ground swell damage. If the under story ground is exposed the 3 inches space should be allowed because the ground will/may swell up hat amount
During calm wind and heavy snow many cabin designs are inadequate for the amount of snow that can accumulate.
Food scraps will draw ants and bears. A cabin must be maintained with as little odor as possible. One potato chip left in a wilderness cabin is all the invitation a bear needs to dig a hole through a cabin wall.
Stove pipes and chimneys need care and attention. One does not want to start the winter with one that is less than perfect. Using a wood stove for heat one should expect the smoke stack to fill with creosote. Creosote is the tar-like substance that builds up on the inside of the pipe or chimney.
The male (smaller) diamerter should point to the stove so all debris fall into the stove. Smoke will not exit because heat rises and will draw air into the stack rather than out.
Chimneys fail at the very worst time. When it is the coldest, raining or when there is three feet of snow or the wind would blow one off the ladder or roof. A spare chimney pipe, needed tools,work light and a ladder should be at ready.
Best to pick a wonderful fall day to inspect, clean or replace a stove pipe that is less than perfect.
Garbage must be taken away from the cabin area when one leaves for an extended time. During cabin use all garbage should be kept in a covered steel can with a tight or tied lid to prevent raccoons, mice and opossums from getting a first taste. All food scraps should be picked off the ground to be put into a garbage can, burned or carried 200+ yards down-wind away from cabin area.
Bears will flatten a standard garbage can, so a heavy steel drum with a heavy locked top must be used in bear country.
Garbage must be well managed to avoid making a dump near the cabin or creating a huge amount that must be carried out. Grouping is the best choice, to have clean burnables to be acculminated that will become fire fuel, dirty burnables to go into a screened burn barrel and lastly items that will be buried or carried out. The goal is to keep the area neat and clean while creating the least amount that must be caried out.
Firewood can be the carrier of unwanted pests and so should be kept outside until it is to go into the fire.
Many out-houses stink. Mostly that smell is from rotting wood. A much better out house is one that has all wood set far away from the drop zone. I have one that uses a plastic tub that is set under the seat so no droppings can touch the wood. This design can use a bottom cut out to expose the ground hole, or the tub can be removed and dumped once or twice a year.
Plastic standing porta-johns are great for wilderness use. The tank botom can be cut out and a hole dug underneath. An unlit citronell candle will keep mosquitos, flies and bugs out.
Showering is best done in an outdoor hutch to avoid moisture in the cabin during the warm season. In the winter with indoor showering efforts should be made that no water is allowed to soak into floor to avoid development of mold.
Guns are common in wilderness cabins. Loading and unloading guns is dangerous and should be avoided as much as possible. I keep guns loaded and high out of the reach of children. Guns should be cleaned and oiled once a month and this should be done by the most experienced person when all other occupants are away.
Guns are unloaded and taken away from the cabin when the cabin is not in use as they may be sought by thieves. Gun training should start as soon as a child is big enough to carry a BB gun.
Lock or not? One good friend has had his cabin broken into a number of times. At my cabin none of the contents are as valuable as the door. A TV worth a few hundred dollars is probably the most valuable thing and a broken door that would let in bears and mice would cause more loss. For this reason I put a small luggage lock on my door that easily is broken.
A ground compass is round patio stone that is fashioned into a mock compass to show compass points (magnetic) and true north (the North Star) should be set in a common place so all can have a reference of direction.
With this in plain view it is not long before all in camp begin to understand the camp’s relative position to roads and landmarks.
Clear understang of True North and Magnetic north is a must when traveling in the wilderness. http://www.magnetic-declination.com/
Continued on next page.
Last update 3 30, 2017
Trails are rated from family to extreme (Extreme are for 12 years and older and accompanied by an adult parent or guardian who has good compass and map reading skills. perhaps overnight survival skills should be considered needed.
The grounds are prime habitat for most Michigan animals and fauna (plants). Trophy white tail deer, bear, mountain lion, wolf, bald eagle, Yellow and Pink Lady Slippers (rare plants) and the Emerald Green Dragon Fly are some of the more unique sightings.
Pathways and trail roads are set to allow nature viewing in various modes from high ground forest to marshland and are designed to circle back in order to safely return one to the main routes.
Wilderness campsites are set one quarter mile or more apart with a separate path to insure visitor privacy.
Trail cameras are set at various locations about the grounds to help provide an element of safety and security.
Visitors are responsible for their own safety and the safety of their children. Motor vehicles and loud sound devices are not allowed.
Water and electricity are not provided at Kelly Road Camp and any and all garbage must be put in the proper place. Not even one gum wrapper is allowed to be disposed on the grounds.
Please note: All included information is based on years of trial and error field experience but still your needs and wishes may not be the same as ours. Think clearly and use this material only as a place to begin.
Some of the things we have learned from thirty years of wilderness living :
* Deer tracking: New 11-30-2016
For a very long time I depended on my friend Phil Sova for deer tracking. Phil could with only the hoof print and signs follow a single deer with only that. Signs are fresh tracks, broken twigs , a bit of hair, a hoof unique trate and perhaps a blood spot. Now that he is gone I have had to learn the skill myself.
First know that a deer will follow a run way for it's safety as long as he can follow that path and as long as he can think . This he does to insure that what ever hurt him might not catch him whether it be a bear, lion or a gun shot. He will do this with not breaking one twig or branch, untill he is very near death. Yes with not being shot he will stay on the run way for the same reasons. But yes shot or not shot he may just hoof scrape a fallen log in the path perhaps trying to stay low.
First after the shot listen for the fall as a deer may fall dead with a loud noise like a falling tree. That sound should come in about 10 seconds ... After perhaps 60 seconds that chance may be gone except on a very still day when the sound may come in three minuets and even longer if the deer is standing in one place. Next look at the shooting site form your stand or shooting position to remember the place where the deer was hit. Look to examine and remember all landmarks well to be sure that you might find that exact spot such as what is to the left , the log to the right, the bush behind, the distance form a patch of snow or ground, the exact beet or bait, in line from the stand to that particular tree. Write it all down and draw a map if in any doubt. Wait perhaps 10 minuets relaxing and looking over the target spot to give the animal time to die. Next slowly go to that spot. Finding the spot look for hair.. There should be white or brown hair at the hit place often not much perhaps only a hair place the size of a coffee cup or less. Perhaps blood will also be there. Look for the animals track and note size and any distinct features of it such as one short dew claw print on one side. look past the shot for where the bullet hit. Place a toilet paper tie at the first find. Look to the direction the deer seemed to go. Note the run ways going in that direction, perhaps 1, 2 0r 3 in that direction. Slowly travel the first run way with not breaking one branch or even a twig for 100 feet looking for a spot of blood or a fresh track, the identified track or a fresh broken twig. Not finding anything go back with still not breaking a twig and go up run way #2... then #3.
Deer will not go off the runway or break a twig until they are ready to fall over dead. Look close and far because you may spot the deer. Put a toilet paper marker at every sign of the target deer so with that you know the direction he is going... He will often turn off one run way to another run way in order return to his last place of safely so watch and check out each branch off the starting runway. With finding a good sign trail and then it stopping, and all branches inspected 100 feet with no sign then go back to the last marker and begin a search.. first along the run ways looking close and far... and then to look where the animal may have made a last jump and drop dead. A deer can jump 40 feet from his last track so consider that with a widening circle from that last marker. A down deer can still be alive and just lying down. Look at the rest position to see if it is odd for a deer to be that way so perhaps dead... of normal so perhaps just lying down he may spook and run. Sit and wait with gun ready for a few minuets to watch for breathe sign. you might shoot again or continue watching then approach slow. Often a down deer will lift it head before running.
The shot:
It is very easy to get impatient and excited so then to bring up too fast often bumping something to make a noise or moving in the animal view to spook it away. Only practice can ward off these problems as every situation is different. One thing one can do it to make sure there are few things to bump, bang or tip over in a blind or in a shooting position.
The shot might take three seconds in many cases including bring-up, steady, off the safety, squeeze the trigger. Bring up can be shortened by having a gun holding rope in a fixed blind that holds the gun at shoulder level and towards the most desired shooting direction. This beats the gun setting in your lap by a great margin by reducing the bring-up time.
Next the steady, one should see the sight is on the exact place the shooter wishes the shot to be placed. One good method is to imagine a tea cup circle on the animal and steady to feel the sight is not leaving the center of the three inch circle on the animal. The three inch target will often take the animal and with that much control one is likely to shoot in side the circle. With making a good shot the deer should kick back its hind legs. With seeing the kick back one is assured the shot was good and the animal will die perhaps 30 to 100 yards away. Yes a hit deer can go a half mile if pushed but will most often lie down and die at that place..with good sign to follow and not raining or snowing hard a good sign trail is best served with a half hour pause before going forward.
True there are people who are snap shooters that can bring up and shoot in one quick motion, but that skill must be developed long before trying that on an animal as valuable as a deer.
Baiting:
Baiting is legal in many states so faire and a good method of deer hunting. Apples , sugar beets, turnips, corn, and carrots are common. Deer enjoy browsingz so will often include the set bait in their dailey rounds. Apples are a very good bait because deer love apples..but so do bears. The use of apples will often draw in bears so in bear country they may not be first choice. Sugar beets are not a bear draw but are quickly found by deer. Bears will often leave sugar beets alone but if set beets with apples the bear will come in for an apple taste and them stay eating beets untill they are gone to ruin your deer hunt. Turnips , corn, and all the otrher farm animal foods are good but deer are skidish and fear a new food. Often the new food, perhaps punkin should be set out with a common food such as corn or apples to introduce the new food and add it to the diet if not common to the aread or to deer. Peanuts are often uncommon but are a very good bait.
With having two bait sets as with having two hunters or just two places you wish to hunt the deer will make run ways between the two sites so often you might expect deer on that path...Good to have that path not crossing a man track path if you can.
XX *Carrots are very bad for deer genitics causing smaller deer size, poor antler growth, does going dry in only a few years and a number of deer problems. For the sake of deer health carrots should be not be used as bait .
Big bucks are usually very cautious and often may know you are there or where your stand is located. Very often big bucks will come to a baited area to see if any does are there, or if the does are coming into heat. It is not uncommon that a smart old buck has vantage points at different wind directions from the bait and so will go to the vantage point rather that to the shooting zone. Often the wise old buck will even stand with s tree or brush between him and you. Your goal is to watch around the bait close and far so you might see this old buck on his way in and out.
After the score of a deer and the hunt over it is good to canvas the hunt area for next years hunt. Go about in increasing circles to check rubs and tracks.. good to carry a big bag of corn and drop handfuls about so after a few days the deer will forget you walked through and regain some trust to the area. Yes the corn and bag well washe in a stream, hung outside, and dropped with not touching the corn with your hand.
Not Baiting:
Baiting is good for the next day or down the week but not for same day hunting and perhaps not legal in some areas. Deer almost always walk or run on a runway much like we stay on a road. They do this to insure that they can run full speed with not slamming into a tree or a dead end when being chased by a lion or a bear. The walk -in hunter is best served by finding a best deer runway and sitting down in a good shooting vantage point. In a fresh new area to walk on compass with the wind on ones back the best choice.. Finding a good runway one might check for tracks hoping for dew claw big tracks that might mean a big doe or big buck. Just many tracks is good because bucks often follow does and even fauns. A hand full of corn might be dropped at a runway spot where you wish to watch and hunt .. *but the corn from a sack and not touched by your hands or stored in your smelly cabin but corn dipped in the creek bag and all, and you don’t walk back to set the corn because walking a path twice leaves more man scent.
Your man sign:
Deer are skittish so they look listen and smell everything to better watch for danger. Most animals try to travel about the woods with making very little sign. Man often walks leaving Back-track broken branches, accidently broken branches , boot scuff marks in the path... Deer see and smell these signs and so become more on the watch and caution with a stop to look , smell and listen more often. Just a patch of turned sod exposing fresh dirt orvthe smell of one broken branch will spook a smart old buck. Your chances are better served with not leaving any sign in the woods.. Rubber boots are better and trousers left out side over night decrease your sent in the woods.
Gun safety:
All the normal sahety rules apply at Kelly Road Camp and a fewore are added.
* Guns are loaded at the start of the hunt and remains loaded until the hunt is over even if that might be a few weeks.
* Guns are not touched when not on the way to or from the hunt or for cleaning.
* Coming to in-sight of the cabin safety is checked to be in safe position.
* Guns must not be parked leaning on somethin but hung, placed on a rack in or near the cabin.
* Touching ones gun should be announce such as "I am goint to check my bullets " not doing so can count as wrong pointing.
* Wrong pointing a gun is to be mentioned and with two wrong pointings one may be asked to leave the camp or may have his (her) gun taken away for part or all of the remaining hunt.
Direction:
One should know the direction going from camp, and a direction to a road or land feature if the camp should be missed on return rout.
One should check a compass to the wind at the beginning of the day and mid day to see it stays the same (or not) so knowing direction with not looking at the compass ever step.
One can look to see the clouds are going the same way as the ground wind.
Ground level wind changes with the thinning of a forest or a distant mountain so is not good the depend on.
Floating clouds often continue but feathering clouds mean a change of direction..
One should be aware of sun shadow at all times to aid knowing direction at all times..
Clear understang of True North and Magnetic North is a must when traveling in the wilderness. http://www.magnetic-declination.com/
The land:
Water flow is one of the most important things to consider. Adequate culverts and well planned ditches must be employed to avoid flooding during heavy rain and spring thaw if any change is made to the land. Spring runoff and underground flow is noted by wetland plants and absence of trees. For road or path building wherever wetland plants are seen culverts must be placed even if no water is ever present. Spring thaw runoff may be 10 or 1000 times more than the summer flow, and may even be a river where no flow exists at any other time.
When trying to determine culvert size and costs consider the area of the pipe.
Pi (3.14) x radius x radius = area (pi x R 2)
4 inch - pipe 3.14 x 2 x 2= 12.5 inches of area.
6 inch - pipe = 28.26"
8 inch - pipe = 50.24"
10 inch - pipe = 78.5"
12 inch - pipe = 113."
*You can see that to double the pipe size allows four times the flow.
Road building seems to be a lost art with many counties snow plowing all year round to make gravel roads flat. A gravel or earthen road should be built with a generous crown at the center. Water should shed all along the entire length into a ditch or lower land.
Gravel should never be scraped off to the side, it should be scraped up onto the road bed and center. That way each rain makes the road stronger by washing away dirt and sand to leave the stones.
Trail roads should never access to a public road or highway without a gate or a bold announcement of the junction, such as two stop signs, one to the right and one to the left side.
All too often children and sometimes adults are killed or seriously injured by accidentally merging onto a traffic bearing road.
We have found that nature's rule of slope is about thirty degrees. Any hill or side of a ditch that is steeper will erode away until that grade is accomplished. To make plans permanent an approximate thirty degree angle should be set when the work is first done. Buildings should not be built on or under a steep slope that is likely to slide or erode.
Standing water puddles after a rain are havens for mosquitoes and other pests so any that are within one hundred yards of a cabin should be corrected and removed.
Filling can often be done by taking neighboring high spots to fill the lows. Ditching away is also a good method to remove puddles always keeping the 30 degree angle rule in mind.
Standing water in buckets, old tires or the like are also a mosquito hatcheries.
Clearings reduce the presence of mosquito and many other problem insects. Flying pests can be further reduced by the placement of pine trees and certain odorous plants. Sources of such trees and plants can be found on the source page.
Bird and bat houses can help to remove unwanted insects.
Swale or low lying areas that do not support tree growth can often be made productive by adding a shovel built ditch to lower the level of water below ground level and to lead water to a lower part of the property or to a stream. First the water flow direction must be decided, then the best location for a ditch and last where it will exit.
I visualize a swale as a beaver pond that has completely filled in and then I try to place the stream back where it belongs.
The path of a shallow stream can sometimes be altered with little more than a shovel and is most easily done in spring before annual plants begin to take root and grow.
This method is especially useful in the freeze zone states where thawing soil is loosened to the texture of potting soil.
Caution must be employed because the water path must then continue to use the same exit or flooding may occur on the property or miles away.
Beaver can be induced to place a dam in a specific location by making a narrow cut in the water path and then placing gravel at the run through trough. It is also possible to set the size and depth of an existing pond with the use of drain pipes set in the dam.
Over a few years a beaver pond can fill a shallow zone with good soil and so make an area almost tillable.
For property layout a top quality compass that has the ability to read one degree and having an adjustment for magnetic declination is a must have for determining property lines, reference and location. I recommend a D.W. Brunton's or equal quality compass, not just a Brunton type compass that may be of such low quality that is not much better than a campers field compass.
A good quality GPS can be set to UTM and measurements can be made from a survey marker, a fence post or a road with reasonable accuracy. The measurement in meters and feet can be converted by multiplying:
Meters x 3.281 = Feet - Feet x .3048 = Meters.
GPS accuracy will give a position within about 7 to 10 feet with a clear sky, which is quite good for general location but not legal or as close as a professional survey.
The cabin:
The cabin location should be based on access, use and function, drainage, exposure to the elements and safety to the cabin and its occupants. A cabin should never be built in a flood or land slide zone (remember the thirty degree rule).
The cabin position should well planned. Consider sun exposure being an aid to heat or cold as needed in different climates. Windows facing the sun with deciduous (leaf falling) trees for summer shade is a choice for cold zones Wind exposure can be an aid to ward off insect in summer and a problem with drifting snow and high heating needs in winter.
In a wilderness setting a back-up shelter should be planned to be built soon after the primary cabin is finished. It can be a tool shed or even a root cellar with earthen walls and a good roof. The second shelter would be used in the event the first shelter is lost due to fire or any other catastrophic event. It should have a heat stove, water, clothing and supplies for at least two weeks of emergency living.
A cabin foundation should be set deeper than the normal winter freeze depths of nearby lakes. Another cabin base used widely in cold parts of Canada is one that sets the cabin on above ground pads (no more than eight inches square with a pea-gravel base on deep permafrost.)
Winter freezing can cause the ground to rise from one to seven inches and expand outward depending on moisture and exposure. Structures that do not have a solid foundation below the freeze line can rise, bend, tilt or break.
A ground setting cabin should set on a raised pad to insure that during a wet year it will still be high and dry. A raised pad will also help to reduce the rotting of ground contact materials. The raised pad can be made of dirt but is best when it is made of gravel.
The roof should be built with generous overhang to help keep rain and snow from harming the exterior walls. A little extra spending to insure an adequate and quality roof will help the value and longevity many times over the cost.
The roof slope can be set to allow snow to fall and pile in the best direction to help insolate the cabin from prevailing winds to reduce heating costs.
Window seats and any flat areas that would hold water or snow should angle downward
Exterior horizontal areas where water or snow can lie should be plated or calked at a down angle so little water or snow can stand or moisture may soak into and through to cause rotting or mold.
An angle board should be placed above any metal that is prone to sweat at change of temperature to keep walls as dry as possible. Roofing patch tar is good for creating an angle to any horizontal surface.
Ventilation must also be provided to the interior. Closed-off closets and cupboards should be avoided or well ventilated.
The floor should have a generous air space underneath as moisture is always coming up from the ground. Crawl space must be well ventilated on leeward side (opposite or away from the prevailing wind) or mold can begin then rot out the floor. The windward side should be protectd in winter to keep snow build-up from accumulating under the cabin floor. The floor is best served with a empty air space protrected on the wind side and vetilated to the side away form the most common prevailing wind.
Auto undercoating (the kind that looks like tar) is very good for sealing the under floor area of a raised cabin. It is very durable and its odor repels many insect pests and rodents.
A roofed drying area should be planned to dry wet clothing and boots. Wet things should not be taken inside of a cabin in order to avoid rotting and mold.
Danger trees are the demise of many wilderness cabins. Most problem trees can be cut to fall safely on a low wind day. All danger-zone trees and branches that overhang or touch a roof must be removed.
Fire is one of the most serious dangers to a cabin. Extinguishers should be close at hand and a safe place designated to dispose of hot coals. Escape routs, alternate shelter, and plans should be made and practiced.
Liquid fire starters made for outdoor campfires and BBQ are much too dangerous for indoor use.
A Trigger start butane torch can start a fire quickly and safely.
Mold can ruin a cabin. Care must be taken to keep the interior dry and well ventilated.
Supplies boxes, coolers and other things should be placed with an air space between the item and any outside wall.
Effort should be made to keep wet clothing and boots outside of the cabin.
Weeds should not be allowed to grow under or near the cabin.
Snow weight on the roof During calm wind and heavy snow many cabin designs are inadequate for the amount of snow that can accumulate. A stand pole such as a 4x4 (two for a long cabin) should be erected in the cabin and accompanying support should go from the ground level to the roof structure to hold the roof against heavy snow in the snow zone if the cabin is to be left unattended for a length of time. The base of a stand pole should be dug below the freeze line if the crawl space is open to weather to ground swell damage. If the under story ground is exposed the 3 inches space should be allowed because the ground will/may swell up hat amount
During calm wind and heavy snow many cabin designs are inadequate for the amount of snow that can accumulate.
Food scraps will draw ants and bears. A cabin must be maintained with as little odor as possible. One potato chip left in a wilderness cabin is all the invitation a bear needs to dig a hole through a cabin wall.
Stove pipes and chimneys need care and attention. One does not want to start the winter with one that is less than perfect. Using a wood stove for heat one should expect the smoke stack to fill with creosote. Creosote is the tar-like substance that builds up on the inside of the pipe or chimney.
The male (smaller) diamerter should point to the stove so all debris fall into the stove. Smoke will not exit because heat rises and will draw air into the stack rather than out.
Chimneys fail at the very worst time. When it is the coldest, raining or when there is three feet of snow or the wind would blow one off the ladder or roof. A spare chimney pipe, needed tools,work light and a ladder should be at ready.
Best to pick a wonderful fall day to inspect, clean or replace a stove pipe that is less than perfect.
Garbage must be taken away from the cabin area when one leaves for an extended time. During cabin use all garbage should be kept in a covered steel can with a tight or tied lid to prevent raccoons, mice and opossums from getting a first taste. All food scraps should be picked off the ground to be put into a garbage can, burned or carried 200+ yards down-wind away from cabin area.
Bears will flatten a standard garbage can, so a heavy steel drum with a heavy locked top must be used in bear country.
Garbage must be well managed to avoid making a dump near the cabin or creating a huge amount that must be carried out. Grouping is the best choice, to have clean burnables to be acculminated that will become fire fuel, dirty burnables to go into a screened burn barrel and lastly items that will be buried or carried out. The goal is to keep the area neat and clean while creating the least amount that must be caried out.
Firewood can be the carrier of unwanted pests and so should be kept outside until it is to go into the fire.
Many out-houses stink. Mostly that smell is from rotting wood. A much better out house is one that has all wood set far away from the drop zone. I have one that uses a plastic tub that is set under the seat so no droppings can touch the wood. This design can use a bottom cut out to expose the ground hole, or the tub can be removed and dumped once or twice a year.
Plastic standing porta-johns are great for wilderness use. The tank botom can be cut out and a hole dug underneath. An unlit citronell candle will keep mosquitos, flies and bugs out.
Showering is best done in an outdoor hutch to avoid moisture in the cabin during the warm season. In the winter with indoor showering efforts should be made that no water is allowed to soak into floor to avoid development of mold.
Guns are common in wilderness cabins. Loading and unloading guns is dangerous and should be avoided as much as possible. I keep guns loaded and high out of the reach of children. Guns should be cleaned and oiled once a month and this should be done by the most experienced person when all other occupants are away.
Guns are unloaded and taken away from the cabin when the cabin is not in use as they may be sought by thieves. Gun training should start as soon as a child is big enough to carry a BB gun.
Lock or not? One good friend has had his cabin broken into a number of times. At my cabin none of the contents are as valuable as the door. A TV worth a few hundred dollars is probably the most valuable thing and a broken door that would let in bears and mice would cause more loss. For this reason I put a small luggage lock on my door that easily is broken.
A ground compass is round patio stone that is fashioned into a mock compass to show compass points (magnetic) and true north (the North Star) should be set in a common place so all can have a reference of direction.
With this in plain view it is not long before all in camp begin to understand the camp’s relative position to roads and landmarks.
Clear understang of True North and Magnetic north is a must when traveling in the wilderness. http://www.magnetic-declination.com/
Continued on next page.
Last update 3 30, 2017