Buffalo Dan's Bison

The planned water distribution system for our ranch.  You may recall a previous post in which I describe a water well we had drilled this past summer and a solar powered water pump I installed in the fall.  This post is very much a continuation of that earlier post in that it will document my efforts to make use of the water extracted from the new well. Initially I had planned to make one large post about my installation of the entire system.  However, the system is so large that I now think it will be better for me to create several smaller posts describing the different components as they are installed.  This post will be the first in that series and describe the project in general terms.  The goal of this project is to provide the ranch with an off-grid pressurized water system that is available day and night and is frost resistant.  Because the water is pumped by a solar powered water pump with no battery backup, water pumped directly from the well can only be relied upo

Those of you who have followed my blog from the beginning or are familiar with my bee blog from years past will recall that I've made two previous attempts at beekeeping with limited results.  Well, Jess and I discussed it and I'm going to give it another try. To improve my chances of success, I've moved the hives from their isolated spot on the edge of the ranch to a location about 100 meters from my camper trailer.  This will make it easier to keep and eye on the hive and make sure everything is okay.  The hives have been cleaned out and are ready for the four packages I've ordered.  The packages should be ready for pickup in March. 

This past weekend I completed a project that added an additional 30 acres to the land occupied by our bison. The majority of the work involved in this project has been installing 4000 feet of new fencing through a mostly forested property perimeter.  Of the total fencing about 1,200 feet is 6.5 feet tall woven wire fencing and the remaining is 6 strands of high-tensile electric fence.  The woven wire portion of the fence is the same type discussed in a previous post , while the electric fence is similar to previously installed electric fences except more permanent and taller.  Using the tractor mount wire dispenser saved a lot of time by allowing me to install all six of the electric fence wires at one time.  One useful new tool I used was the tractor mounted wire dispenser I've described building in a previous post .  The wire dispenser worked pretty well as long as I made sure the tensioning nuts on each wheel were set high enough to prevent excessive unwinding. 

This past July I experienced some difficulties with our current bison water source that convinced me of the need to install a well at the ranch.  Since we first introduced bison to our pastures, we've relied on what is commonly known as a limited access point method for water.  A limited access point is simply a small section of a stream or pond into which the pasture fencing extends.  This allows the animals enough space to drink the water, but not enough room to go for a swim.  It is largely considered a more ecologically sound than giving the animals access to the entire body of water (which is definitely true for cattle).  The bison taking turns using the limited access area of the pond for water during a dry spell last year.  Having only one permanent source of water can have a negative impact on the pasture immediately surrounding the access area as is visible in this photograph.  Generally the limited access point method has worked well for us, but at one point d

 Over the past month or so I've been noticing a few changes in the bison herd.  Our big bull has largely separated himself from the herd and now spends much of his time sitting or standing majestically on hilltops.  He comes and goes when he pleases without waiting for a herd consensus.  The bull has always been more independent than the others, but this almost complete separation from the herd is something new.  The females exploring the site of a solar powered water well I'm installing.  If we count the months from March, when the bull was very aggressive towards me and attentive to the females, to now it will be around eight months.  The bison gestation period is around 9 and a half months, so it's possible that we will start seeing babies next month.  I really don't know what to look for to tell if they are pregnant.  Jess had hoped the thermal imaging device might enable us to see some sort of evidence of bison pregnancy, but bison hair is so insulating that

For a long time now I've looked upon thermal imaging devices as something that would be incredibly useful for ranching but far outside my price range.  However, after seeing the reviews and demonstrations online for the FLIR Scout TK handheld monocle, I finally decided to take the plunge. A demonstration of the color pallet options available in the FLIR Scout TK using my tractor.  From left to right and top to bottom: black-hot, white-hot, "inst-alert," graded-fire 1, graded-fire 2, iron, lava, rain, and color wheel.  In each example the engine has been running and is warm. It's always best to use whichever color system works for you, but I typically use black-hot at night and white-hot during the day.  In many instances thermal imaging is confused with night vision devices, but they are quite different.  It's an easy thing to confuse since both devices are often used to "see" things in the dark and both in some way incorporate infrared radiation

Because the temperature in southern Virginia can still get up into the 80's (Fahrenheit) during the day at this time of year, I do most of my work during the cooler evenings and nights.  To see what I'm doing I'll wear a headlamp and if I want to locate the bison without shining a light in their eyes I'll use night vision goggles.   The bat detector. Over the last few summers of working at night I've often seen bats (the small mammal kind of bat) flying through the air collecting insects. Usually they seem to fly among or just above the trees where there's the most insects and, if I'm working in a forested area, they've often flown very close to me.  I've always been impressed by their ability to fly so swiftly through a dense forest without crashing into anything and I once even built myself electronic heterodyning ultrasonic bat detector.  The detector allowed me to hear a bat's echolocation, which sounds like a series of clicks that per

The double bottom blow attached to the tractor.  Last month Jess and I made the decision to invest in a double bottom plow and a subsoiler for use in preparing new pasture for planting and improving the current pasture. I bought both attachments from everythingattachments.com after finding the following video demonstrations on YouTube.  I think that the three things that helped to sell me on their products were: 1) the use of sheer bolts, 2) the use of quality steel, and 3) free shipping (free shipping to a local freight terminal).  Assuming that the order would be loaded onto two separate pallets, I had brought my equipment trailer to the freight terminal for pickup, but both items had been packed onto one pallet so I probably could have just used the truck.  Oh well.  The bison watch in the background as I carefully unload the plows.  They generally like to watch me while I'm working on things.  I think they find me entertaining. The two items unloaded.