Opening Weekend

Well, saturday morning came faster than I could expect. Stephanie got first dibs to hunt a spot I had a really good feeling about. I was with to film and for some light encouragement. We got settled in just before light and at about 15 minutes to 8, we had a doe and two fawns come right beneath us. While I was filming them, Steph was trying to get my attention. Finally, I looked down, mostly wondering why she was moving around so much, and she looked at me and said, "Buck!" So I turned around and could see a deer's body. His coat was fully gray, but I couldn't see his head yet. I was hoping for something huge, but nope. It was a young little 8 point. Steph said that there was a second buck with it, but I never did get a chance to see it. I only got a bit of footage of the buck, because I was trying to lean over to talk to her. She's right, our stands should be closer together. I adjusted them later. But overall, it was a great opening morning and Steph's first bowhunt was a success, without even shooting.

That evening we sat in the rain in my groundblind hoping to get a crack at a buck making his way down to the bean field to the southeast. Didn't see a thing.

Monday morning was my birthday and so I wanted to hunt, obviously. We went back to the same spot that we sat opening morning and didn't see a deer. Maybe Steph needs to be hunting in order to see something. Well, maybe we'll shoot one Thursday morning. We've got plenty of decent bucks to hunt, it's just a matter of getting in the right spot at the right time.

My First Bear

A week ago today, I shot my first bear. Well, actually, my second bear, but the first that I found. The friday before (September 5th) I shot at a small chocolate bear and we tracked him for over 1000 yards before he bedded up and quit bleeding. We filmed both hunts and were able to watch the shot placement over and over. I think I only got one lung on the first bear. So, although I was dissapointed, I got back out in the woods and we had another decent bear come into the bait station. this one we guessed at 250, but he had a nice white V on his chest, so I elected to take a shot. A little further back and a few inches higher was my shot this time. He only ran about 50-60 yards and started his death cry. I was thinking, maybe he's growling cause he's ticked and he's gonna come out of the brush and head right for us. But that was it for Mr. Bear. Over all, it was a really exciting hunt. We're going to head out there today and try to get my friend Benji a big bear. So maybe I'll be writing again.

18 Days

I have been busy this summer. Sadly, I've become completely neglegent of this blog thing. But, since bow season opens very soon, I imagine I will have more significant things to write. Steph and I have been out a few times throughout the summer, checking trail cameras and just going for drives some evenings. We've laid eyes on a few good bucks..."Perfect 10", "Crabs", and "Hanger" just to name a few. It's so funny to name deer. It seems cheesey and I'm still not all too comfortable with the idea, but it does make for easier communication. Anyway, I've picked up two Cuddeback Captures this summer and for a few days now, have had three cameras of my own and one other of my parents' getting pictures. About a week ago, a bear put his paw on my Wildview camera and dented the clear plastic lens cover. So that camera's on its last leg. I've gotten two bucks on camera that will be over Pope & Young, but otherwise, not much yet. Hopefully as the cooler weather continues in the night time, more bucks will be up on their feet.

Last year on the 28th of August, I saw a bachelor group that had two bucks completely out of velvet and had their grey coats, while the other three (including the biggest one) still were in full velvet, with their red summer coats. It was odd to say the least. So that's just around the corner.

I got a call today from the DNR asking if I wanted to be put on a short list of hunters to hunt a 'nuisance bear'. I said yes, and so if the landowner calls me, I have a chance to take a bear the easy way. It'd still be fun, I think. I'd just have to get it on video. I'll write more and more as days grow closer to fall.

Independence Day

It's been quite a while since I've written a blog. Partly because summer's been more about fishing (and I'm not sure if that needs its own blog - in which case I'll have to just wait), and partly because it's just been checking one trail camera and setting out a few more... we'll call them mineral stations. So far, I've put out a 25 lb bag of antler king mineral salt, three trophy rocks, a 25 lb protein block, lots of molasses, and a couple jugs of deer cocaine.
I've only been watching one trail camera this entire winter, which has shown lots of different bucks. Finally, on thursday I was able to get to the refuge and hang up another camera overlooking a molasses stump/trophy rock.
There have been two times where I've went to check the first camera and the rock has been out of place or off the stump. Just this last time, the trough-like log was rolled all the way over. I only got one picture of the bear. The camera has been set on a video mode that I think I'll take off next time I go out. I think what happens is the camera takes a video, and after the video, it takes a photo. The videos have been set on 25 seconds, then I think it has to wait one minute to reset, then it takes the photo, then it needs one more minute to reset. When you watch the videos, it's evident just how much can take place in 25 seconds, let alone 1 minute. So needless to say, it's easy to miss stuff.
The new Cuddeback Captures are on backorder due to a 'delay in manufacturing', so I cant get my hands on one just yet, but I hope to have two more camera's up and running by the end of summer. Stay tuned.

Memorial Weekend

I have been spending less time in the woods lately. With the outbursts of ticks, mosquitos, and poison ivy, it will likely be less and less in the months to come. However, I will still be checking and moving trail cameras. Steph and I were out yesterday morning cutting a few trees down so I could see another50 yards from my permanent stand. Also I wanted to cut until we hit a tree big enough to set up a trophy rock out there. Well we finally found one and right near the end of falling it, I got the chain pinched in the tree. "Stupid Tree!"
After getting dad's chainsaw out there, he and I were able to cut just enough on the side to roll the tree off the stump and, more importantly, off the saw. I still have about a dozen trees to cut to make thing how I want it down that strip, but I suppose I'll be back out there again in a week or two.
As far as trail cameras, I'm still only running the one. The number of pictures have lessened a bit, but I'm optimistic that by putting out the old thick molasses, they'll pick up here in the next two weeks. I ended up switching the camera to video though. The biggest reason I wanted to switch it to video mode is because Sunday morning the 25th, we woke up to five bucks crossing the corner of the yard up at The Hill. This tells me that they're finally getting into their bachelor groups. When the camera is set on picture mode, it takes a picture when triggered, but then has to wait one full minute to process the picture. A lot can happen in one minute. Those five bucks were there and gone in about two or three minutes. So, I set the camera to take 25 second videos. Yes, the camera still needs one minute to reset, but at least this way, we'll get a better look at each deer. The only downside to video mode is how much it sucks the batteries. I'll likely have to go change them in two weeks.
Anyway, it's going to be interesting to watch the antler growth of these bucks. There were at least three of them that I would call mature (4 years old or older).

Ursus Americanus

After an amazing lunch over at Grandpa and Grandma's, we headed up to the hill. We called to see if Chris and Jill wanted to come up, which they did. Jill and Gabriella stayed in the cabin and relaxed. I don't hold it against Gabriella for not coming out in the woods. It would take her forever to cover any ground. Five month-olds. Haha.

Anyway, we headed into the cedars and split up. Stephanie was up for a couple days and her and mom went together for the first part of the walk. Chris and I walked about 30 yards apart from each other in the cedars. After about 15-20 minutes, I came across a skull. I thought it was a deer skull, which wouldn't be anything too out of the ordinary, but when I turned it over, I saw the molars were way too big. You might think I'm an idiot, but half of the top part of it was gone, deteriorated or something, but just not there. Also, the canine teeth were missing, which would've been a giveaway. I realized it was a bear skull. It was definately a small bear, maybe a yearling. I walked over towards Chris and showed him. It was the first bear skull I'd ever found. We continued on walking and after about 5 more minutes, i saw another skull that was sitting upside down and was in good condition. I knew right away that this was another bear skull. This was pretty weird to find my first two bear skulls 75 yards from each other. Both of which were small (yearling) cub skulls. My theory is that they were old enough to make it into hibernation, but if mom was killed or something, they may have left the den in search of food and just didn't make it. Or they were both shot and left, but there wasnt really any place to sit and hunt back there. On this leg of our walk, Chris and I also came across the biggest deer droppings I've ever seen. Now that might now fascinate many people, but when you've seen as much deer poop as I have, and suddenly some sticks out as enormous, it's strikes me as interesting. But we kept crossing it and so that kind of let us know a general area of travel or time spent by, what I think was, an older deer - probably a buck. Eventually, we met up with mom and Steph and made our way to the Little Hill.

We all walked south towards the road and weaved in and out of good deer trails from the early winter. We popped out 100 yards from the road and decided it was getting too wet. Oh, by the way, Christopher didn't have water boots on. By this point, he's absolutely soaked up to his knees. Poor guy. Anyway, we turned East and curled back north, trying not to cover our same tracks. We headed north-northeast back towards the three corner. We saw a lot of rubs and buck sign from november, but nothing as far as antlers.

I'm betting most of my money that for whatever the reason, the deer spent most of their time in the cedar swamps. Both at the Hill and at the Refuge. I might get out a couple more times before green up, but you can bet I'll stick near the edges of the cedars.

Wickin' Water

This last week has brought us some rediculous weather for April 23rd-27th. Tuesday and Wednesday weren't too odd, but just not ideal for being out. But then it turned cold and the snows came. Before the snow came, Joe and I were able to go out to the Bog for a few wet walks. It was raining all morning, but we only had the one day free, so... well that's what we do. It was a good day to realize that I'm lacking in the area of rain gear.
Our first walk, we put on about a mile or two zig-zagging through on the ridge by the Big Stone. I found one kill, but no bones. More importantly, no head. After about an hour of walking, my buckskin gloves were soaking wet. Of course, trudging through thick briar chasing rabbits isn't the best way to stay dry on a day like this. It was a neat falling haze of rain until about 11 or noon. Then it stopped. We went up to the Flaten crossing and went west/northwest on an old trail that i'd never been on. It was kinda cool. A ways back there we found a dead bobcat, which struck me as odd. Possibly trapped outta season or something and just left. Anyway, we didn't really find anything breathtaking back there. The trail went right up to the border, so we headed back to the East paralleling it back to the road. By this point we were both soaked.
We hopped in the Exploder and headed back to the Hill for something to eat.
The second our clothes were dry enough to bare, we headed back out for one last walk.
On our third little trip, we hung around the northwest end of the firing line. This was a really beneficial walk as far as last fall's bucks sign goes. We found dozens of scrapes in a pretty confined area and a few intersections and travel routes that you can tell were getting used during or just after rifle season. The thing was, the deer wouldn't have ever needed to cross the firing line. So even though we didn't find any antlers or other cool items (well joe found Gatorade's prototype can), we gained a lot of knowledge of what the bucks were doing last fall. Or more significant, where they were running.