Yes, its that time a of year. Stores across the nation are putting up Halloween decorations in front of the thanksgiving day specials with just enough space in the back for the Christmas trees to be on display. Crazy right?... Well that's not what I am talking about, let me stop sandbagging...its hunting season. It turns grown man into little kids, asking their wives, girlfriends, or domestic partners to go sit in the woods for day. It makes you feel like Santa is coming, and when your parents would hold it over your head if you were bad. I remember my parents making the fake phone calls to Santa to correct my behavior.
As the hours get closer to opening day, hunters like myself start reviewing our wish list like the letters we used to craft up for Santa. Our trigger fingers are so anxious to get a shot, so long as the antlers are big enough. In Pennsylvania my experience growing up, the deer would be bolting across the field and the lead would be chasing his tail and would never quite connect. I watch these hunting shows now a days and large monster bucks just grazing around hunter in the tree. It never seemed to be that slow, it was one shoot or share your siting with the hunting party back at the lodge.
So let's review my Santa wish list this year. The most notable buck is the young 8 pointer from last year, with his towering wide rack and perfect frame would be my first choice. We played cat and mouse all last year but by the end of the season, it seemed like I was the mouse. I would walk out the woods past my trail camera and 15 minutes later he followed my foot steps. Another mainframe 8 pointer has shown up in the past few weeks which could be a good up and comer. The wide 6 would be a fine choice, which has the huge spread and is most likely a younger generation of the buck I shot last year. From there on down, a mix of small 5 points and basket rack deer round out the minor league. Those smaller deer would be good management harvests to remove unwanted genetics and to fill my stocking (freezer).
There is always the off chance during the peak of rut, that a deer you never saw before, steps out and blows your mind. My western PA hunting location is like that. With lots of land ~600 acres (that's a lot for PA) it provides that off chance for a dream buck to pop up in front of you. Its just the "wonder factor" sometimes that hunters wait for as we huddle in our tree stands for hours on end. My wonder factor is set on that huge present that mom and dad (I mean Santa) stuck behind the Christmas tree for you to open last. Would it be a new bike, an air hockey table, or that buck of a life time? In my case it's that young 8 pointer to finally allow me to see him in person.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Slickhead Hunting
Well hard work paid off, scouting, preparing, and patience. I was able to harvest the first deer of the season which seems like its been too long already. With 5 sits in thus far, a doe came up from the ravine which is pretty typical but not in the day light. This is the first deer I harvested at an evening sit in my local hunting spot. The morning hunts have always produced deer movement and by keeping in check with my trail camera, it allowed me to follow suit on the recent deer activity.
The morning sit during this hunt, only produced a midget sized doe. I thought the vegetation was high but in reality this little dwarf was really small. My tree stand had proved to be too uncomfortable for an all day affair, so I retreated home, got a quick nap under my belt and returned with my ground blind. Shucks, I forgot my chair like an absent minded professor leaving out the key ingredient in his science experiment. Well I made do by sitting on my block archery target and the seat cushion from my tree stand, hey it worked.
I don't blame my hang on tree stand for being uncomfortable though. The big game series tree stand is excellent. The trees at my local hunting spot on the other hand seem to grow crooked which doesn't allow me to lean backward but forward for the most part. The area is limited on quality trees, meaning only those trees that wouldn't break when I climbed them. The forest is covered with juniper trees that have a poor root system in this area. Strong storms and winds have knocked over a dozen or so last year. So my stand is situated on the outskirts of the dense, low canopy cover in a large tree of unknown origin. Again, sometimes you have to play the hand given to you.
The deer could be scene in the distance from my ground blind location. They were chasing each other like recess in elementary school. It was quite entertaining. This meant they were quite out of range for my bow. By utilizing my grunt call, I tried to get one more curious than usual and travel up the ravine sooner. My ground blind has been a better choice anyway for this setup, high ground vegetation (early season) and low forest canopy with lack of suitable stand locations. I know I said that you have to play with the hand given, but I pulled out an ace for this situation. The ground blind increased my huntability by a 1000. I can see 60 yards in some lanes of the forest and effective shooting distance to 30 yards. This odds were a like a pair of pocket queens compared to my tree stand location with was a 3, 8 off suit (for poker enthusiasts).
The sunset was quickly approaching and the same time at which deer had been appearing on camera. I stood up to take a quick stretch as my chair setup wasn't ideal for comfort. And there was the deer, starring me down like I had four heads. It usually doesn't end well when you get caught with your pants down (figuratively in this case). Being a seasoned hunter I froze, waited for the moment when the deer looked down and then sat back down quickly and quietly. The ground blind was a new change to the area, so the deer was extremely cautious. A few steps later it turned broadside and I capitalized on the 20 yard opportunity. the shoot was near perfect and led to harvesting a good animal.
Slickhead season has started folks, may your arrows fly true and straight.
The morning sit during this hunt, only produced a midget sized doe. I thought the vegetation was high but in reality this little dwarf was really small. My tree stand had proved to be too uncomfortable for an all day affair, so I retreated home, got a quick nap under my belt and returned with my ground blind. Shucks, I forgot my chair like an absent minded professor leaving out the key ingredient in his science experiment. Well I made do by sitting on my block archery target and the seat cushion from my tree stand, hey it worked.
I don't blame my hang on tree stand for being uncomfortable though. The big game series tree stand is excellent. The trees at my local hunting spot on the other hand seem to grow crooked which doesn't allow me to lean backward but forward for the most part. The area is limited on quality trees, meaning only those trees that wouldn't break when I climbed them. The forest is covered with juniper trees that have a poor root system in this area. Strong storms and winds have knocked over a dozen or so last year. So my stand is situated on the outskirts of the dense, low canopy cover in a large tree of unknown origin. Again, sometimes you have to play the hand given to you.
The deer could be scene in the distance from my ground blind location. They were chasing each other like recess in elementary school. It was quite entertaining. This meant they were quite out of range for my bow. By utilizing my grunt call, I tried to get one more curious than usual and travel up the ravine sooner. My ground blind has been a better choice anyway for this setup, high ground vegetation (early season) and low forest canopy with lack of suitable stand locations. I know I said that you have to play with the hand given, but I pulled out an ace for this situation. The ground blind increased my huntability by a 1000. I can see 60 yards in some lanes of the forest and effective shooting distance to 30 yards. This odds were a like a pair of pocket queens compared to my tree stand location with was a 3, 8 off suit (for poker enthusiasts).
The sunset was quickly approaching and the same time at which deer had been appearing on camera. I stood up to take a quick stretch as my chair setup wasn't ideal for comfort. And there was the deer, starring me down like I had four heads. It usually doesn't end well when you get caught with your pants down (figuratively in this case). Being a seasoned hunter I froze, waited for the moment when the deer looked down and then sat back down quickly and quietly. The ground blind was a new change to the area, so the deer was extremely cautious. A few steps later it turned broadside and I capitalized on the 20 yard opportunity. the shoot was near perfect and led to harvesting a good animal.
Slickhead season has started folks, may your arrows fly true and straight.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Sika Out
Miles on the odometer and hours in the stand but no sika deer for me. I traveled down to the Ellis Bay wildlife management area (WMA), in Nanticoke, MD. This was a dual purpose trip, scouting a new area and shooting a deer if the chance arose. It all started with traffic and pouring rain on Interstate 95. The trip definitely had some highs and lows but long story short, the area would not prove to be effective to hunt in coming months.
I arrived at the campground for my home base with pouring rain still dropping from the sky. So I decided to scout out the boat launch located deep in the marsh area of the WMA. Of course the rain tapered off as soon as I left the campground when I could set up my tent. The boat launch was only a few miles away, and I turned off onto Muddy Hole Road, which in turn had some real meaning. This was a gravel/dirt road surrounded by thick woods and marsh. I could see standing water in the woods, as I had found out from locals that they had received ~20 inches of rain in the past two weeks.
After a long windy road and what I thought was banjo music, the boat ramp appeared. It was shady to say the least, the access channel only big enough for the boat to fit with chocolate brown water. A swarm of bugs tapping on the window like a welcoming party for blood donations. This was decision time: hunting solo, driving 15 minutes away from a hard surface road, a boat ramp looking like a pirate plank and water access with little to no depth for my boat. I decided to check out the local harbour located on the west side instead.
The public ramp in the harbour proved to be the better choice. Although it will add significant boat time to access the marsh, it was the lesser of two evils. I told myself, once I put my feet back on land from a long day of hunting, I want to be somewhere safe. The long dirt road drive at 3am was creepy enough. So I dropped the boat in the water, grabbed scouting gear and took to the bay. The ride was okay, and after a 15 minute cruise I was glassing the marsh. The grass and vegetation on the outskirts was lower than Fishing Bay. By standing on my front deck, it was possible to see up to the forest line and the marsh area itself.
The marsh area seemed to be a step back in time. Bald eagles soaring above and perched up in pine tree overlooking the waterways. Black water snakes swimming across the windy creeks like synchronized swimmers as my boat glided by. With a promising area picked out, I returned to home base to cook up some chicken and rice to fuel my future hunt needs.
Morning rolled around quickly as they always do and off I was. I allowed the sun to come up a bit to light the way around the point and to the marsh. I was unfamiliar with the waterways and a little extra caution meant not running aground. The rising sun was magnificent as it came up over the bay. Within minutes I was up my tree in my new summit climber and glassing the marsh. Although the morning seemed to have the potential for greatness, I went with out seeing any sika deer. The afternoon sit brought the same luck. Although I heard another hunter trying to bugle it was definitely premature to fool a sika stag.
The trip was a good use of time in the early season to scout new areas and provide learning's for future hunts. With the data gathered from the trip though, I would plan to hunt Fishing Bay in October. The overall access to that hunting area was a lot easier and less dangerous. Although the hunting pressure is higher, we plan to be the early birds to beat out the competition. Until then, hunt hard and stay safe.
I arrived at the campground for my home base with pouring rain still dropping from the sky. So I decided to scout out the boat launch located deep in the marsh area of the WMA. Of course the rain tapered off as soon as I left the campground when I could set up my tent. The boat launch was only a few miles away, and I turned off onto Muddy Hole Road, which in turn had some real meaning. This was a gravel/dirt road surrounded by thick woods and marsh. I could see standing water in the woods, as I had found out from locals that they had received ~20 inches of rain in the past two weeks.
After a long windy road and what I thought was banjo music, the boat ramp appeared. It was shady to say the least, the access channel only big enough for the boat to fit with chocolate brown water. A swarm of bugs tapping on the window like a welcoming party for blood donations. This was decision time: hunting solo, driving 15 minutes away from a hard surface road, a boat ramp looking like a pirate plank and water access with little to no depth for my boat. I decided to check out the local harbour located on the west side instead.
The public ramp in the harbour proved to be the better choice. Although it will add significant boat time to access the marsh, it was the lesser of two evils. I told myself, once I put my feet back on land from a long day of hunting, I want to be somewhere safe. The long dirt road drive at 3am was creepy enough. So I dropped the boat in the water, grabbed scouting gear and took to the bay. The ride was okay, and after a 15 minute cruise I was glassing the marsh. The grass and vegetation on the outskirts was lower than Fishing Bay. By standing on my front deck, it was possible to see up to the forest line and the marsh area itself.
The marsh area seemed to be a step back in time. Bald eagles soaring above and perched up in pine tree overlooking the waterways. Black water snakes swimming across the windy creeks like synchronized swimmers as my boat glided by. With a promising area picked out, I returned to home base to cook up some chicken and rice to fuel my future hunt needs.
Morning rolled around quickly as they always do and off I was. I allowed the sun to come up a bit to light the way around the point and to the marsh. I was unfamiliar with the waterways and a little extra caution meant not running aground. The rising sun was magnificent as it came up over the bay. Within minutes I was up my tree in my new summit climber and glassing the marsh. Although the morning seemed to have the potential for greatness, I went with out seeing any sika deer. The afternoon sit brought the same luck. Although I heard another hunter trying to bugle it was definitely premature to fool a sika stag.
The trip was a good use of time in the early season to scout new areas and provide learning's for future hunts. With the data gathered from the trip though, I would plan to hunt Fishing Bay in October. The overall access to that hunting area was a lot easier and less dangerous. Although the hunting pressure is higher, we plan to be the early birds to beat out the competition. Until then, hunt hard and stay safe.
C'mere Deer
Well after a few weeks of what seems like the same few deer walking up to my trail camera, an old face resurfaced. I was like a little kid in a candy store when I saw the picture. Doe, doe, fawn and doe, doe, big buck! It was the young 8 from last year and man he had really blown up. His perfect mainframe 8 point rack towered over his ears. His saggy belly and huge frame compared to any deer standing next to him. For as hot as a summer that we experienced, he must have found a great food source to keep that body mass on.
Like I said before, its been weeks of seeing the same deer, coming in taking a few bites of corn and walking away. This time I had tried something different. I refilled my feeder with shelled corn again and then sprinkled c'mere deer seed coat on it. Was this the determining factor to bring in this big buck and 15 other deer that hadn't been seen either? Or was it shear chance that they had just started coming back into the area again. Tough call, but based on jump in numbers of deer present, I would say the seed coat had something to do with it. The length of time spent in front of the camera also varied from before, its as if they were settling up for a black friday sales event. Did I mention that four other bucks showed up too. The basket 6 pointer looked like a dwarf compared to the new bucks in town.
So without further delay, let's take a look at the gang.
Like I said before, its been weeks of seeing the same deer, coming in taking a few bites of corn and walking away. This time I had tried something different. I refilled my feeder with shelled corn again and then sprinkled c'mere deer seed coat on it. Was this the determining factor to bring in this big buck and 15 other deer that hadn't been seen either? Or was it shear chance that they had just started coming back into the area again. Tough call, but based on jump in numbers of deer present, I would say the seed coat had something to do with it. The length of time spent in front of the camera also varied from before, its as if they were settling up for a black friday sales event. Did I mention that four other bucks showed up too. The basket 6 pointer looked like a dwarf compared to the new bucks in town.
So without further delay, let's take a look at the gang.
The young 8, which is now a mature wall hanger.
The high 6, a new comer to the area.
The 5 alive, a familiar face from last year.
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