Post by RodnGun on Sept 6, 2005 10:16:06 GMT -5
Time to catch up on what I've been doing so far this season.
July 2005 - Went up to the camp in New Hampshire twice this month to begin scouting potential new stand sites to add to my 'ole reliable sites. Took a walk on the first visit in an area I've not hunted yet. It's so dry that I went to an area where there are two sizable "watering holes". Found a lot of fresh sign and old rubs. Saw two does with fawns and saw two velvet bucks. Found a funnel area where two heavily used trails cross near these two water holes and picked out two stand locations depending on wind direction - SW wind early bow season and NW wind location for later in the season or when cold fronts start moving through.
Second trip scouted area 2 miles from camp. Found this area in the spring after tagging my gobbler. Looks promising.....lots of sign but will need to spend more time with topo and aerial photos looking for potential natural funnels as there are 100's of acres to investigate. Water again is a hard thing to find.
August - three trips to camp this month. First trip (August 6-7) to check old stand sites and look for any shooting lane trimming that might need to be done. Stands checked and minimal trimming needed. Leave these alone now until the opener on the 15th of September. Did some work to the roof of camp....more tar to take care of a couple of new leaks noted with the snow build up on the roof last winter.....have to spend some serious time on this next year and may need to replace the entire roof! Even with a couple of days of rain lately....every bit of water was sucked into the ground.
Second trip to camp (August 15) combined a trip to a client in NH with a stop by camp. Took topo and aerial photos to new area that was visited in July. Found timber cutters and area where looks like new houses are going to be built in one area that will force these deer to change their movements in the area as it looks like this area will be torn up for at least a couple of months based on the activity and inroads the work crews are making in the area. Lots of places for them to go. Moved to another area 1/4 mile from this activity and found a sweet area full of hardwoods up on a flat and a water hole that is being used heavily. Better mast crop looks like compared to last year which was a bust. Found a couple of sites to pack in one of my portables and give this area a try.
Third trip in August on 20 and 21st - looking for sites to place a couple of stands where I've seen a lot of bear sign the last couple of years as I'm determined to get a bruin in my bow sight this year.....it would be my first with a bow. Areas where blackberries growing show both bears and deer have been working out. Found a couple of sites and placed one hang-on stand near a small hardwood stand of trees where a scratching post (that's what I call it anyway) shows a bear has clawed the tree and a lot of old and new scat in the area. Bear season starts before archery deer so I'll be back up before the deer season starts.
General comments to catch this up to today:
Camped in Connecticut Labor day weekend....but one troubling fact.....acorns are already falling! Mostly green acorns, but some are starting to brown up.....but I don't like the fact that they are starting to fall this early. Are they falling because of the lack of rain most of the summer? There is just no water in any of the potholes that usually hold some water at the camp in NH and we are not due to get any meaningful rain for the next week per the forecast....which puts me near opening deer archery season. If this dry weather continues, I'm going to be concentrating around the few water holes that remain.
Massachusetts archery opener is the 17th of October. My MA hunting buddy has some new "patches" for us to check out this year....so I'll be getting with him this week so we can go check them out. Took a walk yesterday after getting back from camping at one place where I took an old buck with a busted up rack last year....and had a nice 8 point buck (guessing him to be a three or four year old) that passed by out of bow range before I took the 'ole man out at the end of deer season last year. Have to use a bow in this area as it's a "suburban deer" in a small patch near a swamp. If he made it through the winter and hasn't been taken out by an automobile...he should be even better this year.
Oh yeah....forgot I took a walk on the 24th in MA at a site I've never hunted. Looks promising but will have to do some homework and more time than I had today to locate a potential stand site. Area gets little to no pressure as the owner does not let anyone else in there (that he knows of anyway). Creek has only a couple of holes with water in them and there are plenty of tracks around them....again water could be a big key to my strategy this year if things remain as they are right now.
July 2005 - Went up to the camp in New Hampshire twice this month to begin scouting potential new stand sites to add to my 'ole reliable sites. Took a walk on the first visit in an area I've not hunted yet. It's so dry that I went to an area where there are two sizable "watering holes". Found a lot of fresh sign and old rubs. Saw two does with fawns and saw two velvet bucks. Found a funnel area where two heavily used trails cross near these two water holes and picked out two stand locations depending on wind direction - SW wind early bow season and NW wind location for later in the season or when cold fronts start moving through.
Second trip scouted area 2 miles from camp. Found this area in the spring after tagging my gobbler. Looks promising.....lots of sign but will need to spend more time with topo and aerial photos looking for potential natural funnels as there are 100's of acres to investigate. Water again is a hard thing to find.
August - three trips to camp this month. First trip (August 6-7) to check old stand sites and look for any shooting lane trimming that might need to be done. Stands checked and minimal trimming needed. Leave these alone now until the opener on the 15th of September. Did some work to the roof of camp....more tar to take care of a couple of new leaks noted with the snow build up on the roof last winter.....have to spend some serious time on this next year and may need to replace the entire roof! Even with a couple of days of rain lately....every bit of water was sucked into the ground.
Second trip to camp (August 15) combined a trip to a client in NH with a stop by camp. Took topo and aerial photos to new area that was visited in July. Found timber cutters and area where looks like new houses are going to be built in one area that will force these deer to change their movements in the area as it looks like this area will be torn up for at least a couple of months based on the activity and inroads the work crews are making in the area. Lots of places for them to go. Moved to another area 1/4 mile from this activity and found a sweet area full of hardwoods up on a flat and a water hole that is being used heavily. Better mast crop looks like compared to last year which was a bust. Found a couple of sites to pack in one of my portables and give this area a try.
Third trip in August on 20 and 21st - looking for sites to place a couple of stands where I've seen a lot of bear sign the last couple of years as I'm determined to get a bruin in my bow sight this year.....it would be my first with a bow. Areas where blackberries growing show both bears and deer have been working out. Found a couple of sites and placed one hang-on stand near a small hardwood stand of trees where a scratching post (that's what I call it anyway) shows a bear has clawed the tree and a lot of old and new scat in the area. Bear season starts before archery deer so I'll be back up before the deer season starts.
General comments to catch this up to today:
Camped in Connecticut Labor day weekend....but one troubling fact.....acorns are already falling! Mostly green acorns, but some are starting to brown up.....but I don't like the fact that they are starting to fall this early. Are they falling because of the lack of rain most of the summer? There is just no water in any of the potholes that usually hold some water at the camp in NH and we are not due to get any meaningful rain for the next week per the forecast....which puts me near opening deer archery season. If this dry weather continues, I'm going to be concentrating around the few water holes that remain.
Massachusetts archery opener is the 17th of October. My MA hunting buddy has some new "patches" for us to check out this year....so I'll be getting with him this week so we can go check them out. Took a walk yesterday after getting back from camping at one place where I took an old buck with a busted up rack last year....and had a nice 8 point buck (guessing him to be a three or four year old) that passed by out of bow range before I took the 'ole man out at the end of deer season last year. Have to use a bow in this area as it's a "suburban deer" in a small patch near a swamp. If he made it through the winter and hasn't been taken out by an automobile...he should be even better this year.
Oh yeah....forgot I took a walk on the 24th in MA at a site I've never hunted. Looks promising but will have to do some homework and more time than I had today to locate a potential stand site. Area gets little to no pressure as the owner does not let anyone else in there (that he knows of anyway). Creek has only a couple of holes with water in them and there are plenty of tracks around them....again water could be a big key to my strategy this year if things remain as they are right now.
