October 29, 2009

It has been a frustrating season so far.  Very few deer.  The other day I did have a small buck under me early in the morning and in the afternoon I was in the stand that is on the east side of the creek and at the south end of the property.  At 6pm four doe passed about 100 yards from me as they fed up the creek bottom.  The next afternoon I was in the ladder stand which is very close to the creek assuming that the doe would make the same trip the next day and I could shoot one for Katie’s Kitchen, the community meal site that our church supports.  They use a huge amount of venison to feed 120+ people every Thursday. 

I also wanted to shoot a deer in the evening so my neighbor, a young lad named Matt, would be able to be able to have the experience of helping me to retrieve and clean the animal.  Didn’t see a thing that night.  I think it is still a bit early in the season and I will try to be patient.

Today I raked leaves until after 4 o’clock and decided to sit in a tree for the end of the day.  Because I was quite sweaty from the leaf raking I changed my undershirt and applied some non-scent deodorant.  No time to take a shower.  As I walked into the woods I spooked a large doe that ran out of the hollow and toward the back yards of the houses just up the street.  As she ran I saw another tail ahead of her.  Maybe things are changing.  It was just after 5 by the time I was in my stand.  I set out three scent rags with Doe in Heat from West Wind Whitetails (www.westwindwhitetails.com).  I also put some of the urine in an aerosol bottle so I can periodically spray the scent into the air.  It’s pretty important to know which way the wind is blowing before misting with the urine.  Although it doesn’t have an offensive smell, it’s not a good idea to have the wind blow it back into your face or on your clothes.  It’s important not to encourage the deer to look up into the tree to locate the source of that enticing smell.

Scent is a big deal for the archery hunter.  The are a variety of urine scents, regular doe urine, doe in heat urine and dominant buck urine.  They all smell different, even to me.  Some people use other kinds of urine, like fox as a cover scent.  I never bothered with that.  I try to manage my own scent by using an unscented deodorant and by spraying my boots and armpits and crouch with a scent killing spray as I leave the house.  This time of the year, the woods are filled with their own senescence, as leaves begin the slow process of decay adding to the richness of the soil on the forest floor.   

After a cloudy day, the sun came about 5:30 and the drab day brightened considerably.  Several barberry bushes were scattered beneath my stand, some with red leaves, some yellow and some a bit of both.  Then I noticed quite a few Witch Hazel trees in full bloom.  The yellow of the blossoms always stands in brilliant contrast to the much darker colors of the forest after the leaves have fallen.  The small flowers may be there before the Witch Hazel looses it leaves, but until the leaves fall the delicate flower is for the most part hidden.  One of my favorite stands in a previous year is located in the midst of a large stand of Witch Hazel.  That’s a nice consolation prize if the deer aren’t moving.

Soon I saw a lone deer coming down the hill on the other side of the creek.  It looked like a small doe and it soon disappeared into the brush about 50 yards in front of me.  I mist some urine into the air and give a couple bleats with my doe in heat call.  No response from the doe.  At 6 o”clock a small six point buck with a nicely shaped 12-14 inch rack came by, nose to the ground going down the hollow on the other side of the creek.  He passed about 40 yards from me.  I thought about toying with him using my grunt or the bleat, but  I decided against it.  Better to allow him to peacefully pass for now.  I don’t want him to detect me and possibly alarm another deer that I might like to take.  Next year he will probably be a shooter.

Ten minutes later I decided to rattle.  Last year on three or four occasions I was able to bring bucks in by rattling antlers to imitate a fight.  Nothing today.  As darkness was falling I watched a grey squirrel going in and out of a hole in the side of a cherry tree on the other side of the creek.  A Screech Owl began its mournful whinny and the elk started to bugle.  The neighbor has a few elk,  at least one bull.  These are Rocky Mountain Elk and therefore not native to PA, but it’s still nice to hear the bugle.  A flock of Canada Geese flew by honking loudly as if to announce that it was time to turn in.  I climbed out of the stand.  Still no shots, but another nice late afternoon in the woods.

10/20/09

It was a tiring day after a late meeting last evening.  After visiting a parishioner in Harmarville I decided to end the day in a tree.  I left the house for the woods behind the house at 4:30.  As I rounded the corner of the garage I spooked two deer that were standing in my front yard.  They didn’t go far.  I was of course in full camo and as I approached the edge of the yard, there they stood.  The fawm bolted but the big doe stayed there giving me a perfect broadside shot at 15 yds.  It just didn’t seem right to shoot her that close to the house, so I passed on by.  Never saw another deer.  Maybe I should have shot her just as pest control.  They have been killing my rhodedendrons and hostas.  Actually, I’m glad she is still around to attrack a buck hopefully another day.

10/18 new spot

This morning I met my friend Rob at 6:30 to try a new spot where he had found several scrapes.  It was 26 degrees so I was wearing lots of layers.  It was necessary to use my Lone Wolf climbing stand which is always a bit more difficult when I have too many clothes on.  On the way in we heard an owl hooting.  We walked the edge of a power line for a short ways and it really sounded like the owl was on the electrical power line pole. 

Entering the woods was a bit noisy.  Then my flash light battery went dead.  I followed Rob until he came to a tree that he suggested I use.  It was a large White Oak.  My tree stand barely fit around the trunk, but I was able to climb up before daybreak.  I couldn’t go quite as high as I wanted because of a small branch that was growing out of the other side of the tree, thus preventing a climb above about 12 feet.  As I was securing my safety belt around the tree I heard something fall to the ground.  In the darkness I couldn’t see it, but soon discoved that it must be the security strap for the seat of the climber.  I decided to just be a bit more careful, rather than climbing down to recover the strap and back up. 

Then I remembered that I had neglected to set out my doe urine.  It was still in a zip-lock bag in one of my pockets.  I emptied the bag from the stand and the two urine soaked stips of my old long underwear fell to the ground at the base of the tree.  I then attached a bow holder to the side of the tree and pulled the bow up and nocked an arrow.  It was just beginning to get light.  As the morning dawned I saw a beautiful section of woods, many white oaks, a few red oaks and maples.  About 50 yards to my right and below me was a the bottom of a draw and I soon noticed a well used deer trail coming down the other side of the trail toward me. 

The leaves were falling like rain and making just enough noise to make me wonder if I was hearing a deer approach. ………. Just leaves.  Finally at nine o’clock I saw my first wildlife, a Grey squirrel.  Soon after, a Fox squirrel came by, but no deer.  I climbed down at 9:30 and learned that Rob had climbed out of his tree 30 minutes before.  Neither of us saw a deer in spite of perfect habitat and lots of sign.  I hope to go back in a week on so once the rut really kicks in.

10/17, camera

The trailcam had a picture of a nice 8 point buck last night at 8:41.  It wasn’t huge, but a decent 15-16 inch spread.  The camera also showed several raccoons, a few doe, and a six point buck.  Not the one I saw today.  Once the rut starts, I’ll do some rattling and I suspect I’ll have some adventures.

10/17/09,a walk in the woods

I have not been out all week.  An unexpected funeral in addition to the normal parish work.  It also has been unseasonably cold, even our first traces of snow.  It was 33 degrees this morning with a light rain and snow mix, so I went to the church and finished my sermon, then came home and split a wheelbarrow full of firewood and then decided to put on the camo and take a slow, quiet walk in the woods.  I was thinking that the cold weather may have caused the rut to kick in a little early, so my goal for the walk was to find a fresh scrape.  I was carrying two 4 ounce bottles of urine, one doe and one buck which I intended to add to any scrape I might find.  It is plain doe urine, no estrus yet, although I think I will be able to buy some to the fresh, good stuff next week.  I have a call in to order a quart from West Wind Whitetails in Kane, Pa.  Mom is coming down for a visit next Thursday and she would be able to bring some fresh doe in heat urine.  It’s cheaper to buy by the quart, so my friend Don and I will split it.  A pint should be plenty, don’t you think?  I was carrying my bow just in case.  Also, since it is Saturday, I was willing to shoot a doe so that my 7 year old neighbor would be able to experience helping me gut and drag a deer.

Because of the recent rain and snow, the walking was quiet.  I went into the north end of the hollow and crossed the creek.  No sign.  As I approached the draw on the other side of the creek I saw a small tree that appeared to sport a fresh rub, but on closer examination, it was only woodpecker damage.  As soon as I crossed the draw, a buck jumped up from his bed, only 50 yards in front of me.  It was a small rack, but the body looked pretty big.  The buck was looking straight at me and after waiting a minute or so I slowly moved to the right.  I didn’t want to really spook the deer, but I also wanted to finish my survey and get on with other things.  Soon I had a tree between us so I moved a bit faster away from the deer.  Then I saw that the deer was coming toward me.  I put another tree between us and moved faster yet, only to see the buck begin to trot in my direction.  He would stop and lift his nose and try to identify me.  Then it occured to me that maybe he could smell the bottles of urine in my pocket.  I was sure they weren’t leaking but maybe there was a drop around the spout on either bottle that would be noticeable.  I couldn’t smell it and it was in my vest pocket which isn’t far from my nose, but my nose isn’t nearly as long or as sensitive as a deer’s.  As I continued to move the buck gave a half hearted snort and bounded up the hollow.

Shortly after that I replaced the card in my trail camera.  I suspect it only has picture of that small buck.  If there is something larger, I’ll post again.  The walk back to the house was uneventful.  I know I spooked another deer because I came to a fresh bed at the bottom of the briar patch near the grave of our dog, Dotty.  More about her perhaps in a later post.  She was a great companion and magnificent rabbit dog who died last spring after a prolonged illness.

October 8, 2009

Another nice morning to be in the woods.  The moon was very full as I left the house.  I really didn’t need a flashlight except for the danger of braking small sticks that might alert a nearby deer.  I returned to the ladder stand below the house in spite of seeing nothing there a few days ago.  This stand should really be a good one, several trails within 20 yards of the stand.

That unidentified owl again called from the point behind me.  Then two Screech Owls began a conversation on the hill across the stream to my right.  I was really baffled the first time I heard a Screech Owl several years ago.  It was summer and the bedroom window was open.   I heard this loud and very sad cry which I couldn’t identify.  It was possitively eery!  It almost sounded human and in my half sleep I wondered if a child were lost in the woods.  The next day my Peterson’s Guide to Birds of the Northeast relieved my mind as I read that the call of a Screech Owl is a “low, mournful whinney”.

Soon the other little birds began to greet the day and the squirrels and chipmunks began their regular journeys up and down the hickorys and oaks, dislodging and gathering the harvest.  A flock of Robins made its presence known.   They surely were feeling the urge to begin their flight south for the coming winter.

At 8:30 I finally saw my first deer or perhaps two, across the creek.  There are still so many leaves that I didn’t see them well.  They were about 100 yards away and they came no closer.   Then it was time to go to the office.  Much waits for me on the desk.  The season is still early.  The rut hasn’t really started yet, but it will happen soon and I plan to be in a tree when it does.

Oct 5,2009 am

The moon was full and there was no wind as I walked carefully to the ladder stand below the house.  Everything was very still and the slight sound of my boots striking the ground or brushing against the grass seemed louder than necessary.  After hanging two pieces of cloth soaked in doe urine on nearby tall weeds, I carefully climbed the ladder.  Once the bow was hanging from the small hickory, just a foot from the one that supported my stand, I attached my safety belt about chest high to the larger hickory.  As deliberately and carefully as I could I took put on my face mask and strapped the trigger release to my right wrist before knocking an arrow and replacing the bow on the hanger.  Now it was time to wait and listen.  Dawn would soon be here.

An owl hooted from the point behind me.  I wished I could identify more birds by their song.  It wasn’t a screech owl.  That one I know.  This owl remains nameless, but it was nice to hear his call.  The acorns and hickory nuts were periodically falling to the forest floor and then the first calls of the daytime birds.  Nuthatches and blue jays and some other small birds that I couldn’t identify until I saw one only a few feet from my perch.  It was a wren of some sort-plain brown with it’s tail held erect.  The surrounding trees, most of which still had their leaves now came into focus in the early morning light.  Traffic could be heard in the distance.  People going to work.  It was my day off.  I didn’t have to be anywhere, so I was sitting in a tree in the woods.

Several wrens were now calling loudly from a nearby red oak and I wondered what the excitement was about.  Then one of them, probably the same one that I had just seen, flew to a branch just a couple feet from my face and scolded my roundly for being there.  I tried to be as unthreatening as I possibly could be and sent a barrage of peaceful thoughts and pleas for her not to tell the other animals I was there.  Soon she left and within a few minutes a Grey Squirel made his way down the trunk of a white oak just beside the deer trail 20 yards to my north.  After reaching the ground he hopped from log to log and went right under my stand.  Soon several Red Bellied Woodpeckers could be heard in a large hickory tree, and then a few White Breasted Nuthatches.

Another Grey Squirrel approached my tree on a similar path as the first one, but the second Grey stopped to bury an acorn in the soft ground less than 10 yards in front of me.  A chipmunk approached the squirrel and the Grey was clearly annoyed with the intrusion.  The squirrel would jump at the chipmunk, who was easily agile enough to avoid the attack.  It appeared that the chipmunk may have been trying to steal the acorn from the squirrel.  I enjoyed their little exchange until the chipmunk  finally ran off.  He probably would remember where the acorn was better than the squirrel would.

A Red Tailed Hawk screamed a couple times as it circled above.  A glance at my watch revealed that it I had been on the stand 45 minutes.  I wasn’t sure if the deer would approach from behind me or in front of me so it was necessary to regularly turn my head and twist the trunk of my body so that I could seen behind me.  After looking all around I decided to stand up for a little while.  This felt good after sitting for now over an hour and I soon realized that it was much easier to gently turn so that I could seen in all directions when standing than it was to turn from a sitting position.  While standing the necessary twisting to see 360 degrees could be accomplished with the help of all the joints in the lower body and not just he spine, shoulders and neck.   

Julie Bologna, the channel 11 meteorologist said it was 42 degrees when I left the house.  I was at first concerned that I had over-dressed, but now I was glad for every stitch I was wearing.   At 8:45 I decided to go in and eat breakfast.   I didn’t see a single deer in my first outing of the season.  But it was a wonderful morning to be in the woods.

At the beginning of the 2009 archery season I have one ladder stand(A) in the valley below the house.  It is near the intersection of two heavily traveled trails.  Also about 300 yards to the south of this stand and on the other side of a small stream I have a hang on stand(B) which is within 20 yards of a couple les used trails, but last year there was a scrape nearby.  Up the hollow by 200 yards of so I have two more hang on stands, one near the stream and a couple trails(C) and the other further up the hill but near a bedding area(D).   I have given them letters for now.  Perhaps I’ll come up with a better way to identify them as the season progresses.

I also have done some scouting in PA Game Lands 95 and have found some fresh rubs there.  Finally I was given permission by a local landowner to hunt his 40 acres across Rt 8 in wildlife management unit 1A.  It should be a good year.  When hunting on other properties I will use my Lone Wolf climbing stand.  I always feel less secure in a climber, but I try to be very careful and always have a safety harness.  I also will try to take a friend with me if I am hunting using my climber.

first day

Tomorrow is the first day of archery season and I am busy all day at the office. My day off is Monday and I plan to spend at least a couple hours sitting in a tree in the valley behind the house.

I very much look forward to writing regular Nimrod Notes to record these sure to be exciting times! And I very much hope that there may be a few readers who will share my enthusiasm and perhaps be willing to share a comment.

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