Spring Scouting & Mineral Sites

With the spring "green up" encroaching a little bit earlier than normal this year, I've really been wanting to get out and walk the entire "G" farm and neighboring field. Not only to see if I can get lucky and stumble upon a shed or two, but more importantly, I wanted to really spend some time stomping through the portions of the woods that I left mostly undisturbed last season. The other part of my mission was to get a mineral site or two established, not only to help provide some extra nutrition to the local herd that uses the property, but to also help add some extra attraction or holding power to the property.

With only a few hours available on a Saturday afternoon to get everything done that I wanted to do, I set out with my buddy Adam to walk some miles. From a big picture, scouting perspective what I took away was that last season I hunted good areas in general. However, there are better spots within the core of the property that need attention. The majority of the woods are somewhat "open" in their feel, with pockets of "thicker" edges at the far south east corner, as well as along the eastern edge of the creek that meanders along the western edge of the woods. These areas contained higher concentrations of sign (well used trails, rubs, etc.) which makes sense seeing as deer typically as edge related critters.

Later that night I looked back upon the day, and made some additional notes on the aerial map of the property to help me remember where I want to prepare some stand sites in the coming summer months. Not too much has changed form my initial map markings of prospective stand sites when I first gained access to the property last summer, but with bow hunting being a game of details, those initial first impression stand sites just need some further refinement. So, from a scouting perspective, that mission was accomplished.

Next on the agenda was establishing a mineral site or two, depending on the results from the scouting venture. The mineral mixture I used was a blend of a few products that were picked up at the local feed store, and should be enough to last at least a season or two. My buddy Jesse has an absolutely great write up on the "why's" & "how to's" of minerals, with the specific mixture that I used is in his article on TheOhioOutdoors.com http://www.theohiooutdoors.com/showthread.php?2921-DIY-Minerals-Part-1

After picking up the secret ingredients, I set to mixing up a few buckets worth in order to get the new sites established. Using an empty coffee canister as my measuring cup I poured out the equal parts called for in Jesse's recipe.

Then I simply poured the minerals from one 5 gallon bucket to an empty bucket, doing this back & forth several times (in the painting world this is called "boxing" together) until they were pretty well equally distributed.

After walking around and analyzing everything a bit more, it was decided that I would start off with two mineral sites at opposite ends of the woods. Viewing the sites from the aerial map, the distance doesn't look too far apart from one another, but from a two legs on the ground vantage point they sure are. The first site selected was at the far south east corner of the woods. There is actually a small 5 acres square extending off of the main block that extends outward like an "L" and touches the north west corner of the neighboring property. This formation funnels the deer movement from one block of woods to the other, and the amount of heavily used trails & clusters of rubbed up trees made establishing a site towards the "G" farm woods a optimal choice for allowing the deer to find and establish the new site.

Mineral site to be established at the base of the fallen tree pictured towards the center left above.

Minerals poured onto the stump, then using a hatchet to hack up the stump & mix the minerals into the wood and surrounding ground.

Moving along and up to the second site, I decided to put this one where there was more sign during the season. The highest concentration of scrapes was within this corner, as well as along the entire western edge of the field. The largest scrape within the woods stayed active from probably mid October through early December. The far western edge has an outside corner that is about 2/3 of the way up the block of woods. The ground here is one of the higher points of the property, contains a decently used trail following between the edge of the woods and the creek winding through. We'll see what happens I guess...

Using another downed & decomposing tree just a yard or so off of the main trail. 

All mixed in and ready for consumption.

I'll be able to check in on the progress of these sites later in April when back out at the property to try chasing some spring turkeys. Hopefully we'll have some signs of the deer starting to use the sites, and if I'm even luckier maybe a punched turkey tag.

2012 Deer Season kicks off... Shed Hunting with the Kids 2/19/12

In our house deer season never ends. While it's a fact that the State of Ohio DOW publishes their version of the Ohio Deer Season each and every year, those are really only the dates in which you must legally abide by if you would like to harvest a deer and wrap your tag around it's antlers. Looking at the big picture from 5,000 feet however, that's truly only one piece of the entire deer season. It's basically the climactic ending to all the months of preparation. It's the part of the season that all of the marketing campaigns, catalog sales, internet promotions, outdoor retailers, trade shows, and big time TV personalities make their living on. It's the smell of the autumn air, the cool mornings, the frost covered multi-colored leaves, fresh cut corn fields, and wood burner scented air. There's not doubt that on the calendar days falling between those officially published hunting season dates that most people think it's deer season because it's the part of the hunt that we all look forward to. It's game time.

But like I said, in our house deer season never really ends, it's a year round passion with ups, downs, lulls in action, peaks in activity, and breaks when needed. Right now, we're just coming off of the state's officially published deer season dates. Which means that it's the scouting portion of deer season. It's the best time of the year to get out and really walk, inspect, and study the spots that you plan to hunt next fall. The landscape is pretty much representative of what it's going to look like for the majority of "deer season" next fall with all of the leaves, ground cover, and foliage gone you can really get out and "see" the woods. You can map out rub lines, scrapes, bedding areas, trails, and all of the other deer sign that might have been overlooked when you didn't have the right wind to hunt a particular area you wanted to hunt. Plus, one of the biggest bonuses of all is you can try to locate the shed antlers of those surviving bucks that should be around in September, and will hopefully be sporting a bigger, beefier rack than they did last fall.

With that said, the kids & I packed some snacks, drinks, and the camera, grabbed Timber then headed out to the "G" farm to do a bit of walking on Sunday afternoon. As far as finding sheds goes, it can still be somewhat productive, but in general I try to hold off until early to mid March before I really start walking around. The "G" farm was a new property that I just got permission on last year, so I didn't get to scout very much other than some brief walks around to hang trail cameras during the summer. I hunted here a fair amount, but I never hunted a spot more than twice, only hunting spots with a favorable wind, and really stayed on the edges of the woods for the most part. After walking a bit here the last few weeks, I've already begun to gather thoughts on how that will change next fall.

Anyway, one thing that I wanted to try and do on this outing was to have my daughter find her first shed. It wasn't going to be easy, shed hunting never is, so I decided to stack the deck by slipping an old shed into my backpack while I was getting our gear ready. If we didn't come across any sheds on our own, then I could always fall back on good ole plan "B" to make the magic happen.

We rolled into the farm at about 1:30 and no sooner had I opened the door of the truck, were the kids already unbuckled and jumping out. Boots on, ready to roll. Timber bounded out of the back as I dropped the tailgate, off on the heals of the kids, probably racing past cast antlers laying long the fence row crossings. Oh well, they already new what block of woods we were heading toward so I just took my time in pursuit, slowly inspecting all the likely spots where a discarded antler might lay.

Off to the races

We continued down to the woods, inspecting trails, creek crossings, finding more rubs, and overlooked spots to hang stands. After a while I could see that the mud caked boots were starting to wear down the initial adrenaline surge from the kid's legs. It was about time to suggest that we look for a good log to take a breather on, grab a snack, and get ready for the long walk back to the truck.

With the kids occupied I told them I was going to go over and check the field edge for some good spots to hang a tree stand. They were content, with enough crackers & fruit snacks to keep them busy for at least a few minutes. So I made my way over to the planned exit route and looked around like I was actually looking for something. The kids were watching so this was gonna be tough. Then I spotted a big dead fall that provided enough cover to block their view, so I hurried up, flung open the pack, ripped out the tiny shed, and flung it over near a deer trail that entered into the open field. Time to head back and gather the troops for the hike out.

It wasn't much longer and I could put the plan into action. My daughter was leading the way when I saw her walk right past the shed! "Hey!" I shouted to her, "You better stop right there!" She turned around, frozen like a statue. "Did you check the ground when you walked over that trail coming out of the woods?"

"Uh, I tink so Daddy, I didn't see anyting."

"What's that by your left foot? No, honey you're other left foot. I think I see something on the ground."

"You DO see sumthin!!" She answered back excitedly. "It's a shed!!"

Hopefully we just added a little fuel to the fire for another future deer hunter from the Curran family...

And another bow season comes to a close... 02/05/12

The last weekend of bow season came and went in a rather uneventful way. After a few days had passed and I had some time to think back on it, the last weekend of the season was pretty reflective of the entire second half of the season for me. I saw deer on Friday, but only when I was driving to meet up with some other bowhunting buddies for an annual get together during the last weekend of the season. I saw deer Saturday, but only when I was driving to the ground blind I chose to hunt at the M2 farm that afternoon. I saw deer on Sunday, but only because I walked right into their bedroom during a walk around at the G2 farm. My bow wasn't even with me for the trip. For the most part, as I look back on all of my hunts from gun season through the end of bow season, my deer sightings on stand were extremely few and far between. There deer are still using the farms that I've been hunting, and I've got pictures to prove it. It's just that those pictures taken from my various trail cameras were all snapped after legal light's expiration. The deer had gone 98% nocturnal.

So, when I'm referring to those hunts as being non-eventful, I'm simply referring to the lack of deer sighting that I've been able to have while on stand. That's hunting. That's especially bowhunting the late season. And it's no secret to anybody that has spent some serious seat time bowhunting pressured whitetails that they become very difficult to hunt as the season carries on, and the pressure steadily increases. That's what makes it so much fun though. It's always about the hunt, the journey, the adventures along the way to the destination. That's why I'm already looking forward to next season. As the dates on the calendar, and in the regulation book dictate that one season closes, it only means that all the planning, preparation, and anticipation for the next season begin...

Well, the last weekend of bow season pretty much came and went without being able to use my Gerber gut hook, or my deer cart. Saturday afternoon found me in a ground blind with tons of deer tracks out front, the huge pile of corn I dumped a few days prior was gone, and my trail camera didn't catch a single picture because apparently it took a dump. Seemed fitting that as I sat patiently in the blind, still holding out hope for a shot at anything, my eyes started to grow heavy. I checked the phone and it was just after 4:00 PM. Plenty of time left to rest my eyes for just a few minutes...

The next thing I know I'm waking up to the distant sound of a train blowing it's horn as it was closing the distance on the approaching intersection. It's dark. I'm completely out of it. What the hell is going on? What time is it? I shake my head to try and clear the cobwebs and bring back some sort of focus to my thoughts. I must have been out cold. I mean deep sleep, head musta been tilted at a 90 degree angle to the left because I can't straighten out my neck all the way, probably snoring so loud it scared every deer with a few hundred yards, out freakin' cold! Whew...

I sat there looking out into the moon lit field. The train whistle still sounding off way in the distance. I checked my phone and see a text from the wife asking what time I'm coming home? It's only a few minutes after 6:00 PM, so at least I'm not too late there, and there's not a search party mounted someplace to come find me! I text her back that I'm on the way in a few. As I stumble sleepily out of the blind I just laugh, shake my head, and say out loud, "Fugg it... I was better off just takin' a nap today anyway."

So, instead of throwing a Hail Mary and going back out on Sunday, I just let the game clock run down. Leaving the bow at home, I headed out to the G farm armed with my camera, my daughter, and a backpack full of drinks and snacks to help us get through the afternoon. We planned on pulling another ground blind and trail camera that I had set up. Then if her little legs still had the juice left in them, we'd hike around the woods a bit and see what we could see. Here's some of the pics from our outting...

Where's the Mud?

First rub that my daughter found on this hike, and it's a good one.

That's a good buck that made this rub. Hope he's still around for next season to chase.

I'm pretty sure those boots are water proof.

Yep... still water proof.

"Hey Dad, look there's another rub!"

"That's a good one too. Hey, do you know how the deer make those marks on the tree? Can you show me?"

"This looks like the perfect chair to have our snack Dad."

Just some interesting stuff we came across in the woods.

Not sure what this was, or how old it is, but it made for a cool picture.

"Look Dad, another creek we should cross! Come on!"

"Ok Dad. Now let's climb up to the top of this hill and see what's on the other side!"

1-28-12 Morning Bowhunt at the G Farm

With the bow season just about run down to the wire, my wife probably getting ready to shoot me, and our busy social / family schedule beggar's can't be choosers as to when they can get out and hunt. I had an opening this morning and decided to take it. What the hell, the worst thing that can happen is I go sit outside and don't see any deer. Plus I needed to freshen up the trail camera attractant and see if there is anything still hanging around the area. My son & I rolled out of the house later than I wanted, we arrived after shooting light, and there wasn't a track to be found anywhere in the freshly fallen snow as we made our way to the ground blind.

So.... I took pictures. What else was I gonna do?

Our spot for a very brief morning hunt today...

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The view out the front window...

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The shooting window to the sweet spot...



The coons have been tearing this thing up. They had it rolled about 15 feet from the spot in front of the camera. It's a block with molasis, corn, and a bunch of other stuff that deer apparently do not give a rats ass about...



How do you keep a 1st grader quiet in the ground blind? Upload Angry Birds to your phone and hand it over...



Where's the deerz?!?! I'm hungry!!! My toes are cold!!! What time is it anyway?!?! Can we leave at 9:00?!?!

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So after sticking it out for a whole hour and 45 minutes, and looking through the lack of deer pictures from the trail camera's memory card, we decided to make the move...

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Best decision of the morning.

Muzzleloader Pictures

Not really too much to write about other than I went out into the woods with my muzzleloader.

I jumped a deer on my walk in Saturday afternoon.

I didn't see any others...

I took pictures instead...

Getting settled in to hunt Saturday afternoon

No deer, so might as well take a picture of my gun.

I wish this stump was a deer. I would shoot it and then eat some of it's meat.

Looking forward & into the woods

View toward the east side of the property

Turning around and looking south west. There's a ground blind in the picture. Can you see it?

The moon is very bright tonight, something just doesn't seem right because I hear geese in flight, this afternoon I should've just flown a kite.

Back at it the next morning, different spot, same result.

The only buck deer I seen. I gave him a pass.

Time to unload the gun & head home. Responsibilities.

Ka-Boom!!!

Bullet hit about 2 inches high at 55 yards. I wish this jug was a deer. It would've got shot by my gun which would have made it dead. Then I would've eaten some of it for lunch. Mmmm.

BJD

Blind move at the M2 farm

New Year's Eve had my son & I headed out for the last bowhunt of the year, with hopes of at least seeing a deer, and possibly getting drawn back on one.

Weather conditions for the afternoon were again very unDecember like for Ohio: With a morning low of 39 and an afternoon high of 46 it would at least be comfortable for my little guy to join me in the ground blind. The skies were overcast with rain on the way. Barometric pressure was holding around 30.10 but would be dropping over night. Probably when the deer were on their feet and moving. The moon would be moving into the first quarter phase on January 1st.

We arrived plenty early in the afternoon, allowing us time to get dressed and slowly make the walk in so that we didn't break a sweat. Like I said, it was in the mid 40's so it could be fairly easy to get over heated rushing around. My son & I got the the ground blind, quickly pulled the stakes, collapsed the sides & tops in on themselves then carried it another hundred yards up hill and towards the tip top of the lower corn field. The new set up has us situated on a high point along the southern edge of the cut corn. Deer normally bed in the neighboring block of woods to the north and travel through this property. The blind has 2 trails to either side that enter the small triangle of woods on the M2 farm. Either trail is under a 15 yard shot.

We sat until half an hour past sunset, whispering back and forth for 99% of the afternoon. Any deer with a slightest bit of hearing probably wasn't going to show, but we had a good time regardless. The blind was brushed in, the camera was set up, and now we'll let the spot rest for a week or so before hunting it again. Hopefully a camera check here in the meantime will help guide us toward the best time to hunt this spot. With plenty of waste grain still available, fresh sign shows that the deer are still in here with some degree of regularity. Plus this spot being an Urban Zone spot means that I can still use that antlerless tag wasting away in my wallet.

Always snack time in the blind.

One of the many fresh tracks near the new set up.

View to the east toward the very tip of the field.

View to the north west from out of the front of the blind.