Backcountry Bucks

 It was another chilly morning. When I got out of the truck, the thermometer read 26 degrees. I had a nice walk into the woods this morning. I put new batteries in my light, and it made the walk much easier. It's always easier to find your way through the woods when you can see well.    The wind was a bit of a nuisance today, but I withstood it. I had a doe bed down next to me at about 10:20, but she didn't stay bedded too terribly long before getting up, feeding, and making her way past me. I'm pretty sure it was the same doe the buck chased past me yesterday. He must've been feeling frisky long before she was ready.   I didn't stay in the woods too long today. I needed to get some work done, so I came out at 1:30. However, I found myself back in another piece of woods at 3:30 to finish off the day. I didn't see anything on my evening sit. We have some crappy weather coming in with high temps and big winds. I probably won't be going out too much. I"m s...

   Today was raw. It was damp and chilled me to the bone. Although there wasn't much wind, the dampness settled into my core. On my walk in, I got pretty messed up due to having a light that wasn't the brightest. I didn't realize the batteries needed to be changed, so I was aimlessly wandering through the darkness and get off track more than one time.    However, I still made it to where I wanted to be before daylight. I could feel something today that I haven't felt in a while. I felt like I was close to succeeding. I sat on a scrape and figured the buck would visit it in the daylight. When noon rolled into view, I hadn't seen a thing yet, so I decided to do a loop to see if I could find some sign.    I quickly learned that the good buck has a handful of scrapes in the vicinity, and I'm hoping I catch up to him when the timing is right.    After covering the ground, I went to an area for the afternoon sit where I've seen a lot of does in the past...

    Today was the best morning we've had so far. It was 25 degrees when I headed into the woods and no wind. At first light, I could hear a deer walking but couldn't locate it. Finally, I saw it in some hemlocks below me. She made her way up the hill and walked within a few feet of the blowdown I was tucked into. Although she was nervous at first, she settled down and continued past me without any interferences.    I was surprised there wasn't any shots this morning. It seemed like the deer should've been moving everywhere. As it turns out, that was the only deer I saw today, but the wind did get up to 29 mph gusts and sustained winds of about 15-20 mph. It didn't make for a very nice day to be in the woods. The calmness only lasted until about 9:00 a.m.    I covered a lot of ground today and found where there's a really big buck working. I'll definitely be back to that area. I saw where he opened a scrape last night or early this morning and pissed in it. ...

    Today was opening day of rifle season in northern New York. Before the season started, I made sure to shoot my gun one last time a few days before heading into the woods. I was happy when I put both bullets inside the same hole while shooting freehand. Hopefully, I get a chance to shoot at a deer this year to see if I do the same thing under pressure.    I couldn't have asked for a better day to sit today. When I headed into the woods, it was 30 degrees and calm. I would be able to hear deer coming through the leaves. Around 9:00 a.m., I heard leaves rustling. Then, I spotted a spikehorn trying to sneak past me on the shelf below me. He appeared to be smart for a year-and-half-old deer. Eventually, he made his way past me and disappeared into he maze of trees. Although he was just a spike, my hear rate went into overdrive. The first few deer I see every year have a tendency to give me the same type of reaction. I love the feeling of adrenalin coursing through my ...

  Yesterday was my last day of work. Now, I need to focus my efforts on finding full-time work. I've decided to take a few weeks to myself for now. That's why I went hunting today with my two best friends, Brian and Jimmy.    It was a great morning to hunt. It was cold, clear and quiet. It was a perfect day for a sitter. You could hear the deer coming from a long way away. The hike in was brutal. It was straight uphill and seemed like it was never going to end.    After the morning ended, we all met and saw that the place we met was once home to another hunter. Someone has piled a bunch of logs against the base of an oak tree to sit. It was a neat thing to find, so we all sat there and imagined what might have been at one point in time. It's fun to let our imaginations run at times.    After having lunch, we went for a walk to check for sign. After putting in about 4 miles across some rough terrain, we didn't have much to report about. Overall, today w...

    I decided I would sit for a few hours this morning and cover as much ground as possible after that. Since I don't have to work next Friday, and I'll most likely be hunting the following week, I wanted to make sure I got a look at a lot of stuff to make the best choice down the road. With that being said, I know things change daily right now, but any sign could lead to success.    I sat in one area until about 9:15, then I went to another area to sit until about noon. Neither place brought much to me. I was a little disappointed after walking around, but I also did find some nice rubs and scrapes on my journey. I know there's a decent buck or two running around in the area I hunted today, so I may give him a go when it's time. I'll decide that as the week plays out. They're calling for mid-70s to mid-80s.  It was 33 degrees this morning, but it warmed up in a hurry, getting to 78 by mid-afternoon.     I took a few pictures on my adventure today, and...

  I started my weekend off on Friday evening with a bow. I tried to circle the top of a mountain to see how much sign was on it, and I came back to the truck without finding too much of anything that interested me. It felt good to check that off my list. The next morning would be the opener for muzzleloader, and I felt good about it.     You couldn't beat the bluebird sky and heavy frost this morning. It was an absolutely perfect morning to be a sitter. While the leaves weren't overly crunchy, you could still hear a deer coming from a ways away. I love to hear them coming before I can see them. It makes the adrenaline rush through my body.    When I woke up in the morning, my insulin pump needed to be calibrated due to losing signal with the sensor somewhere in the middle of the night. Amazingly, my blood meter read 270 when I checked it. I couldn't figure it out because I didn't eat anything that could've broken down in the night to cause the problem. After che...

   This morning I woke up to a chill in the air that finally confirmed hunting season has arrived. It's a feeling that only hunters can relate to. The damp chill reminded me that I will begin the chase now that the temps have finally begun to cool off. The summer-like conditions have hung on far too long without any indication fall was on its way until today.   I headed into the woods after work and wanted to go to a place where I believed I could kill a deer. I know the deer have been feeding heavily amongst some oak trees and figured that would give me a good chance.    As I got ready to head into the woods, the heavens let loose and soaked me. There was zero percent chance of rain... go figure.    Soaking showers happened from the time I went into the woods until I headed back to the truck. I never saw a thing, and I actually had a great feeling as I waited out the storms.    Tomorrow is supposed to bring some wind and rain, so I'll have t...

  Today I rushed into the woods after school to help my dad set up a stand in a place he wanted it. Since I didn't want him overdoing it, I carried it in for him. After leaving him, I went in search of a place to set a camera and move another camera.    Being close to home and not having hunted this place in 20 years, I'm trying to figure a few things out and see what the area holds for deer. I haven't had much luck so far. However, I've gotten six bucks on camera so far but nothing big. I know there's at least one big buck in the area due to the sign I've found. I'm trying to narrow down his tendencies, but I haven't gotten anything that gives me the slightest clue what he's doing or where he's spending the majority of his time. It's getting a little frustrating.    On my way out of the woods tonight, I jumped three deer. While a giant doe and fawn ran a ways and stopped, another big deer never attempted to stop when it bolted out of the ope...

   Summer just doesn't want to let go. We are still reaching temperatures in the 80s almost every day, and the nighttime temps haven't dropped below 57. It hasn't been conducive to much daytime deer movement. I'm sure things will cool down soon, but it's beginning to make me wonder why summer seems to continue through mid-October and into November every year. When I was a kid, it cooled down quickly and fall was always in the air after we returned to school every year. That is just a thing of the past, and I'm glad I can remember when sweatshirts were a part of the wardrobe every September instead of shorts.    I'm working part-time with Cornell Cooperative Extension right now and teaching archery in schools. It keeps me busy and gives me a little background with CCE. I'm hoping it might lead to something else, but we will see what happens. I spent the last two weeks in Fort Ann central schools, and we had Friday off for Superintendent's Day.    I de...

  Today I brought a young man with me because he doesn't have anyone to take him hunting. I'm also coaching him in archery, and his dedication and persistence is inspiring. He's a junior in high school, and he quit playing high school football to pursue competitive archery and give it everything he has to see where it can take him. He's doing well so far, and I see great things in his future. I believed it was only right to offer to take him hunting, so that's what I did.    Although it was warm today, the heat was the last thing on my mind. All I wanted to do was to show the kid a good time. At the end of the evening, I had accomplished that and we walked out of the woods in the dark. The quietness that consumed the darkness presented a calmness that only a hunter can understand.    When we finally reached the truck on our hike out, he was excited and talked hurriedly. I knew he had a good time and enjoyed the few hours we got to spend in the woods. It warmed m...

  I decided I would venture onto the land we own a short distance from the house. I briefly hunted on it during late muzzleloader last year and found a lot of sign. I hadn't hunted it in 20 years, and it was refreshing to be in a place where I had spent so much time in my early adulthood and teen years.    As I wandered through the woods, I felt good about what I was seeing. I never anticipated seeing so many scrapes and rubs, and some of the rubs were definitely made by something with a decent rack on it.    By the time the evening ended, I was in seventh heaven. My trip for the afternoon brought me back to a time when life was simple. I would head onto our land with no thoughts in the world other than finding a buck to shoot, and more times than not, I succeeded with my mission. It was a place that was easy to get to and also had enough deer to keep me entertained. I learned a lot about deer hunting.. and myself.. at that time. I'll be forever thankful for the...

  I headed into the woods early to make sure I would be able to sit for a while before looking for the bear. I know there have been a lot of deer in the area, and I hoped I would see one. However, after climbing into the stand and waiting for daylight, I had an uneasy feeling bouncing around inside my head.    I did't last long in the tree. I know I made a lethal shot on the bear, and I wanted to get after it as soon as possible. I do have a few cell cameras in the area, and last night there were two really big bears that headed in the direction where the wounded bear ran after being hit. On top of that, a big bobcat also made its way past the camera. Seeing the pictures when I woke up, I had suspicions that they were headed toward a dead animal to have a feast, but I couldn't be certain about my theory.   After getting out of the tree and doing a bunch of circles, I didn't come up with anything. Finally, I decided to call it a day but not before looking near so...