We may not be near the winter olympics but mother nature has decided that we needed closing ceremonies for February here in NE Ohio. The snow levels are somewhere between zero and four feet. The wind has done a great job of piling it in just selected areas and it is normally where we would prefer not to have it. (in front of the door, the driveway,…)
The bucks in the preserve have finally decided to let us have some of their antlers and we have been finding them over the past two weeks. Sonya found the first three and was good at making sure that I knew it. We have several singles but have not found any sets at this point. There are some great looking sheds and it should make for a great start to next season’s trophy bucks. I was lucky enough to find one shed from a buck that I already had last year’s set. You can clearly see that they are from the same buck and some of the tines are even a little shorter from the second set but the mass has increased greatly in a year’s time. I will bring some of these sheds with me to the Dixie Deer Classic next week so if you at the show stop by and I’ll show them off.
I have had a request to share some of our hunting stories on the blog and I will be adding one in the near future as a trial run under the “Tales of the Hunt” section. I will warn you though that I am not a great writer and would appreciate comments on whether or not to continue my efforts on adding additional stories.
Well I guess the ground hog has been right so far. The weather in NE Ohio has been every bit winter since the shadow was cast a week ago. The preserve has been a winter wonderland the last few days with new snowfall totals somewhere around 8-10″. The deer have all herded up and there are bachelor groups of 6-8 mature bucks and also groups of does. All of the mature bucks that I have seen this week are still sporting their antlers. I am ready to start hunting for the sheds but they aren’t giving them up yet.
I have started a mini clearcut this week inside the preserve. The goal is to cut approximately 2 acres to allow for regeneration and to provide a diverse habitat. I would like to do this on about 6-8 acres total over the next four years. The extra cover that is provided in these areas for all species is excellent and the browse that is created supplies a great source of nutrition. I will try to post some of our prject pictures in the “photo gallery” once the snow quits falling.
The ground hog should be coming out today at the preserve! The sun is shining brightly and but for the fact that we were in the single digits this morning you might have thought spring had found us already. The bucks and does have all settled into their winter routines and the secondary rut has been finished for a couple of weeks. I have seen several groups of bucks that are back together and while they all seem quite at ease with each other again they still were all sporting their antlers. They should start to drop the antlers anytime now and it can continue into March. Last year I found the last set the second week of March and the trail cameras indicated that they had all shed by the end of March. I think that both the deer and I are looking forward to some warmer temps and greener settings. We have had snow in the preserve since back around the new year and the arrival of a spring thaw will greatly reduce the efforts required.
We had a great show in Dalton, Ohio and met several people interested in hunting with us this fall. Our next show is coming up in Springfield, MA February 18-21. If you are looking to battle your cabin fever and you are in the Springfield area please stop by the Big E and say hello.
We are having a great finish to our first hunting season. We have had two successful hunts this last week and took two really nice looking bucks, a 130″ and a 141″. The secondary rut continues to move on with a couple of the younger does coming in this last week. I see the trophy class bucks still tending a couple of the does but for the most part the deer have all settled into their winter patterns. The weather has warmed up and our snow in the preserve has melted down to three or four inches in most places making it much easier for the deer to move around.
We will be attending the Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show in Dalton, Ohio this coming Friday and Saturday at the Buckeye Event Center. If you are at the show please stop by and say hello.
Winter has turned the hunting preserve into a winter wonderland. We had about two feet of snow this past week and then just to keep us interested Mother Nature gave us freezing rain yesterday followed by another 4-5″ of snow. The snow has settled considerably but I would guess there is still around 20″+ on the ground. Going around the paths has become an adventure in itself but the scenery is beautiful with the snow covered trees. I’m sorry to report that it has been so overcast that I have not been able to capture any of this on film. The deer were sitting pretty tight for the first few days this week but seem to have adjusted to the snow depth and are back to their winter routines. All of the trophy bucks still have there antlers as best I can tell so far but I’m sure that some will start shedding them soon. Last year we still had some bucks with antlers into March so they would have another couple months if it happens the same this year.
The holidays have come and gone for another year and they brought us some successful hunts at Oak Ridge along with some new friends. We had two great hunts last week and also our first measurable snow. With the second rut still going we took a 156″ buck right after Christmas and then a 203″ the following Monday. Both of these bucks will be posted on the photo gallery very soon.
The secondary rut has never been as heated as early November but it has been proven to produce when you can find a hot doe near your stand. We had a young doe coming running in on us last week after a quiet morning and what she had in tow was amazing. We went from no deer in nearly three hours to one doe and five mature bucks in about twenty seconds. As is the case with the primary rut they all stayed well into the brush but it gave us about 30 minutes to watch the bucks before she took them off on another chase.
After lunch in a lake effect snow storm the doe helped us out again and this time the biggest of the bucks made a mistake and we took our largest mature buck to date at Oak Ridge, 203″ with a 22″ inside spread! We all had a great hunt and hopefully the video will be coming to the website this month.
New Years Day started out 2010 in great way with my nephew Nathan getting his first deer, a mature doe. It is always exciting to share in the “first deer” experience. The preserve bucks were not the only ones to make it a great day as the OSU Buckeyes brought home a Rose Bowl victory to finish out our day.
Winter has finally found North Eastern Ohio and the hunting preserve. We have had our first snow cover and really cold temps this week. The snow fall by our standards was just a dusting but the high winds and temps in the teens have shown that winter is upon us. The deer trails are much easier to follow with the snow and it is good to know that our stand placements and food plots are all in the correct places. The younger does are starting to come in now and the mature bucks are giving chase again. The secondary rut is not as intense as the early november rut but it still has the deer all moving. Over the last few days I have seen bucks that I had not seen for three or four weeks. The younger bucks are not being as active with this rut and they seem to be settling in on their winter patterns. It is not unusual to see the older does and younger bucks coming to the food plots much earlier in the afternoon now. This is the time of year when our stand heaters come in real handy!
December has arrived and from the weather we are having in NE Ohio you would think that it is still September. The rut has been slowing down over the last couple of weeks and I do not see much action out of the mature bucks anymore. The routines have come back and all of the deer are no longer chasing. The cooler nights have them coming to the food plots and accorns earlier in the evenings. The leaves in the preserve have fallen now and the bucks can be seen from greater distances as the move. All of the antlers have taken on the white color of winter and without the snow so far this winter they can easily be seen in the bright sun light.
We have had several groups of hunters in the lodge now and everything is still working out great. The woodburner really makes for an enjoyable evening after a cool night on stay stand.
Northeast Ohio has truly been blessed this year with a great November so far. The deer have started to slow down on the chasing stage and the does are now accepting the bucks. There still seems to be a fair amount of activity out of the big bucks but the smaller bucks have been staying out of their way. My guess would be that the peek of the actual breeding will come this week and then start to return to normal. Several of the older does have already been returning to the food plots in the early evening and other than being checked occasionally the bucks are leaving them alone.
What a great hunt we had this week at ORWA. We had a father and son come in search of the sons “first deer”. The weather in NE Ohio was very typical for this time of year and when they arrived it was cold and rainy with just enough ice mixed in to make you wonder what the morning would bring. The trip out to the stand was very unexpected as the moon lit our path and we had no need to ever turn on our lights! There was a heavy frost and the sunrise completed a great setting for our first morning on stand. With the bucks on the move looking for does our chilly wait was rewarded when a beautiful nine point came in with his head down. The young hunter (10 years old) made a perfect shot. While the buck won’t make any of the “record books” I know that it is truly a trophy buck in his eyes and an experience that will never be forgotten. What a great time to be able to share this moment with both of them. To witness the excitement of a “first deer” and to see the pride that Dad has in passing on the torch. Thanks guys for a great hunt!