We finally had some great cool weather and the deer have been enojoying the break. Most of the bucks have lost their velvet and they are all trying to learn how to use them. You can now hear antlers clanging together and the trees are getting rubbed all around the preserve. I have also finally had some success in my trail camera set-up and several trophy bucks were captured this last week. The photos should be posted to the website very soon. It looks like we should have four or five bucks with drop tines this year and they are all great looking bucks. There are also several bucks that we hope to go well over 200″ and two of those should be in 250-300″ range. It has been great seeing the deer over the last few days and it really gets you excited for the coming hunting season.
September 7, 2010
September 4, 2010
Hard Antlers
Today I saw our first hard antlered bucks. There was a yearling and one one mature buck that were completely hard antler. We also were starting to find rubs so I knew that the bucks were getting started. Our cold front came thru this morning and the high is expected to be around sixty degrees today. The break in the weather has the deer on the move and I saw several bucks and does out feeding this afternoon. I’m sure it feels as good to them as it does us!
September 3, 2010
Labor Day Weekend
Hot, muggy weather by northern standards has been the order for the last two weeks. Our leaves are starting to show some signs of changing and the mast trees are all dropping now but I think it is the dry weather more than the fall season. We have been working the fall food plots and there doesn’t seem to be a great rush. Without moisture the seed has just been sitting there for now. They are promising rain for this weekend and that will get things started. (Must be a holiday weekend they’re calling for rain!)
This last week I found two signs that we are getting closer to fall. First I found two scrapes on Tuesday that were not there on Monday. These scrapes are the start of a territory and they should be showing up everywhere very soon. I also spotted a buck that was beginning to shed his velvet. He had not done any rubbing yet but I’m guessing by this time next week I will be able to show you some rubs.
The bucks are all looking great and they have their winter hair started and have been much harder to spot in the brush as they turn to their brownish grey color. They have also started getting more agressive in their movement and when you do spot them they aren’t around very long. Seems the antlers are hardening enough that the fear of hitting them on branches is almost gone.
I have not been getting many quality pictures because of the heat but I hope that that changes with the cold front the weather man keeps promising. I’ll have them posted on the site as we get them.
August 18, 2010
Signs of Fall
There have been a lot of signs this past week that fall is coming. The black birds and geese have been filling the skies more each day. The apples and accorns are dropping from the trees and the mornings have been getting cooler. All of these events get your blood pumping for hunting season!
The trophy bucks seem to be finishing up on the antler growth and the velvet looks to be tightening up on the antlers. In just a couple of weeks we should be able to see rubs and hard antlers. We have been seeing a lot of great bucks moving in the early morning and evening. They are still in the passive mode but that will also be changing very soon. The groups that are still together are a mixture of age and everyone is still getting along and only competing for the apples.
The fawns are all growing and it has allowed me to start cutting the clover plots and fields. I normally wait until mid August to start the fall food plots to allow all of the young critters a chance to grow. Some of our summer birds have are not only done nesting but have even started leaving already. Within the week I hope to have the fall oats and clover planted to give it a jump on our first frost. (You know fall is coming when you have to consider the first frost in your plans!)
August 9, 2010
The Feel of Hunting Season
The weather the last week is starting to have the feel of hunting season! It is time to start making plans for the fall. The early apples are starting to drop and the trophy bucks are on the move more each week. Most of the trail camera pictures show that the antlers are starting to harden and velvet is turning a lighter shade of brown. The bucks will start to rub in the next 3-4 weeks and there will soon be hard antler pictures.
With our first hunt less than two months away we have been busy getting the early season chores done. Stands checked for bees, ladders stands set, fall plantings completed,…. During our travels in the preserve we have seen a few bucks that should go well over 200″ this year and while they appear to be camera shy they should make for some great hunting.
We have added a video page to the website now and there are a few videos already posted. I am going to try to get some of the mature bucks on our new video camera so that I can also get them posted for everyone to view in action. You will have to work with me for a while as this will be my first try as a camera man but it should be exciting if the trophy bucks cooperate.
July 30, 2010
Fall Planting Time
It has been a much better week here at the Preserve. We had just over two inches of rain this week and a cold front moved through which has brought the temps down into the fifties at night. The humidity is also much lower and things have become much more comfortable. (I think you have to be a deer hunter to appreciate the feelings you get this time of year when the temps start to drop!) The deer are much more active with the cooler temps and we have been getting a lot of trophy buck pictures in the last couple of days. Judging by the trail camera pictures it is going to be a great year of hunting this fall. We have several mature bucks ranging from eight to twelve point main frames and they are all very unique. It will soon be time to start getting some stand time to determine some scores and see just how many mature trophy bucks we really have this year. Trail cameras have added greatly to the scouting but there is just no replacing the actual time needed in the woods.
We will be starting the fall food plots this weekend and it is time to get them growing. We are going to plant Buck Forage Oats and ladino clover this fall. There are plenty of accorns and apples this year so I am more concerned with protein than tonage. Both of these crops will give us higher protein levels and a good attraction for later in the fall and early winter.
July 20, 2010
Dog Days
The hunting preserve has been having it’s share of hot weather this summer. It has been really hot and dry for the last couple of weeks and it keeps the deer from moving around much during the day. We had our first cooler evening last night and finally were able to see some of our trophy bucks moving around the food plots. We have one really nice young non-typical buck and also have added a couple new drop tine bucks to the mix. The two new drop tine bucks are nice but the drops are a little on the thinner side and will be much more easily lost once the fighting begins. Most of the bucks still are showing some signs of possible additional growth although most of the tines and stickers should already be visible. There are several trophy bucks that show 10 point main frames and it should be a great hunting season come this fall.
We were also able to see ten new fawns last night during the cooler evening. This was the first time that there were so many moving around in the same night and I am guessing that the older age will have them moving every night from here on out.
Our food plots are doing good inspite of the dry weather and it will soon be time to begin planting the fall plots. We are planning on adding several oat/clover patches this year. We are trying for something a little more frost tolerant and also providing higher proteins going into the winter. The apples are all loaded and most of the trees are being checked nightly for anything that has dropped that day. The oaks are showing a good crop as well this year although they are dropping some right now because of the drier weather.
June 24, 2010
Summer Arrives
The weather in NE Ohio has been showing the effects of summer time arriving. We have been really humid and temps reaching into the ninties. I know that by our southern friends standards this would be a cool break but in NE Ohio that is getting hot. The deer tend to lay pretty low on these hot days and it makes them easier to watch in the early mornings and late evenings. We have been doing our preserve chores as late as possible and it is always exciting to approach a food plot and see who is feeding.
The older fawns are all out following mom in the evening and they are really fun to watch. Their energy is like that of a puppy and they do not stand in one place very long. We have seen a couple of the yearling does that look like they are getting close to dropping their additions. This timing would put the second rut somewhere toward the end of December or early January.
Our bucks are all adding quickly now and the main beans are pretty much where they will finish. All of the growth now seems to be on the tine length and we are seeing several strong eight points and a few that have already started the ninth and tenth points. We have seen one buck that is going to be a main frame twelve point and he looks really great. I also had one trail camera picture this last week of a heavy eight point that clearly shows a drop tine starting on his right beam. This is very special and if he can keep it growing it looks heavy enough that he shouldn’t break it off fighting right away this fall.
We did post some new buck pictures this past week on the “2010 Photos” page and I will keep adding them as I get more quality pictures.
June 17, 2010
Growing Season
The preserve is looking like a jungle right now with all of the wet warm weather. Everything is green and lush from the food plots to the briars and trees. The deer are also doing great and their growth is coming right in line with the abundant food supply. We saw our first fawn following mom last night night. It was keeping pace very well and also showing off and playing while she grazed. I would guess that within the next couple of weeks there will be more and more fawns moving around and joining in the daily rituals.
The bucks were out in full force last evening and it looks like we are going to have a great group of trophy bucks this fall! It is still way to early to predict any scores as there are still three months of growth but the antlers are really coming into the potential. We saw three exceptional bucks last night. They all three have heavy mass and ranged from about 18-20″+ in width. The tines are still on the short side but you could see that there were two with g4’s and another that was showing a potential drop tine. We are far enough along now to be able to start identifying bucks that we see fairly regular. Single Brow, Double Brow, and Wide Rack are just a few that we know when we spot them.
I have been having some issues with my trail cameras but I hope to be getting that worked out sometime in the near future so that I can add additional pictures to the photo gallery. I am also going to start spending some stand time with my camera to see if I can get some early evening shots or video.
June 1, 2010
New Arrivals
The last ten days has brought us several new arrivals hear at Oak Ridge. I have seen three different fawns and at least four does that have had their fawns. These new additions are very tough to locate and even when I have an idea of where they should be they can not be easily seen. I finally was able to get a few pictures yesterday and I’m sorry in advance for the lighting problems. These little guys are not often found laying in the wide open and usually it makes for some pretty tough photos.
I can tell you that the majority of the older does all dropped their fawns within about five days of each other. While I have only seen about five that I know have had their fawns I would guess that they are all either close or finished. This goes right along with the one week of peek rut that we all see in early November. It will also be interesting to see when the yearling does start to have fawns.
Our bucks in the preserve are also coming along great and they have been hiding pretty well themselves. I did post some new trail camera photos this last week on the 2010 Photo Gallery so you can keep up with the progress. The weather has been quite warm and the bucks or any any of the deer do not move around much when it is very warm.