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 12, 2009
December 1, 2009
December
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.