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.
Four Year Old
The weather in NE Ohio has not let us forget that we are still in the early spring. We have had two frost in the last three days and the highs have been in the low fifties. There have also been several thunder storms with high winds and rain. We are getting the rain we needed for our newly planted food plots but the temps need to start heading in a warmer direction. The apples seem to be beyond the frost stage and I hope that all of our mast is also past danger at this point.
Sonya has seen one doe that looked like she had had her fawns but we have not seen any new borns yet. I think that they will have to become a little active before we will actually be able to see them as the cover in the preserve has already become very thick. We did see a nice group of bucks this week that was mainly two-four year olds and the antlers are really starting to develop now. I was able to get a few quick pictures last week and they should be added to our 2010 photo gallery very soon. I have put out a couple of trail cameras on food plots and once I get some decent pictures I will also add them to the new gallery.
August starts the count down to hunting season and most of the antler growth has been done. While the bucks are all still in velvet they are showing signs that the antlers are starting to harden and only the finishing touches will be added this month. We have several nice trophy whitetails at the preserve this year. With most of them sporting really nice typical frames and several running into the 170-200″ trophy range. There are even a couple that have been seen that should easily pass 200″ and hopefully will make someone a really exceptional 210-220″ dream buck.
The lodge has now reached the final stages and all of the work really shows up everyday. The hardwood floors are being installed this week and they are doing a great service by pulling everything together. We should have the entire renovation completed within the next 2-3 weeks and I am looking forward to sharing the photos with everyone.
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.