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.
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.
The spring food plots have been completed. We are hoping for a bit of help from mother nature and it should make for some great food plots this year. We tried some new seed this year and have planted about two acres of the Whitetail Institutes Power Plant. The Power Plant is made up of forage beans, cowpeas, sunflower and sorgum. Since I can never plant a straight food plot product alone I customized it by adding a small amount of chuffa and also by overplanting corn on about one third of the ground. My intention is to have the corn add cover to the food plots as well as add a growing aid to the forage beans. The only question is whether or not it is to early to plant beans in NE Ohio. With a little luck and mother natures help it should turn out great. Most of the mast trees have matured beyond the frost stage and there are several trees now starting the apples for this fall. This will add to the late September and early October hunts as the apples are always a big drawing to the deer once they begin to fall.
The deer are all adding weight now and everyone looks to be good and healthy going into the late spring. The bucks are all well into the antlers now and you can easily pick out this falls trophy bucks already. The biggest difference is the mass at the base of the antlers right now. I have seen several 4-5 year old bucks that are bigger than your wrist at the base and this should make a great foundation for the big racks to come. All of the does are getting closer and we expect to have some of the older doe drop within the next week to ten days. It is a very exciting time here at Oak Ridge between the antlers and the fawns.
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.
The trophy bucks have offically began the rut this last week here in the preserve. There were several mature does that are getting close and they are not in need of company. The bucks seem to have all established themselves in the pecking order and the mature bucks have won the initial rights to begin the breeding. Everytime we were in stands this week there were plenty of bucks on the move and the activity seemed to be at its highest in the mid-morning and early evening. With the moon being so close to full this week they were moving all night and the sounds of antlers clashing could be heard about anytime day or night.
We are expecting cooler weather this coming week in NE Ohio but the hunters should have plenty of action to help keep them warm.
We had a great week at ORWA. Our first hunter was with us this week and we enjoyed a great three days. Everything at the new lodge worked well and the hunt came together in grand fashion. The weather in NE Ohio was the best that we have seen in several weeks with cool mornings and the temps in the low seventies thru the afternoon. We were able to see several nice bucks and the does and button bucks filled in the time between. The hunter was very experienced and after passing several mature trophy bucks made a great shot on a beautiful 165″ trophy with his bow. Both Sonya and myself enjoyed our time with Brian and have made a new friend and memories that will last a lifetime. Thanks Brian! Next year we’ll go for that 180″.
From the different bucks I have been seeing this week I would guess that they are about all in hard antlers and the ones that aren’t will be in the next several days. I have been seeing alot of trees that have assisted in the process and one scrap that I would guess is the starting of a territory. All of the bucks are still in groups and the smaller bucks are still mixed with the trophy bucks.
This week has been the best one of the summer in NE Ohio with the days reaching the eighties and the nights dipping into the forties. The deer enjoy the nights and with the full moon it makes spotting them in the food plots much easier. Most of the fawns have started their winter coats and the spots are almost gone at this point. I have even seen a couple of does chasing the fawns away at feeding time so the rut is just around the corner!
The light at the end of the lodge tunnel can now be seen. We have completed all of the fixtures and hardwood floors. The progress this week has made a huge difference and we can finally see the completed project taking form. There are still plenty of jobs to keep us busy but at least now everyone adds greatly to the “look and feel” we had in our dreams.
August seems to be passing by very quickly and it is time to plant the fall food plots. The weather in NE Ohio has been very nice this week and with the cooler evenings all of the whitetails have been on the move. The trail cameras have been out for a week and I am hoping to have some nice trophy buck pictures to show off very soon. We had some closer looks at a couple of very nice bucks last evening. They both looked to be in the 130-150″ range with one sporting a real nice 4-5″ kicker coming off his G2.
The warm summer rains have found us this week. It has rained for the past two days and it was much needed by the food plots. Everything has greened back up over night and it looks like we will have plenty of forage for this fall. The apple and oak trees are both producing this year with only a few showing the late frost effects.
Progress on the lodge is also coming along quickly and we are currently painting and hanging the fixtures. We hope to have the entire project wrapped up by mid-August.
The bucks continue to grow and it is more and more exciting everyday. One trophy buck was spotted yesterday (sorry no pictures were taken) and he looks to be in the 180″ class with at least 10-12 pts. The big bucks rarely hang around long enough to give you much time for photos.
The work on the lodge continues this week. We now have the drywall and panelling completed and are looking toward the stairs and fixtures next. The weather was too nice to ignore so we also spent one day working on the main access path and it is now providing a much smoother ride.
The fawns are growing quickly now and have been increasingly bolder ever day. They are out in the open more each week and most of the time if you see a mature doe her kids are tagging along. Some of the bucks are getting far enough along that they can be classified as “Trophy Bucks” now. We have been seeing several that will go 8- 10 points this year. It should be an exciting fall for hunting.