Natty Bumppo
5 year old buck +
When conditions are prime, I always enjoy getting out in NW Mass and Southern VT to find a buck and track him down. I've had some good success doing it this way. Didn't see a deer today, but I had a blast and took some pics throughout my hunt and thought I'd share. We had about 5 or 6 inches of a loud crunchy base and then we got about 6 or 7 inches of powder yesterday. It wasn't quite as windy as I was hoping for, but it was still relatively quiet. Today tracking was best done by shuffling the feet along when possible and keeping them under that fresh snow. Picking them up and and putting them down made more noise.
Heading out first thing in the AM...it was 23, snowing lightly, with a slight breeze. I always dress lightly to avoid over-heating.
Heading into a spruce swamp.
Classic example of the numerous wild apples I find just about everywhere I hunt.
First track...not a big buck, but a good sign. Deer were moving.
Followed the track for a while and found a bed...and many, many other tracks.
Crossed an old jeep road along a rock wall...
...and back into a spruce swamp.
Found this...30 years of hunting, skiing, hiking, climbing, mtn. biking, camping in New England and I've never seen a mature elm growing in the wild. I've seen big ones in town, and small ones in the wild. But never one this size. Didn't look that healthy.
The base of the Elm...roughly 24 or 26" DBH?
Nature calls....
This deer was alone...a small bed. Maybe a small buck?
I followed the deer for a while and he skirted the edge of this old field, staying in the spruce and hemlock.
Lunch...
Kept tracking what I thought was a small buck and found another fresh bed...
...kept on him into some thick stuff...this is when you need to be sharp and SLOW DOWN. Can't think about anything but spotting the deer before he spots you. You must think that he could be around the very next corner. I get on my knees a lot and look through the forest at ground level. I'll only move when the wind blows.
...thicker...
...he crossed a small brook...
...and then he went by the exact spot I killed a buck in 2012...a 9 pointer I tracked down on a very similar day.
Found his 3rd bed...very fresh...and at this point I was more positive it was a buck. Not a huge buck, but a buck nonetheless. The way he was moving, where he was walking, the fact that he was alone all day, the fact that he moved through several doe groups but never joined them...
But...the last pic...never caught up with him. Had to turn around and head back or else I'd be spending a night in the woods.
Sorry if this is boring for some. I always enjoy learning about deer hunting in other parts of the country and how it's done. I love seeing habitat pics and the live views from the stand. Thought I'd share my "live view from the stand" today. I was out for about 7 hours, saw some beautiful country, and didn't see another human being the entire day. Thought for sure I was getting close...but just wasn't going fast enough to catch the buck before I had to turn around for the day. To be honest, I'm not even 100% sure it was a buck. It wouldn't have been the first time I tracked down what I thought was a buck only to find a doe in her bed or staring at me before she bolted. :eek:
Heading out first thing in the AM...it was 23, snowing lightly, with a slight breeze. I always dress lightly to avoid over-heating.
Heading into a spruce swamp.
Classic example of the numerous wild apples I find just about everywhere I hunt.
First track...not a big buck, but a good sign. Deer were moving.
Followed the track for a while and found a bed...and many, many other tracks.
Crossed an old jeep road along a rock wall...
...and back into a spruce swamp.
Found this...30 years of hunting, skiing, hiking, climbing, mtn. biking, camping in New England and I've never seen a mature elm growing in the wild. I've seen big ones in town, and small ones in the wild. But never one this size. Didn't look that healthy.
The base of the Elm...roughly 24 or 26" DBH?
Nature calls....
This deer was alone...a small bed. Maybe a small buck?
I followed the deer for a while and he skirted the edge of this old field, staying in the spruce and hemlock.
Lunch...
Kept tracking what I thought was a small buck and found another fresh bed...
...kept on him into some thick stuff...this is when you need to be sharp and SLOW DOWN. Can't think about anything but spotting the deer before he spots you. You must think that he could be around the very next corner. I get on my knees a lot and look through the forest at ground level. I'll only move when the wind blows.
...thicker...
...he crossed a small brook...
...and then he went by the exact spot I killed a buck in 2012...a 9 pointer I tracked down on a very similar day.
Found his 3rd bed...very fresh...and at this point I was more positive it was a buck. Not a huge buck, but a buck nonetheless. The way he was moving, where he was walking, the fact that he was alone all day, the fact that he moved through several doe groups but never joined them...
But...the last pic...never caught up with him. Had to turn around and head back or else I'd be spending a night in the woods.
Sorry if this is boring for some. I always enjoy learning about deer hunting in other parts of the country and how it's done. I love seeing habitat pics and the live views from the stand. Thought I'd share my "live view from the stand" today. I was out for about 7 hours, saw some beautiful country, and didn't see another human being the entire day. Thought for sure I was getting close...but just wasn't going fast enough to catch the buck before I had to turn around for the day. To be honest, I'm not even 100% sure it was a buck. It wouldn't have been the first time I tracked down what I thought was a buck only to find a doe in her bed or staring at me before she bolted. :eek:
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