Reel Doc

Word around here this week is seek phase/early rut is on. Can't wait to find out for myself over the next few days. Oh, and Ray, stop making the womenfolk do all the dirty work!

Greg

Andy,don't you have a shooting platform on that tractor .

What farmer wouldn't?

You get those deer eating silage and apples out of the tractor bucket as soon as they are weaned, so 3-4 years later when they are sporting 150+ racks you "put put" out there with the bucket full of chow and the boys come running.

Then there is plan B...the heifer in heat decoy....oops, sorry Andy, I almost spilled the beans.

Greg

WTG, That is a nice buck. Can't wait to hear the story so long as there is no bear involvement.

Greg

I think you're right kman, as even Alsheimer admits photoperiod is probably 80% of the influence. So far in our woods everything is on course for a typical rut kicking in over the next 7-10 days. Have only seen does in groups, no solo hot mamas, plenty of rub activity, small scrapes by the young boys....I do not see sign of a big boy in residence on our land, so hoping he's over at the neighbors ready to come visit when the girls are acting sexy.

Alsheimer's first prediction of a late October mini-rut has not happened in our woods. Still, I just love the science of the whole rut process coupled with the "scratch your head" factor of the moon phase. I'll be curious to hear other reports in the coming 10 days.

Greg

Where else would a big game hunter have to fear being mugged in his treestand? And if not, you might just have a bear after the grub stowed in your field pack.

Those cowboys huntin in the West worryin about mountain lions and grizzlies got nuthin on you Jersey folk.

Greg

Must be they had their fill of doughnuts!

By the way, why is it you're always following the bears around?

Greg

Pete,

Did you see the latest Field & Stream gave you Jersey deer hunters a little love. I always wanted to hunt underneath the Thruway.

Greg

That first shot is suitable for framing. Nice pics.

WTG Condolences on the 3D target, it may never seem the same when you shoot at it!

Greg

Chris,

I would be happy to come up during bow season to help you remove one of those older "management bucks" that is polluting your doe population with such poor horn genetics!

Greg

Pete,

After those comments I'm sorry I brought up the bear thing.....well, maybe not.

Greg

Wow To think, bears in Jersey! Great photos

My nephew lives in Rochester, so he got his outfit at Gander Mountain last year. Was using a 2 blade mechanical on the arrow. It made a nice entry wound, one blade had a notch in it where I figure it hit bone then was redirected. Good 2+ inch cut as it made it's way through the liver.

My career choice being what it is, deer cleanings are like a post mortem for me, I use the same scapel blades I use for cow surgeries....it can be fun to trace the wounds created by the arrow...you can commence with the jokes about how twisted I am now.

As for the tracking, I didn't start hunting until my veterinary school classmates convinced me to give it a try, so haven't had that much experiece I guess. My underlying fear has always been about the wounding of an animal without recovery. Luckily, when I've missed shots in the past, its been a clean miss, though one time I gave a buck a belly shave with white hair on the ground to prove it. This time was the closest to a lost wounded deer, but we were not going to give up on it early knowing there was a considerable amount of arrow missing/in the deer. No doubt my nephew will never forget his first buck.

Greg

Pete,

Was just talking with a client this morning about hunting and he heard Northern Jersey has a bear problem but no hunting allowed. Is that your neck of the woods? Do any bear interfere with deer activity?

Greg

Pete,

I've heard that tactic for early or late season....with rut about to come on that buck's hormones will get him roaming unless he has his own private doe harem laying in bed with him

My nephew took up hunting a few years back when some of his U of Buffalo classmates took him out. He came over Thanksgiving that year and we put him in front of a dozen does so he took his pick and had his first harvest with a muzzleloader. No luck since then and last year he took up bowhunting, so I invited him over last weekend.

About 7:30 Saturday this 6 pt caught him by surprise as he was only 15 yards away before he saw him. The buck crossed in front of him so he had a textbook shot, but Buck fever took over, so the morning hunt had just begun. I heard the crashing from my tree about 200 yards away, then silence. He thought he had a good shot, maybe a little high, so we waited 30 minutes and I went over. Brown hair at the shot site, no sign of exit, and then 5 yards away we had the back half of the arrow. No blood, and I mean No Blood anywhere. We scoured from shot site to where he last saw the deer, then bit by bit went to where my ears heard him go.....No sign, no blood. I'm fearing the dreaded gut shot, but keep thinking this deer cannot go far with 1/2 an arrow in him.

Our woods narrows down close to the road and tends to be a Safe Zone/bedding area for deer when pushed, especially during gun season. Sure enough, we make our way into the thicket about 10:30 that morning, and there is the buck, down and done. Turns out the shot was "high and outside", nicked 1 lung and must have hit a vertebrae and redirected through the liver and was just starting to come through the bottom of his abdomen.

I was real thankful to have found him and needless to say my nephew was relieved as well. Hopefully his Buck Fever will be over with now, (although none of us ever fully get over it do we!), and we can chalk it up to a good learning experience about a patient search.

Greg

Congratulations. You've freed up some time to fish the next few weeks.

Greg

Agreed Sean,

Between Hookjaw and Hooked Up, the rest of us are about to be Tag Teamed.

Greg

Nick,

Thanks for the report and welcome to the LOU. We met last month at Dean's when my son and I were limping in with our kicker motor. I'm sure our paths will cross again.

Greg

Congratulations, that is a wide rack!

Greg

Laying one in on the money at 35?! That's one to remember, regardless of how much horn is there. Congratulations.

Greg

Sounds good tap. Not sure the layout of Steuben county, but some relatives of mine hunt in the Dansville/Springwater area. Are you out that way?

Greg

Looks like you got the first "LOU" buck of the year. I would say you set a nice bar for all of us to aim for. Congratulations.

Greg

Andy,

Interesting article to read...their conclusions match yours, ie spend more time afield....every year I ask my wife to fire me in mid-October...she won't do it, but barring any cow calls, she let's me run to the woods a bit during bow season so I'm not complaining.

Speaking of the woods, did get out yesterday afternoon for a bit and enjoyed two does hanging under my stand for 15-20 minutes. I could have pulled a Rambo on one and jumped on her back, but too much fun just watching. There will be more in the weeks ahead....

Greg

Anyone who enjoys hunting for more than just the "Brown its Down" approach would enjoy going to an Alsheimer seminar. I saw him a few years back; engaging guy who is passionate about whitetails to hunt and to learn about their behaviors. He has a fenced in area near Bath where he can monitor the behavior of some whitetails each year, and has been doing so for some time now. I think the moon phase connection to the rut is real, just as it can affect weather, it's Mother Natures way of telling does when to cycle and giving a hint of when the following Spring will be amenable to having those new fawns.

Alsheimer's theory is the peak rut occurs 1 week after the second full moon after the Fall Equinox. This year the Fall Equinox landed on a full moon, so it is a rare occurrence to try and predict. He admits he's not sure how it will work out in 2010. The thought is there will be a trickle rut, one happening late October and the second stating about the 21st of November.

Those of us who like to engage in animal biology, patterns, theories, quackery? can ad lib to this all we want. Raising seasonal breeding livestock, (sheep for me), you find groups of females will cycle in a tight window, not spread out a few at a time over a 3-4 week cycle. So, depending on where you live, you could get a stronger late October rut and lighter in November or flip it around. But if your does are quiet in late October, and 2-3 miles away a batch of does are hot, the bucks may be hard to find on your property. As always, it adds up to a good excuse to tell the family you need to spend more time in the woods this Fall. Good luck to all out there.

Greg