Dad and I got an early start today and put on some miles. We had a goal of trying to find some fresh sign. My journey brought me to some nooks and crannies that I haven’t been to in a long time. While I expected to find sign in traditional places, I didn’t get that lucky. Instead, I found the most sign in places that are hard to get to and almost impossible to access without disturbing the deer. I’m going to study things this week and try to figure out how to approach the areas I found where the deer seem to be hanging out.
I also determined that it’s going to be a rough year. Everywhere I found leaves turned up, there were beds all over. With all of the beechnuts on the ground, the deer don’t have to travel far to find food. It appears that they’re feeding and bedding in the same place. They stand up and eat for a little bit before lying down. It doesn’t appear that they’re traveling very much. I’m pretty sure the same thing will play out the entire season.
Overall, it was a great weekend for hunting. The weather was ideal. I had a great time with my father, and we enjoyed every minute of the time together. Along the way, I found where a buck has been working. He rubbed a few trees shortly before I got to the area where he was feeding. In the one picture, you can see the fresh bark on the leaves. It didn’t appear to be a big buck, but all buck rubs tend to excite me, just like every deer I see excites me. Here are a few pictures from my weekend.