I got out of work early today so I could meet Dad for an afternoon hunt. Since there was snow on the ground, I wanted to cover as much ground as possible to get some good scouting in. Although after-season and spring scouting can outweigh most other times of the year, there’s nothing better than scouting during the season. That’s why I wanted to take advantage of today with the freshly fallen snow on the ground.
I went to an area that holds a lot of bears this time of year. They tend to go to this area to get ready for hibernation. They usually stock up for the winter before finding their way to their dens. Usually, there are bear runways instead of deer runways in the snow.
Well, I covered a lot of ground this afternoon, and the blinding snow made it miserable. At times, it was snowing so hard I couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of me. With the wind adding to the misery, I had about all I could take, but I pushed on. I held on to a tiny bit of hope that I might come across the sign I was looking for.
When I turned around and began heading back toward the truck, my headlamp light glistened off the snow. My tracks from a few hours earlier had been covered, and there was no sign that I had intruded the area just a short time ago.
I was disappointed that I didn’t see any animal tracks. Usually, there is a variety of tracks to examine, but on this day, the animals must not have moved too far.
When I met Dad after dark, he gave a similar report. He never cut a track and didn’t see any animals. I’m not sure what’s going on this year, but things definitely seem a little out of whack. I’m no scientist, but I’m sure that something is probably causing the lack of movement across the board. I’ve spoken to people in many different places in the Adirondacks and across the Northeast, and I’ve been getting similar reports from everyone.