Tag: action

Fall/New York/Rut hunting/Scouting

Hunting Report: Sweet November

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Glad this election is over and we can concentrate on the important things, such as hunting the rut. I have been out numerous times over the past few weeks and noticed that the bucks are starting to heat up  (as early as later October). Warm weather pauses the seeking phase, but this weekend looks like a cold one and will definitely turn up the buck activity.  I was able to shoot a buck in New York this past weekend, but not much action other than him showing up on Sunday morning.  The weather was horrible with it being warm and extremely windy. I shot him walking down hill from a major rub line and think he was pushed off by a bigger deer.  Most of the buck activity I’ve seen on cameras is at night, but there were a ton of new scrapes/rubs popping up daily.

mp-bowbuck
Meat deer

If you plan on taking time off during November, I would start right now. Temperatures in the Northeast look pretty good and if you are up for a long sit, folks who hunt all day tend to have the most activity. I plan on heading back to NY to film some buddies on a few of my private land spots. Friday looks like a “hella” wind day, but chilly. I’ve had success hunting less than perfect conditions usually near thick cover, swamps or in some sort of conifer location/draw. Deer like to hang tight in those areas and not wander too much. Hunt where the does are, bucks are sure to catch the scent and make a mistake. Capitalize on this! November is my favorite time to be in the woods, because you never know what can happen during the rut.

Pretty cool watching this deer grab a licking branch and make a scrape.

I hope to have some exciting footage of a first time hunter taking his first deer this weekend. More to come. Thank you for reading. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for more great pictures!

-Michael

 

 

 

Hunting stories/Viewers Choice Article

Viewers Choice Article

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It has been an exciting past few weeks for the Green Lake Chronicles crew and I am happy to share this first hand story about an awesome hunt Walter experienced in mid-September. Walter is a hunting veteran from Catskills, NY, who has harvested many great animals in his day, but this was going to be his first adventure chasing elk with a bow. Enjoy!

“My first elk hunt was going to be an archery season trip to the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana.  Our son, Max, had taken a teaching job in Darby four years earlier and had spent many hours afield learning the ways of Wapiti , the Indian name for elk.

Recently retired, my wife, Jeanne, and I loaded up the truck camper and headed for Big Sky country.  Mid-September, prime time for the elk rut, was our target date to be in the mountains.  We set up camp in a valley meadow by a small trout stream several miles back in on a National Forest Service dirt road.  I spent the first few days hiking ridges looking for elk sign and acclimating to the higher elevation. A freshly-used wallow presented itself on one such hike.  “This would be a good place to sit,” I told myself, based on the warm, sunny days we were experiencing.  I sat two mornings there in my blind and saw nothing.  It was now day five and I was starting to feel a little discouraged with locating elk in the vast wilderness, though I had read that elk are where you find them.

“Tomorrow will be an adventure, no matter what,” Jeanne said, reminding me that Max would be my hunting guide for the weekend.  I had mixed feelings on that.  Max knew of some great spots and could “talk” elk, but his reputation for death-march hiking scared me. I slept fitfully that night, reviewing my gear and rehearsing the perfect shot in my mind.

mt-waltelk“Dad, wake up.  It’s time to go!” came a voice from the door of the Bear Den, a guest room Max had recently built.  It was a clear, frosty, full-moon morning as we drove up into the mountain pass.  “We’ll be hiking up this drainage today,” he said, pointing to a trailhead as he parked at the end of the gravel road.  We worked our way up the trail in the darkness with the moonlight providing enough illumination to see the rocks and blowdowns in our path.  A cool, balsam scented breeze down drafted from the Continental Divide above.

After almost an hour, we veered off toward the first in a series of north facing alpine meadows.  All of a sudden, I felt this supernatural sense of consciousness come over me: the smells in the air stronger, the colors brighter, and a feeling of calm and heightened awareness.  “Something is going to happen today.  Something good, ” I thought.  I have had this feeling of the presence of God in the deer woods before and knew not to dismiss it.

Max stopped, took off his pack and said it was time for us to ready our bows  As I removed my pack, he hushed me:  “Listen!”  A cow’s mew, then another, broke the silence from the lodgepole timber above the first meadow.  We scrambled to put on our releases, nock arrows, and get the calls ready.  He instructed me to take a stand between him and the elk while he called to them from behind.  I quietly moved up to the bottom  edge of the meadow and concealed myself in the trees.

Max started cow calling and then I heard the clashing antlers of sparring bull elk.  Max kept up the cow calling but, after hearing the real cows drifting away, resorted to bugling.  That did the trick!  I saw a bull appear in the distance at the top of the steep meadow.  Another blow on the bugle call brought two bulls trotting down toward me.  “This is it,” I said to myself, still calm from the feeling that came over me just a short while before.

As the first bull disappeared behind some shrubs, I drew my bow and estimated the yardage.  He reappeared, still moving toward Max, and I followed him with my 20-yard pin.  Just as I found the spot behind and below the shoulder, he stopped.  I touched off the release.  The arrow flew true and buried to the fletching in his chest.  The bull ran off into the timber 50 yards away and fell.

I ran down to Max who was running to me and met with an emotional embrace.

Max expertly dressed, skinned, and quartered the 5 x 5 bull, readying the excellent meat for the two  backpack trips back to the truck.  By noon we were back on the road to Darby where the elk quarters would hang for five days in Max’s cooler and be butchered into fine fare for the table.

I am a blessed man!”

mt-elk2016
Bearman and his father, Walter, with a great Montana archery bull
Thank you for the great story Walt. I welcome others to share stories of  exciting memories afield. Email me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com with your story along with a few pictures and you could be the next Viewers Choice Post! Thank you for reading. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for more great pictures!
-Michael
Central New York/Fall/Fishing

Salmon River Madness

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Chronicles crew with a nice keeper chinook
Some of the Chronicles crew with a nice keeper Chinook Salmon

It’s that time of the year again! This weekend, we Boston boys will be making our annual trip to Pulaski, NY to butt shoulders with other fisherman on the overcrowded Salmon and Oswego River. Sounds fantastic right? The stress of potentially not securing your spot and fighting with a massive local “Oswegonian” is well worth it when your line gets tight and the drag starts screaming! A few of us went to college at SUNY Oswego and started fishing for these freak fish over eight years ago. Now that we have “respectable” jobs and more responsibility, we look forward to this annual trip to escape  and continue our pursuits of these monster salmon and cold Labatt Blue.

Early Steelie caught by Mr. Jones on blue egg sac
Early Steelie caught by Davey Jones on a blue egg sac

I am going to give you the most important piece of advice to help you land a salmon this fall.  Do not get too drunk the night before you fish. GET TO THE WATER VERY EARLY to secure a spot and do not leave until you are exhausted. The river will start filling up with fishermen between 6:45-7:15AM. If you safely get into position a solid hour before the others, there shouldn’t be an issue with crowds until 7:30AM. The rivers can get packed with people, but it is well worth it. The past few years, we have been having more success with hooking up and landing steelhead and bows. Salmon hook ups are frequent, but they run so hard and often come off the line.

I am not an expert at catching these things, but have had some good success following the factors listed below:

Water depth and flow – The higher the water level the better, the faster the water, the more oxygen, get the drift? There is a sweet spot with flow/depth. I like fishing the Oswego River when it’s between 4,500-6,000cfs. This river can be dangerous as hell if it get’s higher, but I have always had success during this flow.

Preliminary salmon runs – Location is key! Salmon can randomly begin their cycle depending on environmental factors such as water depth, flow and temperature. Typically the best runs start Columbus day weekend and end early November, but you never know when a major push will happen. Stay updated on local blogs and fishing reports and plan to have flexibility in setting the date for your trip.

Weather – The salmon run can greatly be affected by the weather patterns, a drop in temperature can result in a preliminary or unexpected run, as listed above. Cold nights and cooler daytime temperatures will help move the fish up river. You can never really predict the weather, but try and fish when it is getting a little colder.

“Stay Sensitive”- If you plan on using a spinning outfit, make sure you have the right line to feel your sinker kiss the bottom of the river while your leader sways into a fishes mouth. This ticking is important, because your hook (which should be on a leader, three feet behind weight) will hopefully pass through lines of fish. Salmon will rarely eat or go after your hook, so “lining” them is the best way to get success. Having minimal stretch line with narrow diameter will help you feel the tick and have more hook sets.

If you see someone attempting to snag the fish, rat their ass out to the DEC. Snagging is horrible for the fish and not real fishing. Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, please contact me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Michael

Salmon River map

Fat king caught on a homemade estaz fly
Fat king caught on a homemade estaz fly
Altmar, NY foliage
Altmar, NY foliage
Stud Washington Steelhead
Stud Washington Steelhead
Nice Bow
Nice Bow
Early morning steelie on the Oswego river
Early morning steelie on the Oswego river
Central New York/Fall/Fishing

Oneida Lake Fall Walleye Blitz

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My Cuse buddies with a nice set of Fat eyes
My Cuse buddies with a nice set of Fat eyes

I moved out of Syracuse, NY a little over three years ago and one of the things I miss most (other than dirt cheap rent) is the Fall Walleye Fishing on Oneida Lake. Walleye fishing becomes one of the hottest attractions of the fall, fish start becoming aggressive in their feeding routines, chasing bait into the shallower waters and circling the lake with a nightly feeding “schedule.”

What sets this time of year apart from the springtime walleye fishing, is the lure selection. In the spring we strictly utilized a 3/8” oz jig dipped with a juicy nightcrawler tail, jigging it on the bottom around 15 feet. As the temperature increases, the fish would head towards deeper waters, thus requiring a heavier jig. With fall the water temperature dropping,  large schools of walleye gravitate back towards the shallows, consistently circling the lake for balls of baitfish. With the fish coming shallower and following a more aggressive feeding pattern, stick baits would be our main lure choice. We’ve had great success with the Rapala X-Rap. This lure is a “slash” bait that suspends in the water and produces a radical motion. The reason I love this bait so much is that it is designed for the shallower water and the color patterns offered are extremely realistic. The X-Rap gives you that edge in weed “evadement” and also allows you to cast a significant distance with its long cast technology.  In my opinion, this is hands down the top bait to use in the fall. Just cast it out there and hook up.

Rapala X-Rap
Rapala X-Rap

The best time to fish in the fall is dependent on a few environmental factors:

  • Water temperature: colder temperatures allow fish to swim into the shallows feeding  on baitfish.
  • Wind direction and speed: generally you want to fish into the wind or in a cove where the wind is pushing waves to shore. This will push the bait closer and in turn schools of walleye will aggressively follow.
  • Time of day: preferably in the evening within an hour of sunset. You can start fishing in October and end Mid-November, just keep in mind, the activity is dependent on the water temperature as mentioned above
Hot Color Patterns
  • Silver and Black
  • Clown
  • Perch
  • Fire Shad and Standard Shad

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for good pictures and videos!

Michael

Hunting recipes

Wildgame Cooking Recipes Bearman Style

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Max
Bearman with a nice hook up in one of the glacier lakes

Max “Bearman” Fiedler is an outdoor celebrity within my social circle and one of my best friends.  One of the things I respect most from this guy, is his complete reliance on subsistence living. Bearman is an avid hunter and fisherman, but he also appreciates a healthy garden and livestock. Living in Montana allows a breath of opportunities for protein and Max is proud to admit that he hasn’t purchased chicken, beef or any other meets at the grocery store, since he moved out there in 2012.

Bearman with his 2015 Montana Black Bear
Bearman with his 2015 Montana Black Bear

I gave Bearman his nickname within the first few days of us meeting in college, about a decade ago. I was reluctant to befriend him at first, since I didn’t think there would be another kid out there as passionate and crazy about hunting as myself. However, when he told me the story of when he stalked and harvested a 300lb black bear on a mountain ridge in Sullivan Country, NY, I quickly grew respect for the guy. Bearman shot that Pope and Young bear at 15 yards with his old PSE compound, and he was 16 years old!

He is a humble hero with beautiful woodworking capabilities and Boone and Crockett quality in the deer woods. In college Bearman would host generous Sunday night dinners, with massive amounts of venison chili, smoked fish and tenderloin sandwiches. He loved these gatherings, because not only was the food good, but we all got to trade outdoor stories as well as introduce our passions to some city kids.  I have included some of Bearmans favorites recipes and brine’s for wild game. Check out these savory wild game secrets below and enjoy!

Bearman’s Top Outdoor Brine’s & Recipes

Smoked Trout Brine

12 cups water
1 cup kosher salt
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup minced garlic
Glaze ( After Smoking )
Honey, Jack Daniels, Black Pepper
Let fillets (skin on) soak for 8-24 hours in refrigerator
Dry then place in smoker for 3-8 hours on low heat until meat starts to separate.
Cool fillets and apply glaze.

Corned Venison Brine
3 cups tenderquic cure (can be obtained at Agway or Wegmans)
6 qts water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tbl spoon mixed pickling spices
2 teaspoons paprika
5 teaspoons bay leaves
2 cloves garlic (add after boiling)
Combine and boil except for garlic for 5 min. then let cool. Let sit for 21 days
Be sure all roasts are covered and stir daily
Cook in crock pot with onions and 1 can of beer for 4-6 hours,
slice thin and place on toasted bread with cheese and sauerkraut for the best sandwich you’ve ever ate!

Bearman’s Killer Venison Chili
1 1/2 – 2 pounds ground venison cooked first before placed into crock pot
2 – 24 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 can black beans
2 cans kidney beans
1 can white/light kidney beans
1 can corn
2 green peppers cut into 1/4″ cubes
2 wite/yellow onions
2 tbs chili powder
2 tbs red hot hot sauce
1 tbs minced garlic
salt+pepper

Put in crock pot for 6- 8 hours and eat over rice/crackers.

Thank you for reading and good luck on your next outing adventure! If you have any questions regarding wild game recipes, please email me at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Be sure to also check out our Facebook and Instagram pages!

Michael