cabelas – Green Lake Chronicles

Scouting Update

September 28, 2016September 29, 2016 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

For the past month or so, every Sunday morning before football kicks off, I drive out to my Massachusetts spots to collect pictures and put down more Big & J. We are extremely happy with the BB2 granular mix, the deer cant seem to get enough of it. I look forward to this all week, as the bucks are starting to come around during daylight hours and sometimes you never know what will be on camera. We started to name to deer and having a fun time figuring out their patterns.

ma-stinkybigj — Crotch horn we named “Stinky” enjoying some Big & J

Stinky is the name of a younger buck that shows up on all three cameras, everyday and takes a crap right in frame. He’s a little stinker!

ma-bucksfight — “Stinky” and “Little Richard” squaring off

We have five different bucks showing up on this small piece of private land. Most of which show up during early morning or late at night. “Stinky” has been the most camera friendly deer, usually showing up within twenty minutes on all three cameras. Big & J BB2 has definitely helped with patterning these deer to a specific schedule.

“Little Richard” getting up close. He has a small sticker coming off the main beam.

Unfortunately one of the negatives from having high deer activity on this parcel, is the frequent coyote movement. Every other day, we have a small yote coming in, checking out the Big & J and pissing on the pile. He needs to go!

Checking trail cameras is a blast and once the rut kicks in, I am hopeful we have some bigger bucks venturing into this area. Only a few weeks left until we get into a treestand! Be sure to check out more stories and pictures on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Thank you for reading!

-Michael

montana/Travel Review

Travel Review: Big Sky Country

September 26, 2016September 26, 2016 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Montana is unreal, let’s just start with that. My wife and I just returned from a great trip to our good friend “Bearman’s” house in Southwestern, MT, where the Bitterroot Valley abuts two mountain ranges. It’s been a few years since I was out there and since then, Bearman has been telling me unbelievable stories of his outdoor adventures (some of which you may have previously read about). September is an awesome time of the the year to visit the mountains. The temperature is brisk in the morning, then typically warms up to a comfortable mid-70s.

What to do in September?

Fishing- Traditionally the Bitterroot river is most well known for it’s rainbows and once the water calms down after ice-out (later May/early June) the action heats up. In September, fishing can fire up with larger trout hitting trico hatches. The pressure from tourists is limited and you can have exclusivity on certain parts of the river. During our trip, I fished the west fork a few times, but enjoyed non-stop action on some of the local mountain lakes. I primarily used elk hair caddis drys, but the cutties in those mountain lakes would have probably crushed anything.

mt-lakepano — Epic Scenery and non-stop cutthroat action

Hunting- If you are from the Northeast, the time September comes around, the hunting itch becomes almost unbearable. Montana and many other western states, can be your remedy to get back into the woods early. The more popular species for the 2016 Montana archery season shown below:

Elk- September 3rd – October 16th
Whitetail- Same as elk
Black Bear- September 3rd – September 14th
Mulies- Same as elk
Antelope- September 3rd – October 7th

mt-elk2016 — Bearman’s father with his first Archery Elk harvest

Hiking- Aside from the hunting and fishing options Montana offers for the outdoor enthusiast, the Bitterroot Mountain ranges provides excellent hiking terrain for beginner to expert trailblazers. Click this link to learn more.

Next year, I hope to get back out to Montana and fill an Archery Elk tag. The Big Sky Country is beautiful and I highly recommend a trip out there. If you have any questions about the information in this article or would like to be pointed to the right direction in planning a hunt, please feel free to contact me. Be sure to check out more stories and pictures on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Thank you for reading!

-Michael

mt-sheacoors — My wife and I, enjoying a nice Coors after a long hike

Fall/massachusetts/Scouting

Product Review: Big & J BB2 Granular

September 7, 2016September 7, 2016 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

It’s always a fun time when you head back to the woods to check trail cams. This year, we are running 15 in three different states all pointed towards a long range attractant. After speaking with Mike Hunsucker of Heartland Bowhunter last year and doing some research on my own, I decided to use Big & J products this season.

Since most of my hunting spots are located on private plots that border state land, I want to do everything I can in attracting deer and keeping them on my property. State Land in Central New York and Massachusetts becomes the wild west, bringing “hunters” from the cities that end up shooting at anything brown. After a week sit, I checked one of my Massachusetts spots and found positive initial results. I did not have a deer on camera the first night, then every day following, there was a tall 1.5 yr old 4 point and big doe coming to the Big & J BB2. Early results in Mass seem positive and hopefully these deer stick around all season. They are 95% running on nocturnal time.

Make sure you read up on the local regulations before dropping feed/attractant in front of your cameras. Most states allow this up until two weeks before the season begins. If you had planted food plots in the spring and fall, the deer would be more apt to stick around. We will keep using Big & J and share results as the season progresses. Be sure to check out more stories and pictures on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Thank you for reading!

-Michael

MOULTRIE DIGITAL GAME CAMERA — Mr. Fisher Cat making an appearance!

hunting/Scouting

We’re Back! New Season with New Expectations

August 30, 2016 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

After a long break, Green Lake Chronicles is back! Life takes you in many different directions in the off season. I got married in the spring, new work responsibilities with higher expectations and general time off. I look forward to get posting again and hope you enjoy the new stuff I plan on kicking out!

Last weekend marked the fifth annual pre-season scouting and winter plot planting on one of our properties in the Southern Tier of New York. The GreenLake crew has been slow to get into the woods, with “hellacious” work schedules and what not, but we were able to plant a few two acre “holding” plots throughout the property. These holding plots have been huge in keeping the deer heard somewhat fed throughout the winter months and during post-rut, the herd falls back into feeding mode. It’s been an incredibly warm summer and deer activity is almost exclusivity nocturnal. With last years success on this property, we installed more cameras, cleared lanes and drank Labatt blues on the cabin porch.

Last season I bought a handful of trail cameras to test and with high expectations this fall, I plan on doubling my output. I really enjoy the simplicity of the Wildgame Innovations Cloak. Battery life is slightly above average, but my favorite aspect is how moderately priced they are. I picked up four more this year and spread them throughout field entry/exit pinch points, food plots, active trails and the “honey hole” spots on the property. Along with the Wildgame lineup, the trigger finger gets pretty itchy in the off-season and with Amazon prime being idiot-proof, we picked up four additional “test” Moultrie M-88Oi cameras as well. My wife doesn’t seem to understand that only one trail camera is not nearly enough. The arsenal is full now, going 15 strong in three different states! The Moultrie cameras are pretty sweet, especially when you get nice text surprises with deer pictures. Makes the work day more enjoyable and fuels the hunting fire. Efficient scouting at it’s best! My buddy in Mass is utilizing them almost exclusively with positive results.

“I love the cameras as they have a ton of features and abilities with customization. There is nothing like getting a text message saying there is a deer under your stand right now. The only major downfall I see is a serious design flaw which is that in order for the modem to access the camera to send you pics, you cannot have a security password set on the camera.” -Nick

Fall is right around the corner and I can’t remember a more anticipated season! I’m headed to Montana in a week to chase Elk and fly fish for native cutties. Be sure to check out more stories and pictures on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Thank you for reading!

-Michael

Fall/hunting/Hunting stories

South Dakota Pheasant Hunting

November 24, 2015November 24, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Group Pheasant Shot — Northern Plains Outfitters

It’s hot and heavy into whitetail season here in the Northeast, but there are some other awesome hunting adventures available during the fall. Chronicles pro-staffer, Shawn D wanted to share a great hunting story from his recent South Dakota Pheasant trip. Please enjoy his written account from his traditional bird hunt out west.

“South Dakota is a magical place where the pheasants thrive and shot gun barrels stay hot! Two weeks ago, I went on the annual South Dakota Pheasant hunt (PheasantFest) for the 12^th year running. I flew out of Boston Wednesday morning to be picked up by my Dad and the crew in Minneapolis where we drove another 4.5 hours to Northern Plains Outfitter in Athol, South Dakota. (http://www.northernplainsoutfitters.com)

If you have ever been to South Dakota, you will know that it is the pheasant capital of the United States. This year there was a projected 40% increase in pheasant being tracked across the state. With a warm and dry spring and summer, the local guides said that they were seeing third hatch amongst the pheasant population. Which I can attest to, seeing plenty of young or immature birds as well as seasoned birds with long tails and spurs.

Overall, it’s a great experience to be out with friends and family. There was plenty of CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) grasslands where pheasant like to nest and live without having too much pressure from local predators such as coyotes. There was still some standing feed corn where you can let your dog’s run loose popping them out as they feed as well. We have three German Shorthair pointers (which in my opinion is the best upland bird dog money can buy) that have great hunting instincts in their blood.

My recommendations if you are planning your next pheasant hunting trip out in the Midwest, is bring plenty of guys to block and wing, plenty of shells, and some good bird dogs to find and retrieve your game. Having enough guys walking in a straight line prevents the birds from running behind you and having blockers at the end of the field prevent them from running out before they flush. Be sure to zig-zag as well if you don’t have enough to cover every corner they might be sitting.

Lastly, BE SAFE! Know where everyone is at all times and communicate. Everyone will be fully armed and the last thing you want is to load someone up with a bunch of bird shot. Especially if you are getting close to the end of the field, the blockers will be very close and you want to make sure your shots are above 45 degrees and not in the line of fire of someone else. Remember, you can always find another bird, you can’t replace your friends face if acting recklessly. This will ensure a successful hunt and loads of fun for shooters and dog handlers.”

Thanks for the great article Shawn. If you have any questions about this post, please email us at greenlakechronicles@gmail.com. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for more pictures!

-Michael

Fall/hunting/Hunting stories/Uncategorized

Viewers Choice Article

November 18, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Kuppens-8 — Chris with his biggest archery buck to date

I started this site as a platform for folks to enjoy outdoor articles, post cool pictures of their pursuits and to share their adventures for everyone to enjoy. I am pleased to post our first “Viewers Choice Article,” a first hand perspective written by one of our followers. Chris is a die hard bow hunter from Massachusetts, where the huntable land is limited and big bucks are scarce. You definitely earn your stripes hunting in the bay state. Please enjoy his recap of this awesome hunt.

“On 11/5 (a Thursday) I took a ½ day off from work and Packed my Climbing Stand deep into a Swamp. I found a hill located in the middle of the swamp made up mostly of Pine Trees. I was drawn to the spot by the aerial photos I have seen of the green trees surrounded by what looked to be swamp. There was a large Holly tree (30-40 feet tall) located in the middle of the Pine cluster. I noticed the Holly had 2 scrapes under it and decided I should set up on the edge of the Pines but within 20 yards of the Holly Tree. The wind was blowing out of the South West. I set up on the Eastern Edge of the Pines and saw a large bodied deer come in at the very last moment of the day. It was too far away and too dark to shoot. I left my Climber locked to a tree and decided to go back on Saturday and sit all day.

Saturday’s wind was West/ North West so it was still going to be in my face and keeping the Pines and Holly Tree upwind from me. I hiked into my stand site at 5AM. I set up 2 Scent bombs about 20 yards away from me at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions. Sunrise was 6AM and by 7AM a small button buck came into the area. He stayed for about an hour or so offering me several shot opportunities under 10 yards. I took a video of him walking under my stand. It was difficult having him around because I needed to sit very still as he was never more than 50 yards away but I felt it was a good sign that he was in the area. I debated getting down and walking out for lunch but decided to stay. The walk was simply too long and I figured I wouldn’t make it back to this spot in the afternoon and I wanted to see that big bodied deer again from Thursday night.

Around 11:15 the button buck returned. He stayed for at least an hour. He was eating mushrooms from under the pine needles. By 1 in the afternoon he was gone and I was getting really tired. It wasn’t worth the effort to shoot this small deer although I considered it several times. My hope was that he would make another buck come in and run him off. I was starting to second guess myself… I was thinking maybe the button was hanging in this area because he knew he was safe here as the other deer had moved into another area. I was worn out and discouraged. By 3:30 the Button had returned again. I figured I would spend the last hour and a half frozen up in my stand by this small deer.

At 4:30. I heard the bushes behind me and to the right crashing. I then heard the distinctive sound of a grunt. I checked the Button Buck’s last location and he was nowhere to be found. It seems like he moved on. I thought to myself that he may have been looking back in my direction all day waiting for this buck to come chase him off. I grunted and the deer started barreling in. It was a large body and I knew right away that it was something I would want to take a shot at. It was moving as if it was going to pass behind my tree. I could tell it was a Buck. A large buck probably at least 6 points, but maybe more. My heart was pounding. I started turning around to face the tree in order to be able to shoot at the deer. He was 20 yards away at my 4 O’clock position heading as if he was going to pass right behind me. Somehow he either heard me or saw the movement because he looked right up . He stared at me for over a minute. My legs we tired and my heart was absolutely pounding. My heart was beating so hard I thought the deer was going to hear it. After a full minute of both of us frozen he finally started moving forward. He took 2 more steps and came downwind of one of my scent bombs. The Buck turned 90 degrees and headed straight to the scent. The Westerly wind blew the scent right across his nose.

There were two trees that were going to come between me and the Buck’s line of sight. When he moved behind the first tree I got into position. When he moved behind the second tree I drew my bow back. I was so nervous at this point I think I tried to shut my right eye instead of my left eye to line up the shot. He stopped behind that tree for what seemed like a minute. My heart was still exploding in my chest. He took one step and only his head appeared beyond the tree. I held my bow back until he started walking forward. I let the arrow loose and watched it fly towards the deer. I could see the lighted knock heading for the deer. The shot looked like it was back and a little high. I was immediately nervous that it was a bad shot. I watched the Buck run off with his tail down. A few seconds later I heard a “Snort Wheeze” from the same area the first buck came from. I grunted and the 2^nd buck started tearing a tree up, snorting, and stomping his feet. I knocked another arrow and got ready to shoot at the second buck if he came into view. The second buck ran out of the swamp about 50 yards away from me. He was large but seemed smaller than the one I shot at. He trotted up in the direction of the first buck. When the 2^nd buck got to the point where I lost sight of the first one I heard a lot of crashing sounds. I wasn’t sure what happened.

I climbed down the tree and went over to the spot where I shot the deer. I found the arrow and it was covered with blood and hair. I walked about 10 feet and found a few drops of blood on a log. I decided to back out and give the deer a few hours. I decided to go back into the woods at 9PM to look for the deer. We picked up the blood trail. And followed it for about 40 yards. The buck was pumping blood out of both sides and the trail was easy to follow. We found him piled up right in the area I had heard the crashing earlier.

To me the Buck was the bigger than I had imagined. He was a 3.5 year old 8 Pointer that dressed at 190 Pounds. His rack was solid and very symmetrical. He weighed a TON. We had difficulty moving him around at first. I knew it was going to be a long walk out. After field dressing the buck and a few photos we started dragging him out. It took us over an hour to drag him through the swamp and out to the road. I plan on mounting this deer so I can relive this awesome hunt for a long time. Great hunt!”

Awesome story Chris, thank you for sharing with us. I welcome others to share their stories of great 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

Fall/hunting/Hunting stories

EAT. HUNT. SLEEP. REPEAT

November 16, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Hillari with her first deer with the bow. Great tag teamed effort to put this one down.

What a great weekend to be in the woods! For the second weekend in a row, I headed out to upstate NY with my good friends Mike and Hillari to chase rutting bucks. We left Boston Thursday night and arrived with high hopes and some anxiety (horrible weather on the forecast)! The weekend before, I stopped in the areas on my way home from our southern tier hunt, to hang trail cameras and scout. In four days, I had three different bucks on camera and some very patterned does. The weather forecast was high winds, around 20 MPH and occasional freezing rain. Not the best conditions to sit all day, but the rut was in full swing and deer would still have to move. I had already filled my archery buck tag, so I was hunting for meat. We hunted public property on Friday and I shot a doe walking from a thick bedding area to the hardwoods. It was crossbow season and I wanted to get everything on film.

My biggest goal this year was to capture my hunts with my go-pro!

It wasn’t the best angle, but I had a good opening and a steady rest. I let the deer sit for a few hours after my shot, then we tracked it over half a mile, eventually jumping it one time. The deer did not look hurt at all and I think my arrow passed through no mans land missing the vitals completely. Looked for it the next day and lost the pin pricks of blood. I hate leaving the blood trail or knowing I wounded a deer, but I know this deer had just a flesh wound (because of how far it ran and how little it bled). It would live to see another day, smarter and more cautious now!

The weather continued to be a nasty slap in the face, but we hunted hard and Mike had luck shooting a nice doe on Saturday evening. The wind was still blasting, but his efforts on the all day sit, paid off with backstraps. I was able to film some of the short track job! There is nothing like seeing a white belly in the dark. There were a ton of deer walking the thick edges of the property that night and Mike made a clean, quartering away shot at 25 yards. He did the right thing and let the deer sit for a few hours. After dinner we quickly picked up the blood trail and found her 40 yards from where he shot.

Sunday Morning looked like a great weather wise with minimal wind and cold temperatures. We were hunting a piece of private land that I had permission on that abutted the NYS State Forest. Great area with sloping hills, thick brush transition areas and overgrown fields. That same day, my high school buddy was hunting his land about five miles away. He had some great deer on camera and has been managing the property for a few years. His goal was to only shoot racked bucks (no forks, spikes or small 6pts. A few days earlier, a nice shooter was grunting up a storm chasing a doe. This love struck 8pt was making a loud racket, MAKE SURE YOUR VOLUME IS UP! His Wildgame trail camera caught the whole thing.

My high school buddy ended shooting this nice buck on Sunday night. The deer owned the area and responded to one of his grunts. He made a nice shot at 20 yards and the deer piled up after a few steps. It’s great to see deer management pay off.

That same night, my fiance and I left the area to head back home while Mike and Hillari remained in the tree. Hillari had a nice encounter with a buck, but her arrow missed the deer completely after glancing off some small tree branches. Being a bow hunter, we often have heartbreaks in the woods. Hillari had been hunting hard for a few days and seemed defeated after this unfortunate miss. Her persistence would pay off a few hours later!

Mike and Hillari shot the same deer! It was a great hunt and now they have this amazing and unique memory together.

I got a call from Mike at 4:45PM, frantic and excited. He said he shot a big 8pt a few minutes before and the deer actually ran right up to where Hillari was sitting. She made a clear shot at 18 yards then watched the buck disappear in some thick cover. Hillari and Mike have never killed a buck with a bow and were hard pressed on filling their tags this weekend. How cool is it that they both shot the same deer! Tag team style, the couple put their time in the stand and during the last half hour of legal shooting time, a buck tag was punched. She did not see the deer go down, so did the right thing in quietly getting out of the woods and let the buck sit for a few hours. They ended up finding the deer a little farther than expected in the early morning.

This weekend was one of the best in a long time. We had some great adventures in the woods and harvested some quality animals. Fall is my favorite time of the year and even though I didn’t punch a tag, I enjoyed seeing my close friends have success. Thank you for reading and be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram page for more great pictures.

-Michael

Action Camera Videos/Fall/hunting

Warm Weather Deer!

November 9, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Biggest spike I've ever seen! Great hunt with food in the freezer. — Biggest spike I’ve ever seen! Great hunt with food in the freezer.

What a great weekend to be in the woods! Our annual trip to one of our hot spots in NY paid off with backstrap dividends. Going into the weekend, I did not have a ton of optimism for the first few days of the trip. The weather was going to be unseasonably warm, like 65-75 degree warm. Typically the first full week in November is right around 30 in the morning and at the highest temperature, about 45-50. After the long 6.5 hour drive, we arrived ready for action. Four hours later, we woke up and walked to our spots. It was 70 degrees at 5:45 AM, with wind coming in around 12:00 PM and some light rain. Not the most ideal conditions, but the rut has just started to kick off!

Stud 9 point (broken G-2) that took the trophy for the weekend. 185lbs dressed.

We ended the weekend with two bucks down and a few other nice encounters. During one of the warmer days, my buddy and I both shot “seeking phase” bucks that were on a mission to find a doe in estrous. I shot a big spike and he took a monster 9 pt. The best day of the trip (temperature wise) was Sunday morning. Crystal clear weather with 32 degree temps and no wind. I was already tagged out, but had a great time filming my buddy. We did not harvest a buck, but had a nice encounter with a massive four point within bow range.

I will post a video of the weekend within a few days. Thanks for reading and if you had success in the woods this past weekend, please share your pictures on our Facebook page!

-Michael

Fall/hunting/Hunting stories

The Montana Success Story- Part Two

October 30, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Bearman with a nice Montana bull on a do it yourself public land hunt

Yesterday I posted the first part of the Montana Success Story where we read about “Bearmans” first mulie harvest. The story only gets better! Please enjoy “Bearmans” recount of this awesome Elk hunt.

“Elk season is a mythical window of time that calls to me all year. From the day the season ends until the day it opens again I am constantly hiking, scouting, and dreaming of my adventures for the season to come. This season in particular has been a roller coaster ride to say the least, and not just the kid’s roller coaster, but the really high go upside down kind of thing. September bow season is my favorite time of year without a doubt. The weather is perfect, scenery is fantastic, and the bulls are singing. As far as I am concerned there are few things more pure and exciting than a bull elk screaming at daybreak on a calm fall morning. Fortunately, I got into that familiar scenario multiple times in different locations throughout the season. Not only did I hear elk, but I had some close calls; really close; head to head at 3 yards close. Talk about an exhilarating experience. Then there was the lowest of lows where an animal was wounded and not recovered. Even after all possible efforts have been taken to ensure that the animal is not immediately dead; the possibility always exists that he will die eventually. Anyone who has hunted long enough knows this awful feeling and can just hope that the animal heals from a non-lethal shot. Needless to say, bow season ended with mixed emotions, some great memories, and lessons learned.

A week between seasons and it was rifle time. After five weekends in the bow hunting woods with no meat to show for it, I was ready. My rifle was dialed in, shooting a clover leaf at 100 yards and four inch group at 300 yards. Opening day I returned to my favorite bow hunting area and saw a few elk but from over a mile away and no way to get in on them in time. The following day I put my rifle to the test on my first mule deer buck which performed flawlessly. Very satisfied to have a buck tag filled, I felt less stress to pursue a bull until the snow started sticking. With one week between daylight savings time, coaching Junior High football after teaching Shop at the high school, I decided to take some friends out hunting and try to have them fill their deer tags. The plan was to put them on what I thought to be the better spots and I would circle below and try to push some deer in their direction. So with no real intention on hunting too seriously I set off to break in my new boots and exercise my rifle. A few miles in I jumped some does that ran back uphill towards my hunting companions. At that time I stopped and contemplated the strange gut feeling to change my course that I have felt on many successful hunts before. Without hesitation I turned off the trail and slowly wandered down through an old logged out area of timber with some old ponderosa pine trees mixed with new fir tree undergrowth standing about ten feet tall. I still hunted down through the area until I broke a stick under my boots when I stopped. Looking out about 150 yards on the edge of the cut I spotted something tan behind a small fir tree. Bringing up my scope I could see the definite outline of an elk butt and hind leg frozen in place listening to the stick I had just broken. The elk had not yet seen or smelled me so I cow called a few times to make me seem like one of the herd. Sure enough the elk turned his head showing me that he was in fact a bull. A few minutes later he started to walk again. Now I could see that he was in fact a legal bull with at least a four inch brow tine but had no shot opportunities through the timber. The first available shooting lane was nearly 100 yards in front of were the elk was headed. If he stepped out there it would be roughly 225 yards and I would be ready. Three cows seemed to appear out of nowhere right in that spot and looked very uneasy. The wind began to hit my neck and the cows must have got a little whiff of me and turned back into the timer out of sight. Meanwhile the bull was approaching the opening where I would hopefully be able to make a shot when he stopped to look at his cows. I thought, “Oh no he’s going to follow those cows and be gone for good.” He only needed to take two more steps but he looked like he wanted to change his mind so I cow called one more time to get his attention. It did the trick. I was sitting down with rifle rested on my knee. He looked back uphill out of curiosity and when he walked two more steps to get a better look I sent a bullet down range. Now twenty cows joined him and were running through the clearing. I racked a round, found him in the scope, fired and watched him drop. I could still see him alive with his head up so I quickly finished him off with a neck shot. My after work tromp through the woods had just ended with a magnificent creature on the ground.

Well it didn’t end there. Anyone who has ever killed and elk knows that the work really starts when the shooting stops. I got it gutted out as the sun finally sank behind the mountains and headed back to the truck to meet the other two and tell them the story. There’s a song that says, “…you find out who your friends are”, but I think Tracy Lawrence left out a verse about finding a pack crew when it’s miles from nowhere and dark out. Being the lucky guy I am it only took an hour and there were four of us with bikes and pack frames ready to roll down an old gated road. The date was October 27^th with clear skies, temps in the low 30s, and a big full moon. For me, the memories of the pack out have been comparable to that of some of my best hunts. Four guys brought together by the common love of hunting headed through the woods with mountain bikes and only the light of the moon casting shadows through the trees. The whole time my dog Angel running beside us as part of the team. This if for sure a memory that I will not soon forget. Tagged out and time to make summer sausage!”

Awesome story Bearman, thank you for sharing. As I said before, this guy is a great example of how to work hard, scout often and put your time in the woods to harvest some quality animals. Thank you for reading and be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for great pictures.

-Michael

Fall/hunting

Deer Hunting Forecast-Northeast

October 22, 2015 michaeloutdoorLeave a comment

Rut Buck Shotgun — Nice 8pt shot during prime “chase” phase during regular season in Cayuga County, NY

As you have seen from my past articles, I primarily deer hunt in New York where the annual deer harvest is one of the highest in the country. Most of the deer taken are from gun season (which can be like WWII from city hunters) but archery season is very quiet throughout the state. For this 2015 season, the experts are projecting the rut to kick off about a week earlier than last year. This will bode well for archery hunters. Hunting whitetails during the rut, especially in the Northeast, is one of the best times to increase your chances at taking a nice buck. Clearly a no brainer, but be prepared for bucks to start chasing earlier this hunting season, so plan to adjust your tactics accordingly.

Archery buck taken during the "seeking" phase of the rut — Archery buck taken during the “seeking” phase of the rut

There are different theories as to when bucks begin their rut and the most popular one is to follow the moon phase. This year, the rutting moon falls on October 27th. The rutting moon is the second full moon after the Autumnal equinox. I’ve read a few articles that say this will trigger bucks to begin their early “seeking” phase of the rut. Some does will begin an early estrus cycle during this time. Be prepared to change your tactics from hunting predominately over food areas to bedding transition zones or rub lines.

I haven’t killed the monster bucks like the Lakosky’s, but I have success every hunting season following fundamental tactics. In the early season I strictly choose to hunt near food sources or transition zones. During this time, I build a profile of my hunting grounds and lock down deer patterns. I rarely use any estrus in October, but occasionally put a scent wick out if the weather patterns become unseasonably cold. With my experience, temperature in Upstate NY is one the leading factors that affects rut activity. Deer will start moving around much more and not be locked into their nocturnal patterns. During the early stages of the rut, I spend a lot more time on post, typically taking a two hour break for lunch and sometimes changing my afternoon stand location. Putting time in the stand will get you a deer, but yes you can get lucky just sitting for the last hour of daylight! I’ve shot some nice deer during midday and highly recommend you sitting as long as you can during chase rut.

I hope you have success this hunting season! I will post more videos and articles once November comes around when I don’t have my hectic 9-5 schedule. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for great pictures. Thanks for reading.

-Michael

Tag: cabelas