Scouting Update

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.

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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!

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“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.

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“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!

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“Stinky” and his date

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

 

We’re Back! New Season with New Expectations

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.

Cloak in the woodsLast 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

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MOULTRIE doing the scouting for us as we sit in the office 
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Nice wide buck