Still Slow

1. Date - 10/5/10
2. Time - 6:30 AM - 9:30 AM
3. Location - Sam's - Tree stand located on the edge of a cut bean field.
4. Weather - Clear, Sunny, No Wind 
5. Temperature - 33 F
6. Wind Direction - N
7. Number of Deer Sighted -  Bucks - 0 Does -2
8. Age Structure - N/A

I only saw two does that were about 200 yards away.  They came out of the grass field and were headed across the road towards Power's property.  There is not much rubbing and scraping activity over there yet.

I am heading home again this weekend to hit it hard again.  I put my trail camera in a different location this week.  I set it on video footage instead of pictures so I am expecting some cool videos from a different scrape area.

-Adam 

Opening Weekend Update

I was able to make it out three times over the past weekend.

1. Date - 10/01/10
2. Time - 6:30 AM - 9:30 AM
3. Location - Emerson's, Olivet - Tree stand located on the edge of a cut wheat field.
4. Weather - Clear, Sunny, No Wind 
5. Temperature - 40 F
6. Wind Direction - NW
7. Number of Deer Sighted -  Bucks - 1 Does - 0
8. Age Structure - 1 1/2 yr old spike.  

Side Notes: While walking in, I scared off a deer that was right under my stand.  It sounded like a bigger deer and there was a fresh scrape about 20 yds away.  At least I didn't get skunked on opening day.  This property is 50 acres that is primarily field with only 5 acres of woods and some fence rows.

1. Date - 10/02/10
2. Time - 6:30 AM - 9:30 AM
3. Location - Gordon's, Kalamazoo - Took the climber and sat at the end of the lane behind the horse pasture.
4. Weather - Overcast, Drizzle, Windy 10-15 mph
5. Temperature - 50 F
6. Wind Direction - N
7. Number of Deer Sighted -  Bucks - 0  Does - 2 
8. Age Structure - N/A

Side Notes:  Took the climber and sat at the edge of the lane behind the horse pasture.  Two does came by me at 15 yds.  Could have shot them both but I was strictly trophy hunting that day.  This property is approximately 20 acres, mainly all field and fence rows.  Urban deer hunting at its best!

1. Date - 10/03/10
2. Time - 4:30 PM - 8:00 PM
3. Location - Fitzner's, Bellevue - Sat in the stand next to the cow pasture in the the woods.
4. Weather - Sunny, Windy 
5. Temperature - 50 F
6. Wind Direction - NNW
7. Number of Deer Sighted -  Bucks - 0  Does - 0 
8. Age Structure - N/A

Side Notes:  I was skunked!  Didn't see a single deer.  It was quite windy and calmed down as the sun was setting.  Very surprised I didn't see anything since this is one of the best stands on the property.  This property is primarily woods with a five acre hay field.  A bean field is to the west on a neighboring property about 80 yards away.   

To say the least, it was a very slow weekend but I still had a lot of fun.  Keith, who also hunts on my neighbors property said he saw a total of two does in two different hunts.  My brother Phil was hunting up north and only saw a few little does.  Nathon and Dustin also said they did not see much either.  

I checked my trail cam again last night and there were no pictures of deer from my mock scrape location.  Deer movement is definitely on the low end, which is kind of strange for opening weekend of bow season with temperatures reaching the low 40's.  Lets hope for more action this coming week/weekend!         

  

Mock Scrape and Trail Cam Pics

It's the day before the opener and I went out and checked my trail camera this afternoon.  Not too many pictures but enough to get the blood flowing.

Less than a week ago I made a mock scrape and set up my trail cam to see if the deer were using it.  For you greenhorns out there, I will describe what a scrape consists of. 

I like to use the analogy of a bulletin board to humans.  Deer use a scrape in a similar way people use bulletin boards in high travel areas.   When there is a lot of deer activity in a certain area, deer make scrapes to see who is hanging around and what is going on.  The only difference between humans and deer is that a human will look with their eyes(at the bulletin board), while a deer will use its nose to find out what is happening(at the scrape).  A deers sense of smell is unbelievably good and both does and bucks use scrapes all year long.    

When a deer makes a scrape, it will paw the ground, removing all leaves and grass.  Once all debris is removed, they will pee in the patch of dirt.  Then, they will use a licking branch.  A licking branch is a tree branch that overhangs the scrape that a deer will lick with its tongue and mouth.  Both peeing in the dirt and licking the branch help deer identify one another.

Earlier, I said that I had made a "mock" scrape.  Essentially, I created the scrape for the deer so that I could get pictures on my trail camera in the exact spot I wanted.  To make one I took a small rake and made a bare patch of dirt that was directly below an overhanging branch.  I  make "mock" scrapes around my tree stand to attract deer closer for a good shot.

Here are a few pics of bucks using my mock scrape:

8 point using the licking branch above.

He's nice but I think I will have to pass on him.

Now he is smelling the dirt.

I'll save this one for Nathon!! haha

 

 

 

 

 

Opening day is tomorrow but I will not be hunting this spot because the wind direction will be wrong.  Deer will smell me and I could possibly scare them off.  I will be hunting a different property tomorrow.

Good luck to everyone going out tomorrow and be safe!  Let me know if any of you get one throughout the season because I would like to share and post your stories with everyone.  Ta Ta for now.

-Adam Parr    

Opening Day is Closing Fast!

I am, to say the least, excited for the opener of bow season in Michigan starting this Friday.  I look forward to bow season more than anything in the year.

I am starting this blog because I want to share my stories and sightings with you throughout this upcoming season.  But my main reason is to document everything that happens each and every time I am in the deer stand.  Basically, I want to keep a journal/hunting log that I can analyze and will help me predict patterns of deer for future seasons.

My daily log will include the following criteria to help with my documentation:

1. Date - Day/Month/Year
2. Time - I will tell what time I arrived on stand and how long I sat for.
3. Location - I have three to four different properties I hunt regularly.  I will give a brief description of the set up and which property I hunted.
4. Weather - Sunny, Overcast, Rain, Snow, Frost, High/Low Pressure, Windy/No Wind, Moon Phase, ect.
5. Temperature - Self Explanatory
6. Wind Direction - Self Explanatory
7. Number of Deer Sighted -  Both does and bucks. 
8. Age Structure - Estimated age of bucks sighted.

Hopefully, years of documentation will help me become a better deer hunter.  I will post as often as I can, most likely every few days throughout the season.

That's all for now.

-Adam Parr