Here are some pictures off misc camera’s from end of September till now . ( Sorry in advance for some of the blurry images , some were off my Pentax and others ranged from pocket camera , phone camera , trail camera )
Sept 2013 ... Wylie H. Drops by to confirm his bow sight in ... Still shooting as accurately as ever .
Farmers cut hay fields and tend to the occasional breakdown. My barn cats lounge on the lawn tractor seats during the day and prowl at night .
Caught up on chores , Pool closed for the year and I look out over the corn towards my South/East stand .
Here is a view from the stand back towards to house … This stand usually see’s lots of deer traffic , but action is slow so far .
Here is a picture of a doe directly under that stand back when I first used that location as climber stand spot .
Last grass cut of the season … Only leaf pick-up later … I bush hog new trails at the back of the property and tend to stands ( trimming / adjusting etc ) .Chris H. helps out with stand adjustments … Randy and his boys help as well , and we bush hog travel paths and shooting lanes at pinch points around other stands .
In and out from Knee Surgery Sept 16th ... Everything went well and I'm getting around better day by day ... Can only hunt ground blinds 1st week of the season , because tree climbing just isn't working for me right now .
Last week of Sept I got a magazine from the USA " Better Beagleing "... They featured a two paged article about " Jack Rabbit hunting in Ontario " with my pictures and stories ... Kinda cool for the scrap
book !
I scout out new spots for the Ontario Fall Turkey hunt ( which opens Oct 15th - 27th ) ... Man check out the beards on this crew !
My daughter is home from the Yukon ( some of you may remember the Yukon trip thread in the OT section ) ,
http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/phpBB2 ... on#p463546 > but not home for long ... She and two of her girlfriends head out for a cross Canada road trip / camping adventure ... Visiting friends and relatives along the way , before she starts a new Fish/Wildlife course returning to College in Jan .
Oct 1st ( opening week ) ~ Wylie H /Randy S / Rob S / Joe S / David L / Chris H and myself set up in different locations thru the week > David L and I even tried a canoe trip ( weather is way too hot and moon phase isn’t good either ) = poor deer movement in our area .We all saw deer at one point or another but none close enough or cooperative enough to get an arrow thru . I set up a few ground blinds including this one overlooking a small patch of clover the farmer left on for me . Sounded good at the time , but later while on stand the bailer came by and then after that they spread manure , so I let that place settle for awhile .
Randy see’s a buck ( still completely “in velvet “ ) . It walked under a stand at the South / West back corner of my property on the 2nd day of the season .( I can’t remember a previous year where I’ve seen a buck in our area still in velvet ? ) ( And we are seeing large spotted fawns > strange season so far ) .
Into the 2nd week of the season some bucks start to show up on Chris Trail Cameras > This young buck during the daylight hours .
Young Jacob G , another happy Excalibur owner from our neighborhood scored a doe opening week … His 1st with his Excalibur Matrix 380 while he was still hunting some standing corn . Walking the edge of a corn field along a pond near his home . Doe stood up off her bed and was taken at 15 yards quartering away > Black Eagle Executioner with a 125 grain Slick Trick Mag on board .
Approx 30 yard recovery distance …
At another one of my favorite properties , Randy hikes in with a pruning pole to trim and hunt at one stand that we hadn’t been in for awhile . Later into 2nd week , a view from that stand shows ideal openings and where some spotted fawns came into the field ( Early out approx 5:15pm )
By 2nd week , I’m able to climb short stable ladders > There is one at the back South / West corner of my property with a corn cut shooting lane .We all see deer here and there > the warm weather keeps up but the moon phase gets better . And of course there are other visitor’s while you are on stand like this cottontail rabbit and the nightly geese flight
We continue to see a few deer here and there > I miss an opportunity on a nice 8 point buck at one sitting , but Chris H. and I connect on doe’s this week past . Mine was a 22 yard shot from a ground blind overlooking a clover field , Mature doe’s have been showing up approx 6:45pm . ( Excalibur Matrix 380 > Boo Custom String > Camo Munch Mount ) Excalibur's Diablo illuminated Carbon arrow with a 150 grain Excalibur Boltcutter broadhead onboard > ( Lucky for me she bolted after the shot into the bush but back towards a cut trial , total run was approx 80 yards but only approx 15 yards from the trail ) . The shot looked solid , but she ran hard , so I waited till after dark to track > easily found my arrow with the lighted Luminock .
Chris H arrowed this doe at 21 yards from a tree stand position ( Excalibur Matrix 380 Blackout > Boo Custom String ) Again Excalibur Diablo carbon with 150 grain Excalibur Boltcutter broadhead > 30 yard recovery distance .
October 15th > I wasn’t feeling well enough to hunt , so Wylie H. hunted the morning on his own at my place ( slow morning , no action ) > We met for breakfast to catch up and by lunch time I was mobile enough to get out ( day was off and on sun / cloud ) Good thing I went out > with my 2013 Ontario Fall Turkey tag in hand I was lucky enough to fill it today !
I switched my quiver over to some 18” Diablo’s with 130 Grain Wasp Broadhead’s ( no Luminock’s on these arrows ) and headed out to an area I scouted earlier .I busted some birds on the way in > So I set up at a funnel area did some loud locate yelps and clucks … I had two hens and a Jake reunite thru the funnel approx ½ hr later , and I was going to arrow the Jake , when I see a long beard approx 50 yards back .I whistled an arrow thru him at 15 yards and he somersaulted / flew into the pines > Turns out he was a beauty double bearded Tom ! Culled with my Excalibur Matrix 380 as he came back looking for the group .
On a side note > I thought I would type , what I feel is a helpful "Rule of Thumb" guideline for Whitetail behavior during Oct/Nov/Dec for Southern Ontario Whitetail .
Oct week 1 and 2
Feeding : Alfalfa , Soybeans , apples .
Bedding : Small upland deciduous forests .
Rutting: Boundary scrapes and rubs
Oct week 3 and 4
Feeding : Standing corn , corn and bean stubble.
Bedding : Larger deciduous forests , standing corn .
Rutting : Secondary scrapes and rub lines .
Oct end week into Nov beginning weeks ...Feeding: Does and fawns ~bean and corn stubble ... Bucks very little
feeding leading into the rut peak ( est peak rut 1st week of Nov ).
Bedding: Larger deciduous forests and valleys .
Rutting : Breeding scrapes .
Nov week 2 into weeks 3 and 4 .
Feeding : Corn and Bean stubble.
Bedding : deciduous and coniferous forest valleys .
Rutting : Secondary scrapes and rub lines .
Nov end week into Dec begging weeks ...Feeding : Does and fawns ~ corn and bean stubble ~ Bucks very little
feeding leading into the 2nd rut .
Bedding : deciduous and coniferous forest valleys .
Rutting : secondary breeding scrapes ~2nd rut ( yearlings and doe fawns )
Dec 2nd week till Dec end week .
Feeding: corn and bean stubble as well as browse .
Bedding : coniferous forest valleys .
Rutting: Secondary scrapes and rub lines in coniferous forest ..
Watch for 3rd rut peak signs ( late dropped doe fawns )
Note : Date/week/timing is approximate and will vary according to your area and area land make-up ( swamps etc ) ... Also moon phase and
weather fluxuations / seasonal advances from year to year .
Myself , I take note of what I think is peak rut in my area ( seeing
rut drunk bucks out mid-day etc. ) ... Mark the calendar and count
approx 28 days ahead for the 2nd rut and approx same for 3rd rut .
Bottom line ... Believe 50% of what you read and 110% of what you
actually see and experience when you are out in the field !
Also moon phase charts for Oct / Nov / Dec is good tool to have .
And deer vital diagram is a good reference as well .
Here are some pictures of what I saw in the field this week ( between Innerkip Ontario and Arthur Ontario )
My truck picks up some wheel dressing as we drive from farm to farm.
Always looking for fresh tracks from mature doe’s and bucks .
Good bean stubble with lots of missed pods .
Good supply of apples this year …
Lots of deer trails through the cover …
And fresh boundary scrapes …
As the season progresses > We will keep scouting and looking for the next Outdoor Adventure !
Going to take a break from hunting this week ( I have a cold coming on ) and I’m schedule in on Nightshift this week … So it’s Extra Strength Tylenol Cold pills and back to work !
Good luck ... Have fun in the field and take lots of pictures !
great pics!!!! congrats!!