genesee_mohican

I talked to a biologist last summer and he said they would eventually die off due to a virus. The G moths did seem to go away mid summer last year. I'm hoping they are gone and the trees can put out some acorns this year. Here's an article I found on the subject: https://web.extension.illinois.edu/gypsymoth/management.cfm "During outbreaks or when populations are high, Gypsy moths may be killed by a viral organism known as nucleopolyhedrosis virus (NPV). Unlike E. maimaiga, the virus only occurs under outbreak conditions, because caterpillars are generally crowded and stressed from lack of food."

Sorry to hear this Dan, prayers, condolences and healing to you and your family.

The warm temps last week had me down at the local river a few days casting jigs for walleyes, but it seems they were downstream in the slow moving deeper holes. It's a bit too cold for me to launch a canoe and take a river float trip. I'll keep an eye on the water conditions and may try it again before the season ends on March 14th but I'm mostly waiting to drift garden worms for wild trout in early April. I still have some firewood to cut and need to take down a few large trees in my yard while the cold weather is here.

They are pretty animals, beautiful colorations in the pelts. I called a few of them into my Winchester lever 22 mag back in the early 90's. I had pretty good success calling an hour before dark, sometimes mid day.

Great video! I too use the Browning trail cams and have them all set to take video. It sure tells a story compared to just a photo and was a game changer for me. The audio is getting better on the Browning's as well. There has to be a lot of splicing of all the videos to make a little movie like that. What software do you use?

I really like my Cabela's scentlok mid weight rain pants and the packable jacket. But I bet the Sitka rain line would be the best. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/sitka-downpour-pants-for-men

I switched to a Nikon Prostaff P3 scope https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020507799 and use black eagle executioner bolts for my 370.

I guess I will have to take fourseasons advice and put my cameras up higher to be out of line of sight. But I really prefer the ground level shots, the pictures and video are way better. I also don't look forward to carrying sections of hanging muddy tree ladder sections 2 miles into the woods just to swap batteries and cards each time, not to mention the danger in being up on them. I think I'll still use the lockbox up higher, so getting the downward angle will be difficult. I'll give it a shot in this spot because it's a cool location and I get a lot of turkeys, coyotes and other critters there. I really liked that older Browning camera, I think it was 2016, a very reliable unit. I ended up buying a used one on ebay for 60 bucks to replace it and hope to get it out there later this week.

I've had this Browning trail camera setup in the same spot on state land with no issues for over a year. When I pulled the card on Dec 14th I had video of someone walking by both ways giving it a good look. Due to surgery and family holiday plans I didn't get back there until Jan 1st. I'd have to guess that someone returned with cutting tools and has stolen my camera. Pretty sad that we share the woods with criminals. I'd take this to the DEC if his backtag number showed clearly.

Some nice finds already. I usually wait until mid March to start shed hunting because cams show a lot of bucks hang on till then. I'm doing a bit of scouting and stand work now while the weather is nice, so I do keep my eyes peeled.

In my area of 8M Livingston county I'd say deer numbers are about the same. Mature buck numbers are way down and I'd take a guess that with no acorns at all last year due to the gipsy moths defoliating everything, the bucks didn't put on the fat they normally would. This made it harder for them to make it through the winter and fend off the packs of coyotes that roam the area. With my trail cams are all set to 30 second video and they shows an uptick of coyotes chasing adult deer. We had a good month of deep snow last winter, which could have made it more difficult for a rut tired buck to escape the packs of coyotes. On the upside, through out the season I also saw a big drop in the number of hunters in the main area I hunt. I figured there had to be a couple of 3 /12 or older bucks around, so when I did have a chance at a few 2 1/2 year old bucks in late bow season, I decided to pass thinking they'd have a decent chance at making it another year. ( I look at the trail cam picks now and wonder what I was thinking, lol ). I'll have cameras out all winter to help keep an eye on things, along with scouting with snow on the ground and then shed hunting. Hoping for a mild winter which helps the herd.

You bet, hope it helps. I really like the look of your knotty pine walls there.

The cooler air in the house is more dense and can be blown towards the warm air and moves the warm air to the area where the cooler air left. We use a small fan on the floor of the cooler area of the house and point it toward the wood stove area.

Yeah, I'll go with scent control over that. John Eberhart youtube videos on the subject and his book sold me on that. I've seen a big uptick in fresh dead deer on the roads in the last few days, going to head into the park this morning for what could be my last hunt of the season. Surgery tomorrow :-/ 40F, North wind, wet leaves makes for a good sneak in to the stand. I'll take it.

I'd take the 15 F with snow and light wind any day. Hunting deer in the snow is about as good as it gets. With all the options in modern clothing out there today, any serious deer hunter should be able to stay warm in that. I use layers, good boots, toe warmers and hand warmers plus a heater body suit if it's really cold and I'm sitting all day.