WNYBuckHunter's Outdoor Journal

[WNYBuckHunter]

I figured it might be fun to join the rest of you guys that do this, so I started this thread to log my outdoor activities. I'll post about all of it, from hunting to camping, fishing, shed hunting, etc. Whatever I do outdoors. I think it will be interesting to go back through and look at how much time I spend outdoors.

[First-light]

looking forward to it!

[WNYBuckHunter]

I'll start off with my first shed hunting excursion of the year. Yesterday, my daughter and I headed out to walk a section of the farm. We walked down the road and started down a tractor road that goes by a large cut corn field and along the south side of a creek bed and hedgerow. It leads back to an area of thick woods and swamp that I usually see a lot of deer activity in. Seemed like a good place to start. We got about half way down the tractor road when my daughter said "daddy look!", I turned and saw her pointing at a shed laying right in the path. She picked it up, it was a nice little 3 point right side.

Looked like it was only there a couple of days, so we looked around the area for the other one, but no luck. 10 minutes in, and she had found her first ever shed. She was very happy and hoped to find more. We walked though an area of brush, checking all of the deer trails we could find, then we walked the mowed trails through part of the swamp. We found an old fox skull, a ton of deer sign and then started toward home after a couple of hours. I found a spot where I would love to put a stand in for next year as well. On the way back to the house, we found a dead fox that was mostly eaten up. Looked like a small, young one.

She can't wait to get out after more, and I can't either. We put her find on one of the end tables in the living room, where I keep all of the sheds I find.

[burmjohn]

Man I can't wait to do some shed hunting, hopefully sooner rather then later. I have to get up to my Dad's hopefully in Feb...

[WNYBuckHunter]

It's great exercise. I hurt my knee during deer season and it's kept me from getting back into the gym like I want to. I figure getting out and doing some walking might help it out.

[Suilleabhain]

Great, i went stale on ideas. Nice shed, tried to get my brother to go but he's hibernating. Daughter was okay with the dead stuff?

[WNYBuckHunter]

Oh my daughter loves everything about hunting. Shes seen us gut deer, helped me skin them, cut them up, grind the meat, put out the coyote bait piles, etc. She goes small game hunting with me as well, pets and plays with the dead squirrels, etc etc. A couple of my buddies think shes one of the coolest little girls theyve ever seen lol.

[Suilleabhain]

Good for you, better to have a hunting companion. I'm waiting for my grand-nephews to start. Friend brought his grandson up in muzzle, he's all of about 6 y/o and was all jacked up when gramps shot a doe while he was with him.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Went out for about an hour and a half today. Didn't find any sheds, but found some area I believe to be a pretty good buck's bedroom. Rubs and scrapes every where. Rubbed out, broken off at the ground saplings and all kinds of trails. I know where I'll have a stand next season. I also checked my trail cam on my coyote bait pile, and I'll be damned if I didn't leave the power off on the cam again. I'm really getting mad at myself this year with that. Lots of big yote tracks around the pile too. I made 100% sure it was on before I left today. I'm planning on getting some more ground covered tomorrow afternoon before the Super Bowl stuff starts.

[Suilleabhain]

Don't you love it!!!! Almost as bad a s a friend of mine who drew down on a buck, pulled the trigger and heard CLICK!!! Helps when you chamber a round after you load the magazine.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Yeah drives me nuts When I do silly stuff like that.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I was out searching for sheds this past Saturday for about 3 hours. I didnt see any antlers on the ground, but spotted a few bucks that were still holding. I did find a ton of sign from this last season, and a new area or two that I will be spending some time in next season. Still lots of ground to cover, and seeing those bucks makes me remember that I need to cover all of the ground I have already covered a few more times before everything greens up.

[wooly]

Still lots of ground to cover, and seeing those bucks makes me remember that I need to cover all of the ground I have already covered a few more times before everything greens up.

No worse feeling than running out of time and not making the final run through all your spots. I think green up will be here early this year. Already seeing leaf buds looking to pop on some of the sapplings. Could be a lot of lonely antlers spending the summer out there this year.

[fasteddie]

The crocuses are coming up already .

[WNYBuckHunter]

I agree. I'm going to try and be out every weekend. I have a lot of acres to cover, even if I don't bother going to any of the state land I was thinking about. I haven't even touched my spot up at my dads yet.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Finally had a chance to get out for a couple of hours Saturday. Hit up a farm that I hadnt touched since gun season. Found a ton of sign and beds, but no antlers. Did find part of a coyote skull that looked to be a couple of years old. I had my daughter with me and we walked a bunch of trails, bed areas and checked a food plot and a small cut hay field. It was fun to get out there even though we didnt find any sheds.

Yesterday, on my way to Canandaigua, I saw 2 more bucks still holding their head gear.

Now that the time change has happened, I should actually have time to go after work during the week.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Got out for a walk this evening with my fiance, son and the dog. About ten minutes in, i found my first shed for the year. Its a bit chewed up, which stinks because its a nice 4 point side. I think it might be an oldie from last year, as most of the chew marks have green crud on them, but i must have walked past it a ton of times in the last year.

Ill post a couple of more pics when my phone decides to work right.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Now that shed season is done for me, I decided to get out a bit last evening for some woodchuck hunting. I setup for an hour each over 2 different sets of holes that I have seen recent digging and chucks using them. No luck on the first spot, so I headed to the next. On my way out, I noticed a bumper and taillights in a brushpile near some old farm equipment that I hadnt noticed before, so I put my stuff down and went to check it out. It turned out to be a 63 Chevy Bel Air 4 door overturned and rotting away. I always like finding old stuff on farms.

At my next spot, I watched for about an hour and nothing came out so I decided to go check the holes for signs of use. I happened to look across the creek and saw this little kit fox looking at me.

He was a little far for my cell phone cam, so I tried using my binos to get a little better pic.

I stood there and watched him for 10 or 15 minutes before I headed home.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Ah, the old 63 Bel Air, brings back so many memories. Rode many a mile in one. That when Chevy made'em. Looks like that one might still have some good salvage parts on it. How many hours of shed hunting, do u figured you logged in ?

[WNYBuckHunter]

Not that many this year, maybe 10 total. I just didnt have a ton of time for it. I didnt cover a quarter of the ground I wanted to, and when I was out there, I got too caught up in post season scouting for new spots to hang stands and didnt concentrate enough on looking for sheds lol.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Headed out this morning on my first turkey hunt of the season. My daughter and I walked a mile and a half back to some woods that I saw turkeys hanging near when I was out shed hunting, and started getting set up. As I was setting up the blind, i stupidly pushed on the hub center with my hand and my middle finger got caught in the hub, pinched and sliced open. To make it worse, its my gun hand, so I cnat hold the gun right to shoot. We packed everything up and came home. Not a good start to turkey season.

[bubba]

well that sucks I hope it heals quickly to get back out there

[growalot]

Get that taken care of...you got a future hunter itching to go out

[Deerthug]

Ouch!! Hope it heals enough so you can go out soon. Well my plans to head up yesterday were busted. I've been having tingling sensation from my toes all way up to top of my abdomen for about 1 1/2 weeks. Almost like when you lay on your arm for too long and it falls asleep. So I saw my Dr last friday and he sent me for blood work twice thinking that something may be amiss- maybe Lyme, Diabetes or something else. All came back perfectly normal and my dr thought it was stress/nerves. So i figured going upstate this weekend would relieve any stress. He also referred me to a neurologist to rule out nerve damage. Was planning on going sometime next week but they had cancellation yesterday. Got to neuro yesterday morning thinking all would be well and then head upstate. Well after 2 hours at Dr I find out I have thoracic transverse myelitis which in plain english is a viral infection in my spinal cord. Puts me on steroid meds and says "I would stay home this weekend if I were you". God forbid I'm out in th field and something happens to me and I can't walk... Monday I have go for three MRIs to rule out anything more serious I.e. tumor, and more blood work Why do these things always happen at the most inopportune times???? I missed last years bow opener because i injured my ankle. Hoping it clears by next weekend so I can go up....

[Dom]

Ouch!! Hope it heals enough so you can go out soon. Well my plans to head up yesterday were busted. I've been having tingling sensation from my toes all way up to top of my abdomen for about 1 1/2 weeks. Almost like when you lay on your arm for too long and it falls asleep. So I saw my Dr last friday and he sent me for blood work twice thinking that something may be amiss- maybe Lyme, Diabetes or something else. All came back perfectly normal and my dr thought it was stress/nerves. So i figured going upstate this weekend would relieve any stress. He also referred me to a neurologist to rule out nerve damage. Was planning on going sometime next week but they had cancellation yesterday. Got to neuro yesterday morning thinking all would be well and then head upstate. Well after 2 hours at Dr I find out I have thoracic transverse myelitis which in plain english is a viral infection in my spinal cord. Puts me on steroid meds and says "I would stay home this weekend if I were you". God forbid I'm out in th field and something happens to me and I can't walk... Monday I have go for three MRIs to rule out anything more serious I.e. tumor, and more blood work Why do these things always happen at the most inopportune times???? I missed last years bow opener because i injured my ankle. Hoping it clears by next weekend so I can go up....

My goodness I hope all is well and med's take care of it.Get well soon.