T-7 Days

Rifles are sighted. 30-06 is smack-dab dead-on center-of-the-bullseye at 225 yds. 243 bolt is as good as the ammo - about 3 inches at 225. Dad claimed that gun over the other 243 - due to the scope and trigger.

The ranges for most of the hunt spots are out to 200 yds due to the clear cutting. Couple spots = 300 but not many of those.

Keep checking weather and it keeps getting warmer -
last week they were saying highs in 60s (was in love w this),
then highs in 70s (ok, nice enough),
now it is supposed to be 83 next Monday (WTH?),
cooling to 74 by Thursday, 71 on Saturday. Lows below 60 from Tuesday onward. Morning hunts will be nice anyway. Winds changing daily from good to bad to good. Just gonna have to move around some.

Thinking hard about shifting the trip from Sunday to Monday - the 83 day/Monday has an E wind which is a very tough hunt. Next day has SSW wind which is also a tough hunt. Wednesday (W wind) I can get dad (or me or both of us) into my favorite stand for Wed (w)- Thurs (N)- Fri (NNE) if necessary but if it goes as it usually does, it'll be a 1 day thing - if he's not napping (LOL!).

If we show on Monday and do the corn thing, then Wednesday would be about perfect for that spot and one 500 yards east of there and another one 500 yards further east. Seems like a good idea right now...

The countdown has begun.

 

Yes - it will be cooler than it is down here, still prefer a 10+ degree diff to at least feel cool.

I'll be checking the weather every 15 minutes until we leave... LOL!

 

T-6 Days

Weather: 85 Mon Wind E, 86 Tues SE, 78 Wed with showers SW, 73/74 Thurs N and Fri NNE.

The lease got hunted today:


He said there is another about the same size. Trail cam aint working right but the trees are getting rubbed and they are scraping.

He's gonna corn it on Sunday for us. I won't have to worry about that for a couple of days.

 

T-5 days

The weather has made a temp jump with 2 days w highs of 87 - T&W and the winds are now mostly southerly, which I don't like.

Sun & Mon have E winds - so those will do for a couple of stands and that's before the summer highs.

The following Saturday is supposed to drop to 71 and N winds which is nice.

Gonna need to make a decision - maybe hunt a long weekend this week and then go up for the following weekend, but it's only 2 days vs 12 hrs driving.

Hunt Sat-Mon and then Th-Sun. Is it worth coming home for 3 days? But its gonna be real hot those 3 days (86-87-87). 4 nights lodging is about $500.

Anyway - here's a buck picture:

 

Time to switch the count up a little bit - back to T-7.

Just don't want to hunt in sweating weather. Gonna leave next Thursday now - supposed to be 85, then Friday 80, and Saturday 73 - will hunt the temp change and hopefully see an increase in daytime movement. Sunday & Monday are in the low 70s too.

This waiting stuff isn't any fun...

 

T-6 days

Weather isn't cooperating like I'd like - the temp change is becoming less pronounced. Right now just hoping for it to be in 70s.

Where's an arctic blast when you need one?

 

T-2 days

Almost there.

 

Thanks, Mak.

T-1 day!

The weather is gonna be perfect - high of 88 today, 84 tomorrow, 74 Friday, 71 Saturday. Will hunt all day Friday and Saturday.

Trying to figure out a game plan - focus on just dad getting one or try for both of us on Friday am. Can hunt the back and most likely get him a buck he'll like. Can put him in the more comfy and ground level shooting house and he'll likely see a good one to shoot. Dilemma! Guess I'll ask him if he wants to hunt the ladder or the shooting house and see what he says. He will see deer, so that'll be half the battle.

 

T+4

Home from a mostly fun trip w dad. Saw Lotsa does and only 5 bucks, 4 small, 1 unknown.

Dad shot the first deer he's shot in over 25 years. 4 pt, he's happy. Shot w 243 facing shot, 100 gr partition. Bullet is in the ham and I'll find it when processing.

I hit a deer that run off, to be seen the next day, musta hit a branch. Later shot 2 does at same spot, they were eating acorns and ignoring 4 wheeler.

Also seen 17 turkeys.

Fun trip, just real short on buck sightings. Could be from clear cutting or from all the activity in the bottom this year.

Dad got excited over 8 deer converging on him, 7 does and 2x2. Then later 2x2, 3 does and 5 turkeys all at once. Fun day in a box blind.

 

Thanks Mak.

That's the first deer I have lost w a rifle. Shot and haven't retrieved 3 or 4 w bow, I w ML and now 1 w rifle.

Hope you can get back up there and put some more meat in the freezer.

Pretty sure we're done w deer for the year.

 

We used to hunt on the east side of the state - Windham area. I'm going back to the 1980s and 90s. got a few bucks, mostly would shoot does or yearlings til the freezer was full and then get back on the pheasants and ducks/geese.

I heard that the hunting regulations have deer hunting stopping at sunset and not 1/2 hr after or dark. That's just crazy.

Still know a few folks up that way, they mostly trout fish, few folks I know still saltwater fish due to low fish catches and intense regulation. I was around for the bluefish hey-day in the 80s and when they reopened the striped bass season after some years of closure - right around 1990. Spent a couple of years lining eels at night and catching a lot of stripers when the 36-inch size limit in place (that was about a 16 pound fish). My favorites were the springtime flounder (when they existed) and tautog/blackfish.

Miss it, but it has changed, just like the fishing and duck hunting down here - today is the good old day of tomorrow. Enjoy what you got while you can.

Side note - got a buddy on Long Island NY who does the archery thing - not sure if he's still hunting but I think they go thru February. That's nuts.

 

We fished offshore rock piles for blacks - dad and I were talking about anchor pulling yesterday when putting the Rhodan on the boat.

We were using 12-16 oz sinkers and feeling the way in between the rocks - some days, all the fish would come out of 1 pocket in the rocks. The current was prohibitive for light weights. Depth was 15-30 feet ish. Rarely fished shallow. Our best day, we took a fellow with us - ran to Montauk found a school of bunker and proceeded to lose a big fish from under them (striper), then ran over to Race Rock and fished for blacks (1/2 or 1/4 green crab) and got 45 from 4-9 pounds. Usually we fished around Bartletts and Niantic.

We did much of our trout fishing on the willimantic river but did hit the farmington a few times each season. Also went to ME, NH, VT fishing the rivers, fish runs, etc.

Thanks for the offer, George. I might try you more towards summer if you're around. When my folks are down they get first right of refusal. When they migrate, then I've got some free weekends.