Hunting Report from the Bolt Hole, more--or less

I wish I had something positive to report vis-a-vis hunting success, but....

It finally stopped raining around 2 PM on Tuesday but that didn't improve my luck any during the evening. I sat out back hoping to catch sight of a wandering deer but only spotted a doe and her two fawns. No bucks.

Wednesday morning I took a slow walk through the woods searching not only for deer but signs of the impending rut: ground scrapes and tree rubs. I found neither and after spending three hours came back to the cabin for lunch. Wednesday evening found me sitting in the woods again but I was alone. The bucks were elsewhere, apparently.

Thursday morning I went and sat in the woods where I could look over a fairly wide expanse. The view was nice but it was just me and the chickadees. I returned to the cabin for lunch and moved some wood around. I also moved some old wood stoves from the bedroom of the cabin into the garage and rearranged the "tools" in the garage. The brush hog and lawn mower were put in the rear while the snowblower got moved to the front...just in case.

Then this morning I went and sat in the woods yet again. It's like playing the lottery: you can't win it if you're not in it. Once again, it was a lovely morning, just not terribly eventful.

The northern rut has not started. Last year it didn't start until mid-November. When it does, the bachelor groups break up and they start fighting amongst themselves for breeding rights. They'll start searching for and chasing any doe that might be receptive to their advances. The bucks act stupid and lose some of their wariness. Kinda like a bunch of frat guys.

The weather has been typical Indian Summer. The temperatures drop below freezing at night but then shoot up to the high 40s and low 50s during the sun drenched days.

Tomorrow promises to be a washout according to the weather.com forecast. We'll have showers in the morning and some serious rain in the afternoon. I'll probably spend the day packing up to head back to the Aerie on Sunday.

I plan on returning to the Bolt Hole for one more round of hunting "action" after the election. That will be for a two week stint since I'll have to get back to the Aerie to take Terry to the Rutgers vs Army football game on November 22. We'll pick her mom up to bring her to the Aerie for Thanksgiving. Once the holiday is over, it will be time for the start of PA's firearms season, so I'll be staying home for a long while.