Muzzle loader season has come to an end here in the northern zone of NY and the freezer is still empty. Heavy rain yesterday morning kept me indoors most of the day. I did take a short walk out back late int he afternoon and saw...nothing. Mark covered a slightly different route and kicked up four or five deer but saw nothing but tails through thick fir trees and brush. Earlier in the day, he called me to tell me that a six-pointer had just run into my yard. Problem was I had just pulled into the parking lot of the store some 12 miles away! When I got back, the deer were long gone. (Or so we thought--they may have been the ones he kicked up later from the dense growth to my northeast.) So were the three hunters who had pushed the deer through while walking on land they had no business being on but which was not posted. Apparently, according to Mark, New York requires that you post private land unlike other states where posting is not required for some one to be trespassing. Mark saw them as two came out of the woods on his side of the road while the third walked out between my garage and barn. We're going to have to invest in some signs next fall.
Today was a lot colder in the morning after some snow flurries over night. When I finally did get out, it was also much windier. The wind made walking on the crunchy leaves a little easier. I would move when the wind rattled the beech leaves and stand still when there was a lull. While I didn't see anything, I thought I heard a deer bound away from the other side of a blow down thirty yards ahead of me. The young firs were so thick, however, that I didn't even see a tail.
Oh, well.
Tomorrow starts rifle season. Bucks only which makes it even more of a challenge. There area few vehicles in the camps further up the road--the ones without power, but compared to other years, there are far fewer. Several regulars at those camps have told Mark when they were up to do maintenance that they had no intention of hunting in the area this year. They normally go deep into the woods and...well...they aren't getting any younger and don't relish the idea of having to be carried out on a stretcher as three guys were in '06, '07' and '08; haven't seen any (or much) sign of deer; and/or would rather hunt in other areas or states.
Me? I'd love to get deep into the woods but do not want to think about how I'd get that big buck out should I get lucky. Especially now that Mark has finally found himself a piece of work that will keep him busy for five or six weeks which means I'll be on my own here for a while after the other guys take off.
Anyway, I've got to get back to PA for two or three days. Terry and I will be going on a wine tour of the Seneca Lake region on Sunday with Gary and Anya. It's a bus tour and includes a brunch at Castle Griesch just north of Watkins Glen. Should be a lot of fun.
I'll be packing up my laundry and heading home tomorrow morning but will be back on Monday or Tuesday. Then I'll have to return to PA for Election Day the Tuesday after. Up. Down. Up. Down. I'm starting to feel like a yo-yo.
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Weather! You can have it! Snow flurries last night--a couple of inches fell to the west and south of here and Mark says there were even one or two on the ground where he was working over near Fonda, but it all melted lickety-split-- and a morning low of around 25 degrees. BUT, next week, the weatherman says it will be in the high 60s and maybe even 70 from Monday through Thursday. That's fishing weather! NOT hunting weather!
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