Quest for the P&Y Whitetail – Early Disappointment

This past Friday found me and hunting partner Cory McBride making our third weekly trip out to the farms to check on the feeders and trail cameras. As always, we were filled with anticipation - like kids on Christmas Eve. With several big deer hanging around last year, our hopes have been high that some of them made it through the winter and would soon show up again on the trail cams.

Our first stop was the Split Creek Farm, where we had gotten pictures a week earlier of three bucks – two of which had antlers out as wide as their ears, but neither showing much in the way of mass. Though the corn was nearly gone and the mineral lick was showing some signs of use, we were extremely disappointed to only have 22 pictures on the Moultrie cam. Of those 22 pictures, not a single buck had been digitally captured – big disappointment. I have a hard time believing that this particularly area is not getting more deer traffic than I am catching in the pictures. With trails coming off the surrounding ridges in all directions, this spot appears to be the perfect funnel – at least in theory! For now, we decided to give the area one more week, and left the camera in the same spot. However, if this Friday proves as disappointing as last, it will be time to reevaluate our location and head back to the drawing board. Next, we were off to the Ridgetop Farm.

Things seemed to be looking up when we arrived at our next spot and I saw that there were 219 new pictures on the Moultrie. I quickly popped the memory card out of the trail cam and into my laptop so that Cory and I could begin the process of evaluating each and every picture. Picture after picture revealed numerous does, along with two small bucks and one buck that has some potential for next year. We also had our share of raccoon pictures and a few of a stray cow that can't seem to stay away. But none of "Big 8" or any of the other good deer that seemed to adorn our trail cam pics all last season. With their absence comes doubt, and with doubt, questions. Is it too early? Too hot? Or have the bucks moved on to greener pastures? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure - we will keep filling the feeders and keep monitoring the trail cameras. Yes, we may have to change locations from time to time, but we are determined to find the biggest deer on our hunting grounds and pursue them relentlessly this fall!

Our hope is that you will come along and join us. We will keep this blog updates with regular posts and video, and we would love to hear your feedback. Tell us what you think of our efforts, and share your tips and advice. One thing we are not is experts! While we've learned out share of tricks over the years, we still get humbled and reeducated every fall! So kick back, hang out, and enjoy the ride….I know we will!

Blog issues resolved - hopefully

I just realized yesterday that there were issues viewing my blog with some versions of Internet Explorer. I'm not sure how long it has been going on, since I have been using Google Chrome for the past few months. Evidently, there was a problem with having my YouTube page embedded on the blog, because when someone would try to access my blog, they would get an error page and the URL would show up as some very long string on words and characters that included YouTube.com and my youtube username "Hunters4Christ". Today, I removed the YouTube application and everything seems to be working correctly again. Soooo, if you have tried to access my blog recently without success, it should be working now (I guess if you are reading this, you probably figured that out!)

If anyone else has had similar issues, I'd like to hear about it!

Take care

Check us out on Facebook and Twitter

As if a blog wasn't enough, we have joined the social networking craze with a Facebook page - www.facebook.com/pages/Mount-Washington-KY/Poor-Boys-Outdoors/90575732263 - and a Twitter page - www.Twitter.com/PoorBoysOutdoor.

So take a minute and check those out and become a fan (Facebook) or follower (Twitter)!

Outdoor Channel Unveils Action-Packed Third Quarter Programming Lineup

Here is a link to Outdoor Channel's third quarter programming. A couple of the new shows look interesting to me. Mossy Oak's "Full Frame" should be a good one, getting to see some of the behind the scenes of what goes on filming for Mossy Oak. Also, I really like the concept of "On Your Own Adventures" - it will be interesting to see if a show can survive on do-it-yourself, public land hunts. Check 'em out...

Outdoor Channel Unveils Action-Packed Third Quarter Programming Lineup

Could it be the "Big 8"? Take a look and see what you think!

Hey guys,

Just got my first pictures of the season from the trail cam and I am wondering if one of the bucks I got a picture of could be the same "big 8" I've been watching for over 2 years now. I've never tracked bucks this early in the season, so it's hard for me to look at one at this stage of growth and guess at what he may look like come September. Take a look at the pics below and tell me what you think. The first is from the 2007 season, then one from 2008, and then a recent pic from this past week. Could I be looking at the same deer?

Quest for the Pope & Young Whitetail - Episode 2

Here is our second episode in what will be a regular series leading up to the 2009 Kentucky deer season. We had an opportunity to get out Friday and put out some corn, trace mineral salt and a trail camera at another one of the farms we hunt. We also made it over to the farm from episode 1 to check the trail camera. We had 218 pics in those five days and the corn from last Sunday was completely gone. Be sure to check out the video and make sure you watch it all the way through, as a few of the trail cam pics are posted at the end. I think the "Big 8" from last year may be back. Only time will tell! Stay tuned!

Quest for a P&Y Whitetail - Episode 1

Below is the first in what will be a regular video blog outlining my efforts to take my first Pope & Young white-tailed deer this fall. This first one is a little long at 6.5 minutes, but I needed to give you a little background information. Future videos should be a little shorter and will include trail camera pictures,equipment tips and other information to document my efforts leading up and into the 2009 Kentucky deer season. I hope you will join along for some laughs and lots of good times along the way!

Outdoor Careers Blog

As if keeping up with one blog isn't enough to keep a guy busy, I have decided to start a second one. Because of my trials and experience along the career path to being a wildlife biologist, among other things, I have decided to start a blog called "Careers for Sportsmen". It will include articles and information on finding your dream job in the outdoors, hopefully some good interviews with folks in the outdoor industry and lots of links to important resources for those looking to get employed in the an outdoor career. Please take a minute to check it out at http://outdoorcareers.blogspot.com

Kentucky Afield Outdoors: Leave Young Wildlife in the Wild

May 28, 2009

Frankfort, Ky. – Wildlife seems to be everywhere in spring. We see birds nesting, ducks and geese taking their young for a swim, and sometimes we even spot a deer fawn resting under a bush or in a field. When young wildlife appear to be orphaned, many people want to step in. However, these animals are almost never abandoned. The best thing to do is leave young wildlife alone.

“Mostly, people find fawns while mowing a pasture or cutting hay,” said David Yancy, a big game program biologist for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “Based on the phone calls we occasionally get, they tell us they saw a doe (female deer) hit on the road, and they know for a fact that was the fawn’s mother. That isn’t necessarily true – this is getting into the time that they’re all fawning.”

More likely, the fawn’s mother is nearby and will return later. Does leave their young for several hours at a time, which not only gives the adult deer time to feed, but also keeps predators away from her fawn.

“Sometimes people will find a fawn while mowing and need to move it out of the way, but they think the doe won’t take it back if they touch it,” said Yancy. “We used to think that was the case. But more and more it appears that isn’t true. The doe will take the fawn back.”

Yancy said the fawn can be moved a short distance, and the mother will be able to find the fawn later. “Usually the mother-fawn bond is pretty resilient,” he explained. “Fawns are very rarely orphaned or abandoned.”

Many farmers must cut hay in May or June to get the best crop. However, landowners who are mowing only for looks may consider delaying their mowing until early July. This gives fawns a chance to grow stronger, and they will be able to stand and run from the oncoming mower after a few weeks of life.

People are also likely to encounter young birds at this time of year. The same rules apply to these wildlife as with deer fawns: it’s best to leave them in the wild.

“If you see a baby bird or a fledgling, you should leave it alone. Most likely the parents are nearby,” said Shawchyi Vorisek, an avian biologist with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “The parents stay with their young at least until they can find food on their own.”

People also should never move a nest with eggs or young in it. It is a violation of federal law, and it may cause the parents to abandon the nest.

“Observe nests from afar,” added Vorisek. “Don’t go up to the nest or touch it, as that can leave a trail for predators to follow.”

Only licensed wildlife rehabilitators may possess injured or orphaned wildlife. People should not bring wildlife to the Salato Wildlife Education Center in Frankfort, as the Center is not equipped to handle or care for these animals. To locate a licensed rehabilitator, go to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s website at fw.ky.gov and click on the “Hunting, Trapping & Wildlife” tab, then on “Injured and Orphaned Wildlife.”

The Summer Lull

It's that time of year again. Turkey season is long past and deer season seems like an eternity away. Summer is upon us, and for those of us whose lives revolve around the hunting seasons, this can be a bit of a depressing time. But it shouldn't be. Despite the fact that deer season may be over 3 months away, there is no better time than now to start preparing for the upcoming season (unless you are one of the die hards that started right after the previous one ended).

For the bowhunter, this is a great time to get out and start a regular shooting routine. Even better, get out and start hitting some 3D archery shoots in your area. There is no better way to hone your yardage estimating and shooting skills than these shoots, as you get the opportunity to take realistic shots at life-like targets. You'll be amazed at how much more confident you are when that big buck steps out at 33 (or 27 or 42, etc) yards if you've spent all summer practicing.

Besides just shooting 3D, this is a great time to start setting up some bait stations (if permitted in your state) with trail cameras mounted nearby. That way you can start to get an idea of which bucks made it through last season and a better understanding of the overall deer quality in your area.

Also, it's not too late to get a food plot in the ground for this fall. I'm not going to get into all the options for a summer planting (that will be a whole other post on its own), but there are numerous plants that can be planted in June, as well as numerous other options for a fall planting come August & September.

While the weather can be pretty brutal this time of year, this is also a great time to go ahead and hang stands for this fall, as well. By the time season rolls around, the deer will have long forgotten any interuption in their routine from summer, and the foliage is on the trees now to give you a good idea of what branches will need to be trimmed for your shooting lanes.

While summer can be a trying time for the diehard hunter, it doesn't have to be the off season. Now is the time to get ready for the fall! So get out the bug spray and a big bottle of water, and head out to the deer woods. It may pay off big (as in big bucks) this fall.