Osage...can you see?

Eastern Shore public hunt Dec. 28-29th ML

This was a fun trip! The small public area we hunted had the highest deer density of any public land I have ever encountered. All 5 of us that stayed both days saw at least 1 deer. Poor Tom had to work and could only hunt Wed. evening. The group consisted of our gracious host Dave Dinsmore, my brother and I, his cousin-in-law Tom, and two other friends of Dave named Ron and Wayne.

The area reminded me of an Eastern Shore version of Monocacy WMA, both in size and position. There were 2 small parking areas and the tract was surrounded by farms and hunt clubs. The woods itself was formerly hunt club land as well, and the rotting hulks of old stands were seen throughout. It seems the property was an old paper pulp operation and many of the white pines were in rows of mature trees. There were old overgrown clearcuts after a group of rows and the deer found these attractive travel corridors through the immature pines and multiflora that choked them. The area was nearest a small town of Snow Hill. The 3 hour drive was definitely the worst thing about the trip so we were fortunate to be able to stay at Dave’s 26th street OC condo and get a nice sleep and fresh showers. After a lunch and meeting at Appleby’s to go over the maps and plans, we headed to the larger parking lot to put on an evening drive. Wayne, the oldest of the group and shooting the longest range weapon (smokeless powder scoped inline with shooting stick) would cover the powerline, while Chris, Dave, and I would drive the thicket on the one side. Posted below on a creek bed were the standers Tom and Ron. We still hunted slowly through the thickets and I kicked out a rabbit at about 2 yards (wish I had my bow on that one) and found this skeleton of a small doe:

Dave kicked out a deer but did not see it due to the very dense thicket. He was only about 60 yards from me and I did not even hear it! We made our way to the standers but no deer were spotted by them. We decided to sit on the other side of the powerline until dark. Dave set us up in a “skirmish line” to intercept any deer coming into the adjacent hunt club field through the woods. Chris was still battling a illness and was constantly coughing, so he decided to move and walk around the powerline area so as not to bother the rest of our hunt. At dark, Dave was desperately attempting to call Chris to move forward near a creek as he just spotted a nice racked buck and a couple does heading that way. Unbeknownst to Dave, Chris was very far away. So far, I never heard the shots! Chris crested a small hill and surprised a doe at about 60 yards. He knocked it down with his caplock Hawken but hit it in the neck. As he moved forward, he saw the deer still thrashing to hastily reloaded another round. By mistake, he filled his 35mm film canister with FFFG instead of his usual FFG pyrodex powder. His second mistake was not measuring the load. He simply, dumped in a bunch of powder, slapped on a cap and aimed for the back of the does head. BOOOOM! He hit the doe alright, but he reported the BANG was much louder than usual and his ears were ringing severely. He noticed the nipple on the rifle had completely blown out moving the hammer back out of the way in the process! He was very lucky not to be injured. The doe turned out to be a very small yearling. Probably weighed 60 pounds. I was surprised when he crested the hill and I noticed a tail flapping on his back as he was carrying it on one arm. It looked to me like he picked up a skin and was wearing it. The next morning we hunted the other side of the property. Dave got us in there early (I got up at 3:30am to shower), and placed us in strategic areas. We all had our treestands this time except for Wayne who hunted from a ground tent. Chris had his recurve now as we did not bring any extra nipples for his Hawken. Dave placed him coughing and hacking far from the rest of us (we knew he would get up and walk again). Ron and I were on opposite sides of a dense pine grove and thicket. I had climbed very high in a pine to get a view of the thick runway of immature pines. The rest of the group were in a line along the main access trail. I was the farthest in and near the back of the property. The runway lane from my tree:

At around 8am Ron radiod he had a nice buck run full-bore by him in my general direction. He suspects he may have been pushed by Chris in the thick stuff. I was on guard and spotted a white flick of a tail about 100 yards down the runway. I eased up the binos and after a few minutes caught sight of a nice doe heading in my direction up the runway. As it neared I cocked back the hammer, adjusted the set trigger, and prepared for the shot. She went broadside at about 50-60 yards and I eased the blade down on her shoulder…BOOM! No hangfire and the deer jumped. Then my heart sank as I realized she was still standing there trying to figure out what just happened. Immediately the radio crackled and the guys started communications, the deer was hearing something but not sure what (I was very high). I managed to kill the radio and start the reloading process. (I managed to break my ramrod the previous nigh running a patch down and it was held together with 20 pound test trilene and duct tape so I had to be careful). I got the rifle re-loaded just as I saw her feet walk into the thick stuff. I blew it again… Then I heard Ron again report that seven does just went by him too obscured to shoot. I knew I had missed so I held tight. After about 25 minutes I hear a conga line of deer in the thicket to my left making their way past me. The were very cautious. Taking a step or two and licking and tasting the air as they moved. I assumed the one I just shot at joined the group, and put them all on edge. I could tell they were all does and small deer but the density did not let me have a good shot despite only being about 50 -60 yards away again. I focused on a small opening, and one of the last 2 deer stopped in the open. I really took my time, squeezed the trigger and was startled by the shot. It felt good. The two deer busted out back toward Ron and the others continued on by. I thought I saw a stumble but the deer were off into the thick stuff. I began to radio the guys and try to regain my heartbeat. A little while later I hear another shot from Ron’s direction. He reported he thinks he hit one…tail down and off, but not sure. About 15 or 20 minutes later I see more deer moving up the lane about 100 yards away. There were taking the same path as the original doe so I was hopeful for another opportunity, not knowing the fate and knocking that second doe down in its tracks…. There were at least 2 or 3 but they took a detour at about 75 yards and went off to my right. No shot. I got down, and there was no blood, no hair at the site of the second doe shot. Crap! Missed again…not sure how???? I checked for about an hour and went to help Ron locate his deer….no sign of a hit. I chased several more deer out of their beds as I made my way toward where the guys were looking for Ron’s deer. One got up and ran off looking healthy all the way out of sight with tail up…but I had no shot. Immediately I heard my brother cough to my right about 50 yards away. We thought, it might have been the wounded one but there was no sign of blood. Ron’s shot left a large pile of white hair and looked low. Eventually, there was some blood but very little. We all searched for about 2 hours and came up with the conclusion it was not a fatal hit. Dave was all set to criticize my choice of primitive flintlock as not non-effective but Ron’s miss was with a modern scoped inline. So at least I have that consolation. I fired the rifle again to unload it in the lot and hit my target exactly at about 15 yards. It had to have been my shooting somehow….I need to sight it in a little farther also in the future?????? Feeling a little down on myself. At least none of the deer were in bow range, so I have that at least. Chris and I left after lunch and the others stayed to hunt the afternoon. I wonder how they did? It was a super cool area to hunt this time of year, and Dave said we all have a new post-Christmas tradition. we saw lots of woodcock, rabbits, a bald eagle, and lots and lots of deer! lots of good sign in that area I was in and I would love to go back there. Here is a picture of a super deer trail with an old scrape in an adjacent runway:

Osage knife rebirth

Still working on bringing this old vintage knife back to life. I have the Osage handle completed and finished now. Found a nice vintage looking sheath. Just some metal blade work left and polishing of the metal parts. It should be done in time for a good Christmas gift!

Chris's weekend goose hunt

Here is his story: Didn’t get the time to visit this weekend. Did a goose hunt on Sat am. Was a disaster from the start but lots of stories. - Forgot the jerky and had to circle home, Ran the wrong way down a street past the entire HDG police force at 0530am, however they were to stunned to react since I didn’t have my lights on either. - Got hit with a “case’ while firmly entombed in my dry suit and had to run off near the RR track for Emergency operations, got to wave good morning to the conductor as the train came over and spotlighted me with the high beam at an extremely in opportune moment in time. - Extreme low tide and high mud, made the legion launch inoperable, eventually got the boat pulled out from axle deep mud. - Went to the main docks after scrounging for the $10 to launch, for some reason couldn’t shake the boat lose, after I backed the truck back end fully under water, we figured out that the trailer was floating under the boat and the boat had been tied down by Dave on his last trip… guys couldn’t figure out why the lights of the truck looked funny, until they realized the lights were underwater… couple of boatloads of other hunters got a good chuckle on that one. - Couldn’t get into our set up spot because not enough water, ended up way out, in muck that was knee deep. - Nearly died of a heart attack after trying to walk the 500 yards through knee deep muck, - Killed a buffle head on the walk in and had to walk back 50 yards to get it – definitely not worth it. - Found out that Eric had shot at a merganser when I was about 50 yards out of the decoys, I never even knew it, my heartbeat was pounding in my head so bad I couldn’t hear anything, was on the verge of collapsing from heatstroke (of course the water was back in the boat) was dying of thirst. – But we had the extra spicy Jerky! - Had one good shot on a pair of geese that split off a large flock, we hit the lead and he pulled up but didn’t drop, then Tom smacked that back one and it dropped about a 100 yards out, no way we could get to it and the boat was a good 45 minute walk away, had to watch the Christmas Goose swim off. - Very little movement, not many opportunities, super exercise for two teaspoonful sized pieces of Bufflehead breasts. Took the rest of the weekend to recover, me from the work, Eric and Tom from laughing to hard. - Dave threw a nice Doe over the fence that he killed in an Ellicott City backyard, so spent 4 hours cutting that up, got me in some hot water for being “absent” to long but have meat for jerky now! This was added by Tom: While the list seems long, Chris forgot to mention he fell while trying to throw a tangled up duck decoy. His feet were stuck in knee high mud and he lost his balance. Ended up stuck like a turtle on his back. Had to help him get up after I stopped laughing. Still laughing today.

Public Hunt with Mike Mongelli

I went out on the last day of bow season before the 2nd ML season opened to scout out a public tract with MIke Mongelli. The goal was to just walk a bit and get a feel for the area. There were lots of crop fields with huntable hedges which was a nice change. We spotted a dead doe in the middle of one cut soy field with what looked like a hole through the scapula. The was no other hole on the other side. Not sure if it died there and no one found it in the middle of the field??? Or if someone got tired of dragging and left it there to rot. Either way, Mike says he did not see it there the previous Sat. Good to see there are deer there though. we did see lots of good sign in the thick areas, away from the trails. The area looks like it might be good for rabbit and dove as well. I wil lbe curious to see how the crowds are in those times next year. In any even, it looks like a good spot when out other property gets run out by the gun hunters. There are no crops there to lure the deer back. I got sick with the flu bug after this hunt. I am trying to get better for our OC hunt after Christmas.

Hockey Champs and a night to remember a fallen friend

Season 6 Champions! 4- 4 tie in overtime went to a shootout and we prevailed. I actually had the game winner in OT but the ref did not see the goalie scoop it back out of the net with his glove. A small group of us started the league, and last year one of our buds, Jim Mark, died of a brain tumor after a lengthy battle. He actually played again for us one season while he was in remission. After he passed we purchased a 1/3 size replica of the Stanley Cup and named it “the Jim Mark Memorial Cup” for the winners each season. Jim’s wife was on hand at the beginning of the night and we presented her with a framed league Jersey with Jim’s number. All the Jerseys for the 4 teams have JM in the upper shoulder in his memory.

Mostly night action from the bucks at the feeder.

The one with the scroungy fur is back as well.

Last day of 1st FA season

Saturday morning was a chilly one, with a nice hard frost. Brent showed up a few minutes early to my house which was fortuitous as the old guy nicknamed Bear was in the parking area (for once he was not driving through the middle of the woods with his truck). That guy is a talker and told us he had seen a couple black bear at the property a few days back. He has been having little luck there with the bucks as well, and he said he was out to shoot a doe today. Brent and I were hoping we would be able to get one between us as it was the last day of rifle/firearms season. I left both of them still talking and went in the lower bedding area I had scouted out last week, in hopes I could catch a deer coming in from the area of the houses. Because I was so close to those houses I decided to hunt with the shotgun and slugs instead of the rifle. Turns out, I could have carried the bow. I sat at the back edge of the thick multiflora rose patch using my sneaky sak and a screw-in tree step as a seat from the ground until about 9am when the wind shifted. Not a thing moving.

I decided since Brent was set up in a treestand at the ridge I would walk around and see what I could find by 9am. I walked and stalked through the field edges and thick transition areas. While I did see some pretty fresh poo and a few tracks, there was nothing. The main woods was very sparse and barren as well, and you can see forever now with the foliage down. My wife texted me around 10am that 6 deer were in the backyard! Talk about demoralizing. Brent did report seeing his white squirrel again, but no deer. I walked the entire front of the property We left at lunch and decided to change tactics and put on a sort of mini drive in order to see if we could see a deer and perhaps get a better feel for the property. We walked for a few hours and it was also pretty uneventful. I suspect the hunting pressure in this area has just been too great, and what deer are left are nocturnal and transient. They probably spend the daylight hours up the mountain at Gambrill where they are safe… or in someone else’s suburban backyard. I will not get to hunt this weekend as we are going to PA for an early Christmas with the wife’s family. I did take Friday off ½ da y to hunt, but she wants to leave right around 4pm so I am not sure about logistics there. May just save my leave for another day of hunting when I have less obligations. Sunday I worked on my knife project. Here is the osage scales epoxied down. I had also boiled the bison horn flat for an accent below the guard.

Knife Projects

Over Thanksgiving my father let me have a few knives he had laying around the garage. 

This one is a mystery, and I have been trying to ID it.  It feels super good and it a very thick carbon steel.  It has no markings.  I wonder if it was even a production knife or a custom type one made from an old file or something????

I think I may make it my primary hunting knife once I find a sheath for it.






This one was badly corroded and I have been busy trying to restore it.  I believe it was an old Western knife.  I plan to assemble Osage scales, some bison horn accents, and cut the guard from an old antique thick brass electrical outlet cover.

Birthday weekend Hunts

120311 

Since Brent cancelled on me Saturday, I decided to hunt my backyard feeder with the bow rather than go face the throngs of FA hunters at Raudy on my own.  I saw nothing.  By 10am was busy improving my blind.  I took the leaf blower and made a clear path to the blind to sneak into it in a position the deer at the feeder cannot see my approach.  I also took a hex of old desert camo netting and made a roof on it for some interior shadow.  I added brush and branches and improved it quite a bit. 

120511

I took off on Monday, my 38^th Birthday, in order get some time in and do some rifle hunting without the crowds.  As I was getting set up to walk in, a truck pulled up with another hunter.  So much for that plan.  I took my climber and set up in Brent’s tree at the hilltop.  It was cloudy and breezy but saw nothing.  I was using the old 8mm Mauser with iron sights.  I went home and ate some lunch and then returned.  The other hunter was still there…somewhere…  I decided to stay on the ground this time and I found a couple well used deer trails and bedding areas.  Spotted no deer however and hunted until dark.   The temps were crazy and I spotted insects and bats flying around at dusk!  This morning I also found a tick embedded in my leg.  This is December folks!  Crazy!!!

I can really see an impact in deer movement now that the gun season is in.

120111 Gun Hunt

I took off from work all day Thursday to avoid the gun crowd or F.A.G.s (Fire Arms Guys), as I like to call them, and get a deer with my new flintlock. 

I pulled into the parking area and saw 2 other big trucks.  I almost decided to go back home and hunt with the bow but I had already loaded a ball in the flintlock.  I got out and talked to them.  They were new guys and this was their first year hunting there.  They said they were going to the top of the mountain near the bedding areas, so I thought they might push some toward me.  I gave them my card as the one guy said he was going to put out cameras in the summer and email me pictures.  They seemed like nice enough guys so I gave them some terrain observations and warned them about “Bear”.

I sat in my sneaky-sak tree and hoped for the best but saw nothing.  That is until 9:30 when one of the guys walked the trail past my stand.  I do not think he saw me despite the orange!  The boys left a little early…. No shooting heard.

I got down around 10:30 and walked until noon.  Saw nothing but a bunch of those darn reflectors on trees.  If you cannot find your stand on that small of a property then just give up hunting…Sheesh!

I fired my rifle on the way out for lunch to see if it would have gone off.  Sizzle…Sizzle, sizzle ,….BOOM!  Long hangfire.  I think the problem was oil still on the pan.  I tried to flush it out the night before with alcohol but I think it just moved the oil…I may try Acetone and go light on the oil from now on.

I headed back into the woods around 2:30pm.  Went down the lower trail but the wind was blowing down, so I decided to go back high on the upper trail and sit.  I brought the flintlock again.  I had a view of Brent’s tree but was just a few yards inside the upper trail watching the hillside.  Never saw anything but squirrel.  I fired on the way out and this time it was instantaneous….BOOM!  That gun is sooooo loud compared to my Hawken and even the shotgun!  I nailed the knot on the tree I was aiming at.

I plan to hunt Sat. morning back there with Brent and the crowds and the WWII Mauser  in hand.  Too much trouble to clean the PA rifle for just a morning hunt. 

I still have not decided on a place to hunt Monday, as I took my traditional Birthday off from work to hunt….somewhere….