Buckless in Ohio for 2023

Happy New Year!  I spent NYE in stand trying to get my 2023 buck - but I had no luck. I had these two young does bleed out into the field. But when their Mom came out, she winded me and that was the end of it.  She went off honking into the woods announcing my presence to everyone in a one mile radius.

The brassica is still green and still attractive to the deer.

They've eaten a few turnips and radishes but they are mainly still eating the greens.

Snow/frost on the turnips in the morning.

I took both dogs for walks.  This is Daisy.

And she found this predator poop of the week. Notice all of the fur in it.

Later I took Violet for her walk.

And she found this candidate for poop of the week.  Another hairy predator bomb.  I don't know how to tell the difference from coyote to fox to bobcat.

Violet also posed to give some scale to this rub in the pine trees.

Meanwhile, in the barn, I found this in my muck bucket.  She loves to run.  Violet on Walk  More of Violet

I guess that they just climbed in there and couldn't climb out.

Photo from the bonus gun weekend.

I had swarms of these this week - crows?

They flushed out of some pines when I was walking in after dark.  Sounded like a fleet of bats.

Is this a flicker?

I decided to feature some of the young bucks who have made it past gun season.  

These are all ones that I wouldn't shoot and I hope to meet them in future years.

There's still a month of archery and 4 days of black powder season to go.

But they made it thru most of the hunting pressure.

I passed on a small 8 point like this in early archery season.

It was my only really legitimate chance this year.

At least I got my mule deer buck in NM.

We really need to take some more does.

There is no shortage and I see them virtually every outing.

In order to keep the balance and not overtax the environment, some need to be harvested.

I think that there are at least 8 in this shot.

The coyotes are also prospering.

They could use some population control too.

The bobcat(s) were prevalent this week.

One fox.

And a tribe of local canines.

I will still be trying in January but the odds are diminishing.

Welcome to 2024!