Ice Fishing Massachusetts 2/8/14

This weekend definitely is not going to be warm like it has been for the last few weekends and I picked a lake that the wind always blows and is cold in the winter. Today's conditions were upper teens for temperatures, clear sunny skies and stiff winds. The last snow storm has left around 12 inches of snow on area lakes and ponds and this is making it difficult for getting to your fishing locations. The lake that I was on today has great bass, smallmouth and largemouth, in it and when you locate them, they are always of a very nice size. But for some reason they are difficult to locate in the winter months so typically don't fish for them as the crappies in this lake are of a large size and that was the target for today. These fish are another variety that you really have to search for as well but once you locate them, the fish that you catch are of large size and well worth the efforts in locating and catching them. Typically here I generally fish the middle of the lake but with all of the snow cover, it was too much work getting out there so stayed in an area that has good 30 feet of water and started my search. After the first few holes I could see that I was going to have to work at it once again as the crappies were not going to come easy. One good thing there was fish in almost every hole but they were perch and when you would catch one, they definitely put up a good fight. The perch that I was catching were very nice and big and I was catching them on the Salmo Chubby Darter and would work the lure a couple of feet off of the ground. After a while I started tipping the hooks with some grubs and one fish that I caught was one of the biggest sunfish that I have caught here in New England at nearly 12 inches long. I thought for sure that it was a crappie when I was fighting it but was pleasantly surprised to see such a big sunfish. At one point I did have some crappie come through the hole as they were at around 17 feet of water and when they are that high of the bottom that is the only fish that swims so far up. I was able to get the fish to look at the lure but as hard I as tried to entice them into biting, it just wasn't happening. All in all it was a good day of fishing but when is there a bad day when you are fishing. May try and get out there once again when the snow gets knocked down a bit because after you catch one of those crappies, you really want to do it again.

So until the next report from the ice, may your lines be tight...

 

 

Ice Fishing New Hampshire 2/2/14

Time for another road trip and we headed for New Hampshire bright and early with a destination for a lake that we have not seen or fished before. It is always fun fishing and exploring new bodies of water and we have a lot of fun going out there and trying to figure out what and where the fish are and what they are looking for to eat. So today was no different and we had a variety of weather that had plagued us as well with cloudy skies, temperatures were in the 30's, no wind at all and later in the day we had a pretty good rain come through. Upon arriving at the lake, there were already a number of anglers scattered around the ice and they were actually driving cars on the ice. Since we have not been able to drive on the ice here in New England, I choose to park at the landing and we walked. Seeing the area that I wanted to fish was too far for walking, we picked another area that was an underwater point that came out about 40 yards from shore and was covered in rocks and boulders. This lake has produced some nice smallmouth and largemouth bass and that was the target that we were looking for today. So we set our lines in a variety of depths and seem that the most productive was in the 12-16 feet of water. To start off the pickerel were biting very well and some nice ones in the 2-3 pound range. After about an hour and a half, we finally had a targeted fish on the line and when the 3 plus pound largemouth bass came through the hole, my son's eyes almost popped out of his head as the fish looked very big laying there on the ice. He was very happy and it was great seeing the excitement that he has when he catches a nice fish and this is what keeps him coming back for more. We had taken pictures and video of the fish and released it back into the water. It wasn't even 15 minutes and he had another fish on the line and when this one came through the hole it was a solid two and a half pound smallmouth bass and he was screaming with excitement once again. Now he was really jacked up and was so glad that we made the drive to this lake as he was having a banner day. Once again we took all the pictures and video and he released that fish back into the water to fight another day. The day was shaping up very nicely and the pickerel kept you busy in between other bites. The bass never really got going and those were the only two that were caught but numbers of pickerel and also nice perch were caught. Later in the afternoon a front came through and dumped a good amount of rain on us and luckily we had our Clam popup fish house with us to stay out of the rain. You could definitely see after that the bite died right off and so once the weather stabilized a bit, we packed up and headed back home after a very enjoyable day of fishing.

Not sure where you are going to see us next but we will definitely be out there again very shortly, may your lines be tight...

 

 

 

Ice Fishing Massachusetts 2/1/14

We had a few hours in between a variety of things that needed to get done this day to hit the ice and stayed very close to home. Conditions were very nice with air temperatures in the mid 40's, partly cloudy skies and a light wind off and on. This particular pond we haven't been to for a few years as the ice never gets thick enough if there is any as it is a town's water supply and they have an arator in the pond that keeps part of it open during the winter. When we arrived there were a number of local fire departments there and they were practicing their ice safety and rescue operations and were fun to watch as they would get into and out of the icy waters. We made our way towards the back of the pond where the deep water starts coming up to the shallows that the back half is. We wanted to target crappies and generally find them on this break transition area. We were fishing mainly waters that were 12-16 feet deep and we were marking fish on the flashers but a lot of them we just plain lookers and didn't really want to take any offerings. We drilled many holes around this location and could find fish but tough to get them to bite. When it was time to leave we had caught some fish, pickerel, perch, sunfish and bass but we never were able to locate the crappies. Not sure if we are going to be back to this pond as we were fairly disappointed and we have many other options around the area so chances are, unless we only have a couple of hours, we won't be back this winter.
Hope everyone had a great day on the ice and may your lines be tight.

 

 

Ice Conditions Unsafe on Parts of Lake Winnipesaukee and other Large Lakes

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department officials warn that this winter's uneven temperatures and high winds have affected ice formation, particularly on the state's larger lakes. Fish and Game is urging those heading out onto the ice to exercise caution as they do so. A large number of anglers are expected to head out onto the state's lakes and ponds this weekend to participate in the Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby (February 8-9, 2014).

A recent aerial survey of Lake Winnipesaukee by the N.H. Civil Air Patrol revealed treacherous ice conditions on some parts of the big lake, including an area of open water near Welch Island. Note the aerial photo at right of Lake Winnipesaukee ice conditions, taken on January 25, 2014.

"Caution is in order for those going out onto the ice, especially on the large lakes," said Fish and Game Lt. James Goss. "Don't let the cold temperatures fool you – some areas that have traditionally been safe for ice anglers and other outdoor recreationists are not safe this year. We are urging people to check the ice thickness for yourself before you go out onto any frozen waterbody."

Because of the unpredictable ice conditions, it is not advisable to drive vehicles onto the ice, Goss said. Those on foot should carefully assess ice safety before venturing out by using an ice chisel or auger to determine ice thickness and condition. Continue to do this as you get further out on to the ice, because the thickness of the ice will not be uniform all over the waterbody.

Fisheries Biologist Don Miller notes, "Even though the winter of 2013-2014 has been cold so far, ice conditions on Lake Winnipesaukee are highly variable. One area of note where extreme caution should be exercised extends from Lakeshore Park in Gilford, east to Welch Island and across to Long Island, Moultonborough. The area extends south to Diamond and Rattlesnake islands and west to the Gilford shore line. This includes the vicinity commonly referred to as "the Broads." While caution should be exercised on the ice at all times, this area of Winnipesauke has seen very poor ice conditions consistently over the past few years. Extreme caution should be used in this area."

As shown in the aerial photo, even travel along the shore line south of Lakeshore Park is not recommended.

Though all ice is potentially dangerous, the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, N.H., offers a "rule of thumb" on ice thickness: There should be a minimum of six inches of hard ice before individual foot travel, and eight to ten inches of hard ice for snow machine or All-Terrain Vehicle travel.

Keep in mind that thick ice does not always mean safe ice. It is possible for ice to be thick, but not strong, because of varying weather conditions. Weak ice is formed when warming trends break down ice, then the slushy surface re-freezes. Be especially careful of areas with current, such as inlets, outlets and spring holes, where the ice can be dangerously thin.
Tips for staying safe on the ice include:

• Stay off the ice along the shoreline if it is cracked or squishy. Don’t go on the ice during thaws.
• Watch out for thin, clear or honeycombed ice. Dark snow and ice may also indicate weak spots.
• Small bodies of water tend to freeze thicker. Rivers and lakes are more prone to wind, currents and wave action that weaken ice.
• Don’t gather in large groups or drive large vehicles onto the ice.
• If you do break through the ice, don’t panic. Move or swim back to where you fell in, where you
  know the ice was solid. Lay both arms on the unbroken ice and kick hard. This will help lift your body onto the ice. A set of ice picks can help you pull yourself out if you do fall through the ice; wear them around your neck or put them in an easily accessible pocket. Once out of the water, roll away from the hole until you reach solid ice.

Ice safety is also very important for snowmobilers. Don't assume a trail is safe just because it exists; ask about trail conditions at local snowmobile clubs or sporting goods shops before you go.
To download a brochure from Fish and Game called "Safety on Ice - Tips for Anglers," visit wildnh.com/Outdoor_Recreation/ice_safety.html.

Coyote Hunt 1/25/14

Another day has come to head to the woods in search of a predator that lives here and hopefully give my son his first crack at taking the elusive coyote down. The conditions were not that favorable as the air temperatures were in the teens, had cloudy skies with threatening snow and the winds were whipping fairly good across the swamp. We setup the same location as the previous week in hopes that now with the snow cover, we have an advantage of seeing them coming across the swamp that much easier. As we were walking in, we had crossed numerous areas that had coyote tracks in the snow so we know that they are definitely around the area and just need to be able to fool them into coming and taking a look at our setup. We setup the blind amongst the brush and pines, set out the Mojo Critter decoy and also the Primos electronic caller and retreated to our blind in hopes of a critter coming in. With the wind and cooler temperatures, this wasn't fairing well for my son as he was getting cold fairly quickly and was able to tough it out for an hour. As with deer hunting the wind, the area usually doesn't yield any sightings of quarry so once that hour had passed, he was ready to head out and warm himself up. There is still another month and a half of the season to go yet and the mating season upon us, may move down the swamp a bit and give a different location a try.
Until next time, keep them critters running...

Ice fishing Massachusetts 1/25/14

Was nice to see that the week was going to be very cold again and what that does is freeze up all of the shorelines of local ponds that had opened up from the previous weeks warm weather. With that, I was able to get onto a pond that we haven't been to in a couple of years just because it is the last one to freeze up and the first one to open up. Upon arriving at the pond, there were cloudy skies, a stiff wind and the air temps were in the upper 30's. There weren't any other anglers out there and you could also see that there were no holes drilled in the ice anywhere I was fishing. This particular pond has some very nice crappies in it up to 14-15 inches in length. For a small body of water, that is fairly impressive and you usually don't see that other than in bigger bodies of water. I generally fish this pond where others generally don't go and the water depth there is around 20 feet of water. After drilling a number of holes in a few locations, there was only a few that consistently held fish for the time that I was out there. The bait of choice was the Northland Mooska tungsten jig in the 1/57 oz size and tipped that with a couple of Euro Larvae for added enticement. Generally from fishing these depths you can gauge the size of the fish by where it is swimming in the water column. If they were near the bottom to two feet off, these generally were smaller crappies and more times than not, sunfish. But, when the marks on the electronics flash at 14 feet, you quickly reel your bait to that level and the fish that you are catching there, are always the bigger varieties of crappies and the biggest ones that were caught were the 13 inch size. You usually won't catch a lot of them but the ones you catch are definitely the funniest and those are the ones that keep you coming back. The real key to catching these bigger fish always comes back to fishing and using the electronics to see where the fish are at because without that, you would miss a good quantity of these nicer fish.
So until next time, TIGHT LINES

 

 

Catching fishing while others are not while ice fishing

Many anglers when you talk with them as they come off of the ice, the first question that always starts a conversation, how did you do? More times than not when fishing for pan-fish, the response comes back, they weren’t biting very well today. In reality, the fish were there and willing to bite if the right bait and presentation were presented to them.

This article is going to give some helpful tips and hints on how to locate, entice and catch these fish that do supposedly not want to bite. Fishing here in New England, and being from Minnesota, there are many tactics that we use there that are super productive here in New England and some of these just have not made it here to the angler.

To start, most if not all ponds and lakes here in New England have some sort of pan-fish in them. Not all species are found in these waters as some waters may only have sunfish, or maybe some have sunfish and perch and then there are others that have a good population of all the pan-fish, sunfish, perch, crappies and white perch which are the most commonly sought after pan-fish.

The techniques that we are going to be talking about work for any and all of the species and will be caught in the same hole as you are fishing. If there is one fish that you only want to target on a particular trip, then as you are catching the other types of fish, you will need to keep moving until you find an area that supports the fish that you are seeking.

The key piece of equipment that we like to use and never go to the ice without is a flasher type piece of electronics. There are a variety of manufacturers on the market these days, Vexilar, Humminbird, Marcum and others as well. They all do the same job of showing you fish and also showing you where and what your bait is doing around the fish and with that, which company you are more comfortable with using, that would be the choice for you.

Don’t get stuck into what a number of anglers do, and that is once they drill their holes and get setup, that is where they park themselves and they don’t move. To be successful in catching fish through the ice you will need to be mobile and follow the fish instead of being the one that sits and waits for the fish to come to them. Of course at certain times of the day you will sit in one spot because they are aggressively feeding, but to keep catching throughout your time out there you will need to be on the move.

What a typical day is for us is that we drill anywhere from 50 to 100 holes throughout an area and that allows you to cover many depth variations as well as different structure on the bottom. By having this many holes, you would be able to take your electronics and place it in the hole and if you see no activity, move on to the next. This way you are targeting active fish and not jigging a hole that has nothing hanging around.

Once you start finding those active holes, the next key feature that we use to catch fish is keeping the jig very small. In the cold water, fish have a tendency of biting much more finicky than the warmer waters and we have also seen that small baits produce so much better and fish size generally goes up with these smaller baits.

The jigs that we have been using this winter are the Northland Tackle Mooska Tungsten jigs in the #16 hook 1/57 oz size. Here in New England we are not allowed to use lead so these tiny tungsten jigs work very well and show up on the electronics very well in deep water. By using a loop knot this will allow the jig to hang horizontally and look more natural in the water as well.

Another little trick that we have implemented this winter season is using the Euro Larvae colored worm live bait grubs. These need to be ordered online as we have not been able to find them here but after bringing them back from MN this winter, these little grubs have been a fantastic attractant to our jigs. These grubs come in a few different colors and the best combination we have been finding is a red and white or yellow hooked onto the jig.

To give you an idea as to how our presentation goes, once we find that active hole, we have our electronics setup and can see the red lines of where the fish are in the water column. Watching our jig on the screen dropping down to that location, keep the bait a bit above the red lines and start working the jig and you will see the active fish move up towards your presentation and the fish is on.

The main points that we are trying to get across here is don’t get stuck in one hole and keep moving to find those active holes with fish. Trust your electronics as these are your eyes to what is going on underneath the sheet of ice. Also, keeping your jigs very small and tipping them with bait, this will make your presentations much more attractive to even the finickiest fish that is down there.

Hopefully you can get a pointer or two out of this article and the next time that you are coming off of the ice and get ask that question, “How were they biting?”, with a grin you can say, pretty good today.

Good luck and may your lines always be tight.

Ice fishing Massachusetts 1/19/14

Well the warm weather really has done a number on our ice conditions on most or the lakes in our area by rotting the shoreline ice and creating open water and making it impossible for getting onto the ice. If you can find a location to get onto the ice, there is a good change that there will be 6 inches of solid ice once you getting past that shoreline. Fortunate for us we have a lake or two that has shoreline that never sees the sun so these areas are generally the first ones to freeze and the last to thaw out. So I checked one of these and the shoreline was still frozen solid so that lake was our target for a morning of fishing. Conditions for the day were partly cloudy after the day before snowstorm, 26 degree air temperatures and winds that picked up as the morning went along. Upon getting to the lake, we were the only ones there and that allowed us to setup on the prime area that we hoped that would yield some nice bass and also get into a sunfish bite. For the bass we generally will run tip-ups and had them placed anywhere from 5 to 22 feet of water and for this outing the 10 foot depth seemed to be the most productive. The beginning of the morning had many flags flying with bass and pickerel, then the winds picked up and it seemed to die off for a bit and then the sun started coming out which made the bite turn on again. The bass that we caught were all about the same size and there weren't any big fish caught but having fish bite and be caught is better than nothing. I drilled a number of holes around the area at various depths and was hoping to find some of the sunfish that live in the lake. But after fishing all around, there wasn't any aggressive sunfish willing to bite but with the flags flying, really didn't care that they weren't biting. For a short morning run we had a great time out there and if you are persistent in locating a place to fish, it will always pay off. Tight lines until next time.

 

 

 

Coyote Hunt 1/18/14

The main hunting season for most species has come to an end with the beginning of the New Year. But there are still a few species that have open seasons and those would be the coyote and fox. This time of year is prime time for varmint hunting as with the cold and snow, these critters are spending more time looking for food and if you can get your decoy and calls setup to look and sound inviting; this will make for a productive hunt. In our location when a youth turns 12 they are able to go hunting as long as they go with a licensed adult. Also, when doing this, there can only be one weapon between the two of you and with this makes for a fun hunt as this will be my sons first real experience in actually hunting. There is a location where I deer hunt that gives a great advantage for sight of placing a decoy that the animal can see a long ways from three different directions. So Saturday morning came and we were up early so that we could get into place as it was getting light out. Without any snow cover, it will make spotting a coyote a bit more difficult as their fur blends perfectly into the dead grass of the salt marsh swamp that we were in. With the blind setup, the decoy placed and the call set out, we were ready to see if we are going to have any action. We had been calling for about 30 minutes and the first flock of crows came in and they hung around for 10 minutes or so circling the decoy and calling sounds before moving off. After about an hour my son spotted a coyote skirting us to the left and not sure if he wasn't comfortable with the setup or if he seen movement in our blind, but when we saw him he was trotting to our left and wasn't going to slow down. So we took a quick running shot at him and that was a miss as he kept running towards the field and then shortly later seen him running along the edge of the swamp further down. We called for another half hour or so but nothing was going to come in so packed our gear up and headed home. That was a very exciting time for my son's first time in the field actually hunting and seeing and taking a shot at an animal and he is ready to go back again this next weekend.

Ice Fishing Massachusetts 1/12/14

Since our ice season is so short here in New England, you really need to drop everything and take advantage of the few weeks that we have to fish on the ice here. Winter break for college is over and we had to move my daughter back to school but we brought the ice gear along and planned on fishing around where her school is. The temperatures are still highly mild and partly cloudy skies helps when the sun is shining but the winds just will not let up and gusts at 20 mph makes for hard fishing on glare ice. We drove to the first location only to find open shorelines and with the winds; there was actually a current that you could see moving underneath the ice. Took off for the next location which is a river system with a dam in between 2 pools and we ran into the same situation as the shorelines were open and you could actually see where the current was in the river channel as that was open as well. It was time to head back to our area as I am not really sure that this location made a lot of ice as this weather really is doing a number and who knows if that ice will ever be fish-able again this winter. The next stop was at a small pond that has big crappie in it and as we checked the shorelines there, it was open a little and you could easily get onto the ice, but my son was very leery about going onto this pond, plus without any snow cover it makes for a long drag pulling the sleds to the pond. After chopping a couple of holes along the shoreline there is definitely enough ice as I was seeing 5-6 inches but if he isn't comfortable, not going to go onto there. So we headed back to where I had fished the previous day and upon getting to the location, was very surprised not seeing another vehicle parked there. We checked the shoreline and it was open a bit but there is a swimming dock that isn't pulled all the way onto shore and that is what we used to get onto the ice. After drilling a hole and seeing good 6 inches, we were comfortable and proceeded to the location where I was catching the crappies the day before. There was still water on top of the ice and you can definitely see that the rains, wind and warm temperatures are really raising havoc with the ice surface. Also, any previous holes and ice cracks, you wanted to avoid those as they were wearing very hard and opening from the conditions. When we finally found the area that I was fishing previously, we dropped the electronics in and the fish were there and waiting for us. My son likes setting out a number of tip-ups as well so we proceeded to setting a line from deep water up into the shallower shoreline. The tip-ups were not that productive for the day as only a few jumbo perch were caught but made for an interesting afternoon trying to run across the glare ice getting to a flag. With the wind blowing so hard we wanted to set up the new Clam Vista shelter and once we had it anchored to the ice, have to say that this is one well-built shelter. It held up very well with the strong winds coming across the ice and was really nice to get out of the wind and when the sun would shine, warmed right up without having any heater on. The crappie action was none stop for quite some time and the electronics screen was lit up with fish and was a lot of fun watching my my catches fish after fish. There was a mixture of crappies, sunfish and white perch and as it got to later afternoon, was thinking that the bite would get better but it actually went the other way. The fish were still down there but they were getting more and more finicky so that was a clue that it was time to head out. It was a very productive day and not sure what the weather is going to do to our ice here, but I have a feeling that we will be making a trip to New Hampshire this coming weekend as the ice up there is more stable after this weather.

Ice Fishing Massachusetts 1/11/14

Since the snow has finally melted down from the previous storms and getting around the lake ice is much simpler, wanted to hit a local pond in search of deep water crappies. In fact the weather now has gone the other way as it is way to warm for a January day with air temperatures in the upper 50's, cloudy skies and rain showers off and on. The top of the ice was very sloppy with standing water all around up to an inch or so deep making for a mess walking around as the ice was very slick as well. There were a number of anglers out on the ice spread around different locations. I wanted to try an area that I had found on the open water last fall that was 22 feet deep but at the time the graph showed either weedbeds or bushes scattered throughout this area. Today's agenda was to jig with electronics in search of suspended crappies and once a number of holes were drilled, didn't take long to find them. The first location wasn't giving me the results that I was looking for as the crappies were very small in size and there were a number of white perch scattered in the area as well. The bait of choice was the Northland Tackle Mooska Tungsten jig and this was tipped with Eurolarva. Seeing that the fish were on the small side, I packed up and moved off another 40 yards or so and drilled a number of holes. As I would move from hole to hole, certain holes only had white perch, others had small crappies, and then I hit the magic holes that finally I had found the bigger sized crappies. These still weren't the 11-12 inch long ones that I was looking for but was consistently catching 9-10 inch long ones. Of course as it got later into the afternoon the bite really picked up but I had another engagement to attend to and had to call it a day. It turned out to be a very good fishing outing for what the weather was throwing out there and was definitely worth every minute of it.

 

 

Ice fishing New Hampshire 1/5/14

Finally our ice fishing season has kicked off here in New England and been a long time coming as we never know if there is even going to be a season. We have been having very cold temps and there are waters that were fishable the last couple of weeks but with to many other things going on, getting there was a bit of a problem. We had a major snow storm last week that left 18-24 inches of snow in the area, so with that we decided to head for New Hampshire as they didn't get near that amount and will make for easier walking across the lake to where we want to fish. We went to a reservoir that I have been wanting to fish for quite sometime and finally made it there. There are largemouth bass, pickerel and it is known for its crappies. The day was perfect with temps around 30, clear sunshine skies and no wind. There were a number of other anglers on the water and everyone was spread throughout the reservoir. We started drilling holes in the main river channel and setup a number of traps in water depths from 23 feet up to 5 feet deep. The deeper water traps had little action and the moderate to shallower water produced all day with numerous pickerel and largemouth bass being caught. We drilled a number of holes all around the river channel and used our electronics to search for and catch numbers of crappies. The size was rather small and there weren't any keepers caught but it was definitely a fun day to be out on the ice and kick off our season. The crappies were biting on very small jigs with the use of euro larva that I brought back from Minnesota. Our plans for the next trip will find us around the Boston area and will be fun as we have never fished the waters in that location.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 12/12/13 Morning Hunt

With schools starting to wind down for the coming holiday season, needed to take a day off to watch my son when he came home from school. So I spent the morning before that sitting in the deer stand in hopes that the deer that I am seeking shows himself. Conditions are really getting to those winter temperatures as the air temp was 11 degrees, clear skies and no wind at sunrise with it picking up quite a bit at 9:00 am. I am still thinking that the buck in the area is going to show himself, sat in that particular stand that I have been for so long already. As the sun rose over the swamp, and warmed me as it came up, it was going to be another fruitless day as there were no deer moving in this area what so ever. As I left I made my way around and through this bigger field looking for any sign and there was not one track in the little snow that we have showing that anything is even moving through this area. As I walked through the woods and around a smaller field, there still were no tracks anywhere showing deer activity. This is not a good sign as it is telling me that these deer have totally vacated that area and I am just wasting my time staying here in hopes that one will come out. I think that this may be the last time sitting in any of my existing stands as things are just not lining up. We have a big storm coming this weekend and next week will make it out there once just to check and patch of woods that I have not entered into as I have been waiting for snow to do that. I have a feeling that the deer I seek stays in this area, but lately without any sign of him moving around, my hopes are not that strong anymore. My main plan for the remainder of the year is to concentrate around some of the horse farms in the area, hoping the deer are feeding in these areas. And I am also making a move to a neighboring town in search of hoping to see more deer activity there.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 11/30/13 Evening Hunt

The end of the woods being void of numbers of hunters is coming to a close as this is the last sit before shotgun season opens Monday morning. Conditions are the same as the morning and a bit warmer. The particular property that I hunt will get a lot of pressure from hunters come Monday morning as the owners have been there their whole life and they have a large family and friend base so a number of them will show up to hunt. Usually after the first weekend if there aren’t many deer seen then it will clear out quite a bit and there are only a few that will hunt the muzzleloader season that follows. Not a lot of people have been in the area that I am hunting this year but that can always change. On this particular hunt, once again there were plenty of squirrels and birds using the area but the deer just are not going to show themselves. I still think that they will come through the area and will probably use this area for the remainder of the season, but there is one area I haven’t even gone into yet. I have been waiting for snow to soften the foot noise of sneaking through there and that is supposed to come next week. I will be taking the next weekend off and hopefully the shotgun hunters will get disappointed and leave the area for when I return. The plan for next season will definitely need to look for more private land that isn’t being hunted and allows the deer to stay with their daily routines that the deer I am hunting now change as hunters enter the woods.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 11/30/13 Morning Hunt

I am really hoping that this morning is going to be the one that finally settles the season for me as with the rut in full swing, something has to be moving as it is cold once again. Conditions for this hunt were mid-teens for air temperatures, moderate wind and cloudy skies. With the cold weather parked over us right now and the rut in swing, really hoping that the bucks would start moving more during the daylight hours but without any snow, hard to tell what they are doing now as the ground is frozen so finding fresh tracks is a bit hard these days. After sitting for a few hours and nothing moving around, is making for a very long sit while in the stand. With the upcoming shotgun season approaching, my hopes of getting this done before those are getting more dismal as the hours pass by. Nothing was seen this morning and with one more sit for the weekend, not looking good and as I walked back through the woods to my truck, there is little sign of rubs or scrapes and that does not make for a good feeling.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 11/29/13 Morning Hunt

The weather has been horrible and for the last long weekend of spending in the woods before the guns enter, is getting shorter as each day passes. Conditions this morning were cold air temperatures of mid teens, light breeze and sunny skies. I wanted to get out Wednesday afternoon but it had been and was raining all day and ruined any chance of getting into the stand. Usually go out Thanksgiving morning and that was not the case as well as the rains were gone but now the cold temps were here and also the 30 mph winds that come along with them. So finally I was able to get out Friday morning and was hoping that after the bad weather the past 2 days, the deer would be moving around much more and the rut in full swing. Sat in the stand for 4 hours and not a deer was seen or heard and made for a cold morning waiting. The animals are in these woods as their tracks are left behind each day but they are moving mainly in the nocturnal hours and that is making the hunting a very difficult and challenging one. I want to start doing some stalk hunts, but without any snow cover, making it near impossible for getting around the woods without making any noise. The small squirrels even make a lot of noise as they hop across the dry leaves so for me to walk through there, going to be a difficult task.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 11/23/13 Evening Hunt

Really didn't want to go back to this stand as I feel the deer have left the area and are using totally different routes but my son convinced me to take another shot here. Conditions have stayed about the same from this morning with partly cloudy skies, low 40 degree air temperatures and considerable amount of wind. I didn't do the scent drag to the stand but when arriving at the stand I added new scent to the wick and hung it under the tree. Just as I was settling into the stand it sounded like a deer snort coming from behind me. Thinking there was a deer in the vicinity, I scoured the woods and looked for movement as another sound came out so did a gun shot. The trapper using the area had a bog raccoon in his trap and dispatched of it and reset and vacated the area. After having this happen, my hopes were not that good as there has been a human walking and making noise through a section of woods. But with the amount of wind we were having, I was hoping that the sounds were carried the other direction from where ever a deer may come from. I don't watch the worked over field to much as there is nothing there for the deer and concentrate more on the creek bottom and woods behind me. As I was turning around from searching those areas here comes a deer walking across the field and it seen me rotating around but wasn't alarmed. I ranged the deer at around 85 yards and it looked like it was heading to the trail on the edge as it went behind the field edge brush and disappeared out of sight. From what I could see it looked like a doe to me and figured that it continued into the woods and not to be seen again. 15 minutes went by and all of a sudden here comes the deer down the edge of the field and it is a spiked buck. It took me by surprise as the time that had elapsed had me off guard and was not ready to say the least. As he walked down the edge he got to my stand trail and stopped there smelling the wind as he could smell the doe urine hanging there and was searching around for the doe that left it. With him standing 10 yards right in front of me, I slowly got my hands onto my bow and get the release to the string as he starts meandering down the edge of the field. By the time I could get the bow into position, he was getting out of range and no shot could be taken. At this point my heart was racing and my hands were shaking from all of the excitement that just happened in front of me. Hoping that he would turn around or swing around from behind me searching for the doe, he and no other deer were seen as darkness came. I did learn something from this that if I see one I need to be ready for a while after seeing it as the silence these animals can travel at, will have you off guard and allowing you to miss the opportunity of having a harvest.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 11/23/13 Morning Hunt

Going to sit in a stand that hasn't been used in the morning yet and hopefully something will be moving through this area. Conditions were partly cloudy skies, winds around 10 mph and air temperatures of upper 20's. Upon arriving to the area, with the rut coming to a heightened state, decided to drag a scent trail as I cross the field heading to the morning stand. I criss crossed across the field dragging a scent patch full of doe estrus in hopes that anything crossing the field will catch wind of this and follow it to my location. With a decent breeze in the air, the scent should be drifting all over the area and at the same time I am using a doe bleat call to try to entice something to come out as well. As the morning went on, frustration starts setting in once again as there were no deer being sighted from this stand. So decided to go and collect all of my cameras as they are not getting any pictures lately as well and as I go back to the truck, go and check out another area that I haven't hunted before and see if there is any sign at that location. I dropped off the cameras and backpack in the truck and made my way to the first location and there were a fair amount of deer tracks there. But as I looked more and more around this area, low and behold there was a ladder stand there and not sure if that was to be used for the upcoming gun season or if they use it for bow season. Walked around to another area that I have seen deer in and there definitely is plenty of trails through it and is a number of rubs on small trees. So there are a couple of options to try as well and would sit on the ground at these locations.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 11/21/13 Evening Hunt

Decided to sit on the stand where the rub is just to see if anything comes through this area on its way to feeding for the night. Conditions improved a bit as the air temperatures were in the mid 40's, sunny skies and the winds did pick up a bit as they were noticeable now. This outing was turning into the same as all of the rest as there wasn't any movement of basically anything in or around this stand. Kept watching out onto the open swampland in hopes of seeing some coming across but nothing was venturing around from where I could see. After walking out of the woods after sunset, there was nothing moving around on the open fields as I walked back to the truck. I went and checked the small field and nothing was hanging out there as well. For a day that I felt was going to be somewhat promising, it is giving me more doubts as each hunt passes and it is turning into exactly the same as last years dismal hunt. My conclusions are that for next season I am going to have to really search for some new land to hunt and be able to get away from other hunters as well as finding more food plots for having more active deer around.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 11/21/13 Morning Hunt

With the onset of the rut season vastly approaching, wanted to go to the woods during the week so that there shouldn't be any other hunters in the area. Conditions were cold, 20 degree air temperatures, partly cloudy skies and no wind. Felt like a good morning that the deer may be moving around and decided to vacate the previous stand locations and sit in a stand that is on a travel route. As light approached, off to my left really sounded like there was finally a deer going to be seen as the steps were pronounced, and you could hear something rubbing on the brush as it moved. But after quite sometime, nothing materialized and all hopes of seeing one were vanishing as the moments passed. It was quite a cold morning for sitting in the stand and I made it to 9:30am before I needed to get down and move around. Nothing came through this morning and figured I might as well check all of my cameras since I am out and about. Checked the camera watching a fresh rub but doesn't look like he has been back. Checked the camera watching a heavy trail coming to a field and nothing was recorded there as well as our prime location seems to have dried up. The deer have definitely changed and moved as the season has gone along and I really need to figure something out fast as after Thanksgiving, the gun season starts. I walked back to my truck and always check a small field down the road and someone has setup a blind on this field. Looks like this weekend I will be pulling the stand near this field and relocating. Have an area in mind and hopeful there is no one there as I am finding out fast this year that I need to find some new land to hunt as there are just to many other hunters on this property.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 11/16/13 Evening Hunt

With the sight that I had seen from the morning walk through the woods back to the truck, time to change stand locations. Conditions stayed fairly much the same for the day at mid 50's for air temperatures, sunny skies and little wind. In the morning on my walk back as I was almost out of the woods, I walked past a hunter sitting in a stand that wasn't there before. So this evening's sit was going to rest on if this hunter was at this location or not. As driving past the entry point, I looked at the stand location that you can see and there was no person sitting there so I planned to sit in the stand that has the rub underneath it. I had about 3 hours on this sit and did some rattling as well as in the past I have always been able to get something to come and look around for the sound being made. But as I sat there until darkness fell, again nothing was to come through and was an uneventful day of hunting. I know that the temperatures were a bit warm for this day but with the peak of the rut coming, would think that the deer would be moving around much more. I am definitely seeing a lot more deer sign than I did last season so I know that they are using the area but it is going to come down to timing and them going through an area that I am in. As I walked out of the woods and got to the edge, across the field there was a deer walking on the opposite wood edge but was never able to see what it was as it stepped into the woods and disappeared. They are here, just have to be in the right place at the right time.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 11/16/13 Morning Hunt

Going to give this one stand location one more morning sit and will have to adjust to another location if it doesn't pan out this time around. Conditions were overcast skies, low 40's air temperatures and little to no wind. Was in the stand before the sky lightened and listened to the woods come to life for another day. As it started getting light out there was a grey fox that came trotting across the field and hit the edge of the field and came right back to the tree that I was sitting in and he was looking around for a bit and then headed down the field. Today I had decided that I was going to start doing some rattling and doe calling to see if the bucks are into the rut phase yet. As the morning went on it was becoming like any other morning that there was going to be no deer coming through this location. I don't know why they have changed the patterns as for months they had been using this location and now nothing. Even after checking the cameras there was only one deer pictured coming through and that was during one night and that was the only one for the whole week. Checked another camera in the same location facing a different direction and that camera had no pictures as well. Checked my third camera that was on a decent trail that always has fresh tracks and may have had that one to deep into the woods as there was no pictures on that one as well and I moved that camera right next to the field edge right where the trail comes in. When leaving this location I typically cross my bridge on a deep creek, and make my way past one of my other stands. When arriving at this stand there was the first buck rub on a tree right next to my tree stand and was fairly fresh. So I hung a trail camera there in hopes of capturing which buck was using the area and also left some scent in the area. Plan is to sit at this location this afternoon when I return.

2013 Archery Deer Hunt 11/9/13 All Day Hunt

The plan for this day was to try and sit all day to see if the deer moved around during the noon hour as some of the pictures on the cameras were showing. Arrived in the stand at dark-o-thirty and there was a breeze all ready, skies were clear and the air temperatures were around the freezing mark. Hopes of seeing the big buck in the area, I set myself up for an all day sit and hopefully something will come through. As the skies brightened up and all of the small animals and birds started coming to life, anticipations were running wild listen to every little noise that one could here. As the minutes and hours passed by, you do a lot of thinking and second guessing yourself as to was this the right stand, why don't they come through here and always, there is sign everywhere, where are they? At around 11:00 am with nothing sighted yet, decided to get out of the stand and go check my cameras and stretch my legs and get some feeling back into my toes. Upon checking the cameras, the past week had only shown one small deer at this stand in the middle of the night. There is a trapper using the area and not sure if that is messing with the deer's patterns here or if they are changing their patterns with the coming rut. Since the cameras had no pictures, I took two of them off of the field and located one behind my stand looking a different direction than one that is there already and the other one was moved down the field to a highly used deer trail and hopefully will see some better results there next weekend. After doing the cameras I made it back into my perch in my tree stand for the rest of the afternoon's sit. It was definitely cooler in the afternoon as the clouds came in and the breeze picked up quite a bit. Still was no deer moving around and I had been there for 11.5 hours and not one deer sighted. Now my mind is playing games with me as to which stand should I sit in next time. I am making a plan that when I leave the next stand I am going to go work my way through a small patch of woods that I really feel that the local buck is using as he bedding area. Would be nice if we could get a few inches of snow this week but the temperatures are going to be to warm to warrant that.

2013 Archery Deer Season 11/2/13 Morning Hunt

Was really looking forward to getting into the stand this morning and after the last day or so of rain and high winds, we were greeted with cloudy skies turning to sunny skies later in the morning, no wind, and 50 degree air temperatures. Made it into the stand under the cover of darkness but upon arriving at my small trail to the tree, the previous winds had knocked a bunch of branches across os made it very difficult getting to the tree in the darkness. It felt right this morning and was hoping for a lot of animal movement and couldn't wait for the light of morning to come. The squirrels and small birds were very active at the first light of morning with big expectations of deer moving as well. As the morning went on a family of turkey's came out onto the field and the young ones came out in front of my tree stand. They were still very small and not worth taking a shot at but the parents wouldn't come off of the crest of the hill to offer a shot and they eventually went on about their business. Also had a grey fox run under the stand and not sure if I have ever seen one of these in the woods before. As the morning went on the winds started to blow a bit and decided at 10:00 am to vacate this stand and relocate to another for a little bit longer. Stayed at the second stand for an hour and there was no deer movement and at that point I needed to head out for other plans. I returned the next day to check the game cameras for the week and one of the cameras near my first stand left a good picture. There was a very nice buck that went right under my stand an hour before I had gotten there and also another deer was under that stand if I would have sat there for the evening hunt. There are definitely deer in the area and it is going to come to a waiting game and hopefully be there when they move through.

2013 Archery Deer Season 10/30/13 Evening Hunt

The clocks are going to be turning back within the next few days and that means our evening hunts will be coming to a close during the work week days. So we were able to get out for a little time this evening and see if we can see some of the deer that we keep getting pictures of. Conditions were prime with sunny skies after a rainy cold day, no wind was detected and the temperature was around 50. Instead of going to the usual stands for during the week, wanted to try a stand that we haven't been to yet and opposite side of our stand that we sat on last Saturday morning. Conditions were great and was really hoping to see some activity, but once again the sit was not going to work out and no deer movement was seen. Plenty of other wildlife were active in their search for food, but getting the feeling it is going to be hit or miss, but as long as the cameras are still getting morning and evening movement, it is only a matter of time. As darkness was setting in, the tall swamp grass you could once again hear something that was moving around in there. Almost sounded like a deer getting up from a day's nap and moving through there but also sounded like it went out the opposite side from where I was sitting. Between the last two stands, there is a long narrow strip of this tall grass and I am having a feeling that this may be the bedding area for some of these deer in the area. Time will only tell.

2013 Archery Deer Season 10/26/13 Morning Hunt

Finally the weekend has come to be able to get to our key location for an early morning sit in hopes that the cameras aren't lying to us. Was in the stand before the skies lightened up and there was no wind, clear skies and temperatures were at the freezing mark. As I situated into my stand, in the darkness I could already hear an animal moving through the tall swamp grass off to my left. It definitely sounded like a deer coming through as some branches were snapping and you could hear the grass or brush dragging on its sides. As it got lighter out this animal either went out the opposite side of the tall grass or it laid down in there for its daytime sleep as it never came out on my side. It didn't take long and the winds really started kicking up and was blowing out of the wrong direction and blowing any of my scent into the woods to the side of me. Where this stand is located, I have a field in front of me, a small creek running right behind me and bigger woods to the left of me. The camera that I have covering this location, always has animals coming and going and today just wasn't that day. There are also a number of red squirrels in this location so I am going to have to watch myself as they definitely let everyone know that something is not right in the area. Hopefully will be able to get out there a couple of evenings this week before the clocks get turned back which will take away any evening hunts during the week.

2013 Archery Deer Season 10/23/13 Evening Hunt

Have to take advantage of these first two weeks of the archery deer season for getting to the stand after work as after these two weeks then daylight savings changes the time and the evening hunts will be gone. Another very nice evening to be in a tree stand with sunny skies, little to no wind and air temperatures around 50. It is very hard to get into the woods right now as the leaves are falling and it has been very dry here so these leaves are very crispy and hide a lot of branches as well. Decided to sit on a different stand this evening and it is in a funnel location that has a small cornfield to one side and a swamp to the other and where the stand is there is a strip of woods that the deer use to move from other feeding areas to the deeper woods. Keeping me entertained once again are a number of squirrels that frequent the area and it is amazing how they sound like a bigger animal is coming through the woods. Unfortunately, there were no deer sighted but was still very nice sitting in the stand and can't wait to get to Saturday as we will be locating into our prime location that we feel will show some deer.

2013 Archery Deer Season 10/21/13 Evening Hunt

The 2013 archery deer season has officially kicked off and was a very warm time sitting in the stand on this evening. There was a slight breeze, sunny skies, air temperatures were in the upper 60's at the beginning. Has felt like a long time coming for getting this deer season underway but now that it is here, we are in full motion gear going forward in search of 2 deer that we would like to harvest this year. The first deer that we are looking for is one of 2 different spike bucks that have been frequenting one of our locations and either of those deer would be a good freezer filler for some fresh venison. Then we get to a trophy hunt that entails a couple of different bucks that we have been tracking all summer and lately they have still shown themselves to our cameras. One thing that we are not liking is that we are starting to see the better animals are starting to turn nocturnal, but this hopefully is only due to the bright evenings we have been having with the clear skies and very bright moon phases. All in all there should be a number of deer seen this season and we are really looking forward to seeing how the season unfolds. Last nights hunt yielded no deer being seen but also getting all of the little things taken care of from our equipment placement and such, so we are ready to go now.

Fishing Report June 9

We had a few hours to try and catch some fish and hit a local pond and hope to find some bigger fish as we move into the summer pattern season. Weather conditions were sunny skies, winds around 5-10 mph, water temps in the upper 60's and air temps mid 60's. There was only one boat out there and they were constantly moving around and that is not a good sign that the fish may be a bit harder to locate. Started fishing a mid lake hump and worked up and down the steep sides as well as the top flat and wasn't able to locate any bass but my son was starting to get hot with the sunfish. After leaving that area we worked the shoreline and the sunfish were very active along the shores. I left the plastic baits and started throwing a shallow running crankbait at the shoreline targets and started connecting with some smaller largemouth bass. This lake has some good fish size wise but this year we have only been able to find the smaller bass and hopefully something hasn't happened to the fish in this lake. Have seen this happen to other lakes and it takes 3-5 years to get them back to a size quality lake once again. We will keep working this lake throughout the season and hopefully start connecting with some better sized fish.

Fishing Report June 2

The heat is finally breaking as it had been so hot and muggy that fishing has been very uncomfortable. Conditions were windy, upper 80's air temps, mid 70's water temps and sunny skies. Upon arriving at the lake the boat landing parking was near 3/4 full already. Was going to be a busy day on the lake and fish are going to respond accordingly. Didn't take long and we were catching crappies on crankbaits and bass on plastics and was hoping that the day would continue as it had started. Moved around the lake trying to find an area that wasn't being blasted by the wind which was mostly impossible and along with that the boat traffic was getting unbearable so for the few hours out it was a good day of fishing, everyday is a good day when on the water.

Bass Fishing 5/27/13

Been out a few times as the season was very late getting going this year with the late winter that we have had here in New England. Small fish have been caught and nothing really to write home about hence the lack of reports but now that the season is in full swing the reports will be coming regularly. There is one lake that I like to visit in the spring and fall that can give up some good fish and during the summer months, this lake becomes fairly difficult to fish as the pleasure boaters and water skiers really take over the lake. Weather was clear skies, light winds, air temps in the low 40's and water temps in the low 60's. Other lakes have been warmer but the bigger fish generally are still in the spawn phase and that was the agenda of finding them today. Started in a cove that generally offers bed locations but water clarity doesn't allow seeing them and within 15 minutes was rewarded with a nice 3 pound largemouth. Caught this fish of the side of a dock in less than 12 inches of water using a black/blue jig and trailer. Felt good getting a good fish finally this season and continued through this cove with no other fish. I continued all around the lake in the typical locations and as the wind got stronger and stronger, was not able to locate another fish. Tried a variety of baits, jigs, worms, jerkbait, deep diving crankbait and shallow crankbait. Covered a lot of water with all of the baits and while watching numbers of other anglers continually moving around, looked like it was the way the bites were going to be, tight.

Turkey Hunt 5/18/13

Was able to get into the woods in the dark and planned on setting up on the edge of the corn field where the previous hunt there was a active Tom working. The setup is perfect as can be with an open field that I placed 4 decoys at 20 yards away, behind me a tuff of brush to conceal me and in front to my left, another tuff of brush that conceals me from the birds as they would approach the decoy spread. As the morning light came around, the coyotes were yipping across the swamp, and the wildlife starting to come to life. For the few hours that I was there, there wasn't one turkey response to what i was hoping to be a great morning hunt. The last week of the season is ahead and one more chance to fill a tag and hopefully the weather will allow the hunt to happen.

Turkey Hunt 5/11/13

Went back to the same area as the previous hunt and the same bird was in the same location so the plan was to get in and closer to where he is at. Was able to get within 70 yards of where the bird was roosted and found an open in the woods to setup the decoy display. Once situated, started calling and the bird definitely was interested and very vocal as the morning light increased. Once the light got brighter, he did the same thing as the previous hunt and clammed up after he flew down. Kept calling in hopes that I could draw him from his location as he seems to be stuck where he is and seems very tough to get him out of there. As i was working that bird another bird got very loud and came in fast and hot across a bigger corn field to my right. I was just in the woods to far that I couldn't seem him and there was something in between us that he was not going to come through to get to me. Not sure if the weather change or may be a predator came onto the field, but after a long talk session he clammed up and disappeared. That was fun to have such a hot bird working the area but frustrating in the same breath as it makes you work your brain in trying to figure out what you can do differently to make things work.

5/4/13 Turkey hunt

The morning of a new season was kicking off at day break and with high anticipation, couldn't wait to get the new season off to a great start. Upon getting out of the truck in the twightlight hours, was surprised to hear a gobble very close and went into action to get setup before it gets to light out. Being the light was getting to much, didn't want to venture to far into the woods to alert the bird that I am in the area. Decoys were setup in a small clearing in hopes that the bird will come out and check out what is going on with the sweet calling to draw him out. After working this bird for 3 hours and he was very reluctant to leave the quarters that he was in, he finally clammed up and didn't give me an idea as to where he was anymore. He was very vocal when making calls but apparently the sweet music I was trying to create was not enough to bring him in. Made a long walk around the property that I hunt in search of any other flocks that may be around but was not able to find any active birds. Generally there is a good flock that lives on this property but of course this year they have decided to vacate the premises.