Let it begin

[ti-guy]

That's a nice beginning!  

[snakewood3]

Thanks for the pic's. It is rather refreshing seeing a green forest with enough moisture to promote fungal growth. Strangely enough, despite the worse drought in history around here the bucks seem to be having above average antler development. A poor fawn year however, many found dead. Good hunting, feel blessed to have the rain.

[GREATBROWNKNOCKEMDOWN]

Izzy, that is one sweet bow!!  whats it all made of?  Great pics, i'm going to be doing the same with my camera here in Wis this year.

[mwosborn]

Nice pics - you may have inspired me to take my camera along!

[Toecutter]

I didnt know there were griffin longbow hats?!?!?!  I'm a little up in the air as to whether or not its gonna be Mr Griffin or Mr Saluki getting the nod this season, but either way, that hat is sweet!!

Thanks for sharing, cant wait fot the first of Oct!!!

Nathan

[Izzy]

Keeping the season rolling and as varied as possible I had a weekend day off and invited Crazy Charlie (Cyclic Rivers) to come out for opening day of Northern Zone Bear Season to one of my favorite place s in the world, Moose River Plains. As per the usual, no bear sighted. We did see a little bit of fresh sign but the choke cherries and beech were everywhere we turned so they didnt have to travel much to locate a food source. We saw 3 buck on the way in and a fox or 2 as well as a coyote "dancing" with a raven. Jumped a few deer in a remote beech flat and that was absolutely covered up in droppings and tracks of all sizes. Ill be back there real soon for deer.Heres a few pics.

[Izzy]

These are the berries which Ive alway known as "choke cherries". Ive never seen so many this late in the season but most of the bear scat I see there is made up of these seeds which look like little cherry pits or the usual "apple pie filling" variety when they are feeding on apples up there. We found no fresh scat so I really dont know what they are feeding on now but Im guessing we just didnt look in the right place but I know they love these cherries.

[Izzy]

Heres Charlie standing next to a bear tree. Ive been told that these trees are the territorial boundary markings where a bear will bite into a softwood tree as high as they can go to show their height and rub their galnds int them for scent marking. This one had clear bite marks as well as a tuft of hair rubbed into the oozing pitch. It appeared to be made by a good bear as Charlie is about 6' tall.

[Izzy]

Heres a pretty heavily used trail. It looked like it was mostly being used by deer but there was some indication that smoky was making his way along the trails as well.  After looking at this pic again after posting it Id say you had to be there to see what I failed to capture on film.

[Izzy]

This is the country that we chose for our first calling location. Enchanting in my eyes to say the least.        

[Shawn Leonard]

Very nice Izzy, if ya want to come down on opening afternoon Oct. 15th be to the house by 2:30 I will put ya on a deer or two. You can add that too your journal as well! Shawn

[bentpole]

Thanks for Sharing Izzy. Great pics. Good Luck this season!

[Izzy]

Heres pics from a bog that I first saw when I was 14, 26 years ago. I was enchanted by it the first time I saw as I am to this day everytime I make the hike up to it.       This is the only place during the hike up to the mountain that we saw any life. We saw a down south fella who was hiking the Northville-Placid trail, a couple of humming birds and a 1/2 dozen black ducks. The ducks were in slam dunk range.  

[Izzy]

       A few pics from our last call site. It was an area I have never been to, a little lower on the mountain than my usual destination but I am glad I got in there. Found a couple of very promising funnels that should serve well as a meeting place with an Adirondack moss horn in November.

[Izzy]

By this time, about 4:30pm we had done a bunch of hiking and exploring and were starting to get bushed. With an hour or so descent down the abandoned logging trail ahead of us and an hour and a half drive home we decided to throw in the towel a couple of hours before prime time.  

[Izzy]

It was good hunting with you Charlie. Glad we got out and I hope you liked that country as much as I do. That country saved me when I was in my formative, rebelious and sometimes troubled teens and it is a place that I hold deep in my heart. I got to test out my Kuiu Attack pants which I swore I would not buy but they fit the bill for what I was looking for and I gotta say, I love em. Excellent for active hunting. Also got to test out my new LL Bean Cresta boots and even with only getting them in the mail the night before the hunt, they served me well and were very supportive and comfortable. It was a good hunt and a quick break from work. Just what I needed. I will have almost every weekend as well as a couple of full weeks off from work for the rest of the season so Lord willing and the creek dont rise Ill soon be out there a whole lot more.

[Izzy]

Shawn, Ill be out west opening day  but I sure would love to chase some deer with you this fall. Thanks for the invite Bro.

[ron w]

 Keep the journal going as the season goes on! The northern Zone is tuff hunting but a true wilderness experience!! After 40 years I still have to go back once in a while........

[Bernie B.]

Great pictures!  Good luck with your hunting season.

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

[elkken]

Nice pics Izzy ... I have had the same experience with journals but am trying it again this year. I do have a fair amount of pictures from hunts past. I have a friend and hunting buddy who journals all his hunts and has them going back over twenty five years. He gets them out occasionally and says its like a time machine taking him back to the good old days.