April 4-8

I took three days off to recharge my batteries and to me that means antler hunting.

After driving my daughter to Durham and then myself back to Springfield, I hit the big woods of the Gile State Forest at 8 AM. I headed in past our bear bait sites and over the mountain. My destination was a 3 year old clear cut about 2 miles in.

I saw plenty of sign at first but then it petered out. So I kept on searching through what seemed like hours of mooseless terrain. It was really off to experience that in the Gile but I believe they were wintering elsewhere.

After traversing a number of beaver ponds I ended up on the back side of the clear cut, and low and behold that's where the moose had wintered.

I moved along the edge of the clear cut and ran across this old moldy antler, it would have been a giant at one time. Ah well, it looks good in the flower garden!

The next day I searched the farm. I did a scout through my hunting spot, lots of huge buck sign but no antlers until I got over the other side of the hill. I found a chewed up 4 point side with good mass, another buck to add to my mental catalog of big deer using my mountain. Also found a portion of a deer jaw.