The hunt is on! Hunt #2

No, not deer hunt, shed hunt. Venture #2. Our buck has lost his second antler, and I took off this morning looking for it. I know they cover miles and miles, but you never know. Besides, last night the temperatures were dropping from this Sunday's ZERO (32 F.)  to -18 C. and I thought I'd best get out while I could. Happily, getting back into routines, getting exercise, keeping up the fire, I've lost a kg. Hubby is no longer fetching me wonderful meals from town, and I can get back to normal cooking. It's been a trial. I am so grateful to be on the mend. I have much empathy for my client with COPD. It's a horrible feeling not being able to breath. She is in hospital now.

Lots of deer tracks,
about 2" ice
WHOOPS

The other side of the gully,
with the holes in the ice!

Buster declined to come with me. Dweeb. I purposefully let him out, to give him a chance at walkies, but he meowed at me from the driveway and waved me on, then begged JB to let him in. He still doesn't play well with others. We just keep him busy and he's on a new chewy medication.

My trek was not without trials and tribulations. I followed various deer tracks, hoping for the best. I could tell where they slept overnight (there were lots of deer beds). The snow was quite soft and the walking wasn't too bad. I didn't need snowshoes, despite the 6" of snow.

However, when I made it to the other side of the hill, cruised around, Bambi has circled around back to the bog. Do you know that sound? That tell-tale crack of breaking ice? Yes. The 150 - 200 lb. deer had been crossing back and forth, but I sunk. It was the closest non-soaker ever. The water went right up to the tops of my boots. They were JB's boots, insulated, and tall. Thankfully. I was SO close to a soaker and it would have been a cold one.


As it was, I had to take my foot out of the boot, then I fell on my bottom. Removed the boot, with that awfully smelling sucking sound as I yanked with all my might! Then the other, and I was free. Snickering at myself, I'll tell you.

Carrying on my way, I managed 1.9 km. While one buck has lost his antlers, they are still marking trail. I'm hoping to find Tigger's later. We shall see.
It was a lovely trek. I would stop, get my breath back, marvel at the trees with the green pine needles, and the cold places where the deer hunkered down.

My book, Whitetail Savvy, tells me that young 'uns will hunker down near momma, and you can see the beds with spots touching. I think this is our doe with her twins. The one twin is always lagging behind, last to leave as the others have moved on, down into a gully, or off into the forest.


It's amazing the ups and the downs. I didn't go far, but there are a lot of hills.


Sunday's trail in red. The other day in turquoise.

I scored twice today!

Actually, three times! After long walkies, we found two antlers right on our property. Then, I found another two. Buster and Daisy went with me. There was a lot of blood from the shedded antlers.

Elevation

It was a long walk through the wetland. It is lovely and peaceful. Another lesson. Forest bathing at the end, where I found the sheds close to home!

Buster and Daisy were troopers, marching along the path. I was following the deer trail, trying to track the bloody trail, hoping to find a shed. We walked and walked! I had my GPS with me. Surprisingly, we were up hill and down dale.

 I found the sheds in the lower left, then headed straight back to the house -upper left green track.

The green trail was our path Sunday.

Rabbit and squirrel tracks, coyote, too. My pair were happy to find a mouse under the snow. Buster didn't catch it, though. Not this time.
On my trail, I found two spots were trees have fallen and made a big X! It's tricky following the deer trail, as they are about waist height to me, and I look down, watching the track, and forget to watch for branches. There was a spot, beside a sort of island in the wetland, where I could see water!
There were a lot of deer beds, where they've scraped away the snow and bedded down.
In the first photo, Buster walked right beside the trailcam, but didn't set it off. I was surprised.

How to score antlers

Brow Tine: It is the first tine from the base. First is brow, then G1, G2, G3, etc.
The one in the 2nd and 3rd photos on the right is a 4pt. sheds. The other one looks to be a 3pt. To be classed as a 'point', a tine must be at least 2.5cm (1") long.




Back at the house. Buster had hunkered down for a nap. Daisy and I went outside to work on the Horse chestnut tree, wrapping it to prevent the woodpeckers from taking apart the bark. I found antler #4! There was a lot of blood. We went for another walk down below and found a tree with a hollow centre, woodpecker shavings around it, too. Daisy loves the smells.