3/2/2015 Observation

         On Monday morning I went back out to the farm to go for a hike and look for shed antlers again. I had a few hours to spare before school started so I figured a little fresh air could not hurt anything. As I was pulling down the gravel road I saw the same flock of turkeys that I have seen in the field many other times. I had also seen one group of deer on one of the fields along the interstate. I knew the animals were moving. As I was about to pull into the driveway a rooster pheasant ran across the road ten yards in front of me. Pheasants may be one of may favorite animals to see. There are not a whole lot of them around anymore but when you see a male with his bright, colorful head and beautiful feathers that cover the rest of his body it's always special.
         I got out of the car and started putting on my gear. It was a pretty cold morning of about 15 degrees so I layered up. I had pac boots, insulated coveralls, a sweatshirt, two coats, and my Camelbak that included two liters of water, my camera and binoculars and other little things I might use. I put on a mad bomber hat that is lined with rabbit fur to keep the wind off my face, I slid on a pair of fleece gloves and I was off. Their are two pieces of timber on the side of the road I was on and I decided that I would start on the North side and make my way South. (Mindy and I had walked through the most Southern part of the property the day before.) I kept my eyes on the ground looking for sheds most of the time, but when I crept over a hill or around a ridge I always looked to see if I would spook any wildlife. A few weeks ago I ran into a couple guys who said that they were going to check a trail camera they set up. As they were heading into the woods I noticed one of them carrying a bag of something, probably bait, to put in front of the camera to attract wildlife. Today was the first time I saw it. I was looking around and I noticed this green patch in the middle of snow. It was too round to be natural and sure enough when I came up to check it out there was a camera stuck on a tree documenting my every move. Although there was a lot of sign in this area I did not see anything too exciting.
         I went into the second piece of timber (this is where I do a lot of my observation). Before I went to far in I noticed a flock of turkeys taking flight from an open piece grass in the timber from across the valley. While I was making my way to go see if their was any sign that the turkeys left, I noticed some very distinct boot prints in the snow. Due to the way their was ice in the prints I knew the tracks had to have been from the day before because that was the only day it really got above freezing. That meant that someone had been hiking not too far from where my sister and I had been on the same day. I decided to walk a little bit more to the South just to see if anything was in the valley below me. Sure enough, I saw a white flag of a deer flying through the woods. I kept walking to figure out if their were more in the area. As I poked my head over the hill I was shocked to see deer after deer after deer trotting through the timber. I counted fifteen in all. I started my way back to the car when I saw another two deer headed towards the road away from me. I figured that if they were bedded down there I could possibly find some sheds. As I reached the creek a thunderous flapping of wings erupted below me. A turkey had been hiding underneath the ridge in the creek bed below me where I could not see it. I kept moving when another one popped out from beneath me! This time the turkey just ran up the hill instead of flying. It moved back and forth as if it was trying to dodge something as it ran away.
        By the time I got back to the car I had been gone for a few hours and I was sweating like it was August even though it had not yet reached 20 degrees. I drove the car down the road by the farm house to see if the landowners were out, which they were not. I then decided to check for the deer that I had spooked towards the road. Sure enough they were bedded inside the timber just 30 yards from the road but there were four of them now. I noticed one of them had a busted right-front leg. I put the car into reverse to try to get a  picture of them from a better angle and they decided to take off. I was able to get a few pictures of them as they hightailed it across the field towards the same place I had spooked their buddies. I noticed that of the 19 deer I saw not one had an antler. Within just a few months the bucks will start the whole process of growing their racks all over again. It was nice to be able to get out again. I plan on trying to get out in this great weather a couple times this weekend before I leave for spring break.

These deer flying across the hillside.

One of two bald eagles that were sitting in the field near a deer carcass along the highway.