Monday, October 24, 2011

Closing in on the rut and Gary strikes Browser off the Hitlist!



When looking for some of our hitlist bucks we always seem to lose one or two over the years, we think they have been shot or killed somehow, but then all of a sudden they show up a few years later... Here is a link to a blog post that Bill Winke of Midwest Whitetail wrote regarding this particular topic.
Midwest Whitetail "Look Who's Back"

Goes to show that he very well may be roaming the depths.

Here are my reasons that bucks disappear....what are yours?

1. Getting their butts kicked...if a Buck is constantly getting pushed around by a larger more dominant buck, why not move locations and be the big man on campus for a year or 2 in an area where there is less competition. With Magic Man (RIP) out of the picture I think Victor himself my be waiting for his curtain call on the Manor. I would sure love to be the one to stick it to him.

2. Maybe he was just a visitor in the first place.  Some of the bucks you get one or two pictures of might have just been passing by, not moving out of the area.

"Moon Charts and Weather Breaks"

After one of the most productive off seasons to date the first month of the season has been a disappointment to say the least.  With countless trail cam pictures of shooters and management bucks it seemed as though we would have our hands full of antlers by now.  As rain, standing corn, and untimely moon phases occupied September and the first part of October, most of us were starting to question our abilities. 
As most of you know, there is always that one day in October when the ice is broken, its like a raspy sound of the trumpet before a fox hunt, everyone now knows, "its on". For the boys of Bitmore Outdoors, Thursday was that day. The funny thing is, it didn't catch any of us by surprise.

The moon chart was showing a B day after countless C days, we had heavy rain all day Wednesday and the forecast called for a clear cool morning with strong winds.  With the combination of the break in the weather and the good moon phase, we knew Thursday would be one of those mid October mornings that define good deer hunting.
We were right!  With smoke pole in hand for the first time of the 2012 season, Gary Kephart and Mike "natural born" Mundorf connected on great bucks that both look to score over 145".

A Farmers Almanac is to a farmer as a ________ is to a deer hunter. The answer is...the deer hunters moon guide.  We have been planning hunts with the help of moon guides for years and they work very well.  During countless hunts the deer movement has been slow, only to pick up during the times the moon guide shows. It can be a great way for guys with full time jobs to pick and choose the days they wan to take off and be in the woods and also very useful when trying to decide when to stay in the stand all day or just hunt the twilight and dusk hours. This is an inexpensive way to become a better deer hunter over night.

Hopefully we will have some more bucks on the ground in the next week.  But if not, its off to Iowa for some of the crew and back to the bows as the pre rut starts to heat up!

Congrats to both Gary and Mike for harvesting some good deer last week.  Pictures of the bucks will be up as soon as possible! 


Thanks for checking in.

~the Bitmore Crew


Also congrats to Brian Sears, one of the Chester River QDMA Co-op members, on his incredible buck taken last week in Queen Annes County.  And congratulations and thank you to Temple Rhodes for facilitating a great program that allows these type of deer to grow here.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Heating up as the weather cools!

Saturday morning was a great morning and the does were really on their feet!  The front blew through and the deer must have been able to sense the 20-30 mph winds that were predicted for the afternoon.  Our crew harvested four mature does Saturday morning.  Bob Allen took 3 in one sitting, not bad considering all were bow kills and perfect shots!  

We are now looking forward to the cooler weather that is predicted for the end of this week and the moonguide is also predicting good daytime movement.  This combination could prove to be very deadly.    


The Maryland early muzzleloader season begins this Thursday and we would not be surprised if one of our hit list bucks ends up on the ground!  We are still staying out of some of our best spots trying to keep them fresh for the pre-rut when the big boys will be on their feet! 





Remember if you are bowhunting during the muzzleloader season you must wear florescent orange and have purchased your muzzloader stamp.





This Saturday was also the opening day for Maryland's early duck season, and from the reports the wooducks must have been holed up in their tight spots due to the high winds.  

Tomorrow morning will be Wil's first morning in the marsh this yeah and it looks like the weather will be great for duck hunting 

Swing over to our facebook page and let us know how your season is going. Feel free to post pictures and stories, as we would love to hear from you.  

Here is a picture of Matthew Severo and his First buck shot with a bow! Nice buck Matthew, Congratulations!




Good luck this week with the smoke poles!


~ the Bitmore Outdoors Crew

 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Key in on the Corn Harvest!!!!


It is no secret that at this time of the year most of the deer spend their days bedded in the corn!  It is also no secret that the corn is being harvested right now and that can present a tremendous opportunity.  Over the past two weeks our crew has spent a LOT of time in treestands overlooking cornfields.  Each time you watch a field being picked it is a learning experiance.   We now think we are better prepared to take advantage of the situation when it presents itself in the future.   

What we have learned...

Whenever possible talk to the farmer and find out how he is going to remove the corn from the field.  You have heard it from the farmers over and over but it is really true that most of the deer will stay in the corn until the final few rows have been picked.  Try to position yourself so that you are on an inside corner or in a finger that extends into the corn field on the end of the field where the farmer will finish!  The deer will keep moving towards the remaining standing corn and most of them will break out of the field and head for cover at the very last minute.  Ideally you want to be just inside the woods edge between the last corn that will be harvested and the thickest bedding area that is close to the field edge. 



Easy Pickings...


With the winds and rain that we have had this summer a lot of the corn that is being cut is not making it into the combines.  Hunting over a fresh cut corn field allows the deer to have easy eating opportunities by just roaming in the fields and browsing on the newly fallen corn.  Keep this in mind when choosing your spots the first couple days after the harvest.




New Patterns...

Shortly after the farmers have finished harvesting the corn, the deer need to find new habitat to call home.  With ranges and pecking orders already established this summer, deer will be roaming around trying to establish or find new areas. Even during the "October Lull" the deer will be moving during daylight hours contending for that new spot.  Also keep in mind that this time of year the late beans are getting tall and the bucks that once lived in the corn are moving towards the beans and spending the daylight hours bedded there.  When thinking about your entry and exit strategies from the stands make sure you consider this before making the trek.

Again most of us our now experiencing the dreaded "October Lull" but taking advantage of the corn harvest can add some excitement to your hunts!  With a little luck a mature buck might be your prize!  

Thursday, October 6, 2011

A couple great days!

Just as we expected!   

The cooler temperatures and improved moon phase along with a lot of the corn being harvested the deer have been on their feet and most everyone is seeing more daylight activity.  We harvested a few more does over the weekend and are even seeing a few of our hit list bucks on their feet during legal shooting hours.  None have gotten close enough for one of us to close the deal but it is great seeing them during daylight and really gets the adrenelien flowing for the weeks ahead!  We have not recognized the the dreaded "October Lull" yet but feel confident that it is just around the corner!  Once it starts and over the next two weeks we will be focused on managing the herd and harvesting more does.   We do our best to stay out of our best areas while harvesting the does so that we don't educate our mature bucks any more then necessary.   

Trail camera bonanza! 

It seems that the scrapes are popping up all over and we have now moved our cameras off bait and on scrapes.  From now until the end of October is the best time to capture photos of the best bucks in your area as they are working to establish their territoiries.  They are fairly easy to catch on camera at night when they are running field edges and logging roads laying out sign.   We hope to post some new photos over the next few weeks to prove this point! 


Migrators!


I absolutely love this time of year! The past few days we have had some great North winds, and with the colder temperatures the Ducks and Canada Geese have been arriving in by the thousands!  We are fortunate enough to live next to the water and adjacent to a large roosting area, so right now as I am typing this, my background music is about 3000 geese honking and carrying on.  


It's only a few days left until duck season and a few weeks left until goose season, so hopefully we will have some good footage soon for you up on the website!


Take'em!





~ the Bitmore Outdoors Crew