Opening Day Blues


Ben -

Beech trees are among my favorites, they provide good food, and hold their leaves much longer. The smooth silver grey bark is appealing to the eye.

Everywhere I have squirrel, turkey, grouse, deer, and bear hunted. The large old beech trees have shotgun pellet scars from many years ago. Makes me wonder if it was a hit, or a miss.

Time was I would fill my pockets with beechnuts, and munch on them all day until I found that was not a smart move for human beings. But I still like the taste of them.


Solid bullets work OK and shoot truer, as long as I make a very good hit. Hollow points do the job better for me. If get my shot, head or lungs. Hate to waste meat.

If I can't get the shot I let em pass, same goes for deer. Now a days I do more huntin' than chootin', and that is fine with me.

Now it's time to hit the deer woods.
 
Vince-

I have found that turkey love beech groves and have found many of them and squirrrel together on the hills next to swamps.

I was exploring a new woods after my squirrel hunt and found this beech tree that has a carving on it. Only thing I can positively make clear is the '92. Sadly this woods is planned to be logged this spring or next fall 😢




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Will M said:
RLLigman said:
Will, what is the general percentage of black/mallard hybrids in your bag out there? I average one or two a year here on northern Lake Michigan.
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Probably in the neighborhood of 1 out of every 20 is easily distinguishable as a hybrid, basically meaning they have white on the foreword portion of the speculum. Probably 1 of 10 has some sort of faint mallard characteristic like reddish hint in the chest or minor green specks in the head. I?d guess of these birds likely they are second generation hybrids meaning they are 25%mallard and 75% black duck One of these birds in the pile did not have white wing bars on the speculum but did have the beginning of some curls on the tail. First time I?d seen that in a bird that was not ?very obviously? a hybrid





I also shot one a week ago that has me baffled. Maybe it?s just a eclipse plumage drake mallard but has an awful dark hue to it and didn?t have many pin feather when I plucked it. Maybe it?s 75% mallard and 25% black duck?
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Thanks for the very thorough an well considered response!
 

Ben -

I really like the beech tree photo.


Where I hunted from 1964, until 2009, in Forest County, PA. There was a huge beech tree, that had many knife carvings in it going back to the early 1960's.

It was located next a very old logging trail, over looking Maple Creek. It was also where the PA Game Commission cannon netted wild turkey in the 1970's, for transporting to other places.

In years of a heavy beech nut crop, turkey, and some bear frequented the area around the tree, and its family.

One year I found a dead turkey at the base of the tree, sans a head. Roost to far from the tree trunk, and the Great Horned Owl might get ya...

Very close to the tree, was a year long wet spot, that always had Wood Newts nearby. What beautiful creatures they are.


I wanted to go back to visit and hunt, but a good friend of mine told me the area has been logged. I wonder if they left the old beech tree, as it would provide poor product.

A few years ago I read a Penn State study, that the year after a good Beech nut crop, the bear population grows.

From the bumper crop of bears in PA these days, the beechnut crop must have been good for many years. Which I think is rare, just from my experience.

If I should go back, and old beech is still alive. I will take a photo. Something I should have done years ago. Guess I took it for granted that it would always be there.


Our outdoor life style sure is wonderful ain't it.[smile]
 
Great photos guys! Carl, this isn't our opener but we had our first good winter storm come through yesterday, thought you might enjoy a photo of my dog Cedar on a looooong retrieve of a Canada goose-we had big flocks of migrators coming through all day! (She's the speck at the top just right of center)
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Hi Cody,

I did my masters work at Utah State (did my research at Bear River) and worked for 12 years for the UDWR as the statewide waterfowl biologist. Lots of time hunting and working around Cutler and the GSL marshes. Many fond memories...

Joel
 
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