Tuesday, November 06, 2007

11-6-07 Observations




- Foliage is beautiful around my cabin (see attached), but spotty in many places....primarily due to the drought.
- From our office in town, the mountain sides are still predominantly green...with a bit of color beginning to show...On Nov. 6! Proof to me that atmospheric conditions have produced floral change....the first time I have ever witnessed green leaves still prevalent this late in the year.
- First hard freeze forecast for tonight on the mountain...mid 20s.
- A stormy night last night.....high winds but limited rain...town says .05 but there was more on the mountain...maybe .2 to .4". Nashville got 1.6" and Crossville .64". Unbelievable how rain has avoided this area for so long. 17" below normal.
- Three deer acting nuts at dawn this AM, but all were does....and yearlings...chasing each other and running in circles, which included my yard. They acted as if a buck was about, but one was never spotted.
- Hunting season, muzzleloader, is underway, and I have not heard Coyotes in some time. I hope my bucks avoid the unprotected areas.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Once/Twice in a Lifetime?

Yesterday, Nov 2, was about to dawn...bright and clear....low 40s at the cabin. Just after first light, standing at the front door, looking out through the glass, with coffee in hand...I spotted an ear...yes, an ear...protruding from the long grass just south of my cabin. After looking through the binococulars, it was as I thought....a deer. Nothing unusual, as I see them most every morning. As I watched the doe from about 75 yards, I noticed movement across the road, in the trees. After a minute or so of trying to interpret what I was watching, it dawned on me I was seeing the rear end of a deer moving back and forth....then another deer torso came partially into view....and the once/twice in a lifetime phenomena played out before me....two mature whitetail bucks fighting....heads low, bodies heaving...this went on for 3-4 minutes while I reached for a camera. The distance was about 100 yards or a bit more and the constant movement made a photograph impossible...but I waited for the magic moment that never came. Suddenly, one buck broke free and for a split second stared my way...a large typical set of antlers...perhaps an 8 or 10 point buck...immediately he sprinted across the road toward me...but his focus was a doe and he veered sharply through the grass and, at full speed chased the doe across a grassy area and into the woods. The other buck trotted across the road and continued somewhat hesitantly in the same direction. He was a bit smaller than the other, but not by much. A fifth deer came into view, one that I had not seen before. This one too was a buck...with spindly 4-6" spikes. He no doubt had watched the entire episode from the safety of the nearby trees. I grabbed a jacket and camera and drove around for thirty minutes but never did see the party again. I knew then, but moreso now, that I would probably never see this natural act again. I have roamed the woods for a lifetime, and chased the whitetail on many occasions, especially in my younger days, but I had never watched two mature bucks fighting. Priceless.