I know it's summer but...

I've still been obsessing over hunting! I passed by the Recycling spot today and a turkey crossed the road and went up to where I'm thinking about being on opening day. I also have been shooting just about every day and I'm starting to really get good! Talked to Tony this week...dues are due and they are $250 this year. I told him that I would like to go to the shoot with him and Greg this year...and if they want to get together to work on stands to call me. I picked up the application yesterday from the police so that I could hunt the town property. I think that's it for now...I'll continue to obsess.

Walking around MP again!

I think I'm going to make this entry my official property log, this way I can record how the properties were when I visited them. Today I went to Recycle. I will try and update this when I visit each property. Below is the Summary:

Sunset 1: This is a pretty big, and nice piece of property. Now I know why it's the most hunted. I walked down the hill and entered a nice field...at the edge of the field I saw a bunch of tracks. I was afraid of getting too ticky so I didn't go too far in...(and to be honest, the parade bear certainly was in my mind). I started walking towards the end of the field and started to get bottled up near the rivers and saw this mangy looking thing walking on the other side. It was hunchbacked looking, looked sort of bald...dark in color. Almost like a coyote with no hair...or one of those things from lion king. This peice of property had a lot of promise though. If I had to go in on opening morning, I would make my way to the left of the field, where the field meets the river.

Sunset 2: This is a small peice. The back is a pond/stream and it's bordering the crazies. It wasn't anything to really write home about other than it was pretty. I didn't see any sign of deer. It did have a path going through it as though kids walk through or ride bikes through it all the time...think Walnut Street.

Court/Work: This is a small peice that reminds me of a dump. Not much there.

Recycle: This is a nice peice that runs up the powerlines. I saw some nice promising runs, a lot of acorn trees and I saw a doe walking through the property. Didn't spook her too badly either. If I had to hunt here on opening morning, I would walk up the power lines to the double thingy on my right...then cut in on the left.

Briarcliff: Took a walk around Briarcliff today (5/23/08). It was a really nice peice...it has a walking trail that when you follow it, takes you to Recycle. I went up the trail to the powerlines and saw a deer walking towards Recycle. I turned around (didn't cross the field) and walked in and around the woods. I really didn't see much sign, maybe a few runs, but mostly it was just woods with turned up leaves.

Sun Valley: Took a really short walk on this today (5/28). I didn't even really walk to far in to the woods. It's not as big as I had thought by looking at the map. More on it later when I can walk it.

Community court: I suppose I was half-way between pool and court today (5/30). I parked in the parking lot up by the pool and walked into the woods on the parking lot. There really isn't much space there...houses as soon as you get in the woods. I walked the perimiter of the lot and followed some tracks and saw some droppings. I followed it around and there was some nice woods near the road...I think it's far enough from houses (right on the road however) . Then I walked behind the pool...see below

Community pool: Walked behind the pool and it buts up to the lake with a small walk through opening. It was mushy but there were a ton of tracks there. I didn't walk up in to the woods there, but stopped at the walk through. It would be a great spot if it wasn't too close to the pool house...i'll have to check that out.

Took a walk today

I decided to put the properties in Morris Plains in my GPS and take a walk as well. I went to the first one that Ed brought me too, I named it Sunshine and took a walk "behind the pond" There wasn't much room and I didn't see any sign. It was pretty though. I took a ride to the one near my complex (forgot what I named it), but it was thick and there wasn't much too it (other than the tick that I picked up on my leg). I'll have to go out and check out the other properties too.

Ok...can you say EXCITED!!

Today I got a call from Detective Ed Dobbins and he said, "hey, keith..can you get out". I said I'll meet you downstairs. A few minutes later he pulls up and hands me a map. He said for me to get in my truck and follow him and he proceeded to show me all the properties. SWEET! I said to him "so Ed, what are the chances of me getting in this hunt" He said "Oh..Keith, you're in it already". I told him that I loved him. LMAO. I am so excited I can't see straight. I can't wait to start looking around at the properties...when is deer season? 123 days away!!

Morris Plains Cull hunt

Ok, can you say EXCITED!! My mom told me that she saw something in the paper about deer hunting in Morristown. I figured that it was Great Swamp but I went on line anyway to check. When I did I saw an article and they were talking about local hunts in Morristown, Morris Plains, Hanover, etc. So I called up the Morris Plains police for more info and was given to the voicemail of Detective Ed Dobbins. I KNOW HIM!! So, I left a message and he called me back. He said that there are a few spots and about 20 hunters. He said that they were going to get rid of 8-10 because they didn't really participate but that the other hunters got 57 deer!! He told me to give him a call in July and that he'll get me on. WOO F-ING HOO!!

Last day of 2008 turkey for me :(

I decided to work on Wednesday and Thursday and head back to the woods on Friday. I decided to start on the Cadillac stand side of the property because that where I've seen the most sign and heard the most gobbling. I forgot to mention that all along the side of the hill there are scratching signs. So I set up there and as the sun rose I started calling...nothing. I sat and called for almost an hour...nada! I decided it was time to move. I went to the first big field and setup halfway down the field. I called and heard a gobble from, what sounded like, the next field over. I got myself set and saw movement from my left. Next I see 6 deer walking cautiously towards my decoy...snorting and stomping the whole way. They stared at the decoy and snorted and then would run away...then run back and do it again. This went on for about 20 minutes...was really cool to watch. No turkey though...so I got up and went to another spot. I floated around the property calling and waiting at a few different places. When I finally had enough I was pulling out of the property to head back to the Cadillac side I saw two birds in the middle of the swamp field. I hurried and parked at the end of the road and scurried into the big field next to the swamp field. I called and got no response. After a while I could see one of the birds up towards the top of the swamp field, right on the edge of the road and the pit. I got in my truck and went to the top of the field. I got out and saw a hen walking across the road. I walked towards the hedgerow and saw two jakes in the hedge. I walked towards them and as I got closer they walked away...staying in the hedgerow. When we got to the end I was convinced that they would come across the road...they didn't! They high tailed it out of the hedgerow, across the field and out of site. I went back to the truck and made one last ditch effort at the Cadillac stand before leaving for the day (I did see a hen driving into the cadillac side) but no calls, no turkey and thus ends another season...with no turkey to show for it.

Turkey Day Two

Well, today was less exciting than yesterday. I started out in the first field and heard nothing. I did hear a gobble or two by the cadillac stand so I took my stuff and headed over there. I first picked my way around near stand 5, because I wasn't sure if they were all the way at the cadillac or making thier way. So, after not seeing or hearing anything at 5 I headed over to Cadillac. On my way there I saw a few birds on the horse farm...then when I set up in the woods I heard two gobblers on the other side of the ravine, in the horse farm. They would gobble every so often but not to my call...only to what sounded like a bird (but not a turkey, don't know what kind of bird). After about 45 minutes of that they went totally silent. I waited there for at least another half hour but nothing. I thought that maybe they had taken off towards the fields so I left and went to go back to the first field. On my way in, I saw a hen run from the field on stand 10 to the horse farm. I set up in the big field again but nothing. I left there and went to the bottom and called there for abit, then worked my way up the hedgerow a little at a time. I saw Bob in his work truck and he said that he saw 4 or 5 birds making their way towards were I was sitting this morning right after I left...figures! I went back to cadillac and finished the day there. All in all, it was a quiet morning.