did some scouting yesterday and this morning. most massive beech nut crop i have EVER saw! bear sign GALORE on a couple different beech shelves. just placed 2 trail cams there this morning. acorns are looking good as well!
My family place in Herkimer was logged a couple years ago and they cut a lot of beech. I love hunting beech ridges and still have access to some on my friends farm. Good news at any rate.
I have noticed a lot of apples down here.
beech in my area usually fall long after acorns do so i was very surprised to see it like this. last few years have been a lot of "false" nuts and very light mast. absolutely crazy this year.
Thanks for the report, I'm glad to hear it. It's been a while since I've been up there, but I'm headed up to camp for a couple days this coming week, to try to get a line on what the bears are up to.
I know a spot with some huge old beech trees, that they spend some time in on the years with a good crop. It's been a while since I've killed a bear, and your news just raised my blood pressure a couple notches. :bigsmyl:
Where are you located, if you don't mind my asking?
Bob
Fulton County NY, 5j on the reg map.
Thank you. I've got a little hunting shack on the border of 5H & 5J. I grew up there. Maybe we can get together and do some hunting sometime.
Bob
didn't catch momma on the cam but got a bunch of different cubs. last 2 years a mother with 3 cubs has been on it regularly.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/adkmountainken/trail%20cam/th_cub.mp4) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/adkmountainken/trail%20cam/cub.mp4)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/adkmountainken/trail%20cam/cubby.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/adkmountainken/media/trail%20cam/cubby.jpg.html)
Awesome, thanks!!! Did you see where the gentleman and his dog got mauled in Stewarts Landing a few days ago? I posted it in the NY forum.
Bob
I cannot believe that last picture it looks exactly I mean exactly like a place in the Cohutta wilderness ....it's almost like I've seen that bear before in the same place as that picture..... is scary and how identical it is to the bear in my memory in the same exact place......10 yards closer and I would have shot......it's right below 'The Ugga Bugga Tree' me and two of my friends know about......they will freak when they see this.
Terry, I saw a picture somebody from I think it was VA posted a few days ago, and had the same experience. Looked exactly like an area here. All it lacked was my ground blind.
Bob
Terry that is on the very top of a rock ledge, it is a grassy bedding area for deer but the bear walk the lip of it all the time. i got an awesome video of a mother with 3 cubs and its really neat as you can watch her go to the edge of the ledge to catch the wind for danger, here it is from last year.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/adkmountainken/trail%20cam/th_bigmama.mp4) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/adkmountainken/trail%20cam/bigmama.mp4)
it is nearly impossible to get in to that area when there is a steady breeze, i try to get in before light and set up. bedding area bordered by a big swamp and beech ridge with a rock ledge directly in front.
There's some really nice country up there for sure. It makes these little woodlots where I live now seem pretty tame. There's a lot more deer down here in the farm country though.
Great pics, thanks again.
Bob
The beech tree outside my back door is loaded with beechnuts. I haven't checked the woods.
QuoteOriginally posted by Pat B:
The beech tree outside my back door is loaded with beechnuts. I haven't checked the woods.
LOADED here in the Piedmont.
The most deer I ever saw at one time in the woods was a spot where beech nuts and acorns were falling on top of each other where an oak and a beech overlapped.
It was a great morning!
Excellent news Ken..looking forward to my ADK Pilgrimage...yee ha
I always get my best groups of big bucks together when the beech nuts fall. Unfortunately it's before the archery opener by about 6 weeks!
Show us midwesterners what beech nuts look like.
Well Brother... Maybe the Beech Trees just knew you couldn't hunt last year!!!
BTW, How's the Little Bugger doin'???
QuoteOriginally posted by Gary Rieck:
Show us midwesterners what beech nuts look like.
Here 'ya go Gary.
(http://i.imgur.com/27mJ8PT.jpg)[/IMG]
(http://i.imgur.com/CjorlS.jpg)[/IMG]
Bob
I tried to post a pick of them the way they are on the tree, but it didn't work for some reason.
They aren't very big , but they're tasty. I've eaten a bunch of them while waiting for deer, and bears over the years.
Bob
this is the outer shell.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/adkmountainken/catbeech.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/adkmountainken/media/catbeech.jpg.html)
Had many a snack with those lil' nuts while sitting on a hardwood ridge.
I always thought I'd like to try to roast some Ron, but so far I haven't. Bet they'd be good.
Bob
They are good as is, I think roasting could just make them better. But then you would have to carry salt and a beer..........lol!
Looks to be the same in NH. Plus acorns. Found these a few days ago. In addition apples are everywhere. Hunting could be difficult...there is food everywhere. (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/IMG_0350%201_zpszubdybiw.jpg) (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/Arrowworks/media/IMG_0350%201_zpszubdybiw.jpg.html)
(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/IMG_0352%201_zpshpqgvg55.jpg) (http://s14.photobucket.com/user/Arrowworks/media/IMG_0352%201_zpshpqgvg55.jpg.html)
I don't have acorns where I hunt, but I have a brush blind in a nice stand of beech, between some good bedding, a bunch of apple trees and an alfalfa field, that I think is going to be better than usual this year. It's always been a good spot, but It's looking especially good this year.
Bob
I have found that the beechnuts are gone by the time hunting season comes around .
QuoteOriginally posted by RIng:
I have found that the beechnuts are gone by the time hunting season comes around .
We seem to have them longer in my area. I can usually find them by digging around in the leaves under the trees, into December.
Bob
If we have a good year for beechies deer and turkey will dig in the snow for them till they are gone.....even well after deer season.
QuoteOriginally posted by adkmountainken:
did some scouting yesterday and this morning. most massive beech nut crop i have EVER saw! bear sign GALORE on a couple different beech shelves. just placed 2 trail cams there this morning. acorns are looking good as well!
Boy, you weren't kidding. I was able to make it up there today. Left early this morning, and spent the day looking around.
The bears are feeding in those big old beeches I mentioned. Old poop, fresher poop, and smoking hot poop. :bigsmyl:
It looks like it rained pretty good up there last night, and some of the sign looks like it was just made.
Hopefully the bears will still be around in a couple weeks. They should be, with the amount of nuts I saw. :bigsmyl:
Bob
i will be checking 3 trail cams Sunday, 2 of which i put in a heavy beech flat, hope to see some horns and bears!
I forgot to mention that I did see some deer sign too. With the winter we had last year, I wasn't sure how they made out up there.
I'm looking forward to the pics Ken.
Bob