Scout. Hunt. Scout. Hunt. Scout. Scout. Scout. Scout. Scout. Season over.
Well, at least that's how it feels. My hunting trips are really just glorified scouting trips, only I carry a shotgun, game bags, and an ever-diminishing sliver of hope. I suppose the scouting is necessary due to my limited knowledge of the area, but the endless walking and the noise that comes with it obliterates any reasonable chance of taking a bear.
This is one of my great weaknesses when it comes to hunting: I love to explore (cough: scout), and I justify this obsession by convincing myself that the area just over the next ridge could be bear mecca. Of course, that's hardly ever the case. More likely, as I am quickly discovering, it's just a bramble of maples and birches with little to no bear sign.
Sunday was no different. My plan was to hike four miles in to a prominent saddle, spend the morning overlooking the saddle, and then slowly work my way back to the truck doing calling sets every half mile or so. I had never been to the saddle before but was convinced that it must surely funnel wildlife between the two drainages. Arriving a bit late to the trailhead, daylight found me an hour into the hike, with still another hour and a half left to hike before reaching the saddle. When I did finally arrive, I was sorely disappointed: there was nothing of great significance. I probably should have been more vigilant in trying to locate sign, but the area simply did not have that magical feel and I figured my time would be better spent elsewhere.
After a brief snack, I headed back down to the (Beaverkill) River. That took about another hour or so, during which I second-guessed my decision to hike to the saddle in the first place instead of simply hunting one of the areas where I had previously found some sign of bear. It was roughly 11 o'clock when I arrived at the river. Feeling slightly defeated and overly exhausted, I decided to take a nap, which I managed to successfully do for the better part of an hour. This would remain one of the few successes of the day.
Once I woke, I decided to follow the river until it concluded just at the edge of some private property. However, I got confused when I crossed a stream that I thought was indicated on the map, making me believe I had hiked much further than I had actually done. So I turned back and by the time I had discovered my mistake I had gone too far to backtrack. That area is still on my scouting list.
At that point, I decided to call it a day and go spend some time with the family rather than aimlessly wandering around the woods. In other words, I was defeated. I still had yet pull the trail camera though, and so I made my way in that direction. I arrived at the camera about 2:30 and sat down to have lunch before heading to the truck. While eating I realized I could view the trail camera pics by placing the memory card in my regular camera. Much to my surprise, there I found one photo of a mother bear and her cub, apparently grazing the berries that lay in front of the camera.
The sight of bears at the very location I was standing gave me a great boost in confidence and made me think I should do a calling set close by in hopes of pulling in a bear, though not the ones in the photo since it is illegal to take any bear that is with another bear.
After getting setup, I called for about 30 minutes. Nothing showed. This was of no surprise. My calling is quite terrible, and at one point I actually felt guilty for subjecting every animal in a half-mile radius to my pitiful and obviously manufactured rabbit distress call. After waiting another 30 minutes for nothing to appear, I headed for the truck and arrived there at 6:30. That was my day. Lots of walking, and very little hunting. I suppose I can't expect much when that is the case. This is doubly true due to missing the morning and evening hunting periods, easily the best time to be situated in a stand and actively hunting.
The camera was in place for eight day. This is the only picture that captured wildlife. This is a mild success. Four weeks ago I had yet to step foot in any of the Catskill Parks. That I can locate bear, an animal I have never hunted before, in a somewhat vast park is definitely an accomplishment. However,the cynical side of me won't let myself celebrate for too long. Had I hunted everyday that week in this exact location I would have only seen two bears, neither of which I could have killed. That's not the best of odds so to speak.
And now on to more photos.
The open marsh just left of where the bears were photographed.
Tough to see in the photo, but the vegetation is beaten down.
I'm trying to be more observant with sign. Here I think the ends of some berry bushes have been broken off.
Not the best print for identification purposes. When I first found it, I was 50/50 on whether it was a bear, though not sure what else would have an imprint like that. Then I pulled the trail camera that was forty yards away and found the photo with the bears.
