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Looking for sheds

It was cold, but the sun was out and Dad, Hubby and I were eager to go into the woods to look at where T3 will be set up, bring in a couple of tree stands and I wanted to look for sheds.

The recent dusting of snow helped to see any new deer tracks.  It also helped to see the main trails and activity of the deer herd.  There were a lot of spots that looked like this.  The deer have been on an acorn frenzy and since there is not a lot of snow, they can still paw at the ground and leaves to find them. 
Deer paw for acorns buried along the leaves and snow.
I tracked a couple of deer from the Sky Condo as we made our way to my treeseat where I shot my deer this year.  It is always amazing and kind of frustrating to see how close the deer are around you and yet, you don't see them during the season.  But, it is also good to see that there are SO many deer around where we hunt. 

Some of the trails amazed me.  They were like super highways through the woods.  I had really hoped that somewhere along these trails, I would find a shed.  Even one shed.  I didn't.  I am not sure if I am not going deep enough into the woods, picking the wrong trails to follow or if these deer just haven't dropped too many antlers yet.
Deer trail
Up hills, down through blowdowns and along the stream, I followed random tracks and highways through the woods.  Dad stayed behind to start trimming out the shooting lanes for T3.  I found five recent deer beds all within viewing distance of where Dad was.  There are two spots that the deer use to cross the nearby stream and one of them was headed directly towards where T3 will be facing.  Ideally, when we sit in this new spot, we will be in the middle of a very busy corridor along the stream.

After Dad was done with the chainsaw, we grabbed the treeseat and headed back to the truck.  If we could have, we would have stayed out a lot longer.  There is something refreshing about being in the woods and the smell of those fresh cut softwoods. 
Heading out of the woods
Dad and Hubby carrying one of the two tree stands we brought in.

We are planning on a two day build for T3.  Dad is working on the sides and platform and we will go back and spend the weekend helping to put it in place.  There are a TON of deer around us and it will be a lot of fun to see what happens come November.  As much as I love snow, the lack of it is helping the deer find and eat plenty of food without worrying about their calorie burn.  Hopefully come November, our healthy deer herd will have benefits for our freezer!


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