and a strong cup of coffee

Have you ever looked up at the sky and marveled at how blue it was? There was not a cloud up there when  Staci and I packed up our snowshoes and headed into the woods to look for sheds. The recent rain had made the snow unstable and we would break through the crust and sink with every step.  It wasn't the best option, but we ended up on the snowmobile trail looking for active deer crossings.   Wet holes had opened up and streams were roaring.  It was a perfect day to be out in the woods. The rain had made some spots icy and some soft and water logged.  We had to pick and chose where we walked and how fast we could go.  I was surprised when we met three snowmobilers on the trail.  They were probably surprised to see us too because they stopped to make sure that we were all set and had not broken down somewhere.  We continued on and as soon as we reached the tree line, we spotted two deer beds - ALWAYS a good sign. We followed t...

Dad, Hubby and I headed into the woods to see where all of our deer are.  We found them but we also found some cool tracks in the snow.  Can you tell what they are? Look at all of those drag marks! Straight line of tracks Two by two tracks Can you see those nail marks?

When it is sunny out and there is snow on the ground, it is hard not to want to be outside.  Last weekend, we brought in the trail cameras and tried to figure out where we should be hunting for the 2016 season.  It is never too early to start prepping for the next season! I pulled up to where we normally park and as we got out of the car, there was nothing but deer tracks all around us. Big, little, going in both directions... all kinds of tracks. Only a couple of feet from the roadway with this bed.  I stood in the bed and snapped another photo of the beds around it.  I posted that picture on our FB page and asked people how many deer beds they could find. The deer bed closest to the road Four more deer beds  If you look through the brush and above the snow mound, you can see my car.  I am always amazed when we find out just how close the deer are to us.  We know that we have a group of 3-5 does around so this grouping could be them a...

Deer tracks in the snow. Coyote.  Sadly, these are two of about two million that we saw on our walk. Rabbit tracks Partridge Wing!  There were partridge tracks nearby but I couldnt get a good picture.