37 Miles of Logging Roads 9-26-06

I spent the better part of the day at the WMA. No one from work called. They were well prepared to do without me.

I took the kids to school, then got the Jeep and Bow and headed for the WMA. I spent most of the day driving the logging roads in the Jeep. No top, windshield down, low axle, 4-wheel drive. The weather was clear and perfect. In low axle the Jeep will pretty much idle in all four gears over just about any terrain. It operates more like a tractor than a car. It is amazingly well suited for logging road exploration.

I only still hunted for about three hours - an hour at a time. A little by the cornfield mentioned in Sunday's post, a little at the end of Gibbs road, a little were I shot the deer in 04. The rest of the time, I cruised looking for critters and making note of which fields have crops, which were left wild and which were cut.

Gibbs Field is overgrown and wild. I did find a well traveled deer haven on the ridge over the tree marked "M7". I saw two turkeys here and a lot of deer sign - but no fur.

For all the time I spent creeping these logging roads in the Jeep I expected to jump something, but saw nothing.

On the last road I explored I found a field planted with a leafy, cabbage, looking crop. The field is near the end of the first logging road on the right off of Wiley Pardue road. This field may be reasonably off the beaten path, is reasonably easy access for me to get (in terms of mileage from the house)and is probably a good spot to study hard for wind patterns and deer travel.

I know there are deer all over this WMA, the challenge is finding the funnels that keep the deer together. The forest is so thick they can scoot over 50 yards and vanish giving the place the appearance of no deer.

Jessica's birthday today - waiting for them to get home so we can go out for Mexican.

Back?

Been way too busy this year working. The first half of the year, I worked on a rental house, the latter part of the year I have been rebuilding my department at the Tennessean.


Tonight, I was able to slip off and spend an hour and a half at Cheatham Wildlife Managment Area.

I took the jeep and my bow. I parked on the south side of Butter Cup field and stood where Dad saw the 8-pointer. I stayed from 4:30 to 6:00. I didn't have any gear to help track a shot deer in the dark, so I didn't stay late. Sunset was 6:41. On the way out I took a ride back an old log road - can't think of the name at the moment. Nice ride, but saw no critters.

I did see three deer, all does I think, at the field next to the gravel pile. There is a corn field about a quarter mile or less up the road. I will hunt that area next. Hopefully, I will spend some time on Tuesday.