Wintertime Deer Hunting in New Jersey can be challenging especially when you combine a brutally cold day in January with a gusty wind. But regardless of how hard the wind was howling that morning when I walked out on my back patio in the dark, I was determined to have a go at it and get up in my tree stand before daybreak. And I did indeed have second thoughts!
Now every hunter has his or her own rules when it comes to deer hunting. Some won`t shoot does, others will only shoot trophy bucks and then some of us like to have a freezer full of venison to enjoy throughout the year. Well…….. I certainly like to crack a nice big buck just like any other guy or gal out there, but as the season progresses, I have to focus on fillin` my freezer. And that`s exactly what I did the other cold morning when I was out and about.
I jumped up in my tree at 5:40am and as I looked up at the stars in that cold crystal clear sky, the trees readily swayed back and forth in the strong wind. Definitely was having some doubts as to how or even if the deer would be moving this morning.
Then at around 8am, movement caught my eye about 150 yards out. Seven or eight deer began to skittishly
meander the hillside then disappeared. I quickly turned on the Go PRO………..
So crank up your speakers and jump up in that tree with me and let`s see how it turns out!
New Jersey Pheasant Hunting seemed like an ideal alternative solution, when deciding what to do on this very windy Saturday afternoon. Heck I was in my tree all morning before daybreak and the only movement I had seen all morning was a pretty Red Fox that came scampering by right at daybreak.
By the time I was climbing down out of the tree and got back to my truck, it had warmed up to a “balmy” 38 degrees. I decided to scout out another spot and also was considering having a go at some late-Fall Bass possibly that afternoon.
Right as I was leaving my newly scouted spot, my friend Curt called and said he was heading over to Spruce Run that afternoon to chase some pheasants and wanted to know if I was up for it.
“Hell yea” I told him, and said “I`ll see ya around 2pm” as I had to go home, change guns and shells, take the pups out and grab a bite. I ended up getting there about 2:15 and figured we`d have about two hours of shooting daylight by the time I caught up with Curt and Jake.
We weren`t hunting together more than thirty minutes when Curt`s GPS Tracking collar showed Jake on point.
Then the goose-chase began, as the collar was telling us that he was on point in one direction about 150 yards out. As we hustled off in that direction, at about 80 yards out Curt said, “Now it says he`s in the opposite direction 90 yards away!”.- This had only happened to us once before while using the GPS Collar.
But what a pain in the ass as you can`t find the dog! And I literally walked by him when I was within 50 yards away in the brush! Doubling back, I caught a glimpse of Jake on point in the brush and yelled to Curt.
So I did have the Go PRO that afternoon and think you`ll enjoy this short clip that I shot of the day`s adventure;
Though we only hunted a couple hours that windy afternoon, we managed to each get a pheasant and Curt graciously gave me his at the end of the day.
Just two good friends scouring the fields and tramping through the brush searching for those ring-neck and hen pheasants…..and whether we get to hunt for the entire day or just a few hours, there`s nothing quite like the camaraderie that comes from hunting together.
Curt, “Jake” and myself enjoyed a day of Woodcock hunting way up north near Walpack New Jersey.
Me and Jake with my first Woodcock of the day.
Curt had this awesome new GPS Tracking Collar for Jake today. He explained to me that he would now be able to monitor Jake as to what direction he was and if
indeed he stopped and was on “point”. See Jake has a habit of covering alot of ground and running way, way far away at times. So I asked Curt how far out can it track him? He said, “Seven miles!” This is perfect I thought!
I have to tell you, it was pretty exciting when he went on point, then to know how many yards away he was and what direction we had to walk in to get to Jake.
The technology definitely adds another dimension to hunting. I mean there are plenty of times that he`ll go on point quite a ways out and we don`t have a clue what direction he`s in. This will absolutely make our hunting adventures very interesting!
Time for lunch and what an awesome lunch it was! We stopped at the Layton Country Store and had Spanakopita for an appetizer, then we each had these incredible Quesadilla Gyros. I never had a Gyro till today…… Sharon has asked me for a few years to try one but I never would. I can hear her now…. she`ll be going, “Ohhhhh sure sure……. you won`t try a Gyro with me but when you`re out & about with your buddy Curt Ryder you will!”…..ha! ha!Well if you`re ever up in that neck of the wood, definitely stop in the Layton Country Store for a bite. The food is excellent.
So the Opening Day of NJ Woodcock Hunting Season was a good day to be out & about in the woods.
Heck…… Any day is a good day when you`re in the woods!
