Maine Nature News

Special report: in the woods of Alfred, Maine after the big rain storm

Sunday , October 26. Alfred (Map 2) We had quite a bit of rain during the Nor'easter. The brook was higher than I ever witnessed it in my 12 years of living here. Flooded fields, roads, etc. I didn't take the opportunity to go into the woods during or the day after the storm. I wish now I had because I feel I missed a golden opportunity to participate in a special storm. Two days after the storm the woods still held quite a bit of water but I can only imagine what a tremendous effect so much water had on the normal routine of wildlife. Obviously brooks that were dry are now flowing rather freely. A person can readily view the paths water took as it flowed downhill. Lots of low spots had water marks where the water had risen. We had plenty of roads damaged and the brook that runs behind my house washed my neighbors' driveway out, after running in overflow mode for a few days. They had to walk through the rushing and overflowing brook to get to their home. That was quite an adventure in itself.

The full Moon has gotten the bucks traveling and scraping in earnest. A buck scrape is an area on the ground where a buck will scrape the ground with his front hoofs, urinate on his tarsal glands (located on his back legs) while standing over the scraped area. He will also rub his antlers (sometimes aggressively, sometimes passively) and chew on an overhanging branch. This scrape he will check periodically to see if any does are ready to breed (in estrous). I had the lucky opportunity to partially witness this wonderful phenomenon on Saturday morning about 9:30 am. The buck was about 30-35 yards (North) away from me and pointing in my direction. I couldn't see most of what was happening . At first I thought a deer was walking towards me but soon realized the noise wasn't getting any closer. I peered thru the branched of the hemlock tree I was using for cover and I could see the shadow of the buck. It was dark because we were in a hemlock area of the forest bordering a swamp. After watching for a while I grunted on a grunt tube I carry with me. He continued [hanging] around for about a minute more and then headed in my direction ...may I add...very cautiously. After walking in my direction about 10-15 yards, watching most of the way, he stopped and stared at me. He stood there forever (2-3 minutes) and then abruptly changed direction and snuck off. I originally was hoping he would walk past me on his way to eat some apples from the apple tree Southwest of me, but he walked directly West and disappeared into my memories. I later walked over to where the buck made the scrape and on my way back to my spot to pick up my things to go still hunting I saw that the hemlock branch offered little concealment for me because I could see right through it. But the buck didn't run off, he just sauntered off. Hmmm. I hope I get to see this guy again.

That late afternoon in a different area about 3/4 mile West I "discovered" a deer trail in the thickets running along a area clearcut about 5 years ago. I started following it and come across a scrape. I followed the trail more and come across another scrape. And further down the trail yet a third scrape. I made a mental note of this trail's location and went exploring more. I followed a brook for about 1/4 mile into the clear cut until I came across another deer trail, this time a doe trail for sure: pointed hoofs with smaller sets of hoofs also. Generally (not always true) a well beaten trail is going to be a doe trail, because of more constant habits and more deer also, young ones and extended families and such.

Well, about 3 pm I headed back to the edge of the hemlocks, deer trail and hardwood trees. There is a rock wall was bordering the area, which showed me that where the hardwoods were was most likely a field about 100 or so years ago -- thus the change in forest habitat. I sat there until sunset and then started home. Of course I didn't get far before I started hearing the crunch, crunch, crunch of deer approaching. The deer was approaching from the Northwest and I was headed Southeast. So I started to spin on the balls of me feet so as to not make any noise and little movement. But, of course, my impatience worked against me as a sound from my slight movement alerted whatever was coming and it stopped dead in its tracks. Cussing myself for being so impatient, I then stood there until dark, about 20 minutes. No movement was made, so I started walking again, very slowly and cautiously. But to no avail. After a few steps I heard a loud wheeze of a doe's alarm blow as she bolted off to the West leaving me swearing an unmentionable word at myself for not waiting longer. Of course a few steps more and another blow sounds off, this time from the South off me just about where I had just been about 1 hour earlier. About 350 yards from home, near where I had got a 195 lb. 8-pointer, along the edge of a swamp, I was blown at again but this time the blow was a much deeper one, possible from a buck...your guess is as good as mine because it was pretty dark even though there was a full Moon that night (or pretty near one). I made it home about 3/4 hour later after getting whipped by branches and such from trying to walk home in the dark. I finally had to turn my flashlight on when going thru this softwood area because it was pitch dark.

One little happening I forgot to mention was this grouse that landed about 30 -35 yards away while waiting in the deer run near the second scrape area. It walked about 15-20 yards away from me on its way to a sleeping area up in the trees. This grouse was larger than any I had seen before (or seemed it). There was a distinct white area on its breast. Are spruce grouse larger than ruffed grouse? If anyone knows, let me know. You can reach me (Joey Leach) at:
amark@biddeford.com
J.L.

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