Dry conditions continue

Well the rain we received did not amount to much and things are still terrible dry in the woods. Leaves are already covering the woods roads. There is one upside to this however; visibility through the woods! I have sat on many of our bait sites, and have done so for several years. This lets me experience what my hunters do, as well as to watch the behavior of the animals visiting the sites. I have seen bear come into the background of a site, without making a sound! What looked a bit dark, suddenly looked a bit darker, black even....and then it would move silently. The phantom of the woods!!! Black bears generally make not a sound, they just appear! Big E says they have their bedroom slippers on, LOL! These suttel differences and movements often go unseen by hunters, and when they continue to fidgit, move, swat, the bear see them and just as quietly as they appear, they are gone and the hunter goes home with an empty cooler. The year that I shot my 200 pounder I was in a stands of hardwoods. I was thinking it was getting close to the end of legal hunting time, when through the leaves off to the right, I saw that black shadow....only for a second and waited. It emerged out from some small evergreens just behind the barrel like smoke drifting across the ground, and looked straight up at me. I'm very good in a stand and I try to educate my guests for success. I moved not a muscle. The bear looked left and right, and again at the stand before feeling comfortable enough to have a smackle of sweets. I left the woods a very happy hunter!
Therefore the leaves falling early will be a bonus for hunters as far as visibility, but it also gives the bear an advantage as well. So it will all come down to this; did you listen to your guide???
Another upside to this situation is that I predict a very good partridge season, much for the same reasons as it will be for bear and deer as well; visibility!

Now some may not want to hear this, but as we do truly need rain, and moisture! The fire danger has been listed as high and very high for quite some time. Water levels in the lakes and ponds are at some of the lowest in years.
Therefore lets hope that if we do not get the rains, and I hope the weather stays sunny for our hunters and guests, we can always pray for snow!!!!