FRIDAY THE 13TH

  This is Savage's pick for hottest day. Let's recap.

   There's been a lull. Since last Saturday the action has been limited. There's been good buck sightings in Orange County. Bird saw a nice 6 in Pine Bush and Vic and Georgie saw a massive 4 with brow tines on Jerry's dam. They have his and her binocs. They peeped him from the kitchen. Vic would've had a shot from his stand. But up here on the mountain, the action has been less. I'm still seeing coyotes down at GNJohn's and minor buck action. So I've been concentrating more on the stand behind Elijah's.

  On Saturday I saw a good buck there. So this morning I was psyched to get in the tree. I got to it before dawn, but also spooked a deer right under it. I couldn't tell buck or doe. After about an hour a doe came off the hill, full tilt. Later I saw a four circling closer to the road. The good buck never showed. About 9am I went down to the river and called for coyotes with the rabbit screamer and quiver critter. No luck.

   About 2pm I got back in the Elijah stand. Nothing happened until 4pm. A four or six ran a doe through the golden rod about 200 yards in front of me. A half hour later a definite six chased a big doe through the same field, 50 yards closer. And that was it. I came home and took the report from Savage Lynch.

THE SAVAGE LYNCH DEER REPORT: I worked late at Bruce's and didn't get into the tree  until 3:30. I saw some does and that four and he made me. But Unki Harold has a good one. He was driving up past the Thompsonville Post Office and he saw a young woodchuck in the middle of the road so he slowed down. Then he caught something out of the corner of his eye. This dark thing attacked the woodchuck, turning it over and grabbing it by the throat. In seconds it had almost killed it. UH stopped his truck and spooked it off. It was a mink. When Harold came back, the chuck was nothing but a pool of blood.