Weekly Field Notes: Nesting Hens, Gobbling Toms, and Velvet Bucks

Sometimes the wild hands you a surprise that makes the whole trip worth it, whether it punches your tag or not.

This past weekend, I headed back up to our mountain camp in north-central Pennsylvania to chase gobblers and scout deer sign. The turkey hunting was hit and miss, but one moment blew me away. I was creeping through a scouting route and unknowingly walked within 10 yards of a nesting hen.

I had no idea she was there. I scouted the area for nearly 10 minutes, weaving around her without a single movement. Then—out of nowhere—she exploded from the nest, squealing and flapping through the woods. It was wild. You could feel the adrenaline rush just being that close to something so hidden, so committed.

That moment reminded me why I hunt. It’s not just the pursuit—it’s the encounters you can’t script.

Turkey Response, but No Commit

I did get one gobbler to light up when I called after finding fresh tracks in the mud. Every call got a response—but I’m guessing he was henned up. He moved farther off with each gobble and never came in. Day two? Dead quiet. Not a sound.

No turkey in the freezer this time, but the trip was far from a bust.

Whitetail Beds, Trail Cams, and Velvet Bucks Are Back

I switched gears and slipped into deer mode. I scouted into a bench area and found a fresh bed with hair still in it. Given the high winds over the past two days, that hair likely didn’t just blow in—it looked like I’d just bumped them. Two more beds nearby confirmed it, including one with long guard hairs and a massive body imprint. Big-bodied deer are using that spot.

So I set a Tactacam Reveal Pro 3.0 over the beds and hooked it up to a solar panel I’m testing from Amazon. By the time I got home, that camera already sent me a pic of a young velvet buck—small spikes, but confirmation that the spot is hot.

Even better? Over the weekend, I had four early-stage velvet bucks show up across four different camera locations. Two of them are already showing impressive body size and antler growth for the third week of May. They’re starting to move into their summer patterns, and this is when you can really start stacking intel.

Want to put a cell cam like this to work for your own summer scouting?

I’m giving away a Moultrie Edge 2 Cellular Trail Camera in my current quarterly giveaway—no strings attached. The winner gets announced on July 6th.

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Water Purification and Filming in the Field

I also filmed gear footage while I was out there. I ran both my Grayl and an Itehil water purification system at a creek I visited on the go, testing for the next hydration series and prepping for future content on mobile hunting, hydration, and filtering.

Also knocked out a video segment on building your 3-Hunt Plan that ties directly into your in-season bowhunting strategy. That’s coming soon.

Want More?

Readers will get a closer look at the bedding setup I scouted, the solar panel I’m testing, and the exact spot these velvet bucks showed up. I’ll be breaking that down inside the Deer Intelligence Library I’m developing as I track what shows up over the next few weeks.

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Missed last week’s update? Check out previous editions of my Weekly Field Notes here!