In my neck of the woods northwest of Thunder Bay, much later bear activity has been quite noticeable.
Walking back to my treestand one late & chilly October, I was quite surprised to see bear tracks on top of my own footprints in the snow… right to the base of my stand!
And last year, my trail cameras were capturing bear images well into the last week of November… long after they would normally be asleep in their winter dens.
As everyone debates the reality of “climate change”, I can tell you, as a Fish & Wildlife Technician with 40+ years of professional experience, that – regardless of Spring or Fall seasons – virtually everything I was accustomed to in the woods has changed or shifted… particularly here in the North.
We know that a number of factors influence the breeding behavior of birds and animals (photo-period; air temperatures; the onset of frost; spring snow melt; etc.).
I’ve personally observed that warmer weather & temperatures in the Fall, combined with later Spring warming trends, seems to have shifted the peak breeding activity of Wild Turkeys – even in southern habitats – by perhaps a week or more in some cases.
We have also seen that Moose seasons have been adjusted to later start dates in an attempt to reconcile the impacts of warmer climatic conditions with the onset of the rut and herd management objectives.
These shifts aim to ensure the maximum number of prime bulls and cows have the opportunity to breed before the onset of hunting seasons.
All that, of course, is taken into consideration when measured against higher hunter success rates (which are mostly based on mandatory hunter reporting) and occasional winter aerial moose surveys.
So, as I’m set to embark for the opener of my Fall moose hunt – a week later than last year – it will be interesting to guage moose activity, and how they are responding to the call.
Good luck and good hunting to all those venturing out this weekend “into the woods”.
