Mixed Reports on Mast; Chuck Swan Slow

Given rainfall totals running at one-half of normal and the abominable heat that has persisted into October, I fully expect to hear from each of my hunting buddies and others who've spent time in the woods reports of a poor mast. Surprisingly, I have, once again, been proven wrong. It's my habit to inquire about mast to get a read on what deer might do once the leaves are gone and the first frost falls.

Oddly and with some consistency, ample acorns have been found high - especially along ridge lines. Others report average mast in certain hollows and valleys that have been blessed with more rain - those areas with a micro climate better than the region's averages.

These mast reports have me more optimistic about the upcoming muzzleloader and rifle seasons than I was a month ago.

Saturday's travels took me past a couple of convenience stores filled with bow hunters taking lunch breaks at Chuck Swan. Some of my first rifle hunts as a teenager took place at Chuck Swan - then called Central Peninsula. It's a rugged, beautiful, and remote expanse surrounding Norris Lake that always triggers fond memories of times with older brother Loy, Dad, and their hunting friends.

The number of deer checked at local designated stations was low. The continuing summer-like heat seemed to be the most often cited reason for the low harvest. I also heard the same mixed reports on Union and Claiborne County mast.