Larry A. Smail's Blog

Bear claw marks on a Beech Tree

I wandered out this morning to search for some morels despite the light rain. Lucky for me, the rain had died down to a very light rain, maybe more like a drizzle. My travels were to check on some certain areas that have produce some of the tasty morels in past years. I didn’t find any at all, maybe the weather conditions just haven’t been the best. TO be honest I was checking on turkey sign as well. Around eleven-thirty I started to hear some gobbling across a hollow. Later I would see 5-6 birds intermingling in the woods.

Antler shed

I found some things of interest this morning. I noticed some digging activity as a tree’s base. A Raccoon skull was among the dig.  I wondered just how the ‘coon died and I will never know the answer to that question.

As I watched the ground for morels I discovered a deer antler shed. the antler wasn’t very big, but still an interesting find.

Another sighting was a bed dug out between several trees. The bowl was around eighteen inches deep and  thirty-something inches across. the only thought for me was a bear may have made this place to spend some sleep time. A few hundred yards farther along I walked upon a Beech tree with

American Chestnut snags

some bear claw markings. The markings weren’t fresh.

I always have to check a flat at this area. When I was a little boy my father, Allen Smail, showed me a number of snags of the American Chestnut. the blight of the early nineteen hundred decimated them, however, these trees grow fifteen or more feet before succumbing to the blight. A lot of years have gone by since my dad first pointed out these trees and they still try to survive. Hopefully, someday they will make it to maturity.

“coon skull

Canada Goose

False Hellebore