Trip report - Marlborough Forest

On Sunday I went for a ride on my ATV in the Marlborough forest southwest of Ottawa. I rode about 40 km of trail and did some scouting on foot as well.
The first thing I noticed was how incredibly dry it was. Anyone hoping to hunt waterfowl there next month (line052) had better pray for rain. Ponds/wetlands that normally have about 10 ft of water were down to a couple of feet. They've been dry for a while since long grasses have grown in spots that are normally completely submerged. The trails, which are normally very wet were bone dry, which was actually nice because splashing through puddles for 40 km gets old. I drove a trail that I would have never even attempted before because it normally looks like a 2 km long creek. The deepest water was below the footpegs on my ATV.
Other than that, there were lots of signs of game. I saw a couple of deer and plenty of tracks. One of the spots where I set up a treestand for deer hunting looks like it would be better for bear hunting. There are apple trees there, and there is a good crop of apples, but there was bear scat EVERYWHERE. The bears have been very busy there. I also think I saw a bear run across a trail I was driving on. At first I thought it was someone's dog, but when I got closer to the spot and didn't see anyone walking their dog, I figured out that it must have been a small bear.
I saw my first set of moose tracks in this forest after about 10 years of poking around in it. I was surprised, but then I remembered that a forum member who lives not too far from the forest commented that he saw a moose in his driveway last year or the year before. Anyway, it would be pretty cool to see a moose while small game or deer hunting there.
I wonder if this lack of water has the animals out of their normal routines. It was definitely not a normal trip, but it was actually a lot of fun.

We're allowed to drive ATVs in marrlbourgh Forest in the summer? I thought they close the gates from April till September.

Maybe my son and I will go out this Saturday or Sunday.

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Originally Posted by greatwhite

We're allowed to drive ATVs in marrlbourgh Forest in the summer? I thought they close the gates from April till September.

Maybe my son and I will go out this Saturday or Sunday.

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Technically no. Drive by on any weekend though, and you will see several trucks with trailers sitting in the parking lots.

Up and down 401 between Toronto and Montreal there is water everywhere and everyone's ponds at about maxed out.

Most be all the hot air out of Ottawa area creating a high pressure system with hot dry air. :sad:
Maybe it will rain now Parliament is not in session.:happy:

Haha...I was sure that was your vehicle I seen on Sunday as I came back from Brockville on Dwyer Hill. Thanks for the update, I drive by every Sunday and have watched the outflow of the River at Flood Rd and Burrits rapids Bridge and noted they have no flow or are dry like Burrits crossing. The ponds will be the same as last year, no (or little geese), but the duck population will be good across all 4. We are not going the cottage this weekend and I will make the trek on foot for scouting and send up a drone to check the pond conditions water height.

Moose - every year for the last 4 I have found Moose tracks in the MB. Bear I always find sign and know of 3 locations of Dens. I was hoping this year to collect apples to make my own pectin from some of the known good trees and will scout and collect those as well.

Many have no idea that there is Pear, Plum and Apple trees still in many locations, the fruit is not great, however they are still there. I have collected and stored those seeds for my own property once we move. Been doing a lot of seed collection lately of heirloom vegetables and fruits, with the hope of sowing on my land.

Mark

Mark, I was parked at E4 or E5 on Roger Stevens. I recently replaced my Cherokee with a Ridgeline - well it's not exactly a "replacement" since the Ridgeline is not off-road worthy. I guess I'll be using my ATV more often. Anyway, it probably wasn't my vehicle you saw.
I was only in the area north of Roger Stevens. I know you hunt mostly south of Roger Stevens, but I suspect the water situation will be the same there.
I've seen signs of bears before around my treestand, but this year it is at a whole new level. The grass was completely matted down around the trees, there were tons of trails and tons of scat. Maybe I will buy a tag and give it a try in the early part of the season. It doesn't look like I will need any bait, but I don't know if these bears come out during daylight hours, since the spot is fairly open.
I've never seen moose sign before where I hunt, but it's interesting that you have seen it.
I know of several spots with apple trees, but no pears or plums. I guess it's all leftover from when the area was farmed a very long time ago. There are a few spots where small farms were active within the last 60 or 70 years, some even more recently.