Monday, December 06, 2021

Meanwhile in the Forest

My Moultrie camera has been on this tree and the one behind it for over two years now. I found the Highway and rest area for all types of creatures.

I get a ton of activity in 3 short months. Most of it isn't fascinating, but some of it is hilarious and some of it is curious.

This doe likes her photo taken or is infatuated with the click of the camera. Often she or someone just like her will walk up to the camera and stare at it.



I read a lot of articles in hunting magazines regarding how to place a camera. I had terrible luck in following their directions. However after a few years of experimenting it seems I found some great spots. And obviously the animals aren't bothered at all by the cameras.

This fawn had a great playtime with this camera I had low on a stump.


The racoon love to chew on the camera and try to move it around. Most are slightly curious it seems. I leave the cameras in one location all of the time and rarely move them.

The deer share the same trails as the racoon, the skunk, the 'possum, coyote, and bobcat. I should have saved a fun and curious shot where two fawns were following a lumbering racoon. Tsk, I didn't!

This seems to be a great spot for napping also. As well as family get togethers.



Predators also use these trails often.

Here there is a Bobcat and a coyote coming through a couple of hours apart.



Out of curiosity, I set up a camera that shows the driveway. It does a nice job of catching me going to get the mail. And at night I was surprised to see deer in the yard . 

Another time, there was a coyote that trotted towards the mule's fence and turned and ran. I assume because the mules came up and gave it the evil eye.

It will be interesting as winter moves in with snow and other weather what we will see.

I moved this camera back one more tree to catch more of the criss cross of trails and the log that so many deer like to nap near.



14 comments:

  1. Awww, great placement of the resting area cam!! I love seeing what wild things do when us humans aren't disturbing them. Our most unique (to us) animals caught on the cam are white deer, minks and flying squirrels. No bobcat. I keep getting asked by our neighbors.

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    1. There was a confirmed litter of kittens this year and two weeks ago we saw 2 young bobcats run across the road in front of us early in the morning. They have a fairly wide range.

      Oddly enough, I walk these trails too nearly every other day so it is fun to see what goes on when I am not looking!
      Minks! I'd love to see them. I know they were suspected in some chicken theft a few miles away.
      :)

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  2. Anonymous1:11 PM

    Thank you for sharing the critter pictures so reminiscent of my old back yard. :)

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    1. No problem Mary! I thought you'd love to see wild things! I know I do.
      I love following their tracks in the winter too.

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  3. We live in town and our children got us an outdoor camera, I think for security. We mounted it on our front porch and it takes wonderful photos of my hanging baskets, as well as the mailman, UPS man and FedEx man as they drop off packages. We also get to watch ourselves walk over and back from our driveway. At night we can pick up headlights going up and down the street. We ALSO get pictures of wildlife during the night, neighbor cats lounging on the porch, raccoons limbering around the porch and, twice so far, a skunk! Right by my front door!

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    1. There has been a few times in the early spring when Charlie and I nearly walked right into a skunk in the back pasture! Not a critter I want to surprise!

      I think it is fun to have a trail cam recording what mysteries go on when we aren't watching!

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  4. The deer look very comfortable. A BOBCAT! What a great catch! Coyotes are fairly common. ( although we rarely see them during the daytime here.) But a Bobcat is pretty cool. My Brother put one on the property in northern Michigan and we caught a black bear lumbering around there. I have seen their tracks in the snow before, but they are a rare sight in the lower peninsula of Michigan. Love those trail cams.

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    1. Off and on we have a resident bear. I haven't found his/her scat this year though.
      Not far from where we live another trail cam caught the female and 4 of her kittens this summer.
      I see coyotes during their breeding season in the daylight.

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  5. Fun to see your activity! That is a bunch of deer!!

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    1. Yes it is a bunch. They seem to be flourishing this year. They also seem to like hanging out in this area.
      It is protected from the winds so that makes sense.

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  6. It is amazing as to what you have moving around out there at night. We have reports of deer and foxes in our suburbia area but I would need a camera to watch it all happen. It is fun to see what you caught.

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    1. I bet you would enjoy seeing what is out there and you may be surprised! :)

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  7. I should set up ours... I use it mostly to see what theivin' rascals are stealing the catfood in the barn.
    I set up a live trap one fall to try to trap the racoon, but managed to trap a skunk- that was a surprise- and a feral cat who we actually trapped twice. Apparently he had a sweet tooth because we used marshmallows for bait- apparently racoons love them.

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    1. Yes, I set one up in the shed to figure out where the woodchuck was making a hole. It helped.

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