Good Tracking Conditions

 

I ‘ve located another new bear area for the Spring. This location has excellent bear sign Now I have plenty of new locations for 2026 and will need to whittle it down to just three . Late winter and early Spring I will spend more time scouting these spots.

I put a TC on a old Fisher  scent post snag from last year and was pleased to see a fisher had recently visited it this month  ( pic above). I will try to locate a few more scent posts with the next snow fall.

I've been invited to speak at the Ware River Nature Club  ( WRNC) Annual Dinner Banquet, where I'll present my top wildlife photos, videos, and share my adventures.  It should  make  for an enjoyable afternoon. If your interested in attending you can find more information at 

https://www.warerivernatureclub.org/

Jim

Located Several New Locations For Bears

 

Picture above is an eight-point buck somewhat inquisitive about the beaver chew tree and hearing the tc video.

 

It’s been a productive week scouting and bushwhacking Massachusetts woodlands. I found three new areas for camera trapping ( trail cameras). Two of the locations had bear bite trees. I enjoy learning new areas, this should keep me busy for 2026. While bushwhacking through a thick patch of mountain laurel I found an eight-pointer buck skull or what’s called a deadhead. The buck’s demise was likely in the last few months with a tint of red still on it.

I had to remove two trail cameras that were watching a small beaver pond with a bank lodge. The beaver dam  sprung a leak, considerably dropping the water level, which in turn collapsed the ice that was on the pond. I had a trail camera about ten feet out into the pond. I needed to pull the camera while I can still get to it. The bank lodge camera also needs to be pulled. Mice were running on top of the lodge continuously at nigh killing the batteries.

Jim

Moose - Late Season Sparring

 

Wonderful way to start the new year ! I have been trying for YEARS to video ( TC )  a bull moose in the snow. In past years, I couldn't find a bull, or Massachusetts didn't have snow before the bulls lost their antlers. Over the last weeks three minor snow events in central MA set the stage. The snow with each storm was enough to track  moose finding there general location. Over the last  weeks I’ve been adding and moving trail cameras daily. It came down  to a bit of luck, having a trail camera facing the right way on the right tree,  Also, it was persistence, having the snow to track and no job (retired) set this opportunity in play. TURN THE VOLUME UP!! The video is short but interesting. The larger bull gives a slight head swing showing aggression, then …. You’ll see,

 https://youtu.be/jAS7NlLBN_k

Happy New Year !

Jim

Best Of Wishes

 

Not much going on this week in the woods. I did make some winter sets for moose. The hope is to get a respectable daytime video with a bull in the snow. Guess I’ll have to wait until the next snowstorm.

There's a lot going on the next few weeks with the holidays, I ‘m going to put the blog down. Before I do, I want to wish you all the very best for the holidays and thanks to all that follow my blog , watched YouTube videos or attended one of my presentations.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Jim

 

Pic is a sow that has two yearlings

It has been a busy week in the woods. I was able to set out a few winter trail camera sets , which was until I became preoccupied with a bear track. Not to often you get to track a bear in the snow , especially in Massachusetts. You can see more about this on my Hiking Camera Photography Webpage https://hikingcamerawildlife.smugmug.com/ Lower left corner. Tracking a Blackbear in the Snow

With the little bit of snow today it will make for a good tracking day tomorrow. I will pack a few trail cameras and set them out in hopes of winter moose activity.

I finished my fall Whitetail Scrape Project and summarized the activity in a brief PP presentation. https://youtu.be/crIEVszmehs

Jim.

 

Deer Rut Just About Done

 

With only two of the six scrapes showing rut activity I pulled all the trail cameras. After getting home and giving it some thought , that was foolish . I returned the next day and set two trail cameras up on the two active scrapes, I'm sure glad I did !

https://youtu.be/95lgAIEd6uc

Tomorrow I start making my winter TC sets, 

Jim

 

MA 2025 Whitetail Deer Rut

 

My Massachusetts Whitetail Deer Rut project is winding down

In early October the first of six scrapes were found spanning approximately three hundred yards across an open hardwood ridge. Trails Cameras were set up at each of the six scrapes .Numerous Bucks and Does have visited the scrape line. Trail cameras were checked on a regular basis with several cameras needing minor adjustment and one trail camera was moved. There will be more to come on this “ Whitetail Rut Project” when the last trail cameras are taken in.

https://youtu.be/_JZeYIwQD-Q

Jim