New Spring Beaver Project

 

The picture above is an area that I haven’t been in for many years. I was surprised to see a new beaver lodge built on the shoreline, I guess you could call it a bank lodge. The lodge being close to the shoreline and having a few trees around was an ideal location to set trail cameras. This will be my Spring / Summer Beaver Project. Trail Cameras were set back in February. Earlier this week I hiked in to check SD cards and was surprised to see minimal beaver scent mounding activity . Just as I was leaving two beavers were working their way towards the lodge, so I slipped away undetected.

Jim

1.                                     A coyote over looks the beaver pond.

 

A bear gives the lodge a quick glance. I'm hoping to get a picture of a bear investigating the lodge.

Bears On The Move - Early Scent Marking

 

Massachusetts 2025 bear activity starts with a bonus. A single bear crosses a newly monitored beaver dam, then four days later a  sow with three yearlings crosses the same dam. Then earlier this week  a bear scent marks a popular tree from last year. I was hoping this area would remain active again this year. Now that the tree is scent marked other bears in the area will also leave there scent.

Jim

New TC Location Has Potential - Best Lifetime Deer Shed Find

 

It’s been a productive week in the Massachusetts woods ! Bear TC’s have been set in the new areas . I spent one morning scouting a  twelve-acre swamp that really didn’t show much potential  using Google Earth and OnX Satellite View. Was I in for a surprise? Approximately nine acres of this swamp are thick tangled bushes and swamp grass. Three acres on the backside are a camera trappers dream with two beaver dams and two active lodges.

Earlier in the week I found my first deer shed of 2025 and what a find ! My Best Find Ever !!!    

https://youtu.be/U4Ko5jC6f4c

Jim

Backside of new swamp.

This Was A First - Fisher Resting In Tree

 

It was a productive week making TC bear sets, I have the new areas finished and have made sets in prior year locations.

I enjoy hiking with a camera in hand as well as setting camera traps. Saturday morning a female fisher was seen sleeping high in a hemlock tree . It was overcast and dark in the clump of branches where she was resting. Watching patiently, it took about three hours before a sliver of sunlight reached the top of the tree. I was able to squeak out two halfway decent pictures, One with her sleeping and the other with a slight twinkle in her eye. No doubt this fisher had a den nearby with recently born kits.

This week more TC’s will be set out in hopes of capturing an elusive short-tail  weasel.

Jim

Time To Make Spring TC Sets

 

The snow is gone and what a pleasure bushwhacking again and not breaking through the snow crust. There has been little activity on the trail cameras. I’ve been on a mission to try and get a short-tail weasel video. From the looks of it, and input from other camera trappers, it’s a rare trail camera capture. I got a long-tail weasel at a Fisher scent post last week. Typically,  LT Weasel turns white in the winter in MA, this one was still brown.

I started setting my Spring 2025 bear camera trap sets. What a great feeling knowing winter is behind us. My first sets are in a new area ( Pic Above) . Last fall I located two new spots with “ Bite Mark Trees” Tomorrow I’ll set trail cameras  in the second location.

Jim

Fisher Activity Consistent

 

The Fisher in the pic above returned to the “ Dig Tree” four times over the last several weeks. This site is becoming a “ Scent Post” transitioning from a dig site.

Fisher activity is consistent at two of my new scent post locations. The scent post in the video is a pine tree that had blown over during a windstorm exposing the root ball. The fisher is using one of the broken roots as a scent post. It is the height of fisher mating season  in MA. and female fishers are giving birth ,then mating a few days later.

https://youtu.be/22JxjViFlLM

Earlier this week I made two trips to set up TC’s at my Spring Beaver Project. The sun is strong, and it won’t be long before the ice gives way to an open pond. I will put a video together soon sharing the setup.

I put  many miles on bushwhacking  this week for sheds. Nothing yet , but hopefully soon 😉

Jim

Surprise Visitor Checking TCs

 

A tough week hiking. Several days of high wind and crusty snow made for challenging  bushwhacking conditions. I did manage to visit all my fisher scent post sets. The efforts in the last month following fisher tracks have paid off with three new scent post locations.

Also, I had an interesting visitor while checking trail cameras. https://youtu.be/jjU67FCiMCc

Jim