Bear Encounter - What Would Of You Done ?

 

An eventful week in the woods.

This sow with cubs hasn’t been around in a while, ( Pic Above)  The cubs are getting big.

The video was a surprise. Likely not to see this again. https://youtu.be/_i1z-ahuzZo

 

 

While hiking behind a beaver pond, I met a sow and her yearling eating skunk cabbage near the trail. I didn't notice them until I heard loud tearing sounds. The bears were so focused on foraging skunk cabbage that they didn't hear me approaching. The incident lasted about twenty seconds, giving me time to decide what to do.

My first thought was "Oh crap!" as I never expected this! I was so close that sudden movement might startle the sow, who was just a short lunge away. I chose to freeze, hoping she would scent or see me and leave. She looked up at me in disbelief before bolting off, stopping thirty yards away and looking back for her cub. The yearling cub stayed by a small tree, watching me. I slowly backed away, and after a few steps, the yearling ran to its mother.

Thankfully, my decision worked out well. Let me know your thoughts . What would you have done ?   hikingcamera@aol.com

Jim

Moose Cow & Calf

 

Every year I hope to get at least one cow and calf video. Last year I struck out. Hopefully with this early capture they’ll be more to come.

Tc’s captured two pregnant cows earlier this year.

 

Jim

 

Mating season for bears is in full swing. My TC’s videoed two different females being followed by males. Sows with cubs have all but disappeared around bear marking trees and for good reason. A mother bear wouldn’t want conflict with a male bear. I have read that a male bear will kill cubs in attempt to push the female back into estrus. Think about that for a moment. It doesn’t make sense. The likelihood of a lactating female coming back into heat is rare and do you think the male is going to stick around that long? If it were true that killing a cub does send female back into estrus , wouldn’t all the cubs need to be removed.

Male black bears are opportunistic foragers. If a cub or fawn were in its path, likely it would be killed and eaten.

MassWildlife put together an excellent presentation about co-existing with bears. The presentation is informative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnH_7ZHlFNo

Jim

You Just Don't Know ! Trail Camera

 

Two trail cameras have been monitoring this location for at least three years with minimal wildlife captured on video. I pulled the trail cameras this week looking to redeploy in another area and  hopefully video more wildlife. After reviewing the videos, I returned to that same  location two days later and reset the trail cameras

 https://youtu.be/6lMUBdLhhEw

Jim

This Was A First - Hours Old Fawns

 

The fawn in the cover photo was a surprise. After snapping a quick picture, the twin fawns followed their mother deeper into the woods.

Last week was busy with wildlife activity in Massachusetts. I hiked to an eagle nest and observed one eaglet after 1.5 hours. When I arrived, the female was on the nest and the male was in a nearby tree, indicating a recent food drop.

In April, my trail cameras videoed bears seventy-five times. A sow with two first-year cubs was videoed in three different locations during her eleven-mile loop.

Jim

 

I did get back to the peninsula to check trail cameras and wasn’t disappointed. The video provides several tips on trail camera placement and things to look for when setting trail cameras. Bear activity is beginning to pick up with the start of bear mating cycle in Massachusetts. Sows with yearlings will start breaking up the family group and sending the cubs on their own. https://youtu.be/kIlFO_8OnTY

There is no shortage of water here in central Massachusetts. I’ll need to stay away from most beaver dams until the water recedes. A wet hike this morning checking TC’s and high waterproof boots were aa must. The forecast for next week looks good and I should be able to check all the bear bite tree sites.

Jim

Bear Bite Marking Tree

 

I returned to the peninsula last week and set up more trail cameras. A medium-large bear scented the tree from last week's cover photo. Looking forward to returning this week to check tree cameras. Stay tuned !

 In another location, a bear stripped away bark creating a very visual bite mark tree. https://youtu.be/VxNacWt9bIw

Jim