Early Winter Bear ! And A few TC Sets

 

Wow !, The last week of December and no ice ! All that is needed is about half an inch. That will make the beaver lodges accessible by bobcats and other predators. A SD card check last week showed a large bobcat in the vicinity of one of the lodges, The extended weather forecast sounds like at least freezing temps at night. The YouTube  video shares one morning last week checking SD cards in Massachusetts . https://youtu.be/4JnM8ddywo0

The cover pic is from a log bridge set . A beautiful young bobcat crosses during the day. I have another beaver lodge set in the area, hopefully with a little  ice on the pond this bobcat will check out the beaver lodge,

 

Jim

Massachusetts Bobcats Winter Focus

 

Okay , it’s that time of year to start thinking about setting camera trapping goals for 2024. Doing this helps keeps me focused and adds additional purpose to my camera trapping. And by the end of the year ,I’ve learned more about nature. The focus this winter is going to be bobcats. I have found over the years that beaver lodges attract bobcats in search of food. Six lodges , two inactive and four active have been set up with camera traps. The goal is to monitor the lodges for the months of January and February ( 60 days ) . That will provide 360 camera trap days ( 6 lodges x 60 days = 360) The objectives:

-          10% total  bobcat camera trap triggers over the two months ( 36 videos)

-          Of the 36 videos (4) hopefully “ Top Captures “

-          Of the (4)  top capture videos, hopefully one Unique Video

-          Track the data on a spreadsheet!

Looking towards next spring and summer, otters and more bears will be the focus.

Jim

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Thank You for following my blog !!

Winter Sets - Beaver Lodges

 

It has been a busy week re-deploying trail cameras. The focus continues to be on beaver ponds with new and old beaver lodges. Camera trap sets will  be moved slightly once there is enough ice to support a bobcat / coyote. A good example of this is the bobcat pictured above. The easiest access to this lodge without getting wet is to jump from the stone wall to the lodge. This is an ideal camera trap location because this funnels wildlife down the wall. Once the pond has iced over most predators would access the dam from the ice. That’s  when trail cameras will be moved  back away from the lodge, giving a wider field of view and hopefully video a predator approaching the beaver lodge .

Jim

What A Surprise !

 

What a surprise…. Then ?

Earlier in the fall I located a dirt den. I am not sure what animal originally dug out the site. A fox, a small bear ? I searched around the area looking for bones thinking  it might give up a clue as to its past occupant. I did find one single bone  and thought it was just a coincidence . No other bones were located.

This week hiking in to change out SD cards I could see something black in the hole. For a moment I thought it was a bear. Nope ……. A FAT PORCUPINE !!

It will be interesting to see what predators might check out this den during the winter,

 

Jim

Winter Camera Trap Sets

 

A mild December morning , pack full of trail cameras and a short visit from a cow moose on my hike in, made for an enjoyable morning  in the Massachusetts woods yesterday. With winter approaching it’s the ideal time to start making winter camera trap sets. I’ve been seeing numerous bobcat scat piles in one area and thought it would be an interesting winter project to focus on bobcats. A break in a stone wall and several log bridges had fresh sign on them. Last week I also located two beaver lodges with food caches piled in front of the lodge entrances.  This indicates that the beavers will use that lodge once the pond freezes. I have found active winter lodges catch the attention of predators and they will investigate, most likely from caster scent and the possibility of a meal.

Jim

 

Not much is going on with trail cameras this week. Most have been pulled and will be put back out next weekend. I’ve been hiking searching for new locations to make sets for 2024. The log bridges that I located earlier in November show promise. Looks like a bobcat uses it weekly. It will be interesting to see if the weekly frequency is used during the winter months.

Higher elevations in central MA had a little snow early last week. It wasn’t enough to try any tracking. I’m hoping to locate a few fisher tracks in fresh snow and  follow them to a scent post where  a  several cameras’ traps can be set.

I’ve been checking old bear den sites. Unfortunately, no takers . Last spring, I found two dens ( not sure if bear or not)  Trail cameras were set up on both locations early November. Sometime in December I’ll check them again. Both sites look ideal for a fox or coyote den

Jim

TC 2023 Massachusetts Moose Tally

 

I taken the time to review this year’s  Massachusetts moose footage taken with trail cameras and conservatively calculated the number of different moose videoed in 2023.

1	cow with one calf
1	cow with 2 calves
8	different bulls
2	cows with no calves
12	Moose conservative estimate

 

 This is the first year keeping detailed data. It will be a good start for cumulative data in the years to come. I can accurately state that trail cameras this year captured more moose videos than in any prior year.

There's still a chance for a late season bear capture. On November 11^th a bear did cross the stream bridge. I spent more time bushwhacking in the stream bridge area and located a second downed tree laying across the stream. It’s a larger diameter tree so it will be interesting to see if it attracts more wildlife. This winter these logs / tree bridges will hopefully be used by bobcats. I’m going to head back into this location next week to change out SD cards and do so more scouting.

Jim

No Bears The Last Week

 

It’s been a GOOD Year camera trapping bears in Massachusetts. Bears were plentiful with trial cameras videoing twenty-five different bears over an eight-month period. This is the first-year camera trapping bears swimming. It was just luck getting those videos. Trail Cameras also videoed several bears that were comedians.  In addition to the many neat bear videos, I’ve had a good year learning and finding bear sign while bushwhacking. The biggest highlight was finding a small hemlock that a bear raised havoc with.

https://youtu.be/s1Kovy30Rqo

Another lucky find was a bear “stomping trail: with a scent marking tree next to it. Many bears would “Stomp “then rub their back side on the big hemlock tree leaving scent.

Then finishing the year up with a decent size bear using a small diameter tree to cross a stream.

Most of my trail cameras have been pulled and will be put back out in December.

 

Thanks to all for following my adventures!

Jim

Bear Activity Has Slowed Down

 

Bear activity has just about stopped. The cover pic is the last sow / cub activity to date Oct 22nd.

It’s that time of the year when I start bringing in my trail cameras for a month or so. The Massachusetts woods have become busy with fall activity, and I don’t want to leave anything to chance. I do still have a few TC’s out that I’ll give till the middle of the month, hoping for a late season bear.

I’m looking forward to snow and tracking. Hopefully I can locate a few fisher scent posts and set camera traps. I also want to spend more time following bobcat tracks. Last year I was fortunate to follow tracks finding an otter skull.

Jim

2023 Massachusetts Bear Activity

 

What a year it’s been camera trapping bears in Massachusetts. It will be interesting to see when trail cameras capture the last sow with cubs for 2023. This week a sow with a completely black face was videoed (cover picture). She had three yearlings with her. That mom is new to my camera trapping area, making her the twenty fifth different bear caught on camera traps so far this year.  This is up from eighteen in 2022. Also, in October last year, my trail cameras went dry not capturing any bears during October. This year, October has reached thirty-seven camera trap triggers with a few days to go. Also, the last bear captured on a TC in 2022 was November 10^th. What date will it be this year?

I had a neat experience this week while out in a swamp setting a trail camera. I felt like something was watching me. Typically, when this happens, I look up and there’s a deer looking at me. That morning it was a bear! How neat. When I stood up it ran the opposite way.

Jim

Bears Soon To Den - 2023 Camera Trapping Goals

 

Just one more plug for my upcoming “Quabbin “presentation October 25^th 7:00 PM Rutland Massachusetts Library. Would enjoy seeing you all.

Bears will soon be looking for their winter dens. Sows with cubs and females will usually den early November. Food is the determining factor.

My focus on bears the last four or five years has been quite a
learning experience. I can now recognize bear sign while bushwhacking and have located ideal bear habitat with the best camera trapping results yet.

Time to start thinking about 2024 camera trapping goals. As shared in the past, these enjoyable goals motivate me and assist me in learning about nature. Let’s review my 2023 goals. I’m pleased with the effort but didn’t quite get a bear / den picture suitable for the wall but came close. Here were 2023 goals:

-          Video of a bear with a beaver lodge in the background – hopefully nice enough to frame.

-          Video a bear crossing a log or what I call a log walker.

-         Video a day daytime video with a cow moose and calf

 

 

 

Jim

Presentation - Rutland Massachusetts Library - Oct 25, 2023

 

Yet A Bigger Bull

 

It looks like a bigger bull showed up last week. Comparing pics from last week’s cover picture to this week’s pic it looks to have a bigger rack. A bit tough to tell though.

The weather has been great this week for hiking and even got a morning of kayaking in retrieving trail cameras. Last week while checking trail cameras in another area I noticed the beaver pond was losing water. Yesterday I hiked in to check it out, the beaver dam had breached from the recent heavy rains. This is the second beaver dam to let go in my camera trapping areas. There were two active lodges on this beaver pond. It will be interesting to see when the water flow slows at the breach if the beavers repair the dam. My guess would be yes. I will check it out in a month or so. The low water level provided an opportunity to hike the shoreline looking for tracks. A small bear had left decent tracks so yesterday I hiked back in to cast those tracks.

Jim

Breached Beaver Dam

 

Cast Bear Tracks

MA Bull Moose Rut In Full Swing

 

The Massachusetts moose rut is in full swing. Last weeks “Biggest Rack Bull” fell into second place. The brute  pictured above recently passed by two of my camera sets. Clearly a respectable bull for MA. Another bull with a smaller rack also triggered a camera trap during the day in another location. The game plan was to hopefully capture a video clip of a bull during the day. Guess that box can be checked off.
Now can a camera trap take a closer video clip of the top bull. He missed passing by my camera trap sets by about twenty-five yards. Reviewing the videos, he approaches from the east heading west. I have relocated trail cameras in anticipation that he will repeat the same approach. Stay Tuned

Jim

Three Respectable Bulls So Far This Ma Rutting Season

 

My trail camera check this morning gave up the biggest Massachusetts bull so far, this rutting season. He is pictured above. Reviewing all my moose video footage since September 1^st has captured three different bulls in two areas. I still have several locations to check over the next few days. I’m still looking for a nice day time video of a bull. Interesting the location I checked this morning usually has at least one cow passing a trail camera each week. Nothing this week

Jim

Moose Are On The Move !

 

It appears my TC’s are dialed in for the Massachusetts moose rut. One area had videoed several cows grunting and   this mornings SD card check had several bulls that have passed by the trail cameras at night, I did see a beautiful cow hiking this morning. I won’t be able to check the other moose spots for a week or so heading out camping.

Overall moose activity on trail cameras has been high. Hopefully I’ll capture some nice moose footage over the next several weeks.

Jim

Late Summer Bear Activity - Scent Marking

 

In late summer, my trail cameras seldom video any bear scent marking activity in Massachusetts. Not sure of the reason(s) why this little hot spot is so popular.

There are two camera trap sets at this location. Camera #1 is monitoring a bear stomp trail with two scent marking trees that were marked during the June / July mating season. Camera #2 is set up a short distance away, watching a small opening in a hemlock grove, near a pond. It is an ideal location with the pond on one side and a short steep ridge on the opposite side, which funnels wildlife through a narrow area. The intent with this setup was, TC #1 captures game travelling towards the hemlock clearing and TC #2 captures wildlife as passes through the clearing. I did not expect to capture footage of bears scent marking a tree right in the middle of the video frame. No doubt, luck does factor into your camera trapping efforts.

The ground beehive was another bonus for this location.? Bears have passed by that hive over the summer. Surprisingly, it took this long before being detected.

Jim

https://youtu.be/s56rWXd4bVM

The Stage Is Set - Just Need The Bulls To Show Up !

 

Find the cows and the bulls should follow ( hopefully ). The moose rut will be in full swing by late September. I hope to video a respectable bull during the day. Over the years my TC’s have captured a few big bulls, but all have been at night. Camera traps have videoed five different cows around Massachusetts  the last several weeks. Now I just need a cow with a bull following it to stroll by a trail camera. Stay Tuned!!  

Jim

Time To Start Thinking About MA. Moose Rut

 

This past week I have been adding and moving camera traps in anticipation of the upcoming Massachusetts moose rut. I did get a night video last week of a cow passing by a trail camera and two minutes later a small bull followed. In past years my cameras traps started videoing pre-rut activity mid-September. Hard to believe that’s only a few weeks away.

Scat Swamp has shown the most potential with lots of moose sign and capturing several bulls on video. Since the dam breached a few weeks back there hasn’t been any activity in the shallow pond. I spent a morning bushwhacking out a ways from the breached dam and there was no shortage of moose droppings.

I hope to video a respectable bull during daylight hours. Last year TC’s videoed some awesome nighttime rutting footage. I’ve yet to locate a “Wallow Pool”, maybe this will be the year.

Jim

Beaver Dam Breach

 

Scat Swamp experienced a significant change last week. I noticed over the last month or so, beavers have been working aggressively raising the height of the dam. Unfortunately, their efforts ended up futile! Heavy rain in Massachusetts during July and August filled the one-acre pond to the dams breaking point. The dam breached since my last SD card check, sending thousands of gallons of water down a very small brook, washing away a secondary dam. This MAJOR break in the primary dam left a fifty-foot gap. It will be interesting to see if the beavers rebuild and how they go about it. Will they repair the secondary dam first? Now that the pond is low, will wildlife behavior change. This bull didn’t waste any time feeding on the exposed water vegetation.

This is the first time seeing this respectable bull feeding in this area. Did the breached dam and low water levels catch his attention???

Scat Swamp experienced a significant change last week. I noticed over the last month or so, beavers have been working aggressively raising the height of the dam. Unfortunately, their efforts ended up futile! Heavy rain in Massachusetts during July and August filled the one-acre pond to the dams breaking point. The dam breached since my last SD card check, sending thousands of gallons of water down a very small brook, washing away a secondary dam. This MAJOR break in the primary dam left a fifty-foot gap. It will be interesting to see if the beavers rebuild and how they go about it. Will they repair the secondary dam first? Now that the pond is low, will wildlife behavior change. This bull didn’t waste any time feeding on the exposed water vegetation.

This is the first time seeing this respectable bull feeding in this area. Did the breached dam and low water levels catch his attention???

https://youtu.be/VBDpK4cQiKg

Jim

Wildlife Photography From A Kayak

 

I want to start taking wildlife pictures from a kayak. After doing a bit of research and watching many You Tube Videos, I purchased an Old Town 106 fishing kayak. It is extremely stable for a kayak and will work out ideal for me fishing and taking wildlife pictures.

I have always wanted to kayak and set out trail cameras. Earlier this week I loaded my camera gear and several trail cameras and paddled a Massachusetts river looking for moose and bear then pulled the kayak up on the riverbank to search for a good spot to set out camera traps. No moose or bear were in the cards for the day, but I did find a nice area to set out the trail cameras.

The morning provided me the opportunity to take a few bird pics and to see how the tripod setup would work in the Kayak. I couldn’t be more pleased; I could paddle easily and sit comfortably with the camera set up in front of me. I’ll just need to get out a few more times to get comfortable with it. If there was ONE important tip I could share, it would be to place your camera and lens in a waterproof bag getting into and out of your kayak. It’s during this time you’re more apt to slip or lose your balance.

Jim

Bear Sign

 

Even though I’m fortunate to camera trap many bears in Massachusetts, it’s not too often I find bear sign other than scat. Over the last several years I have located a bear babysitting tree and a bear day bed. Slowing down my hiking pace and learning what to look for certainly helps.  I would have never anticipated finding four different kinds of bear sign in a 25-yard-long X 10-yard-wide area. In that small area of 250 sf, there is a downed rotten tree and on two occasions a bear has clawed at it looking for insects, a short stomping trail and two scent marking trees along with hemlock saplings that have been straddled when several of the bears exited the stomping trail. I positioned a camera trap facing the downed tree hoping a bear would come back and search for insects. Two bears have crossed over the tree , Maybe the insects have all been eaten….. Reconyx, GardenPro, Browning trail cameras.

https://youtu.be/EMKDcvClm4Y

Jim

Bears In The Berries

 

Two of my Massachusetts camera trap locations continue strong with consistent bear activity. The first area has lots of wild blueberry bushes that are loaded with berries. No problem finding bear scat filled with blueberries. Another week or so I will hike in and check those cameras. The second location has a bear stomp trail. I noticed it about a month ago and set up a trail camera. Sure thing, a trail camera videoed a bear stomping leaving scent with the bottom of its feet. The TC also videoed the bear scent marking a tree with its back. That is about as good as it gets with locating bear sign, right? NOPE, following the stomp trail a short way gave up a downed rotten tree that a bear had started to rip apart looking for insects. A week later I checked the downed tree and the bear had returned and ripped the tree apart even more looking for insect. (Missed opportunity on my part). Not wanting to miss a third opportunity I relocated one of my TC’s to the rotten downed tree. Hopefully in the next week or so the bear returns and forages some more.

I am starting to think about the upcoming moose rut and hope to capture a nice bull on video. Late August I will start moving cameras. I have already started scouting looking for new areas to set cameras.

Jim

Plenty of Moose

 

It has been a good year camera trapping moose. Hopefully this fall with the rut, bulls find my trail cameras. It has been a wet summer to say the least in Massachusetts. Last night serious thunderstorms and heavy rain blanketed the area, Rivers and streams are swollen to capacity. The weather looks good for this coming week. This will give time for the water to recede.

I did find a tree that was hit by lightning from the storm. When the tree was struck, it sent a six-foot splinter flying about thirty yards away and stuck in the ground standing straight up.

The pond I was at has two beaver lodges in view, both appeared were close to being submerged. My guess is the inside chamber was full of water and that is why the resident beavers were swimming around it.

 

Jim

Bears Still Scent Marking

 

Young male scent marks tree. This camera trap has only been at this location for a week. Several weeks ago, I stumbled upon what looked to be a bear stomp trail in this stand of hemlocks. Previously, the camera trap was set about twenty yards away, catching a bigger bear straddling hemlock sapling, Further investigation showed impressions in the soft substrate. So, I moved the trail camera hoping to video any bear leaving scent with its feet Well, the camera trap did not video and stomping activity but did capture a young male scent marking a big ole’ hemlock in mid-July. The video is on the cover page of my website.

Jim

Moose Calves & Winding Bear

 

It’s been a bittersweet week! The eaglets have fledged, and I no longer need to travel to the swamp. I’m a bit disappointed nest watching has ended. However, it gives me time to move on to other outdoor adventures. This morning I located some decent bear sign that I’ll share with you in the coming weeks.

Last week one of my camera traps videoed a cow moose with twins! This is a first for me,

https://youtu.be/Q81HDGStWl8

 

Ever wonder how a bear stays so elusive. It has a tremendous ability to smell danger long before you see it.

 

See how a bear might react if it heard or winded you? Likely this bear has picked up my scent. About an hour earlier I was changing the SD card in this trail camera, then made a big loop bushwhacking looking for bear sign, before hitting a cart road on the opposite of the swamp from the bear. I would estimate two hundred yards away. Notice when the bear stands up, it pivots left then right, using its nose to try and determine which direction my scent is coming from. Then the bear turns, opens its mouth using its olfactory senses to also try and determine scent direction.  Massachusetts – Bushnell Aggressor

Jim

Eagle Nest

 

My temporary address for the last twelve weeks has been Swamp Side Massachusetts watching an eagle nest. What an experience to say the least!  I spent about 90 hours watching the nest site. Some visits lasted only an hour and others four and five hours. You sit patiently hoping to get a minute of fast action when an adult eagle makes a food drop.

There were a number of outings that were complete boredom, like “watching grass grow”, This activity certainly challenges one’s patience. However, watching and photographing the eaglet’s feeding was exciting. I missed several food drops while setting up and another while dilly dallying with camera settings. I had sat for hours only to miss the opportunity, becoming distracted. I was pretty upset at myself for that. It is a process of learning. That happened only ONCE. Watching the eaglet’s behavior and interaction was an interesting and rewarding experience.

My goals for this project were:

1)      Learn more about eagles & nesting.

2)      Improve camera skills.

3)      Take field notes.

4)      Do I have the patience to see this through?

5)      Put together PowerPoint Presentation to share.

The project goals were check marked completed! Hopefully next year there will be another opportunity.

Camera equipment used:

-          Canon 7D Mark ii

-          400 mm lens

-          1.4 convertor

All photos required heavy cropping

Jim