Camera Trapping Massachusetts Bobcat's

 

My  Massachusetts winter bobcat camera trapping project is complete. It consisted of monitoring  six beaver lodges, (four active and two abandoned) in efforts to learn more about bobcat behavior around beaver lodges, and  the frequency they visited  beaver lodges. The project goals were to  set camera traps  during January & February, this would provide 360 camera trapping days. ( 60 days x 6 lodges = 360 trapping days. Over those sixty days the hope  ( my fingers crossed) was to capture at least thirty-six videos of bobcats on or near beaver lodges. Then, with a bit of luck there will be at least four interesting captures and one unique capture. There were variables .Setting specific numbers may prove unreasonable. Starting with two weeks during January, there was minimal  or no ice and most of the lodges had exposed water around them. That  prompted me to add one trail camera closer to ab abandon lodge. That addition ended up a GOOD DECISION with  excellent footage captured. My point with sharing that information  is after setting camera trap(s) at a location. they may  need tweaking to increase your captures.

Over the two-month period camera traps captured twenty-seven  ( 73% expectation ) of bobcats near or at a beaver lodge.

Top Captures for the project were:

-          Bobcat on lodge with snow

-          Bobcat looks into camera.

-          Vocal – two bobcats follow each other.

-          Distant bobcat walks by the lodge, falls out of view of the trail camera, then reappears  scent marks and walks close to camera with beaver lodge in background. This is also the most unique video captured during the project.

All six lodges had at least one bobcat  visit over the two-month period.

 Keeping track of the frequency each bobcat visits to the lodges  identified one lodge as a hotspot. This lodge had fifteen visits ,the best I could determine from four different bobcats.

 

 Project Summary:

I wasn’t surprised to see the level of bobcat activity at beaver  lodges. Most lodges create an ideal habitat for rodents. The bobcat in the first video was impressive with its size. I concluded it was a female with the low riding prom… She has been elusive over the years , capturing her on video twice. One lodge had fourteen visits from four different bobcats. Why would that lodge have drawn more bobcats to it than the other five lodges? It comes down to the location of the lodge in relation to its surroundings. This lodge is just west of a dam that had partially breached last summer. Bobcats could still navigate the dam without getting wet. West of the dam is a steep ridge that naturally  funnels wildlife to the edge of the beaver pond. Once on the edge of the pond the first thing in sight is the beaver lodge. Add stable ice around it you become a magnet for predators.

 Camera Trapping Winter Bobcats in Massachusetts

 

 

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for spring  Massachusetts camera trapping projects.

 

Jim