An eventful
week to say the least! It started while hiking back to an area that has shown considerable
bear sign this Spring. Enough so, that additional trail cameras were packed in.
Bushwhacking along, I watched a distant moose canter along the open hardwoods. Certainly,
a wonderful way to start the morning. Reaching the area with all the bear
activity and kneeling to set up the first trail camera . I felt like I was
being watched. Looking up , their stood a moose, thirty yards away, staring at
me! Neat and a bit concerning. I stood up, took a few steps, and the moose went
on its way. A few minutes later I looked behind me and there stood the moose
watching me again. I was glad it didn’t keep following me. Continuing along the
swamp edge, movement eighty yards or so out caught my eye. A bear was foraging, it wasn’t long before the
light breeze carried my scent and the bear vanished into the swamp. Two more TC’s
were set, and it was time to head out. Reaching a cart road and rounding the
corner, a second bear of the morning walked slowly away from me. I watched it
for a minute or so before it wandered into a thick area heading towards a hardwood
ridge.
Also, this
week ,I went to pull the two Fisher scent post trail cameras and was surprised
to see that both a male and female had freshened the scent post. I figured
scent post marking was over, given it has been sixteen days since the prior scent post visit. Last year, activity stopped on
March 17th. It will be interesting to see when activity stops this year.
Late Wednesday
( before Thursday snow) bushwhacking to check trail cameras, a second deer antler
was found. This one is unique (pic). It appears to have shed the winter of
2023. It was still in decent shape, with only a few chew marks from mice.
So, all and all,
it was an eventful week in the woods.
With lots of
effort and even more luck, my Browning
Elite HP4 trail camera (Massachusetts) won the 2024 Trailcampro Video
Contest. The contest rules were unique animal behavior and video quality. Who
would ever believe a bear would behave as this one did in front of a trail camera?
https://youtu.be/lsEZ-n4Zt-M
The cover
picture bear is the forth different bear. The 2024 bear activity is starting out
strong. In early April Sow’s with yearlings should start showing up on trail
cameras then late April early May Sow’s with COY.
Jim
