What A Difference A Week Makes !

 

Its mid-afternoon Friday November 6th and its seventy degrees, Weather is predicted to stay this mild for the next seven days. I'll take it ! This mornings hike was very comfortable with light cloths. It didn't take long before I had to stop and put my light vest in the pack. 

Leaves are pretty much all off the trees and you can see for long distances. The whitetail rut is in full swing. This time of year presents the best opportunity to see a big big.  Last Sunday I saw a very respectable buck but unfortunately he saw me first. One of my trail cameras captured the picture ( video grab) above. Several of my trail cameras have seen this guy in early summer while his rack was still developing and in velvet.

Only downfall to bushwhacking this time of year is TICKS. Be mindful if you're in the woods. 

Jim

Bears Still Active

 

This family of bears challenged me all summer trying to get a family portrait. It wont be long before they  consider denning for the winter. The woods still have an abundance of food for the bears to forage, but cold temps may start the den search.

We had 4/5 inches of snow today in north-central Massachusetts. Weather forecast is very cold for a few days then temps getting back into the 50's.

My hike to retrieve SD cards started in the dark this morning. I wanted to get in and back before there was enough snow to leave my foot prints. I'm always concerned that someone might follow them and find my trail cameras.

With this much snow I may just go looking for tracks tomorrow.

Jim

Nice Day Hiking

 

What a nice time of year to hike!

This morning I set off in the dark needing a flashlight. It wasn’t long before I heard a barred owl. “Who Cooks For You “It was somewhat of a dismal day weather wise, with periods of light drizzle. A goal of eight plus miles was on the agenda for the day. Stopping mid-morning at the reservoir was a treat. The water was like glass, light fog and a loon calling out. There wasn’t a mechanical to be heard. The 2020 fishing season ended last Saturday. No boats buzzing along and the misty morning made for a solitude hike.

Jim

Bears On The Move!

 

Bears are still on the move fattening up for winter. I haven't seen this family of four ( sow and 3 cubs) since late spring. Nice to see that there still around.

While passing through this area they took the opportunity to trash one of my trail camera's.                           

I new it would only be a matter of time ! This is an older trail camera that I don't have a security for. When purchasing new TC's a metal security box is a must.

My TC's are starting to catch a few bobcats. Its been a slow summer catching any bobcats on camera.

I've started to bring in some of my TC's. The fall attracts more folks to the woods. I'll set hem back out early winter.

Jim

Bull Moose In Full Rut

 

Great time of year to hike. The fall colors and crisp mornings are about as good as it gets! This morning I ventured out to do some bear den clean up work and set out one trail camera. It will be interesting to see how many bears check the site out and hopefully a bear makes it home for the winter.

Finally hit pay dirt with moose and a new area I’m camera trapping. Over the last several weeks three different bulls and one cow triggered trail cameras at this location. The bull in the video grunts while passing the trail camera. I’m sort of kicking myself for not putting the camera lower on the tree. This area is typically wet being the back side of a swamp. The lack of rain presented the opportunity with several open areas which made ideal spots to setup trail cameras. The moose video is the same Bull Moose now in rut. You can hear him grunt in hopes of locating a cow. The second video is of a much larger bull and most likely the dominant moose in the same area.

 

Jim

Moose TC Pics Slow .....

 

Bears have been the center of attention for me since they left their dens in early spring. Then recently my focus changed to moose with the ongoing rut. Interestingly some of my old moose camera trapping haunts have really quieted down. I wonder if a distant logging operation and more folks hiking have somehow impacted the moose moving through this area. Several years ago, seven different bulls were captured on trail cameras. So far this year “ ZERO”. I have one camera trap that hasn’t been checked in a month or so. I’m hoping at least one respectable bull has triggered that camera’s motion sensor.

Bobcat’s have been relatively scarce this year. Hmmm , wonder why? That will be the next focus.

Jim

3500 Miles Hiked Quabbin Watershed

 

I wanted to do something memorable reaching the 3500 mile marker hiking in the Quabbin Watershed.  Two of the areas that I camera trap are approximately five miles from each other. . The days hike consisted of making  a loop and ending back  at the truck. All went to plan, with a beautiful warm late September day. I was hoping a bull moose would wander by giving me a photo op . It wasn't in the plan!

Bears are still very active, especially  with re-arranging my trail cameras on the tree. 

Last Sunday was about as good a day as anyone could ask for camera trapping. My grandson accompanied me and he had a hundred questions about nature and camera trapping. He can now name tracks of a moose, deer and raccoon. He got a kick out of finding moose poop.

He asked how the TC took pictures when I’m not there. He seemed to understand my simple explanation of a motion sensor, or at least that was one of the few times he didn’t reply with “Why”. When done checking cameras we hiked around the swamp to a beaver lodge and many question about the beaver lodge.

 The hike was three miles RT. Many more questions on the way back to the truck. The best was to come. Got home , put the SD in the laptop and the first thing that popped up was a beautiful moose ! Then a bear.

Yup, he’s hooked!

Jim