Look For Skunk Cabbage - Spring's First Bears

 

I’ve been busy this week setting camera traps. Skunk cabbage has started to sprout in Massachusetts. This will typically be the first greens a bear will eat. Find a skunk cabbage patch and look for chewed leaves and you have located an ideal spot for a camera trap set. Skunk cabbage can be found in wetlands, where the Spring sun’s rays have warmed the area.

I have a few new locations that camera traps have been set.  I have expanded my trapping area to encompass more bear habitat. More area will hopefully mean more bears. With the anticipation of spring:

1)    When will the first bear trigger a 2023 camera trap. Last year it was March 18th.

2)    Will there be any sows with four cubs?

3)    How many collared study bears will be seen this year?

4)    Will camera traps capture any out of state bears?

5)    Last year was the first year seeing a “Cinnamon Colored Bear” how about this year?

Jim

Closeup, bear bites in skunk cabbage leaf.

This is one plump bear !!!

Video from a few years ago.

Won't Be Long For Massachusetts Bears

 

Snow last Monday in central Massachusetts certainly put a damper on hiking and setting out trail cameras. My town received twenty inches!! It would have been good snowshoeing weather, I didn’t want to chance a worn path directly to my camera traps.

I was able to start setting camera traps for “ Bears “ the last few days. Lost Pond and Scat Swamp are good to go. Its going to be a warm week and I should be able to reach my other bear hot spots.

The fisher scent post continues to be active. The frequency of activity so far has been ten fishers that have triggered the trail camera. Reviewing the footage suggests that three different males and two different females have visited this scent post location in March. I’ll keep tally and will share the results when activity at the post slows down.

The cover picture is a set at Lost Pond. Over the winter, bobcats, coyotes and raccoons crossed that log on a regular basis. I’m hoping bears will also use it.

Ticks are out!!! Be sure to treat your cloths.

 

Jim

Winter Won't Quit

 

January and February winter weather in central Massachusetts was unseasonably warm with very little snow. The last few days of February and March certainly have been winter. Its snowing now with several inches of wet snow forecasted and this coming Tuesday we could get another eight inches. Tomorrow may be a good day for tracking. It would ne nice to locate another fisher scent mound in a different area.

Another check this week on the active fisher scent mound the camera trap videoed a second male and a female. Watch for the size comparison between the male and female fisher. https://youtu.be/ckRI3THUeis

This week I reached the 5000 mile-milestone hiking Quabbin in north central Massachusetts. The quest has given me an opportunity to see and photograph wildlife at its best and worst. I’ve put this adventure into a Power Point presentation. I have two scheduled speaking engagements this fall. I’ll share the dates and times later.

I located what appears to be a bear den dug under a log. There was no bear in it, I’m not sure it was used this year. It will be on my radar for next fall.

Jim

 

It’s been a very good week tracking wildlife in central Massachusetts.  I located several fisher tracks this week. Early in the week I followed this fisher track as it winded its way across a vernal pool then through a mature hemlock stand. Just before entering the hemlocks the fisher urinated at the base of a white pine. My hope was to locate a scent post. Following the tracks had me pumped with anticipation of what might unfold that morning. This fisher slid on it belly as it started down a steep ridge. Much like an otter, but only slid the length of its body as it rubbed on the few inches of fresh snow. Reaching the top of the ridge I stopped to catch my breath. There on a raised area sat an old stump where you could see fisher tracks and visible rubbing on a rotten log along with two deposits of scat. This was my best fisher scent post find yet. I set out two camera traps and pinned the location. Now the wait. I returned to this location two days later to swap out trail cameras. The cover photo is a pic grab from the attached Youtube Video

Jim

https://youtu.be/04VLwyc6YUY

Finally , Winter in Massachusetts !

 

Finally a dose of real winter. Last Thursday central Massachusetts received about an inch of wet snow, then an ice covering. very poor snow for tracking. I did head out for a late morning hike that day only to find a few deer tracks. A few weeks back I did find a bear track in a patch of snow. Weatherman reporting possible snow storm next week. If so, possibly an opportunity to snowshoe. I’ll need to watch and see how many inches this storm may leave. I have a number of camera taps set close to the ground and will need to raise or pull them in before the storm.

My Quabbin hiking quest is nearing completion. I have about forty five miles to go before reaching 5.000 total miles hiked in this area. Once I reach that 5k mile goal, I’ll focus more on sitting watching for wildlife with my camera

Jim

Camera Trap Winter Sets Pulled

 

 I pulled my two winter camera traps that were set to hopefully capture a bull moose in the snow browsing. Most bulls have dropped their antlers by now. My winter goal was too video a bull moose. Came close with capturing two young bulls at night, unfortunately no snow. A lot was learned from these sets. New growth in previously logged areas makes for prime moose browsing habitat. I was rather surprised that no moose used a well-worn game trail that accessed the logged area. Moose tracks randomly littered the ground and were visible in the little bit of snow that Massachusetts had this winter, those moose didn’t browse into camera range. Deer on the other hand did constantly trip trail camera sensors over a ten week period (Late Nov- mid-Feb.). Future sets will include attempting to cover as much new tree growth areas as possible, randomly setting camera traps

                      Two Young Bull Moose Captured On Winter Camera Trap Sets

Two Browning HP4’s with Browning external battery packs with Ultimate Lithium batteries were used. Each trail camera took a minimum of thirty> videos with the majority of them being at night. Both cameras still had 80%> battery life left on them. Granted this Massachusetts winter has been mild, but many nights have dropped into the twenties, with one brutal two day period of sub-zero weather. External battery packs are a good option if you are making long term sets. The only drawback is camouflaging them so they don’t stand out. You should also consider using high capacity SD cards when making long term sets.

Jim

Seeing Moose

 

I’ve seen four moose the past week, all looked good from a distance. I didn’t notice any bald spots, which would typically indicate winter ticks. Also been getting a few moose on trial cameras. The cover pic is a TC video grab of a bull that browsed in front of the trail camera for almost five minutes. Sheds are coming hard this year! Not a single antler found in nearly twenty miles of bushwhacking. Hopefully it’s only a matter of time. This winter has been extremely mild (overall) in Massachusetts. As I write this article its fifty three degrees and sunny. I’m not complaining, but it certainly is putting a hold on tracking and locating fisher scent posts. I actually had a tick on my pant leg yesterday. That’s a first in February!!

Jim