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