Bear Bite Tree Massachusetts

 

My focus in 2024 was learning more about Black Bear Tree Marking behavior. With the help of trail cameras, I was able to capture videos of bear behavior at marking trees. There are four types of bear marking trees. Bite tree, marking tree, whammy tree and climbing tree. Video One -Bear Biting Tree. Over the years I have found trees that have a recent bite(s) taken out of them. After finding such a tree, a camera trap would be set hoping to capture a bear visiting the bite mark. Up until this year, I have had zero results. Late May I found a fresh bite taken out of a large conifer tree. A camera trap was set. The video shares the details. It appears it’s all about timing. Locate a fresh bite mark made during tree mating season ( May / June Massachusetts ) and likely you will have regular visits from bears until the mating cycle ends. With a bit of speculation, the bears in the video are assumed to be all males. If you have captured a sow making a bite mark, I would be interested in seeing the video.

This is the first of three videos. I’ll share the others over the next few weeks.

Browning Recon Elite HP5 - Massachusetts

https://youtu.be/JyxLAjBSKiw

Jim

Wrapping Up A Good Year !

 

It was a good week redeploying trail cameras and looking for bear sign. I was surprised to find recent bear scat. The scat had no evidence of sunflower seeds, and it looked like the bear was foraging on winterberries and acorns.

I have trail cameras watching three old fisher scent posts. One was found in 2022 and the other two in 2023. There have been trail cameras watching the 2023 scent posts since last December. The height of those two fisher scent posts activity was  January through early April, with forty-six camera traps triggers. May through December had only four fisher camera trap triggers. In the May – December months no female with kits ever passed by any of the scent posts.

I spent the week bushwhacking new and old areas looking for bear sign and new spots to set trail cameras in 2025. It was time well spent finding new prospects for next year.

I also met some interesting people last week and enjoyed talking with you all. It’s nice seeing folks enjoying MA nature

 

Well, another year is wrapping up and want to Thank You All for following my blog.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Jim

Wrapping Up The Year - Data Review

 

Bobcat pic from earlier this year.

 

It’s been an uneventful week spending little time in the woods. Shotgun season ended Dec 14^th , I can start setting trail cameras back out next week.

I’ve been reviewing my 2024 bear videos . Lots learned this year about bear behavior. I’m working on a few videos to highlight this behavior.

Annual Bear, Moose and Bobcat Trail Camera Triggers

           Moose     Bear     Bobcat    

2023     85           239       n/a

2024     83           619      193

 

The reason for the increase in bear triggers in 2024 was due to finding two new bear corridors earlier this year. Moose triggers stayed  about the same. The only notable difference was not videoing any moose calves in 2024. In 2023 three moose calves were captured on TC video. One single and one set of twins.

 This year I also kept track of bobcats. It will be interesting to compare numbers next year.

Gathering up my trail cameras does have a plus side. I clean up and relabel the cameras and locks Trail cameras are inspected to be sure they function properly. This year two went on the fritz, They were older Bushnell Aggressors. Santa came early and replaced them. I’m finding that my TC’s go about five years before having issues. I think that’s pretty good performance given most of my cameras are out in the elements for most of the year.

Looking forward to getting back in the woods next week

Jim

Tracking - Time For TC's Again

 

I thought the cover picture was interesting with the three does all looking at the trail camera.

The primary deer hunting season ends next Saturday. That means the following week I can start setting out trail cameras again. I’m looking forward to that !

In the last week or so we have had two nights with snow in central MA. The first storm was only supposed to drop a few inches. We received seven inches of heavy wet snow . After the storm ended it turned windy, which put the squash on tracking. I tried to tracking seeing a porcupine track and a few deer tracks. Last night we got a dusting to an inch which made for decent tracking conditions. This morning, I was searching for tracks at first light and  hoping to find a fisher or bobcat track. The snow started around 3:00 AM which didn’t leave much time before daylight for critters to leave any sign. I had no problem finding a coyote track, so I followed that for a while. Nothing out of the ordinary  came with that track, it wandered through a hemlock grove checking around downed trees. I also saw a porcupine run along with deer tracks .It was a  beautiful morning to be out bushwhacking ,but uneventful tracking.

Jim

Recap of MA Bear Hot Spot

 

A recent check of the fieldstone den ( pic above ) showed that a porcupine continues to use this cavity as a winter den. I was hoping the porcupine moved on and a bear would use it.

What a chore this week rounding up my trail cameras. The days of packing  five or six cameras out of the woods at a time is a thing of the past. When I set them back out, I’ll only pack in three at the most. My back is telling me to “ Lighten Up” !

I’m looking forward to  snow for tracking. Fisher and bobcat top my list. I hope to learn more about these elusive mammals in Massachusetts.

This new camera trapping location was an impressive find earlier this year. The first small bear videoed in late March sparked my interest. Setting a second camera started to tell a story. Using four Browning TC’s gave away a “ Bear Hot Spot” There is a ritual bear trail and several marking trees at this location. Over the course of seven months, camera traps triggered seventy times capturing at least ten different bears. https://youtu.be/fzH0KgU4LDs

Jim

Bear Activity Winding Down Fast

 

The cover pic might be the last bear pic / video for 2024. What a year it has been learning and camera trapping Massachusetts bears

 

Finally, Massachusetts has received badly needed rain the last couple of days.

It’s that time of year I take in most of my trail cameras. Massachusetts woods get busy with deer hunting season. I have never had an issue with theft or tampering of TC’s in the fall, I just don’t want people to know where the trail cameras are located.

 My focus this winter camera trapping will be Fishers. I hope to find five or six fisher scent posts. Last year I found two active scent posts and left two cameras traps monitoring them.  I thought it would be interesting to see what activity took place  each month over the course of one year. I’ll share those stats in an upcoming post. I would also like to find new camera trapping areas for 2025. Mid-December I’ll start bushwhacking looking for new spots.

I’ve been fortunate over the years to have found several bear dens and locate what appear to be prior den sites. Last week I set camera traps watching these sites. Hopefully a late fall check gives up a snoring bear….

2024 Camera Trap Summary :

-         Camera traps triggered 618 times capturing bears. I was able to distinguish 26 different bears.

-         Camera traps triggered 80 times capturing moose.

-         Camera traps triggered 200 times capturing bobcats.

Jim

Bear Activity Has Slowed Significantly

 

It’s been a good year camera trapping and learning about Massachusetts bears. Trail cameras captured more than six hundred videos over an eight-month period. Highlights:

-         Located a forth well-travelled bear corridor early last Spring,

-         Finding a bear nest https://youtu.be/OmizDVF7SI4 , two Baby Sitting trees along with a Whammy Tree

-         Cameras captured Sow’s with one, two and three COY, and  Sows with one two and three yearlings, for a minimum of six sows videoed this year with cubs.. No combination of four cubs were videoed like in 2022.

-         Twenty-six different bears were identified using  physical characteristics like scars , white chest patches , mange ( large bald spots) bent ears and physical size.

-         No loss of trail cameras – more people seen on TC’s than in any previous year. All cameras are located off the beaten path.

Its now mid-November and most bears have denned. Bear activity on TC’s has just about stopped with the exception of several bears. A sow with two yearlings has been on the move foraging on Winterberries. The nights are getting cold, won’t be long before that family of three den for the winter.

The mast crop in central Massachusetts was good this year. The attached video shows several bulked up bears. Any guesses on the weight of the single BIG Bear ? My gosh the bear waddles instead of walks. https://youtu.be/TuG0chOtJ8g

Jim