DEDeepDrawDerek
#wildlife#trail-camera#learning
Six months of photos taught me more about local deer patterns than a decade of walking around. Bobcats show up at 3am and nobody sees them otherwise. Worth every dollar.
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Sign in to chatSix months of photos taught me more about local deer patterns than a decade of walking around. Bobcats show up at 3am and nobody sees them otherwise. Worth every dollar.
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Sign in or create an accountA corner-crossing case and a proposed land swap are both in play and either could change access on hundreds of thousands of acres. Local comment periods matter more than national petitions. Post what is happening near you.
Porcupine Mountains, Michigan. A black bear got into my hung bear bag overnight, which was my fault for a mediocre hang — too close to the trunk and not high enough. Annoying but survivable. The part I will not forget is the next morning. I was cooking pancakes and the same bear came back for breakfast. I banged pots and pans together, shouted, made myself big, and it turned and left. It was clearly a food-conditioned bear that had done this before. What I changed permanently after that trip: - Hard-sided canister instead of a hang whenever the area allows it. - Cook and eat well away from where I sleep, downwind. - No greasy, high-smell breakfast food in bear country. Pancakes and bacon are basically an invitation. - Keep the pot lid and a spoon within reach while cooking. Noise works. Anyone else lost food to a black bear in the Porkies? That area seems to have a few habituated ones.
One of the strangest and best mornings I have had outdoors: fresh snow on Kodiak and a clean set of brown bear tracks crossing our route. We followed them at a respectful distance long enough to read the story — where the bear stopped, where it dug, where it changed direction when it hit our scent line from the day before. Things fresh snow teaches you that dirt never will: - Stride length and drag marks tell you speed and how recently it moved. - Melted, rounded edges mean the track is older than it looks at first glance. - A track that suddenly widens or turns usually means the animal caught something — wind direction matters more than distance. We never closed the gap and we made noise the whole way out. Curious how others handle tracking big bears — how close is too close for you, and do you carry spray, a firearm, or both?
About four inches long, five toes clearly showing, claws visible, in soft mud along a slow creek in northern Wisconsin. My guess is otter but the size feels large. Anyone want to weigh in?
A longer lens is cheaper than an ethics problem. If the animal changes behavior because of you, you are too close. Simple rule that has improved my photos too.
Canister when required, hang when not, cook 200 feet downwind of the tent, and no food or scented items in the tent ever. Boring and effective. Where does your routine differ?