Trail camera set for bobcats

I saw some fresh bobcat tracks while on the last hike and followed them far enough to find a good location for the camera. The tracks showed up well in the freshly thawed mud which made them easy to follow.

This photo is of the trail as I followed the tracks and you can see the small dirt area going up and into the young fir trees. I picked this location so the camera was not visible from where this photo was taken.



In this picture you can see the camera tied to the base of the small tree just to the right of the trail. Should make a nice photo if a bobcat uses this trail within the next century.

Hiding my trail camera using moss

Several photos I took to show how I use natural vegetation to hide my game cameras in the woods. Several reasons for hiding the camera are to prevent theft, which is very rare in the locations I place the cameras and more importantly is not to have the animal look at the camera when the first picture is taken. This results in a photo showing the animal in it's natural daily activity.

If the outline of the camera tied to a tree can be hid with moss or ferns, then your chance for a better photo of any animal raises to a higher probability, even though some animals will notice the change, it causes no alarm of danger.

This is what the animal or person would see coming straight toward the camera, it is noticable, but does not stand out enough to attract your attention. The chances of another person in this location is highly unlikely and might also be true of a wild animal, but it is a chance I would take any day for a good photo.

Trail cameras back in action

Went for a five mile hike in a large circle in the area shown above and placed 3 trail cameras back in business. Don't expect much for pictures as the weather is still freezing and not much sign of animal movement but all in all was well worth the effort. Found some good areas for summer photos of elk, crossed a couple of creeks and took a shortcut through a swamp. Sometimes the shortest distance is not always the quickest and the swamp proved to to be true.



These three pictures show the view of my cameras, I always take a picture to aim the camera and it helps when I try to find the cameras the next time I check them.

Variety of animals in this location

Most of my trail settings, even on a well used trail, will have about 4 to 5 pictures a week if I'm lucky. Too pick up the slack I'll set a few cameras by the river for more action. This particular location is very good for a variety of animals, those shown plus bobcats, ducks and otter.



Even a turkey hunter gets caught every now and then.