More from the camera traps

As the season progresses the white-tail bucks have lost the velvet from their antlers

 

and are beginning to spar with their rivals (too far from the camera to make a worthwhile photo)

But this bear wasn’t too far from the camera; it was way too close

Just right was this young coyote that paused to check the odor on a small tree before proceeding on its way

The camera trap at another location caught photos of coyotes on two different days

 

With all due respect to deer and turkey hunters who often hate them, coyotes happen to be one of my favorite mammals - smart, adaptable and real survivors

That camera trap also produced a photo of the fattest bear I’ve ever caught on camera 

 

Bears are very inquisitive and frequently bite, lick and/or maul cameras. With their tremendous strength a bear examining a camera trap can easily damage it. Raccoons also bite, lick and/or maul cameras, but usually don’t damage the camera. Humans are another matter, although most folks finding a camera trap just peer at it and move on.

But, there are those people who just can’t leave things alone. Some of them break stuff they find just for the heck of it; others decide to make off with whatever they find. Anyone who leaves a camera trap out in the forest or field runs a risk, and not infrequently returns to find their camera trap damaged or missing. Last year one of my camera traps had several photos of someone looking at it. Fortunately he was an honest fellow and left the camera alone.

Since various hunting seasons are just around the corner, I decided to bring my camera traps in from the Big Woods. With more people in the woods the chance of one of them being a vandal or thief and finding one of the cameras goes way up. The camera traps near the house will stay out, capturing the critters that spend time nearby. 

'nuf of that – back to sorting the photos on the cards in the other camera traps I brought in.