Bears Investigating a Camera

A few weeks ago I’d put a homemade camera trap at a spot that has proven very productive over the last few years. The camera takes videos during the daytime and still photos at night or when the light is dim. When I returned to change the memory card and batteries the camera didn’t look like it had just after it was put in place –

The front of the steel box in which the camera was encased had been pulled off; the steel box is used to protect the camera from bears and human vandals. When I left home to put up the camera I’d forgotten the small padlock that usually keeps the front of the box closed and used a forked twig instead. Black bears are very curious and very strong and it looked like a bear had its way with the box. Fortunately the camera was undamaged and it had done its job of taking videos.

The first visitors were a female black bear and her cubs –

After the cub had smeared the lens glass all of the following videos and photos from the camera left something to be desired. The camera took a number of photographs of gray squirrels, then four days after the cubs visited a young male bear came into the clearing and ... – 

The large male had come fairly early the next morning when there wasn’t enough light for the camera to take a video so it only took two still photos, the one in the video and this one of the bear at the camera –

The camera has an extending lens which makes some noise as it extends, that sound probably piqued the bears’ curiosity, and the camera carries many different odors of materials used in its construction. The cable lock binding the camera to the tree saved the camera from further damage.