Ice Storm Bully

Here is the last video this camera took before getting covered in snow and ice. I brought the cam in the house to thaw it out, and it survived the storm just fine.

The Three Wise Deer

These deer have learned that the feeder is programmed to distribute corn at 4pm, and must have also sensed that the ice storm was looming. They were NOT late for dinner!
On a personal note, I want to send a big THANK YOU to Moultrie Feeders for their kind and generous support of my blog. Fans of this site will see 'catches' from a greater variety of spots in the woods over the next few weeks.

Sure Would Like to See This Out My Window Today...

...instead of the layers of snow and ice! Yesterday when I went back to the trail cams, there were huge limbs falling in the woods about once a minute, so I decided it was too dangerous to enter the woods to retrieve the memory cards. That's why you get a flashback photo today.

Just on the edge of the woods, though, I found Ms. Hopper, who also must have realized the woods were unsafe. She was in some brushy overgrowth between the woods and the clearing - and very happy to get some corn from me! She seems to have weathered the storm just fine; that's one Tough Turkey.

These Two Deer Want to Assure You...

...that they have normal fully-formed tails.
If you're interested in reading some interesting speculation about the tail-and-a-half deer video I posted Monday, see http://www.pabucks.com/deer-hunting-forum/viewtopic.php?t=6307

Spooked

Unfortunately, the video ends before we see what spooked this deer.

Am I Seeing Things...

...or does this buck have one and a half tails? I've watched this video several times and still have no idea what it is I see.

A Couple from the Creek

Moved a camera down to the creek for a night. Was hoping for some morning photos, as there was a nice wall of icicles along the creek wall - but only got nighttime shots.

Camera Under the Bird Feeder

With the camera's position yesterday, the bucks were quite close...



...almost TOO close!

Slim Pickings

Trail cams images were nothing special yesterday, but while checking them, I took my digital camera with me. These photos should give you a good idea how close Ms. Hopper approaches me these days.

Bargain Bird Seed: One Critter's Trash is Another's Treasure

So I guess the birds that come to the feeder outside my window are spoiled. I bought 25 pounds of a bargain-brand bird feed mix, and they were tossing 2/3 of it on the ground. I decided to move the feeder to one of the cam sites because 1) I figured those birds wouldn't be so picky, and 2) if they WERE still wasteful, perhaps Ms. Hopper would benefit. 24 hours later, it appears I was correct. (Feeder is hard to see, but it's in the tree.)

Time for Something Different

This site seems to have become the "Deer or Turkey of the Day" blog lately, so today you can watch some birds land and take off.

I Was Starting to Get Concerned...

...as I had not seen Ms. Hopper since we got snow two days ago. As the video shows, she's still alive and hopping!

What the Heck?

You will figure out what this is...but it certainly wasn't obvious to me at first glance!

One thing's for sure: For late-season bow hunters, it's a good reminder that what appears to be a doe 50 yards from you may not be one!

Ground Level Video/1 Minute Test

The new camera will take videos up to 2 minutes in length; this is the first time I set it to record 1 minute at a time. Is this too long? Should I go back to 30 seconds - or expand to 2 minutes? I'd like some feedback, please. I'm specifically interested in whether it takes too long to download a 1-minute video and whether or not it gets boring watching the same (whatever) for a full minute. What I cannot do (as far as I know) is post the most interesting 30 seconds of a minute long shot.

Six Months Ago Today...

...it was about 80 degrees warmer than this morning!

Here's Why You Rarely Find a Matched Pair

Shed hunting would be more rewarding if they'd drop them both at the same time.



In other news, Ms. Hopper walked up to within 10' of me in the woods yesterday and ate corn for about 5 minutes. For the last few days, I've been making a horrible imitation of a turkey call every day when in her general area while doing the corn drop. Today I spotted her on the ground about 50' from me as I entered the woods. I stopped walking, gave my 'call' a few times, and tossed a handful of corn on the ground. Ten minutes and a dozen hops later, she was eating corn almost at my feet!

0 to 60 in Less Than 3 Seconds

Thirty seconds of video, 3 seconds of action, but it will give you a good look at how quickly a deer can turn on the afterburners!

A Look at Ms. Hopper

I hope you're not getting tired of seeing this turkey. Here's a video to show you the hop, hop, hop, rest.

That Hole in the Ground

Here's the mineral lick hole I mentioned cleaning out last week.

Night Vision, Part 3

The single biggest difference between a trail cam with flash and one equipped with infrared vision - night time video! This one is 30 seconds long, so it may take a while to load - hopefully not TOO long.

Sunday Bonus Shot

This is not a trail cam photo, but one I took through my cat-door window with my digital camera. This poor turkey has a bad leg, and I watched her take almost a half-hour to walk down the 200' path to my yard...hop, hop, hop, rest - hop, hop, hop, rest. The good news is that she can fly perfectly and land in a treetop with just the one leg. She's been in my yard the past 3 days eating under a bird feeder.

Night Vision, Part 2

One major difference between flash and infrared night photos is that the infrareds are strictly black-and-white photos. The other difference most people notice immediately has to do with the reflections off animals' eyes. With flash, you often get high-beam spotlight eyes...
...while with infrared, it's more like dim driving light eyes.

Night Vision, Part 1

Before you see a picture taken with the new camera's infrared technology (there is no flash),the first photo below was taken with a flash camera to illustrate a difference. I cannot publish a lot of flash photos because the light is simply too bright reflecting off the subject.
With infrared, however, there is much less of the white-out effect.
I'll show examples of another key difference in tomorrow's posting.

Oh Happy Day!

Here are the first pictures from the new camera, a Stealth Cam Prowler. The color in these daytime pictures looks real good to me. (As always, click on any picture to enlarge.) The camera has infrared technology (instead of flash); I'll post a couple of nighttime photos tomorrow.
A big thanks to the guy in the January 5 photo for his financial assistance in buying this camera. (Some of you may know of his legendary skill in catching Lake Erie Sheepshead when he's not fishing for perch!)

This One Made Me Laugh

This is certainly not a great photo, but for some reason, it gave me a quick chuckle.

No Bang for These Bucks

I moved the camera from the hunting blind to the hanging feeder spot yesterday. Near the hanging feeder is an 18" deep hole created by the deer eating the dirt/clay that had been saturated last year with salt/minerals from a 50 pound block. That hole was completely filled with fall leaves until a couple of days ago. Less than 24 hours after I cleaned it out, there was a parade of the bucks - all survivors of shotgun and muzzle-loader season.

You Lookin' at ME?

 

I don't think I've ever managed to get within 100 yards of a turkey in the woods, so I like these close-up shots (even when a bit out of focus). In other news, watch for pictures from our new camera later this week!

Just When You Think You've Figured Them Out...

Quick story, boys and girls: My friend had noticed a pattern the last few evenings. He had been setting up in his blind (near the camera) at about 3 p.m. every afternoon, but the deer weren't showing up until almost 5 o'clock. Saturday he decided to make better use of his time by not entering the blind until 4 p.m. Here's a picture of him arriving at 3:55p.m.

Imagine how he felt this afternoon as we were reviewing the pictures taken by the camera yesterday and discovered that the picture below was snapped just 15 minutes BEFORE he had entered his blind! (You should click on the photo to get a good look at the rack on this buck.)

First "Keeper" of 2009

This is the first photo I kept in 2009. Nothing special - but a keeper nonetheless.

One of those "Artsy" Photos

There's not a whole lot to see in this picture (it will be better if you click on it to enlarge), but it's one of those images that a nature photographer would have a hard time capturing.

Is It Already Time to Look for Sheds?

My last photo from 2008 provides just another reason to get off the couch and into the woods in 2009.

2009: Year of the Ox

Happy New Year! This is the closest thing I have to a picture of an ox. Use your imagination!
You were also born in a Year of the Ox if you were born in 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, or 1997.