Friday, August 29, 2008

Trail Camera Check

We went out to the woods tonight again to check and move the trail cameras. In an effort to boost deer activity near the cameras, Mr. Johnson also sprayed some of the magic "C'Mere Deer" elixir on the ground and nearby vegetation. That stuff is irresistible to deer so we had quite a few more pictures of deer than last week (like this doe and her 2 fawns).

And this is the first buck we've gotten a picture of for 2008. His antlers are still covered in velvet.

We hiked down into the woods to check the StealthCam. After the warm weather and a little rain we had earlier in the week, the vegetation is still very thick and the woods are still looking very summer-like.

Due to a battery malfunction, there weren't any pictures from the StealthCam. We moved both of the cameras to new locations and set up a "mock scrape" with the doe pee scent dripper in front of one of the cameras. We'll go back on Monday for another check and maybe I'll have some new pictures to share with you then.

We saw plenty of other interesting things on our hike in and out of the woods. Do you know what bird this feather is from?

Here's an example of the damage hungry raccoons can do to a farmer's corn crop. This is just a small area but last year this farmer lost almost the first 8 perimeter rows of corn along the edge of the woods due to raccoons and deer. At $8/bushel, you can see why most farmers around here are usually pretty willing to let people deer hunt on their property.

I was happy about the good deer pictures we got on our camera, but while we were setting up the camera in a new location, I was even more excited about a pair of barred owls "hootin' it up" in the woods nearby. Turn up the volume for this short video clip.

9 comments:

Meggie said...

I frequently hear the same kind of "hooting" at my place. Didn't know which kind of owl it was. Now I know I have barred owls in my woods. Thanks, Ruthie!

Mel said...

Hi Ruthie!
I missed visiting you, sorry, too much work lately :(
Your hikes always seem like fun, and the treasures you recover from your cameras are amazing.
PREEETTY!!

Anonymous said...

How nice to hear the barred owls, and it's not the middle of winter. The color in the woods are just going to start their changing, but everything is so lush and green. thanks for the trip, I'm following Mr Johnson on his trail.

MOM

Debbie said...

Love the photos from your nature cams. Looks like you will have some good hunting this fall.

We have the occasional Barred Owl here, but most often here the Great Horned. I love hearing the owls. Right now, it is the owls and the coyotes singing every night.

RuthieJ said...

Hi Meggie,
I love hearing those Barred Owls--especially where there's a couple of them "conversing." They're a neat owl because they tend to be active during the day, not just at night.

Hi Mel,
I hope all is going well for you (except for being too busy). I'm glad you enjoyed this hike and didn't have to worry about bug bites! ;-)

Hi Mom,
I did notice a few maple trees on the edge of the woods starting to turn. I suppose it will be an early color season because of the dry summer....

Hi Debbie,
At home we only hear the Great Horned Owls too, so it's always fun to hear the Barred Owls when we're out hunting.
The coyotes are a treat to hear--not too many of them around by us but we did get a photo of a pair of them on the trail camera a couple years ago.

Marsha said...

Great 'Hooters" LOL! I just couldn't resist :-) I always enjoy your trail cam shots, I am looking to get one for my DH for Christmas.

Julie said...

Any idea about the feather? I found a little bitty one, but its markings were pretty. I've got a box to keep them in. My first guess was that it was a hawk's feather, but I haven't a clue.

Julie said...

Any idea about the feather? I found a little bitty one, but its markings were pretty. I've got a box to keep them in. My first guess was that it was a hawk's feather, but I haven't a clue.

RuthieJ said...

Hi Marsha,
that's OK--owl jokes are allowed!
There are a staggering number of different trail cameras out there and ours are both from different manufacturers. Each one has advantages & disadvantages, so I can tell you more about the ones we have if you're interested sometime.....

Hi Julie,
It's a wing feather from an Eastern Wild Turkey. I picked it up and saved it too. I can never resist picking up a pretty feather either.....