Outdoor activities during the Winter are good for your body and spirit. We enjoy hiking and riding about our homestead looking for wildlife signs and whatever else is happening during the cold, snowy part of the year.
The problem is that we are only seeing a snapshot of what is happening in the great outdoors. When we are out there, we feel like those old cartoons of Elmer Fudd walking in the woods with all those yellow eyes peering out of the vegetation, tracking his every step.
We wonder what animals have we missed seeing and what will be coming out of the woods after we are gone.
Hunters have used trail cams for years to see what animals are using different areas. Trail cams record activity any time of the day and night. With many animals being nocturnal, this provides various snapshots of their activity.
Trail cams aren’t expensive when you choose a basic model but they can come with lots of optional features, including wifi compatible, cellular network compatible, fast 'trigger speed', infrared and night vision capable which will increase the price . Our trail cams use SD cards that allow us to load the pictures at the site onto our cell phones or tablets. Later we download them to a computer to exam them more closely: editing, using filters, etc., to really see what was in the picture. The grandkids sort through the various picture and look for unique things. Sometimes they find deer, turkeys, coyotes, inquisitive squirrels, rabbits and various birds. They spotted a red fox returning each night to check out the chicken pen. We have seen trespassers, coyote hunters at 4:00 am and even a pair of bobcats.
It's not just animals you may see ........
The two men in the first picture are coyote hunters and have permission to be on our farm.
The second guy was a trespasser who was eventually identified and the situation was addressed.
The cameras record in color during daylight hours and in grey scale (black and white) during night time hours. We chose to shoot still shots, but the most cameras have the capability to record short videos.
These were taken by the same camera at the same site.
Day pictures are full color while night pics are grey scale, but still very clear.
Trail cams will continue to take pictures as long as there is space on the SD card and battery life. Some hunters only check their cameras once a month (or less). You can check yours when it is convenient to you, no matter the time of day. We check ours nearly every week, especially when they are first put up. We want to make sure they are working how we want them to.
Placing Your Camera
Learning to use the trail cams is a trial-and-error process but here are some pointers to get you started.
Look for areas of animal activity. Wildlife trails through brush, near streams, next to bedding/nesting areas, feeding areas or stations, and areas where animal damage (beaver cuts) is occurring are good choices.
A beaver trackway gives us clues to wildlife activity and helps us pick the best spots for our cameras.
Get to know your camera before you take it out to the field. Trying to read the small menu screen and make changes when the temperature is 15° and the wind is blowing isn’t easy.
Camera placement for the best angle of shot is important. Many cameras now have multiple lens to catch side activity – meaning the animal doesn’t need to be directly in front of the camera to capture an image. Take that into consideration when positioning the camera to get the widest viewing range.
We cleared out lots of weeds and twigs before putting this camera up.
This is a prime spot with a view of a bridge across a wide creek.
We have found that putting it 4 – 5 feet above the ground gives us a nice wide viewing angle. We secure the camera with multiple zip ties, making sure it doesn’t move in a strong wind or if an animal investigates it more closely.
The camera is secured with multiple zip ties. It won't move if there is wind or even an animal checking out the lights. The orange tag simply identifies the camera as Yellowcreek Conservation Club Wildlife Survey.
Looks like even deer want to take selfies!
We use Mediase trail cameras. They are reasonably priced and have all the features we need. Our son-in-law uses a cellular connected camera with real time video to keep an eye on his cattle at an off-farm site.
Look around your site and remove weeds, small branches, tree limbs, etc which will move around and set off the camera. You don’t need 5000 pictures of a branch moving 4 inches. (Ask me how I know.) We take small clippers with us to clear out a viewing area. Don’t forget that side view, too.
We keep a few cameras up all year in designated areas to watch the animal activity from season to season, record dates/times of activity, and determine predictable patterns. The areas need trimmed and pruned throughout the year as the brush grows back each Spring.
We discovered several deer which had been attacked by a large predator as indicated by the scars across their rear haunches. We also have at least 3 large sized bobcats which regularly cross a bridge over the creek. Hunters, who have posted cameras on our farm, have gotten pictures of a large black bear raiding their feeding stations.
We have multiple pictures of this bobcat and his lady friend. We followed the tracks and found he came down the mountainside, across the bridge and up another hillside. A few hours later he would return.
I am hoping for a picture of the cougar which has been seen a number of times through the years and the grandkids are looking for a picture of Bigfoot.
More Winter Fun
The desire to see what is new on the trail cams leads to more outdoor adventures and discoveries. Checking the cameras and looking for tracks gets us outside for a Kubota ride and a short hike.
Last Winter, as we were out checking cameras, we came across thousands of turkey tracks in the snow. Polly even found a turkey wing print, made when a turkey is taking flight or strutting his stuff for the ladies. Other times we have seen bald eagles enjoying a sunny Winter day and looking for food.
We have a long stretch of road on our property with woods on either side. All those footprints are turkey tracks. We have passed through them earlier (you can see 2 sets of tire tracks) and on the way back we stopped and determined what they were. The second picture is a rare wing print.
Another benefit is sharing the pictures of the homestead with family and friends. My sister, Sue, lived in South America and enjoyed seeing what was happening around the homestead. Our daughter and her family live in Alaska and it’s fun to show them what’s going on, too.
We post interesting photos on a Facebook page dedicated to our area. Yellowcreek Conservation Club is the name of the page and we post pretty regularly through the Winter.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has an area on their website which allows you to upload photos, add descriptions and habitat information so they can track species of interest. We added a number of bobcat and bald eagle pictures last season. I’m sure most state Natural Resource Departments have similar sites. Do a search on the site for Wildlife Reporting which should direct you to the right page.
Using trail cameras is a great way to see what is happening on the homestead at all hours. It also helps us to determine what type of management activities we can incorporate to improve the wildlife habitat.
Not everyone else is fortunate to have a homestead of their own but you can use trail cams to watch wildlife on neighboring properties – you may have a local landowner who would welcome you to set up and monitor his wildlife – be sure to share pictures with him/her.
Homeschoolers can use their trail cams to collect data and create wildlife surveys for the kids to manage. You can even use on near your bird feeder to compile a bird species survey.
Enjoy the cold weather!
Bob
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