I have been saving all of the ‘good’ trail camera pictures over the years partially because it is fun to see the animals that were around but also because it is a reference check for what the norm is for our area.

We have not had a lot of bucks on the trail cameras yet but I keep telling myself that it’s late August when they start showing themselves.  The small buck that we have seen is no where near the size of this guy: he is one of the two large bucks that we have seen over the past couple of years.  No one shot either one last season so they are still around assuming that the winter did not kill them off. 

We have seen hawks like the one above, deer, coyotes, turkey, fisher, racoons and a mystery cat on the camera.  I realize that these animals were in the area long before the invention of trail cameras but it is nice to be able to get a sneak peak into the world when we are not there.

It is easy to become obsessed with pulling the memory cards and checking out the photos.  The disappointing part comes when there are no good photos, just hundreds of photos of grass.  When there are interesting or fun photos, it makes it worth it.  Being able to check on the fawn and its mom as they travel around the properties is a way of checking habitat stability and the health of these animals.  Ideally, we will continue to see this fawn as it looses its spots and grows into a nice little deer.

No matter how many cameras you put out, they will show you another view of the world around you.  It is easy to become addicted to checking the cameras and monitoring the animals that you love to see. Even if you don’t hunt (but thanks for coming to my hunting blog to read this), a trail camera can be an addictive hobby that will help you understand the habits and behaviors of the animals around us.