Daylight Deer

Deer moving about during daylight hours. 

These were taken before the weather turned to rain, freezing rain, snow and cold.

Which would explain why they were moving about during daylight.

They were out foraging because they knew things were going to get brutal before too long 

A Trio of Bucks

Three distinctly different bucks

Taken from the same camera location

On the same day

click on images to enlarge

What are the odds of that?

Wary Doe

Here's a series of shots of a wily old doe.

She sneaks a peek and gradually enters the field of view in front of the camera.

And eventually reveals herself and here two fawns.

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She's probably pregnant already and will be kicking the yearlings loose this spring before she delivers what will likely be two more fawns.

Mild winters lately.

Merry Christmas!

The staff here at The Platz would like to wish you a very, merry Christmas.

And now we sing...

The Trio

Have been getting pictures of what I think are the same three deer at this location. 

Also, pictures of three deer at a location more than a quarter of a mile away.

Wonder if it's the same three or a different threesome.

Patterning A Buck

This fella has been showing-up on this camera location regularly.  And always during the wee hours.

This is a nice action shot.

Something spooks the deer and he leaps into the viewfinder of the camera.

Then he freezes and looks directly at the camera.

Cool.

Freeze Frame

It is pretty hard to take pictures with trail cameras that have been frozen into icebergs

They're thawing in the sink...

Mayan Apocalypse

It's just about midnight here at The Platz and the world as we know it has not exploded.  The Mayan prophecy of the end of civilization remains unfulfilled.  Or maybe Leap Year intervened. 

All I have to say is it's a good thing - I still have leftovers to eat...

Counting crows

Weird.

All manner of small animal tracks in the snow but not a picture on the SD card.

Just crows.

This is an interesting picture - lots of movement, strange exposure.

Also some that look like television static fuzz.  This is one the recently new cameras and I think I'm going to have to send it back to Moutrie for replacement.

Anyway, I repositioned the camera and hopefull I can catch a picture of something other than the resident crow flock...

Winter Haiku

A lone doe in snow.

Moving during the daylight.

Must fix the cam time.

The Ghost House

From time to time I might post a picture or two from deer camp 2012.

Like this one.

click on image to enlarge

 

Android snapped this ethereal shot on a foggy morning before sunrise.  He called it:  Ghost House.

It does have a spooky sort of flavor, no?

Post Hunt Deer Population

You'd think I'd be seeing fewer deer while working the trail camera trapline.

Nope.

We've taken three deer here at The Platz and I know the neighbors have all had exceedingly successful hunts.

With the exception of the obvious disappearance of some of the biggest bucks there hasn't been any let-up in the number of deer that are having their images captured.

Including this daylight photo...

Check out that white cedar in the upper right hand corner.  See how it has been manicured by the tree-munching deer?  Blech.

And mama and her twin fawns...

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Gin Berries

Actually Eastern red cedar (red juniper) Juniperus virginiana.

I was hunkered down in a clump of these observing an active deer trail this afternoon before sundown. 

These berries are actually the cones of this tree.

You can use them to flavor neutral spirits to make gin.  This is useful to know when the Mayan apocalypse arrives in a week.  I can build a still to process my garden potatoes and use these cones to make gin.

Counting Crows

Those two deer carcasses that I put a trail camera over are gradually dwindling.  And some of the parts are getting scattered.

Who's responsible?

Crows.

Lots and lots of crows.  By my count there are twenty-two birds in the picture above.

If you like pictures of crows all you need to do is put out a nasty deer carcass.  No coyotes, no hawks.  Not even a hungry chickadee.

One of the more common and recognizable birds on the peninsula - Corvus brachyrhynchos.

Buck Sign

The rut may be on the downhill slide - but I'm still finding evidence of rutting bucks all over the place.

Like this rub I encountered while out doing some still hunting last weekend.

And, of course, there irrefutable evidence on camera...

click on images to enlarge

Snow!

It's official.

Winter is here.

Late Season Deer Hunt

Braumeister, Timothy Leary, New Guy and Six Deuce were here at The Platz for a late season deer hunt.  Yesterday Six Deuce shot his second deer.  Good for him.  In any event, everyone has left and that makes three deer for the year so far.  Good thing I have that new chest freezer.

Girlfriend and I went out for some fresh air and exercise and fetched the SD cards from the trail cameras.  It's like working a trapline. 

There are still a large number of deer out there.

And I'm not finished hunting.

Just yet anyway.  I'll be putting that Mauser K98 away after it's been cleaned and oiled.  And taking up my bow.  

Snow Deer

Nice pic of a doe and her fawn in the snow.

Good insulation these whitetails have.  The snow collecting on their hide doesn't even melt...

Good Things Come In Threes

Three's a charm.

Same day - almost a half mile apart.  A threesome of deer...

The Elusive Buck

The gun deer season is done and this guy has survived.

I wonder if I'll ever see him during daylight hours while I'm out with my bow?

The Trouble With Dogs

The thing about having a couple of Labs in the household is there's never a dull moment.

They're always getting into something or creating mischief or mayhem.

Take today for instance.

We went out for our mid-morning walk to get some fresh air and exercise and fetch the SD Cards from the trail cameras. 

Sister decided she wanted to investigate one of the rock piles on the return leg.  She's never done this before and before I could call her off she was on the pile and poking about.  The thing about the rock piles is they're not only rocks but an accumulation of junk.  Back in the old days everyone tossed their junk on the nearest rock pile.  The Frau has a nice collection of antique bottles she excavated from the rock piles just like an archaeologist might find.  But mostly it's barbed wire, broken tools, rusty cans and busted glass.

The blonde dog promptly sliced her paw.  And there was blood everywhere.  On the trail, in the garage, the back hall, the kitchen and the car.  I got her taped-up sufficiently for the ride to the vet where she was treated.

Antibiotics and a daily change of the dressing for the next couple of weeks... 

Counting Crows

It's the return of the science experiment.

Who eats a deer carcass in the woods?

I took the remains of a couple of whitetails (bones and hide) and dumped them on the trail in front of one of the trail cameras.  The point of this is to scientifically chronicle who eats carrion in the woods.

So far - crows.

And lots of them...

Squirrel Attacks Lab

A pal of mine emailed me these pictures.  Since they're from the Internet they must be true. 

A Labrador retriever has baby squirrel pinned down... and Mother sees it from above.

Mom swings into action and attacks.

Dog gets it from Mom and baby gets away.

Mother consoles baby and the look at the dog's face is priceless...

German Engineering

It slices, dices, chops and peels.

Check this out...

Happy Thanksgiving

No, I have not vanished.  I've just been incredibly busy.  Like today.  Making Thanksgiving dinner and grinding venison trimmings for the freezer.

The Frau, her sister and Brother-in-law hung lights on the gutters for Christmas.

Almost 70 degrees on Thanksgiving.  Amazing!

The lights look pretty nice...

click on images to enlarge

Busiest Day Yet

Following the mowing, the erection and removal of a blind, the dogs, the replacement of the camera, the swapping-out of memory cards, more of the dogs and me.

You'd think the stink of our meddling ways would have chased all the deer away by now.

Not so.

The 1st of November was the busiest day yet.

Check-out this array of deer activity stretched over the span of a day.  From dawn to dusk...

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The Elusive Buck

Been out wih my bow and haven't seen any antlers within shooting distance.

If this fellah stumbles my way he might just end-up as dinner.

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Not the best pictures in the world - and certainly way after shooting time.

The bucks have gone nocturnal.

Probably a sign the corn piles on the neighboring properties have come out.

Deer aren't stupid.  If you can bed-down and feast on cracked corn bait after legal shooting hours it doesn't get any better than that.  I can only hope that someones libido trips them-up.

October 27th has been a busy day for deer traffic...

The Elusive Doe Returns?

Unless they have antlers or some other identifying characteristics I cannot tell one deer from the next.

So maybe this deer is the same deer from earlier in the day?

Hard to say.  Based upon patterns probably a good chance.

Notice how she's giving that rub a big, ol' sniff.

click on image to enlarge

The buck's calling car you know...