Turkey on the Porch

Deer in the garden and now this.  Check this out...

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Some gobbler had the nerve to stroll across my porch and leave his tracks in the fresh snow. The critters around here are getting rather bold.



One Camera

There's more than a foot of snow on the ground in places.  Snowshoes are the order of the day.

Just for kicks here's a sequential series of pictures taken with the same camera.  There were 120 total pictures taken over the course of 8 days.  

Here's a sample...

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Winter Wonderland V

When these pictures were taken by this trail camera there were plenty of spots with more than a foot of the white stuff on the ground.

Snowshoes aren't just for fun.  They're a necessity.

In case you're wondering I was fetching this camera to send back to Moultrie.  Any night pictures are black which implies the IR flash isn't functioning.  This is the replacement camera that Moultrie sent me under warranty. 

Winter Wonderland IV

The guy who operates the plow keeping our driveways clear is running out of places to push all the snow we've been getting.

The man-made snow mountains are getting bigger and bigger.  In the passage of a week's time they become humongous.  The pile of white stuff adjacent to the machine shed is almost as high as the top of the overhead door.  And the weather-guessers are forecasting more snow for tomorrow.

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Winter Wonderland III

Check this out...

A doe and a fawn in my garden munching on a stalk of Brussels sprouts.  That's pretty bold.  But there again - who can blame them.  Before the snow covered them-up the dogs have been munching on a couple of rotten cabbages. 

Then the plow guy arrived and the pair of deer skedaddled.

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Winter Wonderland II

I keep a plow guy on retainer to clear the snow from the driveway.  Anything more than three inches and he clears it.

With steady snowfalls and little melt he's been building a couple of snow mountains.

Here's what we had one week ago...

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Winter Wonderland I

No shortage of snow around here. 

I drove to town this morning to fetch the mail and pick-up supplies (beer, whiskey, groceries).  The county ran a blade down the main road once but the town roads are treacherous.  In some places it was difficult to tell where the road left-off and the ditch began.

Made it back without having to use the tow strap...

No Night Life

Not a single picture taken last week during the evening.  Three cameras, in different locations and probably about 70 pictures in total.  All during daylight hours.

What a difference it makes when there isn't any hunting pressure and all the bait piles have vanished from the woods.

I think it argues for a state-wide ban on baiting and feeding.  But what do I know.  Sigh...

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One For The Christmas Card

A shot taken from the new location.

I cleaned it up a bit and cropped it to remove the date and time stamp.

This might be one that will make it to the collage of pictures in this year's Christmas card...

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Fuzzy

Sure enough.  If you look carefully that deer looks sort of fuzzy.

Thick winter coat - Brown, grey and white camouflage.

My Girls

Last Friday I strapped-on my snowshoes and pistolero and the girls and I made the rounds of the three trail cameras.

The most productive camera was moved about a dozen yards, strapped to a different tree and pointed in a slightly different direction.  Right for a worn deer track paralleling the birch woods.

A second camera was moved a quarter mile to a completely new location very close to the house.  Not only are the deer now moving regularly during daylight hours they are also in the yard!

Anyway here are my girls...

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Mama

If I had to guess - this is mama and her fawn from last year.

It's actually a very nice picture taken by an exceedingly inexpensive trail camera...

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Winter Deer

There is a reason why I've dubbed this camera the most product of the three that are out in the woods.  This one has much more action occurring on a regular basis.

Here are some nice daylight shots of some whitetail deer. The third one is a classic picture of the shaggy winter coat that Wisconsin's deer put on for managing the colder conditions.

 

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Wiley Coyote

This is a special treat - a visit from a coyote.  Daylight hours too.

Canis latrans - smaller than a wolf, pointed ears, reddish-brown winter coat and a black-tipped tail.

They're ubiquitous but stealthy.  I've spied them a few times while out bow hunting and once while on a walk last year.

Only twice have I captured an image on one the cameras.

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More Deer

I think we might be finished with the pork bones for now as the birds really picked them clean.

In the pictures below you can see tracks in the snow where the bones have been scattered - but nothing recorded on the camera.

Deer are regularly moving through and about three-quarters of the action is during daylight hours. 

Nothing like a lack of hunting pressure and a need to forage to force the deer into normal movement patterns.  Pictures were taken four hours apart...

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Counting Crows

It didn't take long and a murder of crows descended upon the pork bones and not only did the trail camera record dozens and dozens of pictures  but the dang birds rearranged the bones and scattered them all over the place.

Here are just a few of the many recorded images...

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Curious Deer

It took a couple of days but before too long some curious deer stopped-by to give the pork bones a sniff.

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They're not munching on them but deer a curious about changes to their environment and seem to be drawn to anything out of the ordinary.

Attractants

A couple of weeks ago I disposed of the bones of four pork butts by placing them in front of the most productive of game cameras. 

There they are above - between the base of the tree and the bottom of the picture.

Check back to soo who visits...

Winter Walk

Nice time of year  for a walk in the woods.  All is still and quiet save for the calling of the chickadees.

A tidy cup nest woven by a goldfinch last summer

And the sun beginning to set behind the trees with the light reflecting off a slight coating of ice

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Shoeing

There is a foot of snow on the ground in a few selected locations and the only way to get around for the time-being is by strapping-on a pair of these guys.

It can be clumsy at times - especially if one of the dogs steps on the back of your shoe or if you're pruning oak trees and you have to shuffle around the tree to size it-up before applying your lopper or saw.

And even at 20 degrees you can count on working-up a sweat and elevating your heart rate.

I think I'm going to soak in the hot tub tonight...

Turkeys On The March

How about this.

A gang of gobblers - in the turkey kingdom this is called a bachelor flock - on the march.

Spring turkey season isn't too far away and I have a permit.

Winging It

According to the National Chicken Council Americans will consume 1.23 billion chicken wings during Super Bowl weekend.

The operative question is how many ways are there to prepare chicken wings?