2012 Trail Cam Thread

[CANOPY SAM]

I was afraid to say the "C" word too! Lichen, can you crop that "Tippy D" up a bit, blow it up some, and repost?

It REALLY does look like a long tail, but I still think it's just the long hair sticking out from the back of his leg.

[lichen fox]

It is definitly a cougar...if I can get the other pics from him of the bobcats and wolves and coyotes I'll post them also...when I blew it up on my pictures you can definitly see the long tail and he is actually looking slightly away from the camera...

[lichen fox]

I don't know how to blow it up and put it back on...My brother Danni Halvorson got the pic and posted it on facebook...that's where I downloaded it to my pictures...if you do a facebook search for me...Bob Halvorson on facebook you may be able to access it the same way I did...

[lichen fox]

Tippy D....is the guys nick name....it is Steve Dunrud's Camera...we call him "tippy" because of his sense of balance after a 12 pack...

[lichen fox]

don't look lide it worked to enlarge it....

[Boar]

I can see the posibility that it very well might not be a tail but bushy long hair mentioned, cool pic tho.

[CANOPY SAM]

Geez Lichen! You really think so? That'd be a pretty big deal!

I was kinda thinking with the black striped markings on the inside of his front legs (and maybe hind legs too?)...that leads me to think Bobcat.

Anyway, here we go again!!

My youngest son and I jumped a really nice buck in the woods right behind our house yesterday, so I guess most anything is possible! Sure don't want a big cat back there though! We do a lot of stuff at our place near, or after dark!

[lichen fox]

Sam, Sam, Sam I am... I really don't care what anyone on here thinks one way or the other...The guy that had these photos couldn't tell the difference between photo shop and a hair shop...the only way they ended up here was because of my brother's post on facebook...we have had several pictures of cougars in the Viking area over the past several years and confirmed sightings by one of my "other Brother"...Dave Halvorson...yes, of Curt and Dave Fame on KKDQ in TRF! These big cats are not uncommon to the Viking Bad Boys...It's just a pleasure to get a chance to see one of them once in awhile when they pass through!

[lichen fox]

If you click on the pic and open it in a new window you can enlarge it enough to make the tail and other features more clear...

[Boar]

cool, certainly a cougar, thanks for sharing this fox

[Abndoc]

Nice eight, wide..nice brows, will be hard to watch this guy walk away for another year !!

[UNDBowhunter]

[lichen fox]

That looks just like the one that was in my yard this morning!

[mrklean]

great pics guys

[InTheNorthwoods]

I certainly believe that there are cougars in NW Mn on a regular basis. I even believe there is a breeding population (albeit small). However, in this case, I'm going to say bobcat based on what my eyes are telling me.

[slimngrizzly]

Some nice animals everyone! Abndoc, he sure looks nice from the back, if keeps growing those tines he'll be a dandy! UNDbowhunter, it looks like you gotta solid looking buck there!!!

I had another bachelor group come around, looks like some REALLY GOOD up-and-commers! This wide guy could really be something in another year or 2

Here he is earlier....

Here he is now, a month later...

Another nice 2 year old!

[Bear55]

don't look lide it worked to enlarge it....

Not trying to start trouble or get into a [PoorWordUsage] match but I don't think that is not a cougar. If that white block is a salt block, right size considering the trees in the background, that is the tiniest cougar in the world. Alos look closer at the trees, if that is a large or even medium size cougar those things are enormous. The tail looks to be short with some background clutter making it look longer, even so the tail is not large enough to be put in the class of a cougar. I am not saying there are not cougars in MN or even in your area just that it is high likely this is not a cougar.

A pic for comparison.

[Abndoc]

Here is a bobcat for reference. I would bet the farm, its a bobcat..look at the color, structure and tail. If you zoom in the "cougar" pic you can see the short tail of a bobcat, but with the weeds and background trash, it does make it look like a long tail. What is that a picture of a page back with the small black animal? Fisher? otter?

Regardless of whatever it is, these trail cameras are so cool. I just love sliding that chip in my computer and waiting for what is going to pop up!!

[CANOPY SAM]

Yep. I was thinking exactly the same thing. If this is a cougar he's missing about 2 ft. of tail (even if it is laying parallel to his back leg)! In the fuzzy trail cam pic you can see the black tip of a bobcat tail about 3-4 inches below the vent. Also, the black stripes against white hair on the inside of the legs is a pretty good indicator.

I too, don't doubt there are cougar around. They are often seen only a short distance north and east of there, so I don't suppose it would be unusual to catch one on a trail cam. Only this pic is not of a cougar, it's a Bobcat. No doubt about it. Abndoc's picture for comparison is perfect. I've been looking for a good comparison.

They are such a beautiful, elusive animal. Wonder if I could keep "my cool" if a big cat were walking below my stand? They are known to be extremely shy, but I'd imagine at 30-40 lbs. one of these guys could do a lot of damage in a hurry!!!

Where do Bobcats sleep in the big forests? Do they sleep in trees? They're not an animal that lives in a den are they?

[SpecialK]

They sleep in trees. If you do find a fresh track somewhere start looking up in the trees.

[DoubleLunger]

[Abndoc]

double the peanut butter goes on the ground, not on the camera ...that buck sure isn't camera shy!!!

[Quackaddict9]

Not a lot to show on the cams so far just a few dinky bucks and a decent one with a nice 3rd beam on the right. Bears showed up Mid-June. Starting to get ready to grow brassicas/turniups and should bring a few more deer in.

[slimngrizzly]

I like looking at nice bucks with 3rd main beams

[Quackaddict9]

I like looking at nice bucks with 3rd main beams

Ha...yeah they are neat to look at or actually have one wandering around the property. He's not big but it is a decent deer with some mass right at the base on his right and crab claws on the end on his left. Maybe I'll share a pic some time soon.

[CANOPY SAM]

Abndoc...

I think the critter you were asking about on page 2 is a Pine Martin. Not absolutely sure, but that's what it looks like to me.

Are a Pine Martin and a Fisher the same thing? A Fisher is pretty small, isn't it? A Pine Martin can get as big as a medium sized dog. Meaner than a rattler on a hot summer day as well!

[lichen fox]

A male fisher is about the same size as a red fox...the female is like the size of a very large male mink...when we used to trap them and stretch the fur we'd use a fox board for males and large male mink board for the females...never caught any pine martin...but from the pics I've seen, I'd guess they are more on the size of a female fisher...Oh, and also after looking at the pic...I would say that is a male fisher...fisher are very dark colored compared to the lighter colored pine martin.

And after more reasearch...here is the discrpts from the DNR wdbsite!

The American (or pine) marten is a predator (meat eater) species that belongs to the weasel family. Before the late 1800s, the marten was common in northern Minnesota. Because of logging, most of its wooded habitat was lost. By 1920 pine martens had almost disappeared from Minnesota. The full recovery of the population by 1990 is a DNR management success story.

Identification

General description: A small predator with golden brown fur and a yellow chest. Its long body and small rounded ears make the marten one of the "cutest" predators in Minnesota.

Length: 30 to 24 inches, including the tail.

Weight: Adults are about 2 pounds. The males are slightly larger than the females.

Color: Brown, tinted with gold or yellow.

The fisher is a member of the weasel family, resembling a very large mink. It weighs as much as a red fox, but has much shorter legs. Fisher are extremely agile and active predators. Excellent tree climbers, they can outclimb marten and red squirrels. They prey upon snowshoe hare, mice, squirrels, and porcupine. Fisher will also eat insects and berries.

The fisher is a remarkable predator (meat eater). It is one of a very few animals that can kill a porcupine. Despite its name, the fisher does not catch or eat fish. Instead, it eats small animals, carrion (already dead animals), wild berries and nuts.

Identification

General description: The fisher is a medium-sized long-shaped predator that belongs to the weasel family.

Length: Adult fishers are 24 to 30 inches long, including their long, bushy tail.

Weight: Female adults weigh 6 to 8 pounds, and males weigh up to 18 pounds.

Color: The fur of a fisher is a grizzled dark brown, blackish on the rump and tail, with a white or cream-colored bib on their chest.

[InTheNorthwoods]

Ha...yeah they are neat to look at or actually have one wandering around the property. He's not big but it is a decent deer with some mass right at the base on his right and crab claws on the end on his left. Maybe I'll share a pic some time soon.

Show it. Without a picutre, it doesn't exist...

[SouthSide]

Here's a cute little guy I got on a Cam in the yard at our cabin on Upper Red Lake. Didn’t' get any pictures of Mom but I would guess she was not far away.

[rkhinrichs]

what a cutie pie!