Habitat-Talk’s September 2019 trail Cam Contest

[Bill]

Future booner.

He’s sporting some junk for what I’m assuming is a 1.5 YO

 

[Mortenson]

Wow that's awesome. Killer right side. I found a tiny 6 point typical yearling shed once. Other side was a 5.

 

[Someday isle]

Love the glowing ears

 

[biffer99]

 

[bigbendmarine]

As a follow-up on my comment to Bill that my North Florida bucks hadn't yet shed but surely soon would... while most have temporarily gone MIA thankfully the one most comfortable roaming around my place this year, Split Ear, has a sweet tooth he just doesn't seem able to ignore.

Accordingly, after he made a hundred or so trips to a cherry tree dropping behind my house mid-summer I started putting muscadine grapes down under the same tree when the cherries gave out. Blessedly had just enough grape skins left after pressing juice to get a fairly precise answer to when he shed.

Hoping it'll be ok to share two related pics in this one post, he had full velvet on 9/11.



On 9/13 he was still in velvet but the velvet was looking mottled in spots. By 9/15 his horns were almost free of any velvet. Best pic I got of his clean horns was this one on 9/23. Don't have footage of him fighting just yet, but it sure looks like his neck has swollen up quite a bit over the past few weeks as well.

 

[bigbendmarine]

Not that I can say I was completely surprised but I got confirmation coyotes will eat the crap out of muscadine grapes as well. Funny that grapes supposedly can be toxic to dogs, with even a few leading to kidney failure, yet my coyotes made multiple visits to eat large quantities across several weeks of time. WISH it had proven toxic to them... next year may have to put a stand up near the tree where I dump the grape skins so it does prove "toxic" to them one way or the other.

 

[bigbendmarine]

And now for a few shares that so beg for video, I'll share the pic first and then the video just to show how much more of a story folks can get capturing videos versus photos alone. Zero worries if that bars them from voting consideration... just seems like the best thread to share them in! That and most don't fit with this month's hardened horn them anyway.

Looking at the photo alone a sensible person would likely guess that the barred owl had just swooped down, caught the squirrel off guard, and the squirrel was doing its best to hide from the owl, right?



Here's what the video ACTUALLY showed! Watch closely and you'll see the squirrel even re-enters the frame a second time at the end of the clip! Guessing a momma squirrel concerned with drawing attention away from a nest OR the owl had already snagged a baby, though not visible in the clip?

 

[bigbendmarine]

Next one isn't quite as unusual but will just say the video shows MUCH more "action" than the still photo and if I were Mom, I think I'd be calling it weaning time!

 

[bigbendmarine]

Finally, looking at the picture alone would beg for concern over whether the coyote was looking to make an attack on the pictured buck, one I'm calling Wide 8 (wide for Florida, and especially for a buck I think may only be 2.5).



Thanks to video fairly confident the coyote just wanted its turn at a watering hole I set up, and thankfully Wide 8 made it clear he preferred not having company.

 

[Bill]

WISH it had proven toxic to them... next year may have to put a stand up near the tree where I dump the grape skins so it does prove "toxic" to them one way or the other.

Next time add Xylitol ;)

 

[Telemark]

Here's the red stag I'm after:

 

[scott44]

Umm good clover.

 

[SWIFFY]

Here's the red stag I'm after:

View attachment 26461

Thats a crazy cool... almost eeery photo I have to say!!

Looks like youre hunting somewhere from Lord of the Rings! Or maybe the Jagermeister bull :)

 

[SwampCat]

Really big bodied deer for my area

 

[Jake]

Mouth full.

 

[Bill]

Here's the red stag I'm after:

View attachment 26461

Congratulations, Telemark takes September with 10 votes.

PM me your address Tele.