Tag: trail cameras

You need to see these 6 animals caught on trail cams

Check out these critters on camera.

Trail cameras are a relatively recent invention. Several sources credit photographer George Shiras as the creator of the first trail cam. Born in 1859, Shiras began using camera traps and flash photography to capture images of wildlife in the late 1800s. Over 100 years later, trail camera photos still manage to ignite the curiosity of people all over the world. Every so often, you may even see a trail cam video go viral on social media. Dive into the fascinating world of trail cam animal moments with this round-up of cool outdoors footage. Below, you can see adorable bears, big cats, and more in their natural habitats.

Trail-cam operator reveals grizzly bear ‘near encounters’

A trail-cam operator in the Yukon Territory has shared “near-encounter” footage showing grizzly bears in front of his camera on the same days as his maintenance visits.

Those who monitor trail cameras in grizzly bear country must wonder how close they might be to bears when they check their devices.

The accompanying footage, featured by David Troup of Yukon Wildlife  Cams, provides an interesting perspective of what it’s like to be the person who maintains the cameras.

In his Facebook post, Troup revealed how much time passed between grizzly bear visits to the camera site and Troup’s visits on the same days.

“On four occasions this summer I checked cameras on the same day as grizzlies visited, with an increasing trend in separation times, thankfully,” Troup stated. “The near encounters were separated by times of (hours:minutes) 2:24, 4:38, 6:56, and 7:27.”

The bears include a probable large boar at the beginning of the footage, and a sow with cubs.

Troup, who appears in front of the camera between bear appearances, cautioned anyone entering bear country to carry bear spray, make noise, and “hope the space-time continuum is on your side.”

Facebook followers thanked Troup for showcasing the Yukon Territory’s wildlife, but some expressed concern for his safety.

Troup told FTW Outdoors:

“I just responded to a comment of what my point of the post was so it’s not interpreted as me presenting myself as some ‘brave outdoorsman’ narrative.

“Everyone who spends time outdoors likely has near encounters with a variety of wildlife yet may not realize it. But with trail cams we sometimes capture those moments.”

Viewers will note that the first bear sniffs the camera before continuing its journey.

Wild animals have an acute sense of their surroundings and react to motion-sensor cameras in different ways.

Last year, one of Troup’s cameras captured footage of a “camera-shy” coyote that paused in front of and quickly bounded away from the device.

Troup explained that his cameras are well disguised, but added: “Inevitably wildlife can detect peculiarities in their environment, whether it’s by sight, sound or smell.”

Wolf steals trail camera and video evidence ‘is a bit telling’

A remote trail camera in Alberta, Canada, has captured nighttime footage showing a wolf running off with another camera.

A remote trail camera in Alberta, Canada, has captured nighttime footage showing a wolf running off with another camera.

The footage is amusing in that viewers can track the purloined camera in the wolf’s muzzle because of a bright light detected by other trail cameras.

The cameras are monitored by the Help Alberta Wildies Society (HAWS), which conducts research on wild horses.

“In case there was any doubt about who ran off with the trail camera, the evidence is a bit telling,” HAWS joked on Facebook.

HAWS informed followers that it retrieved the camera and “it was pretty chewed up but it kept recording.”

HAWS added that the infrared light from the camera is not visible to wolves or humans. The only reason viewers can see the light is because it was detected by other cameras utilizing the same technology.

“The trailcams pick up that light when they’ve been triggered by movement at night,” HAWS explained. “It was totally dark as far as the wolf could see.”

Two wolves are shown in the footage, including the camera thief, which ultimately trots in front of the camera that captured the footage.

The wolves belong to a pack of seven that “are picked up frequently by our cameras as they pass by our research areas for wild horses,” HAWS told FTW Outdoors.

It was not clear why the wolf removed the camera from its anchor but several viewers joked, before being educated on the invisibility of infrared light, that it might have needed a flashlight.

Watch: Coyote freaks out in presence of trail camera

Footage shows wolves and a coyote reacting to trail cameras, with the coyote earning the prize for theatrics.

On Friday we shared footage showing an elusive Yellowstone National Park wolf pack reacting to a remote motion-sensor trail camera.

Taylor Rabe, a researcher, stated via Instagram: “Wolves are very aware when cameras are in the area, and you can see these two adults checking it out!”

Her video was reminiscent of the accompanying footage, captured last year in Canada’s Yukon Territory. In the Yukon Wildlife Cams video, the canid is a coyote and its response is spirited.

David Troup of Yukon Trail Cams stated on Facebook: “Coyotes are known for being wary of trail cameras as this one demonstrates with a rather animated response upon that sudden realization.”

In the footage, the coyote stops in its tracks and bows briefly before bounding away from perceived danger.

Troup’s cameras are disguised but he explained, “Inevitably wildlife can detect peculiarities in their environment, whether it’s by sight, sound or smell.”

Yukon Wildlife Cams last year also shared footage showing a momma grizzly bear mouthing a trail camera near a pond.

Watch coyote’s ‘animated response’ when it detects trail-cam

A motion-sensor camera in Canada’s Yukon Territory has captured footage showing a coyote reacting to the presence of the camouflaged device on a remote trail.

A motion-sensor camera in Canada’s Yukon Territory has captured footage showing a coyote reacting to the presence of the camouflaged device on a remote trail.

“Coyotes are known for being wary of trail cameras as this one demonstrates with a rather animated response upon that sudden realization,” David Troup of Yukon Wildlife Cams described Monday on Facebook.

In the footage, the coyote bows briefly before bounding away from perceived danger.

Troup explained in the comments section that his cameras are well disguised, but added: “Inevitably wildlife can detect peculiarities in their environment, whether it’s by sight, sound or smell.”

ALSO: Yellowstone tourists encounter one of park’s rarest animals

One viewer regarded the coyote’s behavior as playful, while another wrote that this was the same type of behavior her dog displays “when he sees me approaching with the ear-drop bottle.”

Troup monitors several trail cameras that showcase the Yukon’s critters as they wander the remote wilderness.

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‘Get back, mountain lion!’ Tense encounter caught on video

A photographer who monitors trail cameras in Southern California mountain lion habitat experienced a dangerously close encounter with one of the predators on Friday.

A photographer who monitors trail cameras in the Southern California wilderness experienced a dangerously close mountain lion encounter on Friday.

Mark Girardeau, who was hiking with Rachel de Vlugt in Orange County’s Trabuco Canyon,  shared footage of their 5 p.m. encounter via Instagram.

Girardeau told FTW Outdoors that he and de Vlugt had just checked  a few cameras when he saw the mountain lion run up a hill and stop to watch them from perhaps 20 feet away.

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In the footage the male mountain lion, or cougar, peers intently through bushes and does not flinch as Girardeau repeatedly yells, “Get back!” in an attempt to keep the animal at bay.

As they slowly back away, the cat briefly follows.

Girardeau’s Instagram description reads: “I think there are two things that could have caused this: either he has a kill nearby and he was defending it or he ran up not realizing we were humans since he couldn’t completely see us from down below.

“There were deer in the area that we saw so he probably assumed it was them.”

Mountain lions in Southern California prey largely on mule deer, which they stalk and ambush.

Girardeau wrote: “Mountain lions do not predate on humans and this is why it’s good to hold your ground because any prey item for mountain lions runs away. If you don’t do this, the mountain lion is not going to assume you are prey.”

Girardeau, whose social media feeds contains cougar footage captured by motion-sensor cameras, told FTW Outdoors that about two minutes passed before the cougar stopped following them.

–Image courtesy of Mark Girardeau