Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Checking Bait Station in Research Area



So I headed up to the research area last week. I thought it would be something I would have to do alone eventually, and it was. That's allright with me. For the most part my schedule is pretty uncertain and I understand this makes going in pairs a little harder.
To my surprise I was pretty shocked to find the fist bait station without using my map or notes. It was all locked into my brain. It was like 4 weeks was only 4 hrs.
I parked my car and headed up the marked embankment. Once I started up the hill, I could already see signs of animals on the game trail. I remembered pretty quick just how many footsteps it took to get up the stump where we left the jar of Jiffy.
The jar was totally gone. There were no signs of it being opened at the scene or that it had been rolled away by weather. It had been taken by something that can open its grip or mouth to about 5 inches.

I decided to look around for any evidence of foot tracking or DNA at the scene. I walked the game trails and sat down in the middle of the forest for a while. I felt as thought leaping to any conclusions outside of known predators, including human, was a thought I had to deal with. I sat down beside the stump and decided what to do next.
I reached into wallet and pulled out a picture of me and my son. It is a regular wallet size photo of us dressed up on Halloween. If something comes by and takes this photo. If something sees this photo framed by twigs and guarded by branches and still removes this photo, what if anything will that mean as far as what is roaming this area. Granted a game cam would end all this fuss and guessing.

Oddly enough this costume shows me in werewolf makeup. Maybe the hair and teeth will come as a welcomed change of pace.

This again is very remote private property!

After I drove off from the first bait station, I had to travel 45 minutes east and to the infamous hanging coconut. If you watch the video I have posted on the blog, you can see just how ridiculous the process was of me trying to hang it.
It was untouched and hanging just as I had left it. I decided to take down the bait and open the coconut and throw it in a mesh bag. I then hung it from the string and drizzled out the coconut milk on the side of a hill. I left the bait on the side of the hill in hopes to see what would be walking up to it. The hill is very easy to see footprints on and whatever takes it will probably leave a print. Here is a larger picture of the coconut hanging from a nearby stump. The bottom picture is a close up view of just how this done. fairly crude and I am as you know just a novice.

1 comment: