Bobcat

Checking the game cameras at our West Hill property this weekend and got this nice photo of a Bobcat.

Eastern Painted Turtle

Another turtle found in the road. This time it was an Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta) in the road to our cabin, not far from our pond. This turtle had a shell of about 5 inches and was most likely looking for a place to lay eggs.

Snapping Turtle

While traveling between our barn and cabin I found this snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) in the middle of the township road. Snapping turtles very seldom leave the protection of water, but this is most likely a female turtle preparing to lay eggs. This was one of the more friendly snapping turtles I've encountered and almost appears to be smiling.

Snapping turtles can live about 100 years and this one had a shell of about 12 inches, which is average for an adult.

Since the middle of a road isn't a safe place for any turtle, I moved it into our lawn.

Early Buck Scouting

It's still a few months until the start of deer season but a good time to check out the local bucks.

Young Raccoon

I'm starting to see a lot of this year's young animals on my evening wildlife rides. While most of the adult wildlife are nocturnal, many young animals may venture out in the early evening due to hunger pangs and looking for food. I found this lone/young raccoon along one of the trails on our property. I was able to get within 5 feet of this raccoon for the photo.

Bear Encounter

Black bear sightings are becoming more frequent in our neighborhood. This morning, while I was talking to one of the neighbors, this black bear ran across another neighbor's lawn and crossed the township road in front of us.

New Antlers

I found this yearling buck along the road to our cabin during my evening wildlife drive. Being a yearling, last year's fawn, this is the young buck's first set of antlers. These antlers are still developing and covered in soft, blood-rich, fuzzy skin known as velvet.

Young Porcupine

I enjoy taking a tour of our property as the local wildlife start to become active in the evening. Most of the time it's deer and rabbits, but I never know what I'll find. This time it was a young porcupine in an apple tree looking for a meal. Since it was a short tree I was able to get within a few feet of the porcupine on a lower limb.

New Guinea Fowl In The Neighborhood

Our neighbors have been rasing Guinea fowl for the past few years and now for the past couple of weeks a couple of Guinea hens have been hanging out around our barn and acting "strange". One of the hens started roosting in our barn.

Yesterday I got a clue as to why the hens were acting "strange" and staying near our barn... They were nesting and now have little chicks. I've counted at least 10 chicks.

Red Fox Hunting Mice

Summer is a busy time of the year and one of the tasks is mowing fields with a brush-hog. This time I had a new friend follow me around the field looking for a meal. This young red fox has learned that mowing activity will remove the hay and reveal hiding mice.

Zeroing in on a mouse in the hay.

Success!

Bears in the Neighborhood

After seeing a bear with cubs earlier this week I checked my game cameras and found this bear checking out the "Bone Yard" for a meal.

Bunnies and Bears

It was a day for young animals. I was brush hogging some overgrown fields this morning when I uncovered a nest of 4 young bunny rabbits. No rabbits were harmed, but they need a new home. A short distance away I uncovered a second rabbit nest without damaging it. Time to move to another location.

Stopped for lunch and on my return to the mower I had a mama bear and two cubs cross the road in front me. As I returned to mowing a field, the bear and cubs crossed my path again, in an area I had mowed in the morning. In checking with a neighbor, it appears the mama bear was showing the cubs where the bird feeders are.

Honey Bee Wrangling

A few of the honey bees from the swarm are still in the area and grandson Reed got a chance to do some bee wrangling. The bees were feeding on a sugar/water mixture and allowed Reed to pick up some bees.

Reed with three honey bees on his fingers.

Honey Bee Swarm

The sky was buzzing at our cabin property today as a swarm of wild honeybees gathered in a small autumn olive bush

The honey bees were very calm as Reed held the branches back and I was able to get within 2 feet of the swarm and take some pictures.

Turkey Hunting

Not much activity here on the hill for the first week of turkey hunting. The gobblers I'd seen prior to the start of the season were doing a good job of hiding... until today. In the blind at 5:30AM and watching the rain all morning. At 10:45 the rain slowed to a light drizzle and this hen walked within 4 feet of the window on the blind.

As I watched the hen in the field for the next 10 minutes, this large gobbler came out of the woods on the same path as the hen used. When the gobbler got within 20 yards I hit him with a 3½ inch load of #5 shot. Bird down and season over for me. The bird had a 9 inch beard.