With warm weather in the forecast, my trail companion and I thought that we would take advantage of the snow and look for animal tracks. Making a new path on a snowmobile road, we were surprised by the amount of coyote sign in the woods as only days before there had been none– with melting in some areas, those tracks looked like they belonged to a large wolf. There were also many obvious highways that would have been nice to follow if we had more time– I do not think the deer that made them, however, would have appreciated our interruption.
We soon found ourselves at the pipeline. After doing some exploring, we crossed a group of tracks that formed a deep ditch into the snow, leading us to a den. My trail companion and I agreed that this would be a nice spot to set up a game camera to capture the animal– I hope it does not mind all the attention it will be getting. The coyote tracks did not go up as far as the modest snow-covered home, which I am sure made this animal happy; however, it is probably just as unhappy with the bobcat that seemed to be showing an interest in the area. I am looking forward to coming back to this spot later to see if the bustling town stays busy, and to view photographs of at least one of its residents.
Bradford Angier compiled an abundance of information covering fire making, wild edibles, navigation and more to help campers survive in the woods.
John Ford, retired Maine game warden, comically shares many of his fortunes and misfortunes while working in the field.
Annette Jackson tells us of her experiences living in the north Maine woods as a game warden's wife in the 1930s.
Michelle Souliere covers strange Maine tales and mysteries ranging from witches to the Loup-Garou.
With hunting season in full swing, Delorme's Atlas and Gazetteer will help you plan a trip, or get from here to there.
Gil Gilpatrick outlines basic outdoor skills for anyone looking to increase their knowledge in planning and packing for a wilderness canoe trip.
Joyce Butler writes of the historical Maine fire that raged in 1947 , burning 200,000 acres including many coastal homes and communities.
Paul Fournier shares stories of being a guide and bush pilot, as well as assisting in the failed reintroduction of caribou in Maine.
Donn Fendler shares his story about being lost on Katahdin, Maine's largest mountain, when he was 12 years of age.
February 2012
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Well?
Figured out what is is, yet?
Looks like a small animal, pretty close to the ground.
Ron- I have a fairly good idea and it seems you do as well.
Hopefully the camera captured some good photographs and I will be able to post them early next week.
I have two concerns for this adventure. 1. Being for your safety and 2. That you might eat yellow snow!
Beth- Thank you for your concern and I will do my best to avoid it!
It’s always interesting to see what animals are around. I hope your trail camera gets some interesting photos!
Joseph- It can certainly be surprising sometimes.
Thank you, me too!
One of the great things when winter fly fishing is observing the various animal tracks in the snow. Most are well known, but there are those that can’t be identified.
Alan- It does add a nice element that does not exist in the other seasons.
Good luck on those small streams!
Peter,
Winter tracking can be a lot of fun, and your photos capture that. Let me know if you find the four-legged fisher’s track and wish to share it.
Walt- Thank you, it is absolutely a great activity for the winter.
I’ll keep my eye out for a fisher track and photograph it next time I see it.
That’s pretty neat. Can’t wait to see what the camera captures. Snow just adds a majestic touch to scenery pictures. I wish I had some down here, enjoy it while you can.
It certainly does OE.
We seem to be getting less and less of it.
It will be very interesting to see what you captcha’ on your cam, Peter..
Mike- I am looking forward to it as well.