Tag Archives: hunting

Deer Cam – Spying on Nature

This is a large male bobcat. A really spectacular picture. Although the males are only about 30 pounds, I wouldn’t want to run into one. And my granddaughter and I had just walked down the drive earlier that morning! Yikes!

One of my favorite gadgets is our deer cam or trail cam.  Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure…and surprise of catching many critters on camera.  I’ve moved the camera around the property several times but it seems that the most active spot is a place on our driveway where it crosses a creek.  There are woods on either side with some fields nearby.  Although much of the animal traffic seems to be at night, I’ve captured some pretty spectacular daytime shots, too.

Coyote with pear. Taken in back orchard this summer. About 40 feet from the house.

Check out the photos and enjoy a brief visit to my part of the world.  I’m not including all the neighborhood cats, multiple pix of my dog (and some other dogs), the delivery people and other vehicles and tractors.

By the way, a trail cam makes a great present to the outdoor lover in your life.  We have two cameras but I’d love to have more.

Buck in velvet this summer

Heron strutting down the driveway.

A very large rooster strutting down the drive. Probably an escapee from my neighbor’s chicken house.

Mystery critter. I had moved the camera nearer the house and it was also near our security light. I kept seeing this creature pass in front of the lens. I finally concluded that it is a photo of a bat in action. What do you think?

Is this my best side? I get so many photos of deer (deer cam, right?). The light is infrared so they can’t see it, but I think they hear it click when it takes a picture.

Two raccoons heading up the drive for a midnight snack. Probably the culprits for the losses in my neighbor’s chicken house. They are NOT cute. They are mean and vicious and can destroy a garden in a night.

A large coyote with a bite mark. I’d hate to see what gave it to him.

Coyotes often travel in packs. While usually shy, they were nightly visitors to our orchards this year.

Wild turkeys are very crafty and great survivors in the woods. They actually can fly and manage to raise a brood every year.

Many possums in the area. I don’t particularly like them but they are reported to eat thousands of ticks each day. That is good. They will also break into a chicken house and eat the eggs and baby chicks. Not good.

Groundhog. Not a desirable creature as they tend to dig out building foundations and otherwise become pests.

A standoff between a crow and a squirrel. It appears that the crow is holding something in his beak.

Night visitor. This is the scariest of all of the photos I’ve captured. The intruder is coming up the drive in the very early morning on Easter Sunday. (And, no, it’s not the Easter bunny!) With his knapsack and large knife, I hope that he was planning to do some mushroom hunting in the woods. But, also, the neighbor’s house was broken into that morning. Kinda creepy. Our dog was locked up unfortunately.

The Huntress I and II, oil on canvas

The Huntress I – oil on canvas, 20 x 20, Kit Miracle

The Huntress II – oil on canvas, 20 x 20, Kit Miracle

The Huntress I and II are two paintings that I created earlier this year.  Although I have often created a series of paintings, this is the first time that I created a pair of paintings.  They each stand alone from a design view, but work better as a pair.

My aim here was to create a bit of mystery, to simplify the background and the figure, and to play off the high intensity light without adding a harshness to the scene

Check out the step-by-step page to learn more about how I made these beautiful pair. https://my90acres.com/artwork/the-huntress-i-and-ii-step-by-step/

Hunting season

Deer hunting season started here yesterday.  This is with guns.  Bow season is a lot longer.  Lots of booms in the woods.  I stay close to the house, in the studio.  No biking for me for a few weeks.

When I lived in the city, I always felt sorry for poor Bambi being shot by the big mean hunters.  Since I’ve lived here in the country for over 25 years, I’ve had a total reversal of attitude.  The white tail deer was totally wiped out in this state and only reintroduced in the 1940s.  Without predators, the population has exploded.  No matter what your thoughts about hunting, something has to be done.  (NO, I do NOT want wolves to be reintroduced!)

Deer ravish the understory forest growth, decimating native plant populations.  They can jump any fence and are a huge concern for farmers’ crops.  Overpopulation make them susceptible to many diseases, some harmful to humans.  But worst of all are the significant road hazards they cause.  Rarely does our daily paper not report at least one deer vs auto accident.  Usually this time of year it’s two or three.  Between my husband and two sons, they have hit a total of six deer, once two at a one time.  Of course, that car was totaled but fortunately no one was hurt.

Venison is also a very lean meat.  All of the local hunters I know actually eat what they kill, or even take the meat to the local food bank.  I don’t know anyone around here who is a trophy hunter although there is plenty bragging when a big buck is bagged.

Our ninety acres is mostly a big park, not much of  a farm other than the garden and some fields we rent out.  However, we don’t like trespassers and only allowed limited hunting on the property.  Most city folks have no idea whose property they are on or whether or not there is a house behind that copse of trees.  We’d rather not take chances with armed (and often drunk) idiots.

Anyway, life in the country is not always bucolic or quiet.  It’s more often man against nature…and nature is winning.