Looking Out My Back Door

[Jim Koepke]

Stepped out the back door to toss coffee grounds into the compost and saw some movement. Then my gaze settled on a buck that has been staring at me a few times on my walk to check the mail.

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He is standing in the branches of a fir tree that was brought down last week.

Hope he learns to hide better when bow season opens. Riffles are not allowed for hunting in our area.

jtk

[Lee Schierer]

This one was in our back yard last week.
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[Brian Henderson]

We've got no deer around here, but a couple of weeks ago, I saw a pack of coyotes just wandering down the middle of my street. We used to get them all the time at the old house, they'd come into the back yard for water and we had a big outdoor dog that they used to cuddle up with or sleep in the doghouse. There were a couple of times when I got to sit out on the back stoop and play with baby coyotes. They were skitterish but healthy because we had tons of rabbits on the property and they had nothing to fear from humans so long as they stayed on our acreage.

[daryl moses]

We had been seeing a couple of Red Foxes hanging around the house so I set out one of my trail cameras hoping to get some pics of them. Got this little fellow instead. We have been seeing this one and it's mom from time to time in the back yard but never realized it was getting this close to the house.

[Jim Becker]

We have a regular "family" of deer that inhabit our yard and property and actively scoff at us when we pull in the driveway at night. The other day, the "mama" actually "barked" at Professor Dr. SWMBO as she was walking to her car... :rolleyes: ...like we're not allowed to do stuff on our own property that isn't pre-approved by the resident deer population. LOL

[Robert LaPlaca]

We live very close to uptown Charlotte (calling it downtown is frowned upon), within 3-4 miles to Bank of America stadium and High rise office buildings. About two weeks ago in the neighbors front yard was a red fox, judging by the neighborhood information page, the red fox has been making the rounds and has been photographed multiple times. Rumor is that a coyote has also been spotted!

[John K Jordan]

Hope he learns to hide better when bow season opens. Riffles are not allowed for hunting in our area.


The day hunting season opens all the deer disappear. Normally I see 2-6 every day in my fields and around the house then, boom (literally) they are gone until a few weeks after the season closes.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have counted around 40 deer in my backyard at one time.

[Jim Koepke]

I have counted around 40 deer in my backyard at one time.

Wow, the most we have is usually 5 in one place. Elk would be a different story, but the elk herds haven't been this way in a few years.

Most of the bucks we see are just starting to sprout horns. This is the first dear buck we have seen with this much of a rack after living here for 9 years. This is the third time he has been around for me to see over the last couple of weeks.

jtk

[Sam Murdoch]

We had been seeing a couple of Red Foxes hanging around the house so I set out one of my trail cameras hoping to get some pics of them. Got this little fellow instead. We have been seeing this one and it's mom from time to time in the back yard but never realized it was getting this close to the house.

How do you like your Moultrie? What model? We are fortunate to live in the woods and share the yard with deer and turkey, coyote and right now - a very fine red fox. What a beauty at this time of year - thick shiny red fur and a long tail with a perfectly white 10" of tip. Would love to catch some of our action on a good trail camera but have been overwhelmed by the choices. Your photo is excellent and so I ask.

[daryl moses]

How do you like your Moultrie? What model? We are fortunate to live in the woods and share the yard with deer and turkey, coyote and right now - a very fine red fox. What a beauty at this time of year - thick shiny red fur and a long tail with a perfectly white 10" of tip. Would love to catch some of our action on a good trail camera but have been overwhelmed by the choices. Your photo is excellent and so I ask.
Sam, it's a Moultrie MFH-DGS-D55IRxt. I have two of them and have had them for several years. They are IR cameras so no white flash which is a plus as they don't seem to spook game. Battery life is great and I am pretty much pleased with them. I was a bit miffed when I actually saw one of the Foxes standing in front of the camera and didn't get any pics?? Must be a ghost Fox haha.
Yes, Foxes are tolerated around my place as are the occasional Bob Cat, we love seeing them and think they are beautiful creatures. Coyotes on the other hand are not welcome!!

[John K Jordan]

How do you like your Moultrie? What model? We are fortunate to live in the woods and share the yard with deer and turkey, coyote and right now - a very fine red fox. What a beauty at this time of year - thick shiny red fur and a long tail with a perfectly white 10" of tip. Would love to catch some of our action on a good trail camera but have been overwhelmed by the choices. Your photo is excellent and so I ask.

We are blessed with an amazing array of wildlife too, in both quantity and number. This guy was snacking on our chickens and guineas! I transported him to an area with lots of squirrels and rabbits. The hawks, possums, raccoons, and dogs also eat at our fast-food restaurant.

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I thought the trail camera picture was good too. I've got several cameras but never got a photo as good as Daryl's. The best were when I set the camera to take multiple photos. I want the currently unobtainable: a remote system that notifies me by cell phone of an animal detected, shows me the view, then lets me pan and zoom the camera!

The pictures that Jim and Lee posted are great. Good animal photos are HARD. I suspect they both used a good zoom lens.

Photographing animals around our place is one of my favorite hobbies. Nothing beats a good DSLR, the right lens, a bit of patience. (and a LOT of luck!) Here are a some of mine, a few picked from some accidentally good shots out of thousands of so-so and just plain bad shots...

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(Yikes, I shouldn't have gotten started, I'll stop now)

JKJ

[Lee Schierer]

Nice photos John, here's one I took.
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[John K Jordan]

Nice photos John, here's one I took.
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Incredible photo! I can see in his eyes that he didn't want to share.

Good focus, color, nice subtle vignetting. If he'd just stood still for some grooming first. Ha!

I was in the Smoky Mountains once and watched a red wolf (one from an introduction attempt) stalking a deer which took off. He turned and walked within 30' of me but I had little kids and no good camera with me. Coat all matted and frazzled. A ranger said they hardly ever came in for a shampoo and perm. :)

JKJ

[Ronald Blue]

Thought this was appropriate for today. Came home a few weeks ago and these guys were in my neighbors yard. We have a lot of deer migrate though as well. This is the heart of big buck country. I've not saw any in the immediate area but they are around.

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[Jim Koepke]

All the back yard views are great.

Ronald's turkeys remind me of a trip many years with the wife down California's 'Lost Coast'. A bunch of wild turkeys crossed our path about this time of year. My response was to slow down. My wife said I should have sped up and we could of had one for dinner.

Sometimes she is more practical than me.

jtk