2012 Trail Cam Thread

[UNDBowhunter]

[lichen fox]

From a friends trail cam by his deer stand near Viking Mn...He also had Bear, Bobcat, Wolves and coyotes!

[slimngrizzly]

That is a bobcat ehhh?!?

[CANOPY SAM]

That's a Bobcat right there, right? Or is it a Lynx? The tufty, long hair on the back of his legs kinda looks like a long tail hanging down behind his left rear leg!?! Was thinking of a much larger cat there!

Had me there for a sec! Started thinking, "Hey, I better call my friends in Viking with little kids!"

[Boar]

Sorry but id bet the farm on cougar, Cr ap I said the C word. Looks like the tail os swing on left side of the left leg making it hard to really tell for sure but the tail is certainly very long like that of cougar. but im not a cougarologist either.

[CANOPY SAM]

I was afraid to say the "C" word too! Lichen, can you crop that "Tippy D" up a bit, blow it up some, and repost?

It REALLY does look like a long tail, but I still think it's just the long hair sticking out from the back of his leg.

[lichen fox]

It is definitly a cougar...if I can get the other pics from him of the bobcats and wolves and coyotes I'll post them also...when I blew it up on my pictures you can definitly see the long tail and he is actually looking slightly away from the camera...

[lichen fox]

I don't know how to blow it up and put it back on...My brother Danni Halvorson got the pic and posted it on facebook...that's where I downloaded it to my pictures...if you do a facebook search for me...Bob Halvorson on facebook you may be able to access it the same way I did...

[lichen fox]

Tippy D....is the guys nick name....it is Steve Dunrud's Camera...we call him "tippy" because of his sense of balance after a 12 pack...

[lichen fox]

don't look lide it worked to enlarge it....

[Boar]

I can see the posibility that it very well might not be a tail but bushy long hair mentioned, cool pic tho.

[CANOPY SAM]

Geez Lichen! You really think so? That'd be a pretty big deal!

I was kinda thinking with the black striped markings on the inside of his front legs (and maybe hind legs too?)...that leads me to think Bobcat.

Anyway, here we go again!!

My youngest son and I jumped a really nice buck in the woods right behind our house yesterday, so I guess most anything is possible! Sure don't want a big cat back there though! We do a lot of stuff at our place near, or after dark!

[lichen fox]

Sam, Sam, Sam I am... I really don't care what anyone on here thinks one way or the other...The guy that had these photos couldn't tell the difference between photo shop and a hair shop...the only way they ended up here was because of my brother's post on facebook...we have had several pictures of cougars in the Viking area over the past several years and confirmed sightings by one of my "other Brother"...Dave Halvorson...yes, of Curt and Dave Fame on KKDQ in TRF! These big cats are not uncommon to the Viking Bad Boys...It's just a pleasure to get a chance to see one of them once in awhile when they pass through!

[lichen fox]

If you click on the pic and open it in a new window you can enlarge it enough to make the tail and other features more clear...

[Boar]

cool, certainly a cougar, thanks for sharing this fox

[Abndoc]

Nice eight, wide..nice brows, will be hard to watch this guy walk away for another year !!

[UNDBowhunter]

[lichen fox]

That looks just like the one that was in my yard this morning!

[mrklean]

great pics guys

[InTheNorthwoods]

I certainly believe that there are cougars in NW Mn on a regular basis. I even believe there is a breeding population (albeit small). However, in this case, I'm going to say bobcat based on what my eyes are telling me.

[slimngrizzly]

Some nice animals everyone! Abndoc, he sure looks nice from the back, if keeps growing those tines he'll be a dandy! UNDbowhunter, it looks like you gotta solid looking buck there!!!

I had another bachelor group come around, looks like some REALLY GOOD up-and-commers! This wide guy could really be something in another year or 2

Here he is earlier....

Here he is now, a month later...

Another nice 2 year old!

[Bear55]

don't look lide it worked to enlarge it....

Not trying to start trouble or get into a [PoorWordUsage] match but I don't think that is not a cougar. If that white block is a salt block, right size considering the trees in the background, that is the tiniest cougar in the world. Alos look closer at the trees, if that is a large or even medium size cougar those things are enormous. The tail looks to be short with some background clutter making it look longer, even so the tail is not large enough to be put in the class of a cougar. I am not saying there are not cougars in MN or even in your area just that it is high likely this is not a cougar.

A pic for comparison.

[Abndoc]

Here is a bobcat for reference. I would bet the farm, its a bobcat..look at the color, structure and tail. If you zoom in the "cougar" pic you can see the short tail of a bobcat, but with the weeds and background trash, it does make it look like a long tail. What is that a picture of a page back with the small black animal? Fisher? otter?

Regardless of whatever it is, these trail cameras are so cool. I just love sliding that chip in my computer and waiting for what is going to pop up!!

[CANOPY SAM]

Yep. I was thinking exactly the same thing. If this is a cougar he's missing about 2 ft. of tail (even if it is laying parallel to his back leg)! In the fuzzy trail cam pic you can see the black tip of a bobcat tail about 3-4 inches below the vent. Also, the black stripes against white hair on the inside of the legs is a pretty good indicator.

I too, don't doubt there are cougar around. They are often seen only a short distance north and east of there, so I don't suppose it would be unusual to catch one on a trail cam. Only this pic is not of a cougar, it's a Bobcat. No doubt about it. Abndoc's picture for comparison is perfect. I've been looking for a good comparison.

They are such a beautiful, elusive animal. Wonder if I could keep "my cool" if a big cat were walking below my stand? They are known to be extremely shy, but I'd imagine at 30-40 lbs. one of these guys could do a lot of damage in a hurry!!!

Where do Bobcats sleep in the big forests? Do they sleep in trees? They're not an animal that lives in a den are they?

[SpecialK]

They sleep in trees. If you do find a fresh track somewhere start looking up in the trees.