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Hiking and Checking Cameras

June 1, 2024

Checked 3 cameras

I set this camera to watch the trail the bear is on and I’m hoping bears use the pool as a bathtub.

This camera watches an intersect at a creek, plus there is a lot of skunk cabbage which always attracts deer, or at least Sitka Blacktails.

This camera watches a intersection between some timber at the top of the hill and muskegs below.

Set up 2 more

Set a camera here to watch an intersection in the timber.

This camera watches an intersection at the edge of some old growth and muskegs that are just past the brush in the back of this image.

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Naha River May 11

Fished the river for the first time in around 20 years, and other than a little gravel around the dock it looks like the trail hasn’t seen any maintenance since then and I wouldn’t attempt it in the rain without calked boots. We started out trying for steelhead but did catch some nice trout, so we down sized our lures and caught a bunch of rainbows and a few cutthroat.

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Hiking 5/4

Checked and replaced a couple cameras I left out over the winter and added 3 more to this area

I put a camera back in this spot which I have used this spot before

This camera watches an area where a lot of secondary trails cross a main trail.

I set this camera to watch an intersection near the edge of a big muskeg on the right, it might be to out in the open to be very good but most of my best spots are so shady that half the day time pictures are in black and white and I like color.

This is the same spot before I cleared out some of the brush.

This is a how I attach my cameras, if you look closely you can see a notch I cut in the tree for the camera to sit in. The notch plus packing it in tightly with moss and tying the strap after buckling it helps to stop bears and bucks from taking down or messing up the camera’s aim.

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Hiking 4/27

Hiking, setting trailcams and fishing for trout

Caught and released a bunch of sea-run cutthroat, and bonked the biggest dolly varden, ended up keeping one cutthroat that I hooked badly.

I set up 4 more cameras, 3 in new spots and one in a place I’ve used before.

Set a camera here to watch a place where a bunch trails converge to cross a creek.

This camera a main trail deer and bear use to avoid a big open muskeg that is about 20 yards to the left.

I’ve used this spot before, the camera watches an intersection of multiple trails in a skunk cabbage patch, the cabbage is just starting to grow.

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This camera watches an intersection of multiple trails and I think deer probably like to bed on that bare patch of ground.

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Hiking 4/20

I set up 4 trailcams

This camera watches an intersection of a bunch of trails between some dark timber on the left and some muskegs on the right.

This pool in a swampy creek looks like a place bears might like to take a dip, and there is a trail on the far side of it.

This camera watches an intersection at the edge of a muskeg, I expect it will be a decent spot as things green up during this spring and into the summer but I will probably need to move it at the end of August when these open area lose there appeal to deer and bear.

This spot should be really good, several main trails come together at this creek, and it’s full of skunk cabbage which would be showing if the deer didn’t have it chewed down to the dirt.

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Hiking, Fishing, and Setting Cameras

First hike in quite a while. Set up 3 trailcams and caught a bunch of cutthroat and one steelhead, and found a nice shed.

Setting up 3 trail cameras

Put a camera back in this spot, it has been one of my best spots in this area.

This is a new spot on a trail I hike a lot, there is a lot of sign so it should be good.

This is another place I’ve used in the past, the camera was on the other side of the puddle the last 2 years, decided to try a new angle this year.

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Florida Vacation 2024 #1

Lake Okeechobee, January 23 – February 3

We booked early and ended up on the lake during the busiest time of the year starting with a big MLF tournament at the beginning of our trip and then B.A.S.S. showed up to start practicing before MLF finished for an even bigger tournament at the end of our stay. In spite of the crowds we still caught a lot of fish inluding some pretty big ones.

I brought 8 trailcams and set them up on the banks of the canals around the lake, I expect to see a lot of raccoons and possums and I’ve also captured alligators, iguanas, marsh rabbits, bobcats, deer, coyotes and black bear, plus a lot of birds when I pick them up in March.

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Highlights from a few Hikes December 2-17

I spent the first half of December checking on and bringing most of my trailcams home, I only left 7 out and except a few favorite spots I plan to use again, I will find new homes for the other 30+ cameras.

I’m guessing a wolf got this fawn and it’s not as broken up as a usual wolf kill because it didn’t share it with the rest of the pack.

Deer season is still open so while hitting all my cameras I did make a little effort to get another deer but didn’t see many and none were bucks.

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Highlights from 3 Cameras

This first camera has been a good spot in the past, I’ve had a camera here for around 10 years, but the wolves in the area are starting to take a serious toll on the deer population.
This spot was pretty good during the rut except picture quality sucked so I took it down and will set one in the same area next year.
I set this Camera to watch bears when the creek was full of pink salmon, I took it down when I checked it this time
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Deer Hunting

October 28 – November 19

Hunting has been tougher than usual this year, I think that might be mainly do to weather which has forced me to hunt areas with a lot of pressure because it’s been to stormy to take the Kayak out. So far I managed to get 2 of the 5 decent bucks I’ve seen or called in and I let a bunch of little bucks walk away. I’m hoping to fill 1 more tag (we get 4) and we still have until the end of December to hunt deer here but it’s going to get tougher as the rut winds down.

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Highlights from 4 Cameras

I’ve had a camera here for a long time, it’s always been good for sparring matches, but the deer population is dropping do to wolves increasing.
I used this spot several years ago but moved the camera after a few humans showed up.
This is the first check of this spot. Several trails intersect here and though it’s in a pretty open area at the edge of some big muskegs it’s doing okay.
This spot has been okay but I’m going to find a new home for this camera next year.
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Hiking October 7

Moved 3 trailcams I had set for bears along a small salmon stream to areas I hope to catch some rut action.

I set a camera here to take photos of an intersection of multiple trails at the bottom of a hillside

This camera is set to record videos of an intersection of 2 trails

This camera is also set to take videos of an intersection of 2 trails.

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Hiking September 30

I would call this post hunting but the only buck I saw was either a big fawn or small yearling.

I moved a camera here hoping for some decent rut action, it watches a main trail that follows the base of a steep hill where a lot of secondary trail intersect it.

Moved another camera here to watch a main trail that follows the edge of a big area of muskeg.

Hiking, Camping, Setting Trailcams and Filling a Deer Tag

I set a camera here, it is set to watch 2 trails coming off a ridge where the intersect a trail running a long the bottom of the ridge.

I set a camera here to watch a multiple trail intersection.

A bear ate another bear here, probably a boar ate a cub. The brush was really thick here but the bear tore it all up to bury the carcass to keep it hidden until he could finish it.

Filled my first of four tags, called him in right at dusk only a short distance from my camp after hiking around looking for deer and checking cameras all day. I usually hold out for bigger deer but I ran out of venison and deer tags taste papery.

Looking for Deer August 1-2, 2025

Alaska’s 5 month long deer season opens August 1, The best way to find them is to climb up above the tree line where the best food is out in the open, but I choose to hunt for them down low where the best food is the jungle to save my old knees from the stress of carrying heavy loads down the steep slippery sides of our mountains (my knees are in good condition for 60, and I want to get as many hunting seasons as possible out of them).