August 5, 2008Trailcam (troughcam, actually) picture of a big bear
This feeding station is clearly set up to attract wildlife. (Note the game cam in the background.) I guess it could be for deer, as long as those aren't donuts in there. But as soon as it starts attracting bears it becomes illegal since feeding bears is unauthorized. I hate to be too cynical. But anyone want to place odds on whether or not there will be a treestand set up near this thing come opening day? |
About this blog
While growing up in rural Southern Oregon, Mark Taylor developed a passion for the outdoors while he and his younger brother tagged along with their father on fishing, hunting and camping adventures. Graduating from Northwestern University in 1988, Taylor spent four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy based in Norfolk before moving into journalism. After five years writing about the military for a Norfolk-based publishing company, he became the outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times in 1998. He lives in Roanoke with his wife and twin daughters. .....Advertisement.....
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Comments
[August 5, 2008 4:51 PM]
MoeWOW, Nice shot. Finally a pic of a bear where he belongs, In the woods. LOL And Ill take the bet that there will be a tree stand near by. Oh yea Mark... Only 60 days- LOL
[August 6, 2008 7:32 AM]
v Allen EsquireFrom my observations my bet is no. If you will notice ---no leaves. Means the pic was made in the winter. In the background --another cam. In its right ear a tag. Possibly an old photo in VA or later in WV. Also by the looks of things, not a large bear, maybe 125- 140 lb. A tree stand maybe last year.
[August 6, 2008 8:21 AM]
Walt HamptonMark, you should immediately turn the information on the owner of this photo over to the Virginia Game Department for them to investigage.
[August 6, 2008 10:19 AM]
StephenMark, I would not have posted this pic. I do not feel the shot came from VA, even though the reader is from VA and the pic came from his buddy. I would have assumed the pic came from an area with more liberal feeding/baiting regs. Either way, it is not a shot that flips my cookie. I’m waiting for more angling photos of Julie Ball, the fishing-crazed dentist.
[August 6, 2008 2:28 PM]
Heather FroeschlMan, that's like trapping a rabbit under a box using a carrot for bait. I don't call that hunting.
[August 7, 2008 9:02 AM]
v Allen EsquireMark, I see that my comment yesterday did not get posted. Guess it did not meet the contraversy trying to be started because it brought attention to the photo being old and description of not a big bear. Quite obvious that this is a relativly old picture----just observe the background. Also with the tag in it's ear, most likley from somewhere besides VA.
[August 7, 2008 4:30 PM]
BacklashMountain lion snatches dog from owners' bedroom
Great bear Photo! Did you read this story.
Bedrooms aren't safe in mountain lion country, not if the doors are left open, an Idledale couple discovered to their sorrow on Monday.
A hungry male mountain lion spied an easy meal at their home early Monday and walked right into their bedroom to get it.
The French doors that open to the back yard from the bedroom of the house were ajar, and the 130-pound adult cougar came right in and grabbed the family's beloved 12-year-old yellow Labrador.
Idledale is about 14 miles southwest of Denver, near Morrison in Jefferson County.
It was a scene of domestic bliss, the husband and wife sleeping in the master bedroom, and the couple's two dogs also asleep in the room, Jennifer Churchill, spokeswoman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife said this morning.
"It was about 4:30 in the morning," she said. "The gal awoke to a sound, got up out of bed, and saw something about a foot away from her.
"She said to her husband, 'There's an animal in here.'"
That's when the mountain lion grabbed the female yellow Labrador and ran out the door.
The lion then displayed typical cougar behavior, eating part of the dog, but then hiding it beneath some pine needles so he could come back and eat the rest later.
The couple agreed to let wildlife officers use the dog's carcass as bait, so a trap was concocted.
"The cougar did come back," and was trapped, Churchill said.
While it's not unusual for a mountain lion to enter neighborhoods to seek an easy meal, the fact that this one went right into a house, in fact, into a bedroom, meant that he likely would be a danger to other residents, she said.
So, this morning, wildlife officers killed the cougar.
Now, it's on its way to Fort Collins where veterinarians will examine its body to see if it had any diseases or anything else that might explain its aberrant behavior, Churchill said.
The mountain lion ignored the humans and the other dog in the bedroom, which isn't a surprise, Churchill said.
"When lions go after something, they're pretty single-minded," she said. "They generally zero in on things that are vulnerable. They want what they're going after. They're not distracted by other animals.
"They kill to eat."
Mountain lions prefer deer, elk and other fellow wildlife, but aren't above snatching an easier meal in a backyard, no matter how much that meal is loved by the humans who care for it.
The family "is pretty traumatized," and doesn't want to talk publicly about the incident, she said. "They're upset they lost their beloved pet."
Churchill cautioned people who live in the foothills or anywhere in mountain lion habitat "to be extra cautious with yourself and your pets."
"Keep the doors closed, keep the pets close by. Be aware of what's around you. Make noise.
"Put in motion lights" to startle wild animals that enter the yard.
[August 9, 2008 12:05 PM]
botetourtsteveI support the right to arm bears.
[August 11, 2008 3:58 PM]
Mark Taylor : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/wildlife/Sorry for the delay in approving all of the comments. My vacation was actually that and I stayed away from the computer.
I wouldn't say I was trying to create a controversy with this picture. Merely a discussion.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't see an ear tag on this bear. I'm not saying it doesn't have one. I just don't see it. As for the foliage, I don't know. The picture had a date stamp (which I cropped out) and it was from late July. The background exposure is so blown out it's hard to tell.
I sent an e-mail to the sender asking if it was from around here and I haven't heard back. Maybe it wasn't.
I realize baiting laws vary greatly by state and country. How you feel about it is up to you. Personally, if it's legal, I've got no problem with it for bear hunting. In some of those states without hound hunting it's the only way to give yourself a reasonable chance to kill a bear. (And it's no sure thing.) That doesn't mean I would do it. But I won't condemn someone who does.
In Virginia, it's not legal so I don't support it here. That's pretty simple.
That said, even though I understand where Walt is coming from, I'm not going to disclose to law enforcement the identity of the person who sent this to me. Now, if I came across this in the woods, that's one thing. But when I posted my call for trailcam pix earlier I assured senders I wouldn't disclose their information. I'm sticking to that word. Plus, getting beyond the whole source trust thing, let's face it, plenty of trailcam shots come from bait piles and many of those piles are attracting bears. It's the proverbial can of worms.
Is there any wiggle room for a journalist to turn in "sources" when laws are obviously being broken? Sure. But for me this isn't one of those cases. As it is, DGIF conservation police officers are already plenty busy investigating known bear-baiting sites in Virginia, plus all those boxes with carrots under them. (I'd like to try that, actually. Is it legal?)
Oh, Stephen, Julie Ball recently sent me another batch of shots but I had to delete them because my inbox was over its size limit. Sorry.
mt
[August 12, 2008 4:18 PM]
Joey HambrickI have several bait piles on my property, but I only use them to taks pixs and video of the deer in the area, I would never be able to harvest an animal over a bait pile, to me it isnt hunting, I take my deer in free ranging areas, If its legal to bait and hunt over it, thats fine, I wouldnt do it though, I like to know I got mine the natural way,I dont get on people that do it if its legal, I just have a personal preference of not doing it that way, to me its too easy, how could someone brag over shooting a trophy animal over bait ? I bet they wouldnt tell no one that it was over bait, but to each their own.
[August 12, 2008 5:01 PM]
Mark Taylor : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/wildlife/Thanks for the comment, Joey.
There's a saying that if you don't want people to know you're doing something, maybe you shouldn't be doing it.
If baiting is legal and you're not concerned about people knowing you shot that trophy buck (or whatever) over a bait pile, more power to you.
What drives me crazy is people who try to hide it (again, where it's legal; obviously they're going to hide it where it's illegal). I saw a video a couple years ago where a hunter was in a stand next to a feeder and made some half-baked comment about the feeders being out there because natural food was so scarce. Yeah, right.
mt
[August 12, 2008 6:22 PM]
Tommy Nunley : →http://tommynunley.blogspot.com/Mark, Just wanted to let you know I again reprinted one of your stories on my blog... giving you full credit and recomendations of course! If I could figure out a better way to give you credit and traffic I would! Anyway I'm trying to promote the Virginia Outdoor Sportsmen's show myself and used your write up. I will be there myself, along with some other Mossy Oak ProStaffers and I hope to run in to you there! Keep up the great work!
Tommy Nunley
[August 12, 2008 9:22 PM]
Joey hambrickHey Mark, what I meant was even if we could hunt bait piles, I would not do it, to me it isnt real hunting, its too easy, I like to be one on one with the deer, nothing to attract them, I dont use Tinks 69, scent bombs, but I do occasionally use deer calls if I see them and they are walking away from me, but thats just to try and get them to stop or come back towards me
[August 13, 2008 8:29 AM]
Walt HamptonMark I think the Game Dept officers would make time to take a look at this potential violation. As to your unwillingness to reveal sources, that is admirable but I think your popularity would survive if you were to care a bit more for the bear and the other wildlife that may be exposed to illegal hunting, disease issues, etc at a feeding/bait station. It does look like an old photo; that bear is probably dead by now. A permanent structure like that trough, makes one wonder how long that site has been there.
[August 13, 2008 11:03 AM]
Mark Taylor : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/wildlife/Tommy, Thanks for picking up the piece for your blog. I'll be at the show the entire time so make sure you stop by The Roanoke Times booth. I look forward to meeting you.
Joey, I should have been more clear with my reply. By saying "If you want to hunt.." I didn't mean you specifically. I meant "someone." In short, I was agreeing with your attitude, if not entirely with your personal definition of fair chase.
Fair chase is a squishy term that is based on laws, tradition and personal ethics. What one person might consider fair chase another might not.
We're all looking for an advantage. If not, we'd be out there trying to tackle deer and kill them with our bare hands. When does that advantage become unfair? If it seems unfair to you (the hunter) then it's unfair. Me? I've got no problem using scents, calls and Scent Lok. I think they help, but not so much that I feel guilty when I hit the trigger on my bow release or my gun.
Walt, I agree that the CPO force would take time to investigate this. They've always followed up the previous complaints I've made as a concerned citizen.
I also agree that it probably wouldn't hurt my reputation to turn over this info. It might actually help it. After all, most of the folks out there are like you and me and don't agree with illegal hunting. And the cheaters are stealing from us. I assure you that my sticking by my word does not constitute approval of deliberate illegal activity, should that even be the case here.
This shot was likely making the rounds long before I got it. If it is actually from Virginia there are plenty of people out there who know the location of this feed station and the person/people running it. I would think someone will blow the whistle sooner or later. At least that is my hope.
Thanks, everybody, for reading.
mt