Another season was upon him the hunter thought, dourly sitting in his treestand. Affixing the climbing sticks that allowed him to scale the tree hadn’t gone as smoothly as he’d remembered. Staying in shape was a great source of pride, but he had to admit he was getting older. The work of loading the truck and driving three-and-a-half hours to deer camp was still fresh in his mind. As was the desire to launch a few blunts at the drivers who couldn’t merge or drive more than thirty-five miles-per-hour in a fifty mile-per-hour zone.

Time went at a different pace than before. The year had nearly flown by. He’d thought that the hustle and bustle of a military life would slow down once he retired, but it seemed to pass even faster now. Only just yesterday it was January and he was in the Texas sun hunting javelina amongst the saw palmetto and prickly pear. He’d just returned from an August pronghorn trip on the sagebrush covered prairies of Montana. He asked himself why he was here in the chilly pre-dawn darkness when he could be home in bed with wife and dog. It was a recurring question he’d never been able to answer. He remembered reading the words of an older, wiser hunter who once said, “Mornings are for snuggling and loving.”

The sun eventually broke over the tree tops to warm his bones and lighten his mood. Then off to the left he saw tans and grays ghosting in the lush green. His heart pace quickened as a doe and two fawns made their way into the clearing. Completely unaware of his presence, even at a close eight yards, they sniffed, ate and scratched. He picked imaginary aiming spots for practice and almost burst out laughing as the doe sucked up a mushroom the size of a softball in three easy bites. She was just eight feet from the tree’s base. For some reason he was always tickled when they contorted themselves to scratch their heads with hind hooves. After awhile the trio wandered off. He later learned that his game camera caught pictures of the visitors at the exact moments he was watching them.

A game camera catches a doe’s visit as the hunter watches.

With the doe came two fawns.

Later that afternoon he climbed into a new tree in a previously scouted, but not hunted, location. Despite a detailed gear list he’d forgotten the limited entry permit for an exciting new area so was relegated to this piece of county forest land. The weather was warm and he was sweating buckets while struggling with a new ambush saddle. Once settled the afternoon sun caught up with him. Cat naps mingled with the incessant chattering of pine squirrels. The most daring of the little red buggers climbed to and cut acorns from atop the tallest oak. He’d never seen one climb so high. The sun went down appearing red at the last. He mused upon these sights and enjoyed his walk from the dark woods even through the rough, swampy terrain.

The following morning he nearly effortlessly and noiselessly used his climbing stand in a new tree. It was just a few feet from another that was considered an old friend. This old friend almost always produced a deer sighting for him. Some near, some far, but some none-the-less. Even a fisher once. A while later his eyes caught movement to the right. What he initially thought to be a larger deer and a fawn turned out to be a bachelor group of four bucks. They trooped along in majestic single file, but never came close despite his attempts at some mild early season antler rattling. Time slowly slipped away.

Barely 28 hours had passed since that first tree climb, but now his heart was warmed. The sun beamed brightly. His step was lifted. Packing up camp and loading the truck didn’t seem such a burden now. During the ride home his thoughts reeled. Which tree would he hunt next? How could he fit in scouting to tweak treestand placement? He had to move his limited entry permit so he wouldn’t forget it next time. All the sour feelings, all the thoughts of hard work were gone. He was happy to be a hunter and hoping the next two weeks would pass with a blur to hurry his return. Yes, it was another season and he was happy for it.

happy hunting, dv

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This is Part 3 of a three part blog about my 2009 pronghorn hunting trip to Montana.  You can find Part 2, here.

Day 4 – Action?

Tim took me back to the same stock tank location as Day 3.  As on that day I was concerned that we were setting up a new blind on a new waterhole and that the pronghorn would need time to get used to it.  The reason we hired and used an outfitter was to set us up on established, blind equipped waterholes that the animals had already gotten used to, but I was happy to be there.  A long sit in a comfortably set up Double Bull Darkhorse was much preferred to one of peeking out small cracks along windows in the box blind.  Tim and I agreed to disagree on window arrangements.

A chair and bow on the stake. 

Eventually a doe and two fawns showed to water.  The doe was calm, but the fawns were cautious and skittish.  She drank, allowing me to practice drawing and snap pictures.  Of course, the action had been slow so I’d left my video camera behind.  Additionally, despite my checklist I’d left the mounting adapter for my tripod attached to the chronograph in the basement.  So, as they fed and the fawns eventually bedded by the tank I snapped pictures with my camera and phone.  I sent some pictures to Mrs. dustyvarmint.  One bedded fawn issued an extended goat sounding bleat to its mother as if to say, “I’m comfortable here and I don’t want to move.” 

Other groups poked their heads up over the hill as on Day 3, but wouldn’t come to water.  I glassed long-range bucks and tried to will them to come in.  Apparently, pronghorn mind control is a myth.  A yearling appeared near the tank and kept looking behind it, bleated to its group once and eventually left.  Later in the evening a small six to eight inch buck came to 36 yards, but wouldn’t come to water.  He also kept looking behind himself.  Considering the weather and the luck we’d had thus far I contemplated taking this buck, but he’d need to clear some tall weeds first to give me a clear shot.  I called Gary on the cell phone to see what he thought and we agreed it was a tough decision I’d have to make.  The buck never cleared the weeds and eventually fed away.  A rancher on an ATV rode through with a dog on the back.  Although valuable work tools I despise ATVs in my hunting so it spoiled my mood.  After it went by two smaller bucks ran by at about 150 yards.  Tim picked me up a short time later and the day was done.

Day 5

It stormed heavily over night and was raining when we walked to breakfast.  Without the possibility of spot-and-stalk hunting our prospects looked bleak.  The group looked to draw upon Gary’s experience for advice.  With great trepidation and contemplation he told us he thought we should head home.  We agreed.  Our pronghorn hunt was over.

A Look Back

On previously unsuccessful hunts I’ve harbored some ill will about the outcome.  This time it was different – I didn’t take an animal.  That was that.  Was I maturing as a hunter?  I don’t know.  I am certain the majority of the party would have been successful had the weather cooperated.  What I do know is that I made some critical mistakes before and during this hunt.   

Mistake #1:  I didn’t call, talk to and ask questions of the outfitter.  I was in constant contact with Gary, our booking agent, and discussed things like the number of blinds available and spotting-and-stalking considering the weather.  However, I never talked to the outfitter myself.  Nothing prevented me from doing so.  I recently saw an archery forum post that said, “You can never ask enough questions,” and I believe this to be true.  It is also impossible to know all the questions to ask.  Who would have thought to ask if the box blinds had peep-holes or if an alternate hunting method was used in the case of inclement weather?  Both seem pretty elementary and common sense to me. 

Mistake #2:  When it was obvious we should have been spotting-and-stalking or hunting funnels and fence crossings or even using another pronghorn tactic I’d been successful with I didn’t communicate this well to the outfitter and guide.  Rather, I relied on what I considered should have been a common sense reaction to the weather to ensure we were successful.  Additionally, this mistake is tied to Mistake #3, below.  Learning from a previous unsuccessful hunt I had sworn that I would adapt my tactics to the hunt rather than stick to a pre-conceived notion of what it should be like.  I had brought a decoy along and could have used it in two situations; Mistake #4, below.  Additionally, for comparison purposes note that a group of three hunters we were acquainted with hunted twenty miles north of us and endured the same weather.  Two of the three chose to spot and stalk while the remaining hunter chose to blind sit.  The two spot-and-stalkers were successful the first day while the remaining hunter went home empty handed.  Another outfitter I know just a few hours away adapted to the weather by hunting from blinds in alfalfa fields and fence crossings.  His two hunters took a buck and a doe each.

Mistake #3:  I allowed camaraderie to interfere with my success.  After an unsuccessful 2007 South Dakota hunt for turkeys I had sworn to myself that I would never let social considerations interfere with my hunting success again.  I know there are many people who enjoy the social aspect of hunting.  While I enjoy some of that my main purpose going hunting is to hunt in the great outdoors and be successful.  As Mrs. dustyvarmint succinctly says, “You can go to Yellowstone if you just want to see some animals.”  And, I could go with her and Lexus vice a bunch of beard-wearing dudes.  Unfortunately, either for financial or legal reasons, it just isn’t always possible to go it alone.    

Rather than talking to the outfitter and guide when it became apparent neither was interested in employing alternative methods I relied on a friend and booking agent to settle the problem.  From the outset I had decided to let Gary handle business as I wanted to see just how he did it.  I also didn’t want my decisions to affect the other hunters.  Had I insisted on something how would it have affected them?

Mistake #4:  I didn’t employ all the tools I’d brought along.  I have a pronghorn decoy that would have been a great confidence booster at the waterhole on Days 3 and 4.

I look forward to future pronghorn trips and wish they came along every year.  I hope this blog was both entertaining and helpful to you in your own hunting endeavors.

happy hunting, dv

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This is Part 2 of a three part blog about my 2009 pronghorn hunting trip to Montana.  You can find Part 1, here.

Day 2 – Spot and Stalk?

It had stormed over night and was raining when we got up.  Spending another day in the blind in that weather would have been a total waste.  After breakfast I asked Tim what his plan was.  He said he didn’t have one.  He made a stern statement about shooting one by jumping out of the truck to which I made a curt reply.  I spoke to Gary about the day’s hunting, nudged him to talk to Ken and trusted him to make the right decision based on his significant experience.  Discussion with Tim ensued and we headed in the opposite direction of the blinds.  Not wanting to blow them out by spotting and stalking around them we eventually ended up in a huge valley northwest of Broadus.  Mule deer and pronghorn were in abundance. 

Having seen a number of nice bucks go into a smaller valley, Ralph and I disembarked, camoed up and headed up the side.  Ralph went left while I went right along the same ridge.  Peering from behind a sagebrush clump I could see a nice buck in the bottom of the valley and started to work along the back of the ridge to get around him.  I heard a buck bark, but couldn’t see anything.  The next thing I knew there were four bucks standing on the ridge top forty to forty-five yards to my left looking in my direction.  I was pinned down big time.  Not knowing what had spooked them towards me or really knowing what to do I worked to nock an arrow, but it really was a no-win situation.  They took off without a shot.  Ralph and I were both very happy with the encounter, though, and Gary had good things to say about our approach.  We drove more.  Ralph and Gary got another decent stalk in and then word from the boss was to head back to the blinds. 

I returned to the same blind from the previous day.  Despite my misgivings about keeping all windows closed and having to open one at the same time you are trying to shoot an animal I gave it a try.  What appeared to be the same buck was on the same northwestern slope about the same distance away.  Eventually, a decent buck came from my north to about sixty yards from the blind, but wouldn’t come closer or to the water.  His regal black crown and multi-colored face at that range were an incredible sight.  I couldn’t open the north window as he was facing it.  Eventually he trotted by at ninety-plus yards.  Later in the evening a group of mule deer does and fawns came within twelve yards of the stock tank to water, but with the wind blowing directly to them they took off without drinking.  Eventually, we were once again picked up and raced back to camp for dinner.

Day 3 – Warm and Sunny

We finally caught a break.  No rain overnight.  We’d convinced Tim to get us into the field before or at first light and to pick us up as late as possible.  He had a new stock tank for me today.  It was nicely set up with one-half covered for whatever reason which forced the pronghorn into certain locations around the tank and set up good shooting angles.  Rather than get stuck in some of the lesser quality blinds I’d seen Tim set up and in the back of his truck I volunteered to set up the Primos Double Bull Dark Horse I’d brought along.  Although even a person of my size can’t stand up in a Darkhorse DB I was much, much more comfortable in it than the box blind.  I arranged my little house and settled in for a long summer’s day of watchfulness.  We’d interrupted a band of does and fawns watering on the way in and they provided stimulus during the morning. 

Eventually a small band of does and fawns from the group came to water.  I practiced drawing and picking an aiming spot on the largest doe to steel my nerves for when the real thing happened.  I also savored their beauty and thanked the sky above for the opportunity to be there in that place.  The group never noticed my antics.  I could see four bucks on the surrounding hills, but none ever came in.  A lone buck barked from behind the blind.  I wore out the battery on my I-pod playing solitaire, finished a novel I’d had in my day pack or tackle box for sixteen years and was able to text Mrs. dustyvarmint.  All of which, when combined with glassing long distance pronghorn, helped pass the time.  Late in the evening a lone doe and fawn came to water and slowly fed off to the south.  Another group came near, but remained about forty yards out allowing me only to see their ears and the top of their heads.

A young pronghorn leaves the tank.

Tim called to say he was running late and asked if I’d walk down to the road to meet him.  I agreed.  One of my latest gear (toy) acquisitions, the SOP Blind Hog pictured below, would come in handy for this.  I packed the blind, my chair, bow stake and day pack into the Blind Hog with tons of room to spare.  Affixing a Primos bow sling to my Reflex Highlander and grabbing the lunch cooler I hiked the quarter-mile out of the pasture in no time.  Then I hiked the remaining quarter-mile to the highway and met the truck there.  Although the Blind Hog’s waist belt is way too large to be of use for my body size the shoulder straps are more than sufficient to provide a comfortable carrying load for the task.  I was very satisfied with its performance and after more than twelve hours in the blind I was happy to get a mini work out.

The SOP Blind Hog loaded up. 

Ok, that is it for Part 2.  Check back soon for Part 3.

happy hunting, dv

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Introductory note:  The following is the first of a three part blog about my 2009 pronghorn hunting trip to Montana.  In writing it I learned that an unsuccessful hunt can lead to a much longer story than a successful one.  Somewhat counter-intuitive I think.  Part of the way through I also realized that it chronicled events that don’t tend to end up in popular magazines where the result is often a quickly related success story without the description of any pitfalls encountered.   However, even with my relatively small amount of hunting experience I can positively say that things don’t always go as planned or expected.  The weather doesn’t cooperate.  I, the guide and/or the outfitter may not agree on a variety of things.  I may not have exercised due diligence in researching the hunt.  This blog entry keeps dustyvarmint’s Mostly Archery’s purpose of, “Helping you avoid making the same mistakes I have made,” at the forefront.  I hope it helps. 

Beautiful Pronghorn

“One-thousand, three hundred ninety-one, One-thousand, three hundred ninety-two…”  I was counting my first pronghorn on a long car trip from Kansas to Washington State at age nine.  Since then I have been infatuated with these multi-colored speedsters.  When the Navy transferred me to Washington from Wisconsin in 1995 Mrs. dustyvarmint was dismayed (and annoyed) that I’d pull off the road simply to watch them run about the prairies.  I’d be thirty-seven years old before I had the means and opportunity to head west in pursuit of what I consider the most beautiful of North America’s game animals with bow in hand.  I missed three awesome bucks before a last night check showed my bow had somehow come off zero.  The next day I compensated for the problem and took my first pronghorn buck although much smaller than those I had missed. 

When Super Slam archer and friend Gary Martin began putting together a 2009 pronghorn hunting trip to Montana it didn’t take much for me to sign on.  In addition to hunting pronghorn I wanted to see what habits a hunter of Gary’s caliber exhibited.  How did he interact with the outfitter and guides?  What things did he do to prepare?  What set him apart from the average (or below average) hunter like me? 

We’d be hunting with Ken Greslin’s Powder River Outfitters through booking agency Close Encounters for which Gary is a booking agent.  Our group of eight would be the first group to hunt with Powder River for the 2009 season, arriving the day before it opened and hunting three to five days.  Since Gary was going along and I didn’t figure he would be going if he didn’t consider this a good operation I coasted along and didn’t subject the outfitter to my normal Spanish Inquisition of questions.  You’ll see this was a poor decision.    

General inquiries on archery hunting forums about population and weather conditions indicated numbers in the area were overall down due to winterkill and the summer had been mild and rainy.  Just like here at home in Wisconsin.  The hunt was intended to be conducted from blinds over waterholes in an area that is historically very dry and very hot.  However, considering the recent weather, I prepared gear for both blind sitting and spot-and-stalk hunting. 

Eight of us made the trip in three vehicles.  That gave me plenty of room to throw in the three kitchen sinks I always bring.  The fifteen-plus hour drive from Wisconsin took us through the great state of South Dakota where we primed our bowhunting souls with many sightings of pronghorn on the prairies.  If the pronghorn numbers were down from winter kill we sure couldn’t tell it.  Rain tracked our final leg from South Dakota into Montana and Broadus.  Ken was there to greet us and we quickly moved into the comfortable mobile home that would be our living quarters for the next few days.  He checked our licenses, collected the remainder of our hunt fees and split us among the guides.  Somewhere along the line there was a mix-up in the fees between Powder River and Close Encounters.  We each paid $50.00 too much for which there was no refund.  I’m still confused on the matter.

One of the bunk trailers.

An older style bunk house. 

Having learned to check bow zero upon arrival at camp from my 2006 South Dakota pronghorn hunt it wasn’t long before I was sending a few 100 grain Wasp JakHammers downrange.  My first arrow nailed the cottonwood leaf I’d planted on the target and my next arrow was just beside it.  A few more arrows and I was satisfied.  Camp cook Jane made us a hot and hearty ranch dinner, wake up and breakfast times were determined and I hit the hay.  It rained during the night.

Day One – Where’s The Ark?

Three of us were assigned to guide Tim.  I wasn’t aware of it, but the booking agent had cut a deal with the outfitter for a reduced rate for us if the guide assignment was increased to 3 x 1 vice the standard 2 x 1.  This reduced the overall number of blinds a particular guide had for rotation purposes and there was seemingly no effort on the part of the outfitter or guide to make sure there were sufficient prepared blinds. 

The intent was for us to be in the blinds by 7:30 am.  Well after day light.  This was odd to me, but I’d only hunted pronghorn once so I let it pass.  Instead of heading to the blinds, though, we headed to nearby Broadus and the guide’s house to get a missing cooler.  It seems there were three of us and Tim only had two lunch coolers.  Perhaps it would have been bad luck to use one of the probably five us hunters had brought along?  Then we headed to the local taxidermy shop to get yet another license none of us knew was required despite the booking agent’s guidance, my having called Montana once, Ken’s license check and our having spent half the previous day in camp loafing about with the guide present.  As you can imagine you could have cut the intensity in the air with a dull butter knife by this time. 

dv’s Time Out Corner:  Montana’s on-line licensing system forced us to buy the required Bow and Arrow License and Conservation License before applying for the pronghorn draw.  However, a Hunting Access Enhancement fee is ALSO required.  Next time I’ll call the state management agency twice, instead of just once, to verify I have the right licenses.  Montana was courteous enough to send a reminder to buy the Hunting Access Enhancement fee AFTER my return.

Finally we headed to the field.  We saw mule deer and pronghorn on our way into the first blind.  Tim told us to keep the doors and windows on the blind closed and not to stick anything, like binoculars, out.  I was selected based on Gary’s customary virtual coin toss so I scrambled into the blind, Tim passed my lunch cooler in and they were off.  The blind was basically a 2 x 4 and plywood constructed box approximately seven feet wide by eight feet long by eight feet high on wheels.  A creaky old chair glared at me from the corner.  There was a door on one side and small window, maybe eight by eighteen inches, on each side.  Right off I noticed there were no peepholes to look out of.  I donned my black shirt, black balaclava and black gloves and opened one window which overlooked the seep Tim expected the pronghorn to water from.  Otherwise I was forced to peer from the small saw kerf surrounding the windows on the other sides.  The blind was of sufficient size to cause me to run around, stealthily, checking windows like a hamster in a ball.

Inside of the box blind.

An initial look confirmed a nice buck on a northwest slope about three hundred yards away, two bucks among a herd to the east and another buck to the northeast.  Within twenty minutes a doe came trotting to the blind from the south.  She came within forty yards and bedded at seventy-two for quite some time.  After that the various bucks and does moved about feeding and the rain came down in giant cauldrons.  I wished I was out chasing the pronghorns on their own ground and planned many stalks in my mind.  I felt the chances of a pronghorn coming to water in that weather were nil.  However, to leave the blind and “blow it out” didn’t seem like a valid option either.  Tim checked up on me occasionally via cell phone and I sampled some of the lunch.  Having learned over time that a book really helps pass the time in a blind I’d also brought my I-pod with e-books, music and games solitaire and Tetris.

A doe (near the center of the picture) beds about 70 yards from the blind. 

At about 4:00 pm Tim called to say he was picking me up.  He said if he didn’t work toward picking up the other two hunters he didn’t think he’d be able to retrieve them due to the now very greasy two-tracks.  And, their cell phones didn’t work.  He gave me a gentle tongue lashing for having the east window open while packing the truck.  Having quite a few blind hunting days behind me for a number of species and being quite confident in hunting from a blind I was irritated, but let it slide.  On my previous trip I’d shot or shot at pronghorn from three to thirty-six yards with one side of the blind’s windows open all day long without problem and without the pronghorn ever spotting me inside.  The key was to wear black, stay back in the shadows of the blind and never open windows on the opposite side of the blind.  When I pointed out that the wind was blowing directly from the blind to the stock tank and the seep hole he indicated that, “pronghorn don’t smell.”  Again, that was in direct conflict with my previous experiences. 

Anyway, Tim was in a hurry to pick up Ralph and Gary so I enjoyed some fast pasture driving like that I’d grown up with in Kansas including lots of sliding, tight turns and counter-steering.  When we saw a nice buck in a short crop field not 20 yards from the road he asked me if I could jump from the truck and shoot it once it had crossed the road onto my side as he estimated it would do since this was, “big country and I should get my pronghorn however I could considering the weather”.  I let him know I wouldn’t do that and I’d rather go home empty-handed than do that.  He could let me out of the truck and I’d spot and stalk all day, even in the rain, but I wouldn’t jump out of the truck and shoot a pronghorn.  The truck grew quiet for awhile. 

We picked up Gary and Ralph with a lot more fast pasture driving.  Neither had seen any pronghorn from their blinds although there were numerous animals in the surrounding hills.  Tim raced back to camp so we could be on time for another of Jane’s hearty dinners.  After dinner I bent Gary’s ear A LOT, took a shower and hit the hay once again.  Gary had agreed with my blind hunting technique and window tactic.  I learned that one member of our party who had been sent to sit on a windmill despite the forecast endured the driving rains for about an hour, but then abandoned his stand and simply sat upon a rock in the rain until he was picked up. 

Ok, that’s it for Part 1.  Please check back soon for Part 2.

happy hunting, dv

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With the Wisconsin whitetail deer season just five days away I’m busy getting my gear ready.  So, I thought I’d share my Whitetail Hunting Gear List.  Due to WordPress, the Skinny Moose blog engine, limitations I can’t post a good sample of my Excel check off lists here.  If you want those that I have for whitetail, turkey and pronghorn drop me a comment with your e-mail address or drop me an e-mail from my About page.  I’ll get them off to you. 

Hunting

Arrows, 12

Binoculars

Blind, T2

Bow

Broadheads

Bug Spray

Climbing stand

Climbing sticks

Coleman Lantern

Compass

Decoy

Deer Cart

Deer Grunter

Extra stand seat pad

Fillet Knife

Flashlight, hunting

GPS

Machete

Malt

Range Finder

Release, Caliper

Release, Scott

Sharpeners

Skinning Knives

Tree stand

Turkey Calls

Walking Stick

Clothing, Hunting                 

Belt

Bibs

Boots x ___

Jacket x ___

Miscellaneous T-shirts, etc.

Pants, regular camo x ___

Shirt, regular camo x ___

Socks x ___

Underwear x ___

Winter Boots

Other

Allergy & Headache Meds

Book/s or magazines

Camera & Batteries

Cell Phone

Deoderant

Diaper cloths

Hygiene Bag

Ipod & Headphones

Razor, Electric

Shower shoes

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Towel

Video Camera

Wallet & Money

Camp

Blanket

Bowls

Coffee Press

Coolers x ___

Cups x 2

Hot plate

Ice

Nalgene bottle

Paper towels

Pillow

Plates

Sheet

Sleeping bag

Trash bags

Utensils

Food

Animal Crackers

Coffee

Fruit

Jerky

Kashi bars

GORP

Oatmeal

Snack Sticks

Soda

Water

Clothes, Regular

Belt

Bibs & Heavy Coat

Fleece Hat

Gloves

Hat

Sneakers

Jacket

Pajamas

Rain Top

Shirts x ___

Socks x ___

Trousers x ___

Underwear x ___

happy hunting, dv

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Let me get this out of the way, “POOH!!!!”  That is as strong a language I suppose I should use here on the blog.  Why POOH?  Below are pictures of the auxiliary battery and solar panel after a recent check of my Moultrie D40 game camera.  Some varmint, likely a deer judging from the pictures although the battery and solar panel were located too close to the camera to capture the action, shredded the cables.  Previously something chewed the solar panel connector off that cord, but I was able to apply a “field-expedient” fix with some electrical tape.  This time there was no field-fixing.  I’ll have to obtain new cables and a new connector.  It will give me the opportunity to add the second 1.5 watt solar panel I’d been dragging my feet on. 

Shredded solar panel and battery pack cables.

The following sequence of pictures shows a rascally raccoon or raccoons pulling the D40 off the tree it was mounted on.  Although the camera was fixed to the tree with bungee cords and a Master Lock Python cable the raccoon’s weight was enough to dislodge it and ensure any future pictures would be of a single plant.

Several young raccoons approach a mineral block.

The raccoons abandon the mineral block and head towards the game camera.

A raccoon dislodges the game camera.

This next picture shows Camp Pug member Hunt Master’s game camera after the outer case was infested with ants.  The folks over at Chasingame have indicated that ants can sometimes get into the internal portions of the camera and ruin the electronics.  Luckily the ants stayed in the outer case.  I was able to brush them and their eggs out with fern fronds as I despise being bitten by these little Herculean pests.

Ants in a game camera – not your pants…

Two-legged scum bags and large predators pose a much greater threat to game cameras.  Below are security boxes I’ve made for my two cameras from relatively inexpensive materials.  First is a security box for a Moultrie D40 game camera (see my review here).  It is fashioned from a surplus 7.62 NATO ammunition box that cost about $5.00.  I chopped the box in the appropriate places using an angle grinder fitted with a metal cutting blade.  Two eye-bolts were added (the ends of the threads were “peened” over to prevent removal) for the addition of a chain or Master Lock Python cable and two riser blocks were added to the back for proper camera positioning.  I primer painted the box to mitigate rust and added camouflage tape.  I like the look of the tape, but over time it starts to peel off.  In the future I’ll stick to my “compost” camouflage shown below.  A major detriment to this arrangement is that the box must be removed from the tree to swap out SD cards.

A security box made for the Moultrie D40 game camera. 

The completed security box along with some un-shredded cables.

The diminutive size of the HCO ScoutGuard 550 (see my review here) required a much smaller box than that of the D40.  I modified an air conditioner electrical cut-out switch box to fit this camera.  A Dremel tool was used to cut and grind the opening, hardware cloth was wired in to position the camera correctly and an eye bolt was installed to aid security with a chain or Python cable.  Foam buttons and a small bungee applied to the camera also helped position it correctly.  I also pop-riveted some small “L” brackets to the sides for use with bungee cords.  I primer painted the box and used sticks and grass from my compost pile along with three colors of paint for camouflage.  This set up allows me to swap out SD cards without removing the box from the camera.

A security box made for the SG550 game camera.

A close up of the foam buttons and hardware cloth.

The finished security box.

I am sure I haven’t encountered all the things that pose hazards to game cameras, but I’ll tell you I enjoy this hobby very much.

happy hunting, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:

• Hamming With Game Cams
• A dv Gear Review – Moultrie D40 Game Camera
• A dv Gear Review – Scout Guard 550 Game Camera

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