Laurel Ridge Farm: Trailcams a/o 4/9/11

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Trailcams a/o 4/9/11

Had some interesting shots over the last two weeks. Spring is just starting. The bucks have dropped their antlers. The does are very pregnant and should have fawns soon. The turkeys are starting to warm up for mating season. Everything is sort of waking up from a hard winter.

Does the doe on the right look very pregnant to you? They seem to carry them pretty far forward.

Here I am putting out some minerals a couple of weeks ago. These are sort of the vitamins for deer. It helps the pregnant does and it's important for the bucks as they start to grow antlers again. I just pour it on the ground and they eat it and the dirt.

For some reason, even the turkeys checked it out. This guy is in full strut - putting on a show for mating. Notice the flock of turkeys in the field.

Another curious gobbler - see his beard?

I like this shot because of all the deer in the background. Notice that they've shed their grey winter coat. Some of them still have a few tufts of it left.

A young buck where you can clearly see the pedicles that will soon sprout antlers.

I am pretty sure that this is the backward buck after dropping his antlers. Look at the size of the neck and body - even after one of the toughest winters in years.

You can clearly see his pedicles where he has dropped last year's antlers and hasn't started on this year's yet.

This buck already has velvet buttons which is the start of the new antler growth.

Velvet nubs are obvious on this buck.

I'm surprised that the gobblers kept coming back to this mineral lick for the deer.

A good look at the summer coat. Do you think that a squirrel startled him?

Maybe this was the squirrel. Lots of critters seemed interested in the minerals.

I guess this is a groundhog. He must be young as he doesn't seem as big and fat as I'm used to seeing. In the next picture, he looks like a prairie dog.