Did you capture something interesting in the outdoors with your trail camera? We’d love to share it with our readers. Whether it’s a big buck or a cunning coyote, if it’s wild and in Pennsylvania, send your photo to tom@veneskyoutdoors.com.
Many people believe that predators target the weak and sick, but that isn’t always the case. This photo taken by a trail camera near the Francis Walter Dam in Luzerne County, submitted to use by Jeff Carter, captures a stunning moment as a coyote is hot on the heels of a buck. The photo was taken last summer, and the coyote likely ambushed the buck as it fed in the grassy opening. I don’t know how the dramatic scene unfolded, but I suspect the buck quickly got up to speed and escaped. Still, if a coyote is willing to take on a decent, adult buck, is there anything off limits in the relationship between predator and prey? Tom VeneskyA reader from Indiana County sent in this photo of a large coyote in the snow from last winter. Like foxes, coyotes have a bushy tail, and there is a purpose behind it. When a coyote curls up to sleep, it will wrap its tail around its body for warmth, like a blanket. The impact of coyote predation on fawns has long been a big issue with hunters, and this photo sent in from Susquehanna County provides evidence that it does happen. Notice the fawn bolting down the road ahead of the coyote. While coyotes do prey on fawns, they are opportunistic and will target small rodents, scavenge on carrion and even consume berries and other vegetation. This group of gobblers feeding in the woods was taken in Columbia County. Mature gobblers often congregate in groups during much of the year, separating in the spring during breeding season. Bears are notorious for raiding birdfeeders and trash cans for an easy meal, and now we can add gas grills to the list. A reader in Forkston Township, Wyoming County, told us he purchased a new gas grill for his camp this summer and was perplexed when it was flipped over one night. Determined to catch the culprit, he put a trail camera near the grill. When he found it torn apart once again, the camera provided the evidence needed to determine the guilty party.
