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This was the original Set 4 location, but as I headed back to the Jeep I found what I figured would be a more interesting place to set up the trail camera...
...down near a small watercourse. It's the same meadow, and probably the same deer would be caught in both camera traps. I'd hoped to get more diverse species coming for a drink, but it was almost all deer, all the time. Because they felt safe here and had come to enjoy a nice drink of water, they often were caught several times by the camera, which fires off three frames, takes a 5-second pause, then fires another three frames. This deer wasn't taking any chances, though, and kept her eyes peeled for danger.
Gray fox!
In all three frames, the fox is in about the same position, so I don't know if he leaped over the streamlet. It's possible to get a drink both above and below this position, so he might have taken a drink and just passed through. The camera is strapped to an oak which was dropping acorns, though, so maybe the fox was hoping to catch an acorn-eater for breakfast.
Caught this buck leaping.
This little guy needs to eat his Wheaties and grow another spike.
I decided to leave the camera at this spot for another week. There's even less water in the little streamlet now than there was when I first set the trap. I saw a bobcat on the edge of this meadow some years ago and still hope to catch one on camera at this location.
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