August 7th -- Claw Day!

Today Lon and I went to check the sites that are in the Blackwater Falls State Park.  On our way in to Pendleton Lake I notice a tree with peculiar marks...I then realized that those peculiar marks are black bear claw marks!  The marks were on a red maple tree and deep into the tree!  Some of the claw marks were also about 8 feet up the tree!

After we checked all the sites, I have determined to "close down" the Pendleton Lake site.  It has been a month since we first placed it and we have only got 7 hair samples -- none of which are flying squirrel hair.  Because of these statistics, it is not worth the time and money we are spending to keep going back there.  I think a months time is a good time frame to make that kind of judgment call, and Judy agrees with me.  We will be pulling the trail camera we have at Pendleton Lake, and moving it to the snare set at Yellow Birch to a tree that we have previously captured flying squirrel hair, in the hopes of catching an image of one!

It was a pretty typical day today...

 Black bear claw marks!