what is this on my game-cam?

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
nope. it's a FOX.

 

[dinahmoe]

Quote:
no,she is our horse who thinks everything we do pertains to her.but when i think about it,she's pretty much right.

i thought about it after i put up the peanut butter jar that the horses might find it .and she(april) likes to have her picture taken.i think she is starting to "look" for the game cam.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I just today found this thread and I've skimmed through most of the arguing. I know whole-heartedly about the people who swear that a certain type/species of animal cannot exist in an area because they have never seen it. Supposedly there are no mountain lions in KY, proclaimed by my neighbor. That is, until both my brother and said neighbor witnessed a full-grown cougar after one of my brother's horses. Same neighbor swears to this day there are no bald eagles in this area when me, my brother, his wife, and 3 of our 4 children, not to mention the other 100 or so people swimming at the lake that day, saw the pair flying overhead.

That being said, I'm no expert on timing or game cams for that matter, but has anyone considered the fact that these 5 pictures are not of the same animals??
First picture shows time stamp of 21:40:29--animal going to the left up the hill into the woods. Animal has a 'dark' back and 'light' belly with a noticeably darker tail tip.

Second picture shows time stamp of 21:42:11--animal going to the left up at base of hill. Animal has noticeable stripes with light-colored belly and light tail tip.

Third picture shows time stamp of 21:42:14--animal going to the right, farther away from the camera but at the same angle as animal in pic #2. Animal again has a 'dark' back and 'light' belly with a noticeably darker tail tip.

Fourth picture shows time stamp of 21:42:32--again, animal has a 'dark' back and 'light' belly with a noticeably darker tail tip. Again, animal is facing right, though animal is further away from camera and heading further away still.

Fifth picture shows time stamp of 21:42:34--again, animal has a 'dark' back and 'light' belly with a noticeably darker tail tip. Again, animal is facing right but closer to camera than animal in picture 4. Animal appears to be coming down the side of the hill.

It is obvious to me that the animal in picture #2 is a different type of animal, most likely a tabby-striped domestic shorthair cat. This animal is not hiking it's leg, I can clearly see both legs on the ground: leg closer to camera is 'dark' and hind leg (farther away) is 'light'.
The animal in pictures #1 and #3 is possibly the same animal (given the space of almost 2 minutes time) and does appear to be a fox.
Then comes the last 2 pictures, #4 and #5. With a time stamp difference of only 2 seconds, I highly doubt this is the same animal. The animal in each picture is in the same general area and heading the same general direction, however the animal in picture #5 is closer to the camera than the animal in picture #4. Also, the animal in picture #4 has a darker stripe on its back than the animal in picture #5.

I think the animal in pic #5 is feline, everyone is commenting on the tail shape and that a grey fox doesn't necessarily have a 'bushy' tail, but the grey fox DOES have ears....which I just don't see in this picture. It is my opinion that your grey fox is pics 1, 3, and 4; #2 is a domestic shorthair tabby cat (how can you not SEE that??), and #5 is a feline of unknown species.

 

[Moabite]

With my degree in Knowitallogy, (BS) I'd bet that is a mt. lion. I'm guessing 45-55 Lbs.

 

[drumstick diva]

Horses like peanut butter. Who knew ???

 

[destinduck]

Great thread! Going with florida panther. The tail keeps sealing the deal for cat instead of fox. I live in fl. I have seen fl panther (which is in reality just a smaller sub-species of the mountain lion) and also for woodmort I saw a mountainlion in greenville.Ala. coupla years ago that walked within 50 yds of me while hunting whitetail in a wide open greenfield So there was NO DOUBT about what it was. I was on the ground in a box blind and if he would have gotten any closer I would have shot him laws be darned for fear of my life. Most people will not report cougar sightings for fear of being harrassed either by the tree huggers or having law enforcement all over their property. Here in fl it is against the law to kill any fl panther or cougar for that matter. But I will say this to you. You are totally off base about your assumption about non breeding populations of cougars in the east. Ill bet my soul on it . Would you? These cats have HUGE territories anyways. It would never happen of course but if you let people hunt these "cougars that supposedly arent there"in these other states watch how many start turning up. BTW dinahmoe can you hunt cougar in your state? Also for curious minds how many eastern states allow cougar hunting anyway? woodmort does your state allow it?

 

[woodmort]

shelleyd2008 you're not allowing for the nuances of IR photos, depending on the distance these nighttime photos can fool you as far as the things they can or cannot pick up. The timer on the camera doesn't allow for the change in animal in less than a minute--you may decide to ignore it but those cameras are pretty accurate with their timing.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

All but the first pic looks like a mountain lion to me. I have never seen a fox carry their tail that way

I'd bet on it being a mountain lion. Pics of tracks would be a great way to ID the animal for certain though.

 

[ellieroo]

Hmmmmmm and this is ??

 

[harveyhorses]

Horses (mine anyway) like EVERYTHING!! If I am eating it they want it too. "Hey where did my hamburger go?" and McDonalds fries! I swear they can smell them when I turn down the driveway.