Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance isn’t just for the military, it’s for deer managers and wildlife photographers and should be for everyone in my book, it’s very therapeutic!

Camera collection is a task which has to be done periodically, if I had my way, every child in the land would have one of these instead of a Gameboy or X-box! We use it as a tool to collect data on the wildlife in the area but what a fascinating way to learn about the world around you. We put them in key positions, close to a game trail, a hole in a fence or hedge (or even in my barn roof). It will tell us what wildlife uses a particular trail and what time, so you can establish patterns of use so that you can be in the right place at the right time. We don’t always get what we expect either, on a high use deer trail, we get all kinds of other things, like fox, badger, hare, rabbit, squirrel and even smaller things like stoats, hedgehogs or rats, all making a guest appearance on the camera.

This is just a small portion of the footage that we have taken in and around Riddy wood and other places we watch and manage the wildlife;

                                  

                                  

                                  

                                  

As a deer manager of course, it's the deer that get most of my attention but I love the other species too, I just love being out there with nature all around me. 

MG