Evaluate This Picture

[mtnmutt]

This is a picture of one of the beaver ponds along a very narrow creek that runs for miles. All features in this photo can easily be seen using Google Earth.

Tell me what you think of this picture and what it means to you?

Within a couple days, I will give more information about the area and the features in the photo.

In 3-4 days, I will tell you what I know about this spot for hunting in September.

Sorry for the low quality. My cell phone has a very low megapixel resolution.
[attachment=0]<!-- ia0 -->BeaverPond.jpeg<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment]

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

Looks like a nice game trail leading down to the water.

Also looks like new growth bordering old. Old burn?

 

[iccyman001]

Are you going to base how this water hole looks now on how you\'ll hunt it in September?


I don\'t know about you, but we have been getting slammed with rain, but I DO know that it will dry up over the summer.
So right now my waterhole from last year was not that impassive on my first card pull, but it\'s already starting to dry up, so I know it\'ll only get better.

 

[cnelk]

My take:

The pic was taken mid-day

You were facing NE

With pines on the right and aspens on the left, means there is more water toward the left

The water in the pond is higher than it has been as the bushes are submerged

I would put a trail cam on that little saddle at the top of the pic, right where the pines and aspens mix

How\'d I do?

 

[Baby Huey]

Nice mix of aspen and pine in the photo. Some of the pines appear to have beetle kill - doesn\'t look like fire since they don\'t appear to be charred and the branches don\'t look burnt on the dead pines. Looks like there is another pine tree at your left side, and those branches appear to be dead as well.

The trail has a high possibility to be a game trail, or perhaps a path that beavers used to bring down trees to make a dam. The trail seems too developed to be for a beaver logging road, but it is possible.

Seems like the photo is of the south facing slope, so perhaps early morning - late evenings would be best of the photographed area. The other side of the ridge may be the area where the animals are during mid day/afternoon.

 

[Swede]

My guess is that the game trail was made by the beavers, and the high water is the result of beaver activity too. If you want a beaver pelt, the end of that trail should be a great location to set a trap.

 

[bowhunter]

It is midday, The sun is shinning and you have a game trail leading to the water. Looks like a good place to set up about 20yds uphill to the left for an afternoon nap. Maybe you will catch something coming in for a sip.

I am not good at evaluating situations. I need more experience. I will be watching this thread................

 

[mtnmutt]

Part of this exercise was for selfish reasons. I wanted to see how everyone evaluates a spot like this.

I have lots of intel from last year because 3 of us hunted in there off and on for 3 weeks. Part the area can be glassed from 0.5-0.7 miles away, but you can\'t glass down to the pond. We pooled our information together, therefore, I know much more than I would on my own.

Tomorrow, I will give more information about the features in the photo, some information about the surrounding area and distance from a road.

These photos were taken during my scouting trip last weekend. I placed 2 trail cameras upstream from this photo. Tomorrow, I will tell you why the cameras were placed upstream. In July, one camera may be moved based on what you all tell me about this photo.

Here is another picture using my old digital camera. I need a better camera.
[attachment=0]<!-- ia0 -->071.jpeg<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment]

 

[elkmtngear]

I would agree with Brad, looks like a South-ish facing slope up behind the pond. Rutted out game trail seems to wind down out of the aspen grove.

Good edge cover with the transition of timber/ aspens. Very possible there are some bedding areas up over the ridge, making this a nice evening destination for elk moving to feed.

With the narrow creek along the bottom, there could be multiple wallows (maybe the reason for the trailcam downstream)?

Just spitballin\' here :think:

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

So the bright green tree\'s are Aspen? Will Aspen choke out Pine?

Us Eastern Oregon boys usually only see that color of green with reprod timber, and its usually Lodge Pole.

 

[cohunter14]

I agree that you are facing Northeast. A big question for me is what is behind you on that NE facing slope? I would venture a guess that upstream there are other trails leading to the water that the elk can get to in cover where it isn\'t open like this? If an elk wants to go to water mid day, I would think they would choose cover over open areas like this, especially if they are bedded behind you on that NE slope. Or, as Jeff said, wallows?

One thing that has my curiosity is that trail. I would love to know if there is actually elk sign on there or if it was indeed made by beavers. I question it simply because I don\'t normally see game trails that go straight up and down a slope like that, especially a fairly steep slope. I would expect the trail to be traversing more across the hill if it were used by elk.

Overall, I like the mix of aspen and pine. I also like the looks of the saddle above, but a lot of my positive or negative feelings on the location would depend on the sign I see on that trail.

 

[cnelk]

In all my outdoor hunting and trapping experience, that\'s not a trail made by beavers.

 

[cohunter14]

I have never seen a trail made by beavers either, but that just seemed odd for a game trail to go straight up the slope like that. Not saying it couldn\'t be, it just struck me as weird. Typically, game trails are made on the easiest path to and from somewhere. Just by looking at that picture, I can tell you that if I were climbing that hill, I don\'t think I would be following that game trail because it doesn\'t look like the easiest path.

 

[StartMyHunt]

So the bright green tree\'s are Aspen? Will Aspen choke out Pine?

Us Eastern Oregon boys usually only see that color of green with reprod timber, and its usually Lodge Pole.

Yup, those are aspen. Generally aspen grow in old fire scars as you pointed out before. Pine will eventually choke out the aspen unless there is a lot of beetle kill or another fire that will allow sunlight to hit the forest floor.

 

[elkmtngear]

In all my outdoor hunting and trapping experience, that\'s not a trail made by beavers.

My first thought was mule deer. It just has that look to it (to me).

 

[StartMyHunt]

In all my outdoor hunting and trapping experience, that\'s not a trail made by beavers.

Brad, my vote is for a beaver trail. The reason I say this is because it is obviously heavily used, and it seems odd that elk or deer would come down the trail, drink, and then turn around and head straight back up the trail every time. I would expect the area around the edge of the pond to be a little more torn up if this was from elk or deer or see some of the area to the left and the right a little more used.

IMO, this trail was made by beavers on a mission. Wander out of the pond to the aspen, get what they need, and then back down and straight into the pond. No deviation from the path.

 

[Olympushunt]

In all my outdoor hunting and trapping experience, that\'s not a trail made by beavers.

Brad, my vote is for a beaver trail. The reason I say this is because it is obviously heavily used, and it seems odd that elk or deer would come down the trail, drink, and then turn around and head straight back up the trail every time. I would expect the area around the edge of the pond to be a little more torn up if this was from elk or deer or see some of the area to the left and the right a little more used.

IMO, this trail was made by beavers on a mission. Wander out of the pond to the aspen, get what they need, and then back down and straight into the pond. No deviation from the path.

Being from the \"beaver\" state....I tend to agree with Mike. Beaver can, and do, make trails that would fool a lot of people in a picture where they can\'t see tracks themselves in person. I certainly would lean more to Jeffs notion of a smaller animal like muleys doing that than it being an elk trail. Sure i could be wrong and nobody says it can\'t be multi use but elk (like Mike mentioned) would destroy more turf, make a wider trail and make more of a mess at the banks. Being a herd animal they don\'t stand in line very politely and wait for a turn for a drink...and walk back out the same way. If it was a high use elk drinking spot there would be more \"sign\". Just my .02

 

[cnelk]

If there wasn\'t water in the pic nobody would t even be mentioning beaver.
That trail has been there longer than that pond.
The beaver created the pond, but not the drainage.

 

[mtnmutt]

So the bright green tree\'s are Aspen? Will Aspen choke out Pine?

So, I need a better camera or only take pictures in morning or evening? You and Brad noted the washout effect. Photos were taken at around 12:30 pm.

Yep, those are aspens. The dead pine trees are not from any recent burn. Perhaps they got diseased and died. Little to no beetle kill in the area. The area has not seen a major fire in over 100 years, however, heavy logging did occur in the late 1800\'s.

The aspens are not likely to be choked out by pine on this slope during my lifetime. The slope is >40 degrees, so it isn\'t as likely to have an avalanche take them out either. Unlike other CO OTCs, my area has few locations with aspens. Aspen groves are not a dime a dozen in this area.

Fun facts for non-westerns: Aspens grow mostly on West, South & SE facing slopes and like to be fed by Springs or some other water source. Aspens cannot thrive in the shade.

Good edge cover with the transition of timber/ aspens. Very possible there are some bedding areas up over the ridge, making this a nice evening destination for elk moving to feed.

With the narrow creek along the bottom, there could be multiple wallows (maybe the reason for the trailcam downstream)?

I agree that you are facing Northeast. A big question for me is what is behind you on that NE facing slope? I would venture a guess that upstream there are other trails leading to the water that the elk can get to in cover where it isn\'t open like this? If an elk wants to go to water mid day, I would think they would choose cover over open areas like this, especially if they are bedded behind you on that NE slope. Or, as Jeff said, wallows?

Jeff: the upstream trail cams were not placed at wallows. There was another reason for the cameras upstream. Derek was helping.

Tip: elk prefer to drink from calm water and not rushing water. There is a current where I placed my trail camera.

Photo was taken almost 100% dead North. Not NE.

Derek, Brad, Jeff and perhaps others touched on an important feature in the first photo that needs more attention. Also, I have not told you what is behind me in the photo.

Remember the 3.5 things that an elk needs: food, shelter, water....The 0.5 point is something I made up: NO hunters. Shelter in July & August isn\'t the same shelter in September, especially after opening week.

There is no evidence of elk in this area right now, but they will be coming. Trust me, they will come.

Are you going to base how this water hole looks now on how you\'ll hunt it in September?
I don\'t know about you, but we have been getting slammed with rain, but I DO know that it will dry up over the summer.
So right now my waterhole from last year was not that impassive on my first card pull, but it\'s already starting to dry up, so I know it\'ll only get better.

This pond is present in a dry year. Right now, it is it much higher than normal.

If I had referred to the body of water as simply a pond and not a beaver pond, would we be talking about the beaver? The beaver has not greeted me yet. They do not like visitors, so I doubt I will ever see it. There are Brook Trout in the ponds.

You all are teaching me how to analyze places like this, so good job everyone!

Lurkers, please chime in with comments and questions. I have only hunted for 5 seasons, so I know even less than most hunters.

 

[StartMyHunt]

If there wasn\'t water in the pic nobody would t even be mentioning beaver.
That trail has been there longer than that pond.
The beaver created the pond, but not the drainage.

Good point Brad. After evaluating again, the trail could have been there before the pond. Also, it was noted that the pond was exceptionally high when the photo was taken, which would account for the trail heading straight into the water without any deviation around the shoreline.