Haven't posted in a while, when I first got Win7 I couldn't log in to this site. Mysteriously now I can.

Local college groundskeeper called me last week about a problem at their softball diamond. They have a critter that comes a night poops on the field, especially on the warning track, and it likes to pull out and chew on the rubber plugs out of the holes for the bases . The warning track is made of some kind of synthetic material and it extends all the way around the field including the infield. I think the critters are using the warning track like a sidewalk, coming in at either the right field gate and going around the infield to the left field gate (or vice versa).

Early in the year they had a family of foxes living under a storage container, but they haven't seen the foxes since one of the kits was found dead one morning under the bleachers. So over the weekend when no one was there I put out a couple foot holds and a large cage trap that I've had success catching fox in the past. I also put a game camera by the dugout with some fox gland lure in front of it, hoping the if it is a fox I would get a picture of it stopping to sniff the lure.

Each of the last two nights there has been an opposum in the cage trap, nothing in the foot holds. The camera got a picture of a bunny and what looks like the back half of a skunk walking past. There is also some scat. Sorry didn't have any coins for reference, but the diameter is about the size of a dime so it is a little bigger than goose poop.


I am going to suggest to the groundskeeper that he has a skunk problem not a fox problem, but the part about chewing up the rubber plugs bothers me. Your thoughts?

I would also appreciate suggestions for a better game camera. I am using a camera from Wild Game innovations and I used to have a moultrie, but had the same problems: slow trigger doesn't pick up animals walking past the camera and the pictures at night are blurry. I've seen Cuddebacks advertised on TV, but have heard from several people that they aren't worth the extra money.

They are worth the money compared to the
Two cameras you mentioned! Bushnell 8mpxl
Is a nice camera for the money!

Kasey has this one covered. I bought a couple of those Bushnells and even my son liked 'em and he never likes nothin that I buy!

Paul - any thoughts on the possibility of skunks chewing up the rubber plugs? ever see anything like that?

I kind of have this motto; there are usually no accidents; if you have a picture of a skunk in the area, then the first thing you check out is skunks. I have no idea what that rubber plug tastes like but if it tastes like grubs, you're in business!

I see ground hog chew cable wire but that's not ground hog , or skunk poop . It could be fox but I don't think it is . Looks like coon . Fox is easy to tell because you can smell the glands on it plus they normaly pee on it so it smell like sweet smelling fox urine . Love that smell . I don't see any hair in it but that could mean there eating fruit . Is your camera picking up light from some where . That is a skunks rear end just hang that tail out there showing its a male

I have 3 reconyx game cameras... work great, great trigger speed and night photos.

Wow Bud! that's $1500 in cameras!

You could save a few bucks by raking out dirt and placing a lure in the center . Watch this dirt for tracks . Each track by each animal will look different . That's a grass roots trappers animal counter used preseason to judge harvest goals . Cameras are good I love mine . Tells me which deer I'm looking for but hardly ever gets a coyote or fox on it . Lots of coons turkeys and stuff even had a pig last year . K9s very little and coyote are thick . I've had one out from may and not one single k9 on it . I do live in the area of wile e coyote super K9