Be sure to read reviews before purchasing, and try to get an infra-red. The Non-typical Cuddeback Capture worked great for awhile, but eventually the local critters grew tired of going blind from the flash and began avoiding the area. I moved the camera and caught some of my former victims by surprise the first night but they wised up even further and with this latest camera relocation; I've had zip. As for that suspected jaguar thing, I just don't know what to think. I keep finding scratched up places on the ground-just out of camera range. I had read that researchers in Mexico use skunk glands and Calvin Klein's Obsession to lure suspicious jaguars close enough to their hidden cameras for photos. So, I bought some Obsession and sprayed it on the ground in front of the camera two days ago. Today, near my camera, but off to the side, I found another scrape and there was that same skunky, rank, salty smell I'd smelled before near the scratch marks by the pond several days ago. No photo of course. The other animals stayed away as well, I noticed. There's probably a twitter about me out there: "Danger: bright flash. Avoid plastic boxes" 3-9-09, Picazo Farm logging road, possible ground scrape From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat Unless I actually get a photo I can't say for sure what's leaving the tracks and scrapes. I sent some of the track photos to several big cat "experts" but only two answered, giving vague, non-commital answers that seemed to indicate they were as mystified as I was.

Warning to game camera buyers..BUY INFRA-RED FLASH ONLY! It's clear that animals are avoiding the annoying flash-which always scares me when I hike up there at night-and doubtless explains why there are few repeat animal photos. I can see by their tracks that they are skirting the camera, including the Big Foot. When I took photos yesterday afternoon, the ice was just melting slightly in sunny spots, and there was no new jaguar sign. I thought he'd moved on, but this morning there were several new, now frozen, scrape marks right where I'd been photographing yesterday, meaning that the jaguar had visited and scrape-marked his territory right after I left, before the temperatures dropped again. I could see that he was giving me a warning, so I circled the pond to where he'd previously left his scat, sniffing the air to see if he'd scent-marked anywhere close, like the jaguar websites said they did. Sure enough, I became aware of a very strong, pungent odor, almost a skunk-like muskiness, so I followed the smell to a scrape-marked tree a few yards away from the scat. 3-4-09, farm pond, scent-marked tree with jaguar (?) scrape From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat paw-sized claw marks From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat First scrape photographed, 3-2-09 From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat Old frozen scrape, possibly the same one? From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat 3-4-09, new frozen jaguar (?) scrape made yesterday afternoon in the same spot I'd been photographing, before night freeze From 2-24-09, Tracks and scat Several websites said jaguars are unafraid of people, which makes them easy targets for hunters. Another website claimed that Amazon Indians are frequently followed by male jaguars to escort them off their territories. Still other websites said that jaguars seldom bother to mark territories unless there is a boundary dispute or overlapping territories. Perhaps our constant poking around "his" territory is prompting the alleged jaguar to warn us off. The meerkats in Meerkat Manor are always "furiously scent-marking" bushes and rocks to "see-off" trespassers, so he could be warning us to back off. If he is imprinted on humans from being in captivity as a cub, he might see us as rivals, but maybe all jaguars view humans that way. Of course, I was here first. Websites also say that about their second year, male jaguars move on to establish their own territories, which can be up to 500 square miles, depending on food availability, so he might be moving on soon.

Not a bear ... a cougar. By the way ... for those who don't know ... cougar, puma and mountain lion are the same. The only 3 cats native to North America are the Florida Panther (Looks just like a cougar with a little difference in the face), Mountain Lion and Jaguar (found only in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico). Black Panthers are a South American species. The "black cat" reports in the United States are Mountain Lion in their seasonal color phase and seen in late evening ... giving the appearance of "Black". Here is a link that might be useful: OK Wildlife Control, LLC

The downside is for those who sell through the consignment shops. Someone I know has been considering that as a business and told me the commission is 50%. When things are already expected to sell dirt cheap, I can't see paying someone else to do it, losing another 50% on the item.