Maine
The incredible lengths a Maine trail cam nerd goes to find the perfect filming spot
Colin Chase loves spending plenty of time within the Maine outside.
The Portland native was impressed as a teenager by watching a well-liked nature present on TV.
“My favourite present rising up was ‘Wild America’ with Marty Stouffer,” Chase stated. “I wished to be Marty Stouffer. It was unbelievable.”
By day, the Grey resident earns his dwelling as a fiber optics engineer for Spectrum. In his spare time, Chase is dedicated to sharing the sweetness, and typically the cruel actuality, of the Maine outside along with his viewers.
Chase is an energetic hunter, trapper and beagle coach. He additionally grew to become an completed moose antler shed hunter and works in his free time as an expert panorama, sports activities and wildlife photographer along with his Appleton Photos enterprise.
Marty Stouffer possible would approve of Chase’s efforts because the mastermind of the Maine Woodsbooger YouTube channel, which options a powerful number of movies captured within the woods and mountains of Maine.
“I’ve form of dabbled in a whole lot of various things, however pictures and wildlife have at all times been one thing I’ve completed since I used to be 12,” Chase stated of his digital camera trapping. “I’ve at all times been an outdoorsman.”
The 1988 graduate of Westbrook Excessive Faculty studied wildlife administration and forestry on the College of Maine, however left faculty to stay nearer to his mom in Seattle. He returned in 1994 and has spent practically three many years making the most of what his residence state has to supply.
That features travels to far-flung areas of Maine, the place Chase hikes and scouts for areas to position his giant assortment of path cameras.
Relatively than depend on placing out bait or meals to lure animals inside digital camera vary, he depends as an alternative on intensive research of wildlife and their habitat to find out digital camera placement.
“A few of it’s getting acquainted with an space,” Chase stated. “Shed looking, I’ve coated a whole lot of floor and it’s all on foot. I’ve additionally learn tons of books, even when it will get boring typically.”
There’s nothing boring concerning the movies Chase uploads to the “Maine Woodsbooger” channel. It options most any wildlife one would possibly hope to see, from moose and white-tailed deer to black bears, coyotes, bobcats, Canada lynx, otters, beavers, squirrels, woodpeckers, ruffed grouse, owls and different birds.
He typically posts compilations of clips from the identical digital camera over a interval of days, weeks and months, which helps put the animals’ life cycle into the context of the seasons and altering situations.
Chase additionally does his greatest Marty Stouffer impression, sitting in entrance of the digital camera previous to inserting it, or when he arrives to change out the digital reminiscence card.
Typically, he leaves his path cameras within the woods for months at a time. However not till he has researched an space for potential sightings, together with learning maps, GPS factors and Google Earth.
“It’s humorous, you get to some extent the place it feels proper,” Chase stated of discovering a great spot from which to movie. “Half the enjoyable is discovering them.”
It’s all off path, actually in the midst of nowhere, however he figures the extra distant, the higher.
Considered one of his favourite captures exhibits a blonde coyote going by way of a pre-mating ritual with a normal-colored ’yote.
“They had been dancing, rolling round with one another, chasing one another,” he stated.
One elusive animal for Chase has been the American marten, also called the pine marten.
“That’s one in every of my nemeses. I’ve not been fortunate with that,” he stated. “I might most likely bait it and get one to return in, however I wish to discover a pure den, so I attempt to learn books about it.”
The satisfaction he positive aspects from offering the movies is straightforward: to entertain his viewers.
“Even when I had one individual sitting at residence, who can’t get out within the woods anymore, and I made that one individual joyful, that’s actually one in every of my major targets,” stated Chase, who hates the considered being in that place himself.
“I do know sooner or later I’m going to be sitting in that chair, watching any person’s movies,” he added.
For extra of Chase’s wildlife path digital camera movies, take a look at and subscribe to his Maine Woodsbooger YouTube channel.