The events leading up to the photo included the realization that perhaps the increase in riverside overnight campers plus a lot of noisy machinery earth moving at the nearby gravel pit had made them change their routes from previous years.Sure enough coming into the area from the backside was a lot easier and dryer walking.But it was a lot more walking too.All the signs were that we had found their sleeping area including some huge circular depressions almost two strides or 5 1/2 feet across.The little micro climate they chose for this was a little deep valley with pines,lots of shadows and shade and water in it.The water in the valley seemed colder than in the nearby swamps. Could be the additional shade but we suspect a spring is flowing up and out from there too.There appears to be some underlying sandstone and perhaps a cave could be involved as well.Any how in pressing back into this area we had lots of company including bears a cougar and large numbers of eagles. On the day of the photo we approached the entrance to the valley and sensed something was there.There was a flash of light brown motion near the tree stump in the photo so I snapped a picture or two in that direction. I thought perhaps I had caught the cougar on film as the color I saw in that micro second did not exactly match the shade the deer were sporting at that time,still a summer reddish hue.I soon had to change film and slipped the roll in my pocket where it sat for a couple of days and then went into a drawer as other things came and went. Once developed I remembered the broken tree top and singled that one out for magnification. There on the right hand side near the top of the tree stump stand the two creatures revealed to me and now to you in the picture on this Wisconsin sighting!
Close up of object.
Close up of object.
