At about 11 a.m. and  11 p.m. on the 4th of May 2011 I recorded a White-tailed Deer sniffing and checking out my recorder at the North Woods, near my home.  The location is along a stream in a small valley, about a mile long, that feeds into the lake I live on. The nice thing about the location is that there are no roads or people close by, very quiet. Now when I place out remote recorders they are usually an object of interest by the forest critters. Most of the time I assume it is raccoons, possums or even field mice.
It had a long approach getting to the recorder and leaving. The best way to listen to this sound is with headphones and the volume turned up. Although the subject was very close to the microphone, the noises it made were very subtle.
To listen click here:  The Sniffer Pt. 2 – 11 a.m. and here  The Sniffer Pt. 2 – 11 p.m.
Location of the recorder placed underneath a log. As the small recorder was not visible to any casual passer-by my hunch is that it was detected by the animal having smelled it. None of the leaves appeared to have been moved so I would think that what ever was inspecting the recorder was careful not to touch either the recorder or the leaves that were covering it.
Compare this recording to the recording of the 30th of March 2011, The Sniffer, recorded at a different location here in Central Illinois.
Hi Stan:
Regarding the Sniffer Pt 2 11 am:
1. Maybe it's the stereo effect, but could there be two sniffers? It sounds as if I'm hearing early in the recording exhaling and sniffing simultaneously, in the right ear and left of center in my headphones.
2. In your first sniffer post, you had mentioned scent attracting the sniffer and I also concurred. Another thought: could the sniffer(s) have actually been watching you place your recorder in the spot and then investigated once you left.
3. What model recorder is this? The recordings are clear as a bell.
Thanks!
T
I think there were two animals in the second recording. Can't say for sure but that is what a lot of people are saying on Facebook. As far as being watched, it is always a possibility, I've always wondered if folks putting up gamecams are being watched.
For remote monitoring I use the little Sony PCM-M10. May not be the best sound quality but has a small impact visually.
http://www.stancourtney.com/wordpress/field-recor…
Stan
Regarding Sniffer Pt 2 11pm:
Midway through roughly; I hear footfalls away from the mic while you can still hear the huffing close to it. Not knowing the mic parameters, but if it's a single stereo mic picking up the sounds, I'd swear you have two critters. One's standing close to the mic; the other is traipsing beyond it.
Just my $0.02 worth.
T
I would agree. 🙂