Both hunters and nature enthusiasts use trail cameras to catch a glimpse of what's going on in the natural world while they're not around to see it. Most of the time the cameras capture animals doing normal activities like feeding and walking around scavenging, but sometimes these cameras catch some insane animal activity, unexplained encounters, and just plain weird occurrences. Here's your chance to see what goes on in the woods when no one is around to see it—some of these pictures are truly unexplainable...
Some Privacy, Please
Can't a guy get a little privacy? Poor thing has no idea that it's private, personal moments have been shared for the world to see... No one wants to relieve themselves in front of everyone!
Personal Space
When this bear spotted the camera, his curiosity got the best of him, so he came in real close to snap a quick selfie. Someone might want to teach a little bit about working his angles, though.
Showdown at Sundown
These two young bucks took to the night to face off. The camera just so happened to be perfectly positioned to capture their battle stances. Who do you think took home the victory?
Porcupine Discourse
I wonder what they were fighting over? It does look pretty heated. Apparently, porcupines are known for fighting over females (of course) so that could easily be it... A lot of the time, these little guys can actually fight to the death. Their quills back a punch.
Can't Catch Me
That raccoon wasn't playing anymore! This coyote and raccoon must have been playing a game of tag that went a bit too far. Luckily, raccoons can climb trees, and coyotes can't... Can't catch him up there!
Jokes on You!
Sometimes it feels like the deer are actually hyper-aware of the fact that they're being filmed. Take this guy, for example, he even had the audacity to stare right into the camera and stick his tongue out.
Gotta Run
Here, we have the circle of life in motion. Honestly, this hunter probably never thought that he'd capture such a high-speed chase on his camera. That deer didn't have a chance...
Okay, Rude
Life in the woods is no walk in the park. It's a dog-eat-dog, or... owl-eat-deer world out there in the forest. As captured here, this owl wasn't messing around. The deer might be the larger beast here, but the owl is the carnivore in this situation.
Squad, Roll Up
A wild boar and two raccoons decided to have a night out on the town. The one raccoon even hitched a ride to get there. When they stumbled upon this hunter's trail camera and feeder, they knew they hit the jackpot.
A Watchful Eye
The owner of this cam set it up on a heavily used deer trail on state game lands in PA. They weren't expecting a visit from any bear but caught this pic of the mama bear looking over her cubs back down the mountainside, and what an awesome surprise! If there's one animal you don't want to cross, it's a mama bear with her cubs, that's for sure.
A Moment of Peace
With so many mouths to feed, sometimes you just have to give in to the madness. This mother fox knew she was outnumbered, so she just let the little pups feed while she rested her eyes. Mothers of all species are truly unmatched.
I've Got Something to Say!
Apparently, this game camera caught a buck rally. The one in the middle looks like it's giving an impeccable speech or possibly egging on another buck to fight for status. With racks like those, it's sure to be quite a showdown.
Cheesin' For the Camera!
This mama deer is posing for the trail camera with her fawn. How cute is that? If animals had social media, this would make the cutest profile picture. Looks like they just finished up a tasty meal!
Stand-Off
Both of these guys look like they're on the defensive. The only reason that these two would even interact with each other is over food. It's pretty likely that the wolf was nomming on some prey and that mountain lion wanted a piece all for itself...
Dinner is Served
In the dead of the winter, this coyote was thrilled to find a good meal... so thrilled that he decided to just dig in right where he found it. It's messy, but hey, it's nature.
Enjoying the Outdoors
Not every animal is out for the kill, some just simply enjoy the little things in life, like a fresh field of flowers. Maybe he'll grab some to impress a future mate or maybe he'll just take it all in alone. Enjoy, pal!
UH... HELP!
As amusing as this is, it had to be very frustrating for this deer! Hopefully, this guy ended up getting that barrel off of his antlers. He must have been messing around a bit too much and got it stuck... You can see the shame in his body language.
There's a Lot Going on Here
This photo was an epic capture of some really impressive birds of prey. The bald eagle was going head to head with the hawk... Meanwhile, the smaller birds got caught in the crossfire and were doing their best to get out of the way. Hawks and eagles are actually known to fight to the death.
A Magician and his Lovely Assistant
It's pretty cool that deer can also perform magic! Really, though, this deer looks like it's about to be pulled from a hat, just like that old bunny trick. The deer in the back is quite ominous, but that's magic for ya!
How Did I Get Here?
This is way too meta to handle. A plastic deer got stuck in this poor guy's antlers. He must have seen this plastic deer, got upset, and rammed into it pretty good for it to be so stuck like that! Here's to hoping that someone found him, caught him, and helped him out.
Tree Pose
What you don't see are the other bears off-camera mimicking the pose... We were given front row seats to the first-ever bear yoga class! By the looks of it, this guy has a mighty fine career ahead of him.
Just Hangin'
Some animals have the weirdest friends! That little cat is hitching a ride on his larger-than-life friend as they trek through the brush. It's basically like the animal kingdom's version of a rideshare program.
Gotta Go Fast
It kind of looks like this deer dropped all of those apples and is now running away from her mistake... In reality, she's running away from an owl that's on the prowl. At the top of the photo, the owl can be seen mid-swoop!
Acrobatics
Raccoons are insanely smart... Too smart, in fact! These little guys stacked themselves on top of each other to try and snag that good, yummy food. They're little criminal geniuses!
Are You Lookin' At Me?
For some reason, this bird as an extremely threatening aura... but either way, this is one hilarious capture on a trail cam.
The Beast
This PA Black Bear basically struck a pose for the camera in this capture. While the owner of this trail cam had intended to get some insight on the deer in the area, this massive bear saw his opportunity to shine and he took it.
Full Moon
Nothing goes together better than a full moon and a wolf pack. Looks like the wolves captured here are chowing down with the help of the light provided by the full moon. Name a more iconic duo... we'll wait.
Eat, My Friends!
This smart little raccoon figured out how to feed all of his friends! Just gotta shake the feeder until all of the goods come out. They really are little criminals!
A Unique Look
This deer is rockin' some very unique antlers. For an avid and experienced hunter, seeing something like this in the wild is once in a lifetime—capturing it on camera is even rarer!
Midnight Stroll
This kid must have had a wild night, either that or he's a hardcore sleepwalker. The trail cam owner is in for quite a surprise when they check out the footage from the night... and hopefully this kid made his way home.
Gator -Vs- Hog
Weird things sure do happen in Florida. Take this hog and gator matchup, for example. The owner of this trail cam was sure in for a surprise when they checked out the footage captured here...
Ghost or Malfunction?
The trail camera did do its job by capturing the wildlife that is roaming around the forest, but it also captured a little more than that. Somehow, the bizarre silhouette of a person came through on the camera. It's unclear if it was just a malfunction or something more sinister.
Halloween Prank
This prankster knew that his friend had a trail camera in his back woods so he made a plan. What better way to get into the holiday spirit than to terrify your friend while they're mindlessly checking their trail camera footage? All in all, it's a good prank!
Predator and Prey
Trail cameras capture a wide variety of things. It's not uncommon for people to capture the ebb and flow of the forest, but this was a bit different. We can see a deer being chased by a predator, but it's unclear as to what the predator is...
Unexplained Find
It's always unsettling to find a photo of a person where they shouldn't be. This figure doesn't look like an animal at all... It even looks like it's wearing a dress! Could it be paranormal?
Time To Yell
These little wolves all got together to tell at the moon as they usually do. Little did they know that they had an audience! It's pretty funny how perfectly this shot was framed... Maybe they knew the camera was there and did it intentionally?
Ghoul Party
There's so much to decipher in this photo. These figures look like people draped in tight sheets who are danging around in the woods. What could these possibly even be?
Whoops, Too Close
This is the exact picture that you get when you accidentally open up your front-facing camera on your phone. This poor bird looks a little alarmed... He wasn't ready for his close-up!
Let's Play
It looks like this Daddy buck was taking his child out for a little midnight stroll. Just from this shot, it's pretty apparent that the little fawn was going a little stir crazy and probably needed to get that crazy energy out! What a cute family portrait.
Anyone Lose a Kid?
This trail camera picked up someone's kid wandering around in the middle of the night. There may be no need to raise the alarm since that buck is probably babysitting her.
Creepy Cryptid
Stories of mysterious nightwalkers who wander around the woods have been in every culture, so what if they're real? This is something that someone had captured on their trail camera, and there hasn't been an explanation as to what it could be...
Fight To the Death
These guys were not getting along apparently... We can only assume that the contraption above them is a food feeder of sorts. There's no respect in the animal kingdom!
What's Going On Here?
Hunters probably get so many of these hilarious images on their trail cams. This raccoon was certainly not camera-shy and he was highly anticipating his close-up!
Four-legged Creature
What is this part-human, part-monkey, part-camel thing? There are too many parts to this creature to make sense! Let's hope it's just a fake.
Bear or Bigfoot?
On first glance, this creature seems like it could be a bear. Once you start studying it, you notice that the proportions just aren't right. The camera might have distorted the creature to make it look like a cryptid, but there's no real way of knowing!
When The Squad Rolls Up
Who knew that a herd of deer could get so big? In the winter, they travel in big packs like this in order to keep warm and ensure survival. From the looks of it, they're definitely in deep winter. They seemed to have been ready for the picture, somehow!
Square Up
Something tells me that this was planned. They probably had some beef over the same doe and decided to fight it out in front of the feeder at 10:45 PM. Hopefully, it ended civilly...
Late Night Creeper
It looks like a guy only dressed in shorts or boxers is wandering around the woods. A hunter caught this on his trail camera, which was obviously not his intention. Could this be someone who was living in the woods?
Cloaked Figure
There are no bi-pedal animals who live in the woods that would look like this, so what could it be? It's scary to think what lurks in the woods of your own back yard, but maybe you're better off not knowing. Curiosity killed the cat!
Terrifying Movie Prop
When you have a friend in the movie business, expect pranks. This person had a trail camera up on their property for security purposes and found this one morning. Of course, it wasn't real, but it was still terrifying for them! The experience was funny enough for them to put it online.
Snack Time!
This trail camera captured an otter and it's a delicious snack. What a feat, too! That fish looks like it's half of the size of that little otter. It's definitely worth showing off to the camera.
Horrifying At First Glance
Upon first glance, this image is scary. It looks like bigfoot himself! In reality, this is someone in their gilly suit, which is a suit made from fake foliage so that a hunter can be completely camoflauged. This hunter thought the capture of his friend was funny so he posted it online!
Is Someone Missing Their Grandma?
This is actually a crazy capture! It seems like an elderly woman is out and about, roaming the woods in just her nightgown. Hopefully, someone recognized her and was able to bring her home. She definitely wasn't supposed to be out there!
Scary, But Normal
This is actually a really cool and rare shot! Moose tend to shed the skin on their antlers as they get older. So, that's exactly what's happening with this guy. It's a pretty weird and gory process, but it's all-natural and the moose isn't in pain at all.
Caught Ya Starin'
This buck definitely looks haunted or possessed... That's not really fair to him, though. It's just the camera! It is pretty spooky that he somehow managed to stare directly into the camera... How does that happen? Are they self-aware?!
Crazy Snow Battle
These crazy hawks seem to be battling over something... Maybe some good roadkill? Either way, their battle was documented for everyone to see from a sneaky trail camera! Even the best nature photographer probably couldn't snag such a shot.
A Witness
There's a lot to unpack here. That hawk scooped up its dinner right in front of the trail camera, which is a crazy capture in itself! But then, there's that poor deer in the background that literally just witnessed a murder. Hopefully, that hawk doesn't see this...
Got a Snack
How cute! A bear caught a delicious salmon snack and was caught parading around the woods with it. It was probably taking it back to his cave to savor it.
Does My Butt Look Big?
The last thing that anybody wants is to be caught at a bad angle. Too bad for this guy! It looks like he was making a small U-turn and the trail camera caught him at a pretty uncomfortable angle.
Wild Boar?
Honestly, we're not even sure what this thing is. Our best guess is a wild boar, which seems fitting enough. Most wild boars have more hair, which makes this thing a bit different than the rest. What's he up to?
Not So Merry Christmas
Obviously, this hunter has a sense of humor. He put a little Santa plushie out in front of the trail camera to hopefully capture something funny... And he did! It looks like this bear wasn't feeling very festive and wanted to take Santa down... Or, he was feeling festive and wanted to take the little Santa to his home!
Who, Me?
This is just a raccoon with his buddies. Animals don't have to hang out in their own species! In fact, it's pretty common for animals to hang out with other species. A lot of the time, they have a mutually beneficial relationship.
What Did You Say To Me?
It really looks like this squirrel is holding up the camera and trying to strong-arm it into complying with whatever it says. This is the last thing you see when you accidentally steal a squirrel's winter stash...
Back Off, Pal
This buck was not messing around with his food. I wonder what the end result was? Hopefully, it went down peacefully...
Coming Through
This is such a nice and peaceful photo! If you ever see a bear in person, it's probably not going to be as peaceful as serene as this one... Especially a brown bear!
First-Ever Capture
A couple who live up in the mountains wanted to capture the goings-on of their property late at night... The very first night, they captured these two mountain lions literally at their doorstep. It's good to know what's lurking when you live in nature!
Is This Thing On?
Someone got an alert on their trail camera that movement was detected, and this is what they saw when they opened the notification. Judging from the reflection, it looks like this little deer noticed the light coming from the camera and went to investigate... Pretty smart!
Like My Hat?
Who says that animals can't have good taste in fashion? This deer saw a fashionable tumbleweed and decided, "This would look nice on the top of my head!" And you know what? He was right. It does look nice.
Photobomb!
No one could ever capture this photo on purpose even if they tried! This little deer would make the most perfect photobomber if she could... Maybe she's available for hire?
Got a Little Spooked
The hunter who caught this photo thought that the shutter of the camera scared this poor little bobcat... It really went sky-high! Either that, or he saw a tasty bird and pounced on it for a nice, nutritious dinner.
This Is My Car
This fox had no clue what was hiding in that car. Setting up a trail camera in front of this rusty, abandoned car is such a good idea! A lot of animals probably make this car their shelter for a short period of time. This time, it was the raccoon's turn!
What Could It Be?
This trail camera has stumped hunters and wildlife fanatics alike. It could be a bear cub, but the limbs seem too long. It almost looks like a monkey, but that would be impossible to find a wild monkey in North America...
Awkward in Photos
This little coyote wasn't ready for the camera! At least the camera captured his good side, despite the awkward little smile. I wonder where his pack is?
A Bit Shocking
This is what happens when you run around the woods like a maniac! You get a very unflattering selfie taken of you. There are so many funny photos of deer running around in the woods like this... I wonder what they're doing?
It Just Got Awkward
During an evening stroll, these two deer ended up walking in on a very disgruntled coyote. He made it known that they weren't allowed to be there! It looks like the coyote is on the defensive instead of the offensive, so he was probably guarding something that he didn't want these looky-loos to touch.
Bi-Pedal Deer?
This looks pretty horrifying. What we don't see is the other deer that's most likely out of the frame. Deer only stand on their hind legs when they're fighting or trying to act aggressively. It's either that or this deer is possessed and only walks around on its hind legs.
Very Intrusive
This herd just wanted to enjoy a nice meal that was obviously set up for them... That camera is just so invasive! Hopefully the meal was good...
Enjoying the View
This is such a perfectly timed photo! Someone was lighting off fireworks not even knowing that they had a bit of an audience. Honestly, this is probably terrifying for a deer. It's so loud and bright when it should be dark and quiet!
A Helping Hand
Bears are known for digging around in the trash... This is probably why! It must be a rite of passage in the bear community, so much so that this parent bear is helping the baby bear search around in the garbage. How adorable!
Alpha Checking Stuff Out
First of all, this trail camera is so high quality that it captured the wolf's cool eyes! They must have sensed that they were being watched by someone...
Real Party Hours
Who is this man? Why is he in this person's backyard? Why is that deer totally unphased by said man? Unfortunately, there are a lot more questions than answers for this picture... Apparently, this guy never showed up in the photos again. Super weird!
Food Party
These raccoons really found the jackpot! The trail camera operator set out a bunch of feed for animals to come through and nom on. It really looks like things got crazy... Party hard!
My Bed
Once again, the deer seemed to have walked in on something that they shouldn't have! This bobcat made its own bed on top of where the food for other animals is... I mean, he was there first!
Deer Girl
This looks like it's something out of a Hayao Miyazaki movie. Maybe these deer are the little girl's parents and they're trying to figure out how to turn them back into humans... Or, maybe this little girl ran away from home and got super, super lost.
What Is That?
What even is this? It kind of looks like a semi-albino moose that's wandering around the frozen tundra that is probably Canada. This is a really rare find, and totally shows why people set up these trail cameras!
Bath Time
Even deer have to make sure they keep up with appearances! This cute little deer was caught grooming its friend right in front of the trail camera. How adorable!
What's Going On?
This little guy was just staring into the camera for some reason... Something tells me that he wasn't interested in being photographed! This looks like it could be a little baby bear but he's looking for a fight!
Sneak Attack
Just when this buck thought he was going to have a nice, quiet night munching on that plant... The flying squirrel attacks. What's the purpose of doing that, anyway? Is the squirrel going to ride the buck like a horse?
Mud Baths Are Life
Witnessing tigers in their natural habitat is one of the coolest things that you can do! These cats hold so much power, it's insane. Although, some of that power dwindles when they're walking around post mud bath and looking pretty hilarious.
Got a Snack
Seems like this otter wanted to show off its catch of the day: a yummy fish! It's interesting that he chose to eat it right in front of the camera... I wonder why?
Glamour Cheetah
This cheetah is ready for her close up! She's really putting on that Hollywood glamour with those doe-eyes.
A Tender Moment
After a long night of running through the woods, these two lovebirds decided to take a moment and relax a bit with each other.
Heading to Wonderland!
Is this just the White Rabbit hopping into wonderland to go find Alice?
I've Got Moves for Days
This buck is ready for the Olympics! Look at that form! The air! It's quite impressive.