We evaluated the detection rate for hair snare sampling for bobcats (Lynx rufus) using collocated hair snares and infrared-triggered cameras at 20 locations on private property in eastern Texas. Hair snare and camera stations were located together and included both visual and olfactory attractants. In 1,680 trap-nights we photographically documented 15 visits by bobcats but collected only one bobcat hair sample. Our observations suggested limited rubbing behavior by bobcats at hair snares and did not support any influence by sympatric carnivores (e.g., gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus). Low rub frequency may limit the utility of these techniques for bobcats and we suggest that alternate techniques such as camera surveys or fecal DNA collection may be more suitable

Forest and water-resources management in floodplains requires an understanding of the nature of drought specific to ecosystems there. The complex relationships among floodplain vegetation, topography and hydrology affect water availability. This paper investigated whether hydrological assumptions within meteorological drought indicators and ecophysiological assumptions within remote-sensing drought indicators reflect drought deficits as they occur in floodplain forests. We compared the performance of widely used meteorological and remote-sensing drought indicators in floodplain forests to tree-ring validation using five species at three floodplains in eastern Texas, USA. We found that the water balance in the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index and the water loss estimated by the Evaporative Stress Index were useful models of water deficits in floodplain forests at the site and subsite scales, respectively. Hydrological and stand conditions varied among sites enough to affect the specific patterns of tree-species responded to drought. However, of the species we examined, tree rings in green ash were the most consistently affected by drought across floodplains and were the most closely correlated with both meteorological and remotely sensed drought indicators. Finally, drought effects varied by species and among and within floodplains, but generally, growth of trees in topographically drier sites was more closely correlated with drought indicators.

The activity patterns of 4 forest predator species were monitored, using infraredtriggered cameras, within a 1318-ha study area in East Texas. We recorded 161 photographic capture events in 1925 trap-nights over 17 weeks. Photographic capture events included 18 Lynx rufus (Bobcat), 109 Procyon lotor (Raccoon), 21 Didelphis virginiana (Virginia Opossum), and 13 Canis latrans (Coyote). We developed an easily replicated method of measuring time on a percent scale to compare activity data over several months, accounting for changes in sunrise and sunset times. Bobcat activity was 38.9% crepuscular and 22.1% diurnal. The activity of the other 3 species was mostly nocturnal: Raccoon 94.5%, Virginia Opossum 100%, and Coyote 77%. Moon phase based on percentage of visible light did not affect either Raccoon or Virginia Opossum nocturnal activity level.