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I am an avid night and day hiker, but until this year I had never seen a ringtail. In March, I was at a very popular hiking spot in Phoenix past park hours. It was about 2 am when I saw my first ringtail, actually I saw three of them! I was sitting with my back against a rock wrapped in blankets enjoying the view of the city lights while sipping hot cocoa. My friend and I had eaten some cheese and crackers earlier and the tupperware container was sitting next to us by our feet, so maybe the smell of the cheese is what enticed the little guys to come out and say hi. Suddenly our attention was snapped from the view of the city lights to the scene of three ringtails scuffling over the remains of our snack. That night was the catalyst for a new obsession of mine...photographing (or should I say) attempting to photograph a ringtail.

I have only seen a ringtail one other time since then and it was at Peppersauce Cave near Oracle, AZ. Unfortunately I couldn't get close enough to get a clear picture. I was wondering if anyone has had any luck finding and photographing these adorable little creatures? If so, I would very much appreciate any tips you can give me!

I think you've already figure it out. Put out some cheese and crackers ;)

To most they're a nuisance and ask "how to avoid them" when backpacking.
http://hikearizona.com/dexcoder.php?dex=2&PID=88

If you're lucky you'll see packs of coatimundi in the daytime
http://hikearizona.com/dexcoder.php?dex=2&PID=87
Tibber just got a sweet shot of this one http://hikearizona.com/phoZOOM.php?ZIP=103372

In response to joe bartels:
Though the photos of the little guys that you posted are cute they are not what I was thinking of....I guess they aren't called ringtails??? The ones that I saw are a lot smaller. They have a face like a cat and their tails have definite black and white rings on them. Do you know what I speak of?

Oh you're looking for a skunk

j/k

Sorry I don't have a clue, the most common thing I see up there are cliff chipmunks but they don't look like that either.

In response to joe bartels:

Here is a link to what I saw: http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/A ... nix-AZ.jpg.

FreespiritAZ wrote:Here is a link to what I saw: http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/IMAGES/A ... nix-AZ.jpg.

A pic is worth a 1000 words and I have seen these guys before in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in CA, but don't recall what they are, maybe a variety of desert fox?

Tibber's Pic is NOT of a ringtail. that is a coatimundi.

A ringtail is a ringtail and may very slightly in appearance from state to state or region to region. A coatimundi is larger and very monkey like in its tree climbing antics.

Now here is the secret to attracting ringtails and skunks if your really looking for a picture of these nocturnal animals. Open just before you bed down for the night a can of sardines and after eating the sardines, leave the can with the juice still inside about eight feet away from you. Get comfortable in your sleeping bag in such a way that you can observe the sardine can but still have your camera ready in your hand. It helps if there is a slight breeze up or down the canyon your camping in. Also hardened campsites where these pesky buggers are known to be a problem will almost guarantee a visitor or two.

Odds are that you will go to sleep before a visitor comes in but my experience has been that they will always come. I have never had a can of sardines untouched the next morning. In fact they were always licked clean and I was totally unaware the critter or critters were there during the night. If a skunk comes in and you want him to go away, first let him lick up the sardine juice while your getting your pictures but when he is finished bang your fist on the ground quickly three times and he will quickly back off and go away.

I have never attracted coatimunis or bears doing this but then I have never dared to try it in known bear country.

te-wa wrote:Tibber's Pic is NOT of a ringtail. that is a coatimundi.

ci senior

joe bartels wrote:If you're lucky you'll see packs of coatimundi in the daytime

Now why didn't I think of that?

joe bartels wrote:Now why didn't I think of that?

You don't play enough Pixel Trivia.

In response to nonot:

Thanks for the link to the pictures. Still need to know how to photograph them. I am not so sure about Superstition Guy's suggestion, since his method also attracts skunks....eeek

I suppose I can try it, and if I get sprayed by a skunk I can always use the old tomato juice method to get rid of the smell, haha.

there ya go, coat yerself in tomato paste.. kill two birds with one stone... uh, er, mammals.

In response to te-wa:

I was sleeping on the ground at Roosevelt and had a pair of coati's wake me up by licking my face. The desert is a pretty cool place, "After Hours".

Nighthiker wrote:I was sleeping on the ground at Roosevelt and had a pair of coati's wake me up by licking my face. The desert is a pretty cool place, "After Hours".

at Reavis, i was sleeping under a tarp. i was awaken by a ringtail licking my nose. about that same time is when I started sleeping under a tarp above the ground

In response to te-wa:
Awww come on, you're not afraid of the those cuddly little creatures now, are ya? I would have grabbed my camera and tried to get a pic!

I've had a ringtail encounter nearly every time I've camped at Phantom Ranch. Also, Fossil Springs right near the dam, we had one exploring our entire camp, and sniff into the packs.
http://www.hikearizona.com/phoZOOM.php?ZIP=62052

for photos, also remember to use manual focus and estimate the distance to the treats you might leave (or pack, or whatever)

In response to sundevilstormin:

You lucky dog you! Yeah I have a point and shoot camera, and I do have a manual setting which I use a lot, but I so wish I had something a little better than my little Sony. Where exactly is Phantom Ranch?