19 Eerie Trail Camera Photos You Can’t Unsee

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Halloween is nearly here, but the following photos go beyond the realm of a predictable holiday. The following ghosts, monsters, and extraterrestrials just may haunt your dreams. Obviously, some of these trail camera photos were staged or altered (before the dawn of generative AI, we might add) but they’ll still raise the hair on the back of your neck. Other photos in this series have odd and unsettling stories behind them, including the one that captured an apparently ravenous witch.

Regardless, here are 19 spooky trail camera photos you must see. But if you’re the skittish type, maybe don’t look. Because you’ll definitely psych yourself out during those early hikes into your stand through the dark woods. Those rustling sounds in the brush might belong to deer — or not.

The Birds

If  you’ve ever seen Alfred Hitchcock’s film The Birds, you get why this trail camera shot is spooky. And if you were the hunter responsible for that feeder the sight of all these corn-gobbling crows would be downright frightening. 

Flying Demon

This thing looks like it must be a demon with wings. After all, it’s after dark, and what big bird flies around after dark? Gregory Henderson’s trail camera photo shows at least one demon bird does. (Jokes aside, it’s probably a heron flapping straight away).

The Headless Doe

Three does walk into the frame. Two have heads. One does not? At least, so it seems. Of course, it’s just motion blur, and the camera doesn’t fully display the head of the animal. But a headless whitetail is a far more interesting proposition. 

Alien Orb

This alien with the glowing body and orb-shaped head is definitely on the weird list. It certainly has that make-your-skin-crawl look to it. But in reality, it’s probably just a bit of lens flare or something on the lens causing it to appear far larger than it is.

A Whatcha-Ma-Call-It

I don’t have a name for this one. Or a proposed name. So, we’ll stick with a whatcha-ma-call-it. My guess is this is a small black bear, and blurring distorted the photo. That said, it doesn’t make the photo any less spooky. Lon Servello better look over his shoulder when walking to the treestand.

Alien vs. Deer

This looks sketchy as all get out. If I’m being honest, it looks like the aliens from The Invasion landed in front of Todd Taft’s trail camera. Sure looks to me like that whitetail along the edge of the frame is about to be alien poop. 

Eaten Alive

Coyotes and wolves are brutal predators. Unlike bears and big cats, which kill their prey and then consume it, canines oftentimes tire their prey, bring it down, and start feasting on and around the hind quarters while the animal is still alive. What a terrible way to go.

Grandma Strolls

Either little Billy asked Grammy to go put batteries in his trail camera, or Grandma went for an evening stroll. I’m not sure if she remembered her teeth, but she did forget her wig. My guess is she didn’t expect to have her photo taken. I’m just glad she could still move those hips fast enough to swivel away from the camera.

Demon Walk

Yep, demons are real, and this trail camera photo proves it. You can even see a couple of horns coming off the side of its head. Sure, it’s just a negative photo filter, you say. But who really wants to take chances? Weird stuff happens in the woods.

Ghoul

If this creature isn’t a ghoul, or maybe one of those flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, I don’t know what it is. This deer can’t even grab a bite at the local deer feeder without getting gored. Seems Dorothy didn’t shut the portal door fast enough when she went back home to Kansas. Dang you, Dorothy.

Night Creature

Nope. Nope. Nope. I don’t know what it is. And I don’t care. It has no place on earth. I say we form a militia and hunt this creature down, no license or tags needed. Those who are with me, we ride at dawn, but definitely not before dawn.

Dino

This is less spooky and more funny. What a great prank to pull on your deer hunting buddy. Good job Captain Jurassic Park, you got us!

Return to the Scene of the Crime

If there’s one thing that disturbs ranchers, it’s wolves prowling around their livestock. This photo shows two gray wolves returning to a depredation site in Oregon, where they killed two sheep.

Bad Kitty

Years ago there was a research study that determined cats are psychopaths (or something like that). I seem to recall another study where researchers determined even domestic cats would kill their owners, if they were big enough to do so. I’m not a zoologist, or a psychologist, but, I say it’s true. And this photo of a wild mountain lion doesn’t change my mind at all. This is what pure terror, and psychopathy, look like.

Ghost Mirroring?

Mirroring is a thing. Study behavioral sciences and that’s clear. But a ghost lip-curling because a buck did? That’s weird. And creepy. And maybe a few other things. I mean, he’s just criss-cross-apple-saucin’ in mid-air and giving it his best lip curl. That’s some whacky stuff, right there.

Creepy Critters

I don’t know what these things are, but this photo was from back in 2007, so they’ve probably multiplied by now. But with some brumby stallions (circa Man from Snowy River), Henry lever-actions, and a pack of plot hounds with some fight in ‘em, we just might win. 

Ghost Girl

Ok. This is clearly the ghost of a young person. With all due respect, please go home. It’s already hard enough to wake up for a morning deer hunt. Now this image is floating around in the mind of the poor sap who planned to hunt this deer feeder. (My guess is that big 8-pointer survived the season.)

Witches Be Hungry

This photo submitted by Corinea Stanhope definitely grabs your attention. Here’s some background from the original Outdoor Life story: “When Corinea Stanhope and her grandfather Bob set up a trail camera near a deer carcass two minutes from Stanhope’s home in Powell River, British Columbia, they hoped to see some interesting wildlife feeding on it. First came a bobcat. Then, to their surprise, came two half-naked figures with matted black hair that looked a lot like witches. The trail camera photos show the two standing over the deer carcass, picking at the flesh, and even raising a hoof to one of their mouths.”

Lightning Strike

If you ever want to see the immense power of Mother Nature, just watch a summer storm roll in. That’s what it appears this buck is doing, which made for one incredible, and spooky, trail camera photo.