taking inventory on bucks

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Indianahunter
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby Indianahunter » Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:09 am

Here is the tricky reality, just as an FYI before you do this . Having pictures of a bunch of bucks in no way shape or form will tell you what bucks live on your property whether you get 1 pic or 100. It will however tell you what kind of bucks that are in your area, and by area I mean within a square mile typically. You can get a better idea of what bucks call your property home by locating and tracking the number of beds and as Stanley suggested setting up a camera on and entrance or exit route from that bed but not too close to the bed itself. The dynamics for where deer spend there time especially in the hard winter months will change drastically based upon the quality of food sources available. It would not be unusual for you to get a picture of a bruiser if you have a good food source right now, but find that the deer lives on a property a half mile away. You may already know these things but I have seen so many guys discouraged by trying to hunt deer that don't call their property home simply because they have a picture of him.
I think it is important to know the deer in your area as well as what actually lives on your property, but what you have on your property is definitely more important as that is the deer you stand the best chance of taking. During the rut....who knows a half mile is nothing for a deer but then you are spending your time hoping more so then hunting.


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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby rack addict » Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:13 am

great stuff guys!!! Im soaking it all in :mrgreen:
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby dan » Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:28 am

Here is the tricky reality, just as an FYI before you do this . Having pictures of a bunch of bucks in no way shape or form will tell you what bucks live on your property whether you get 1 pic or 100.

I disagree.. I think putting cameras to close to bedding can push them off the property, but getting pictures 300 or 400 yards from a bedding area within the 1st or last hour of daylight can certainly tell you the buck is living on your property, or the occasional daylight photo's in the food sources when the deer makes a rare mistake... You can also take a look at the one or two bucks you only get pic's of occasionally, and/or at midnight and say, likely not from this property...
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby BigHunt » Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:30 am

dan wrote:
Here is the tricky reality, just as an FYI before you do this . Having pictures of a bunch of bucks in no way shape or form will tell you what bucks live on your property whether you get 1 pic or 100.

I disagree.. I think putting cameras to close to bedding can push them off the property, but getting pictures 300 or 400 yards from a bedding area within the 1st or last hour of daylight can certainly tell you the buck is living on your property, or the occasional daylight photo's in the food sources when the deer makes a rare mistake... You can also take a look at the one or two bucks you only get pic's of occasionally, and/or at midnight and say, likely not from this property...


100 % agreed dan
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby Autumn Ninja » Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:08 pm

virginiashadow wrote:Cool stuff Ninja. While I cannot put out trail cameras due to regulations on the public ground I hunt, I most certainly can make mock scrapes. I am going to look over some maps and mark up some spots that connect pieces of ground like you mentioned above in order to identify potential spots to place mock scrapes next season. If you have a chance maybe you can tell me what you think buddy. KILL!

Brett

I would be happy to help Brett....But just to let you know, all I know about mock scrapes I learned from Shed (Troy).

With what I know about topo's, I picked it up like a duck to water, lol.
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby Autumn Ninja » Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:09 pm

Autumn Ninja wrote:
virginiashadow wrote:Cool stuff Ninja. While I cannot put out trail cameras due to regulations on the public ground I hunt, I most certainly can make mock scrapes. I am going to look over some maps and mark up some spots that connect pieces of ground like you mentioned above in order to identify potential spots to place mock scrapes next season. If you have a chance maybe you can tell me what you think buddy. KILL!

Brett

I would be happy to help Brett. But just to let you know....all I know about mock scrapes I learned from Shed (Troy).

With what I know about topo's, I picked it up like a duck to water, lol.
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby Indianahunter » Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:05 pm

Indianahunter wrote: You can get a better idea of what bucks call your property home by locating and tracking the number of beds and as Stanley suggested setting up a camera on and entrance or exit route from that bed but not too close to the bed itself.
:?:

Deer rarely winter on our property, and in the last 4 years I have only located 6 confirmed bucks beds and confirmed those animals stick around. However I have tons of pictures of multiple bucks that I know live on neighboring properties that I have had the oppportunity to scout in the off season. When I say entry or exit routes I am not talking directly near bedding.....When I find the bed I will walk those routes to a funnel going towards a food source and set a camera at a creek crossing if possible where I don't have to leave scent there. Knowing where the beds are allows me to know how close or far away that camera needs to be. If i get consistent photos of a particular animals utlizing that trail I can logically assume that is the buck using that bed. However last year when it was too wet in the fall for them to get the beans out they left them stand until spring and I had dozens of buck pictures and many dozens of does at the food sources and passing through to the food sources. I just don't understand how getting pictures of bucks you don't normally see except in the winter months at a hot food source would indicate that they live on your property. But I "KNOW" The ones I get consistently coming from a bed do. Please explain, I am trying to understand what you are saying? Maybe I have something figured wrong here.
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby rack addict » Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:26 pm

Indianahunter wrote:
Indianahunter wrote: You can get a better idea of what bucks call your property home by locating and tracking the number of beds and as Stanley suggested setting up a camera on and entrance or exit route from that bed but not too close to the bed itself.
:?:

Deer rarely winter on our property, and in the last 4 years I have only located 6 confirmed bucks beds and confirmed those animals stick around. However I have tons of pictures of multiple bucks that I know live on neighboring properties that I have had the oppportunity to scout in the off season. When I say entry or exit routes I am not talking directly near bedding.....When I find the bed I will walk those routes to a funnel going towards a food source and set a camera at a creek crossing if possible where I don't have to leave scent there. Knowing where the beds are allows me to know how close or far away that camera needs to be. If i get consistent photos of a particular animals utlizing that trail I can logically assume that is the buck using that bed. However last year when it was too wet in the fall for them to get the beans out they left them stand until spring and I had dozens of buck pictures and many dozens of does at the food sources and passing through to the food sources. I just don't understand how getting pictures of bucks you don't normally see except in the winter months at a hot food source would indicate that they live on your property. But I "KNOW" The ones I get consistently coming from a bed do. Please explain, I am trying to understand what you are saying? Maybe I have something figured wrong here.


That makes sense to me...I need to make sure I get out there this winter/spring and try to locate some beds
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby Hunter74 » Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:36 pm

How often do you guys find a mature buck will change his path once it realizes there is a camera there... There's been a number of times that I'll get just one or two pics of a buck in one spot then move my cam or have another one set in a little different spot and get another pic or two... I've never got a bunch of pics of a mature buck so I assumed that once they had there pic taken they avoid or go around that particular spot...

Now when you guys get just a few pics of an animal do you assume it doesn't actually live on your property or do you think the camera spooked it and it avoids that spot?

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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby matt1336 » Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:50 pm

Bucky wrote:Water source if it is not readily available all over...

Mock scrape in about August will work 2 with scent/attractant - it could be a car freshener, they will come in and check it out. Just get something that will smell for a long time


A mock scrape w/ orbital gland on the licking branch is supposed to be great for summer. I'm gonna try that this summer.
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby BigHunt » Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:04 pm

How often do you guys find a mature buck will change his path once it realizes there is a camera there...

very often , i believe scent left behind from you tips them off .....


There's been a number of times that I'll get just one or two pics of a buck in one spot then move my cam or have another one set in a little different spot and get another pic or two...


same here.... again i think its the scent factor



Now when you guys get just a few pics of an animal do you assume it doesn't actually live on your property or do you think the camera spooked it and it avoids that spot?


well there's several situations possible here , it depends also how much land you have to work with ...well you can look at the trail cam pics and say ....ok he showed up a half hour after dark or so , most likely hes bedding on that property..say its 1 or 2 in the mourning then we can easily say that buck is from a different property....


the other side, if you have a large property most likely its bedding on your land say 400 acres +.....but that also depends on were the bedding is on the land. you could have 400+ acres and the best bedding might be on the edge of your land , and the deer is walking off the land.....

then the camera part of it....let me ask you this were are placing this camera?

scent is the biggest factor for cameras IMO.....dan says and thinks the number one reason why guys dont shoot deer is cuz they miss use trail camera ...buy putting them where they actually hunt (stand sites) , or near the bedding. so it boils down to scent again....this is most liky why we only get one or two pics of mature deer
Last edited by BigHunt on Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:13 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby Indianahunter » Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:05 pm

Hunter74 wrote:How often do you guys find a mature buck will change his path once it realizes there is a camera there... There's been a number of times that I'll get just one or two pics of a buck in one spot then move my cam or have another one set in a little different spot and get another pic or two... I've never got a bunch of pics of a mature buck so I assumed that once they had there pic taken they avoid or go around that particular spot...

Now when you guys get just a few pics of an animal do you assume it doesn't actually live on your property or do you think the camera spooked it and it avoids that spot?

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I try really hard to put my cameras at small creek crossings or places where they have to cross a ditch and I can access them pretty easily and not walk on the trail. I also only use my cameras for intel and not great pictures, so My Reconyx has a 50ft trigger range and I usually hang them high, point them down at the creek or ditch where I don't have to clear anything or disturb the area and have them about 30 ft away so I am not pushing that sensor range to the max but keeping some distance. I will leave my camera there for minimally a month without ever going in there and then wait for the right weather and wind conditions to pull it.
I don't alway get a lot of pictures, but that is ok too. Once I have consistent confirmation that a particular animal is using that bed (or so I suspect) There is no need to put the camera back in there or revisit that area except to prep a tree for hunting him shortly afterwards. What I also do especially when I don't get a lot of pics maybe the same buck every 8 days or something is go to http://www.wunderground.com and look up the historical weather data matched to the date and time stamps of my camera and then I can see if there is a specific wind that deer is using that bed on and begin to understand why he wasn't there on the days in between. Sometimes it has nothing to with wind, sometimes it is a food source change, and sometimes it seems they will just wander off for a few days. I can't honestly answer the particulars, but putting something together with wind direction for the bed is defnitely worth the extra time in research. If you keep your cameras backed off, make as little impact as possible and hang them high they never catch my cams as opposed to when I put them chest height I almost always get pics of at least one deer looking at the camera and mine is black flash.
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Re: taking inventory on bucks

Unread postby Black Squirrel » Thu Jan 19, 2012 3:46 am

Good points, Bob!


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