Patterning without polluting / Modern age Bed hunting ...

[Hodag Hunter]

Dan, what kind of battery life are you expecting with these cameras? I don't imagine much more than 3 months? Given that constraint, when are you thinking you will actually set them up in one of your mature buck bedding areas? August maybe? That gives the bedding area a month undisturbed, followed by September and October of early season to hunt? Are you concerned about disturbing the beds that close to season?

I have no idea other than the comments Phade made about when he tested it. We will test it and find out. If its short life due to sending pics (that eats batteries from what I hear) I will bring it to the shop and have Kitscha add some battery packs... He has already volunteered.

As far as going in around august... That sounds about right. Yes, any time I enter a bedding area I feel I am doing damage. Might do it just prior to, or during a rain. Not sure yet. Test 1st... Come up with game plan second.

I have been hooking my cameras up to a small 12v battery used for vexlars or underwater cameras. (fleet farm has good pricing end of ice fishing or early fall) they are either the 7 or 8 amp versions. The plug ins to the cam I purchase at radio shack with aligator clips for the battery.

They literly last months and months taking more pictures than my 2 gb cards can handle.

Maybe work for your new cameras?

[Edcyclopedia]

If I could find beds I would likely not use it anyways.

[Stanley]

If I could find beds I would likely not use it anyways.

Remember when you were a kid waiting on Christmas? Cameras are a grown ups Christmas, can't wait to check the camera cards.

[BassBoysLLP]

Great thread. I do love spirited discussion and I've been hoping/planning to do the same thing for quite some time. I can't wait to see your results. It's going to be a great learning tool and i suspect the results will be frustrating at times. Picture comes in, seemingly flawless approach into your stand, and the buck doesn't show... You will have the first opportunity to validate your stand selection and approach. Evaluate your observations against moon data. Determine how long you need to "rest" a bed before you can hunt it again. And do much more! A lot a good information that is going to benefit everyone on this site, camera and non-camera users. Can't wait to see the results.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Dewey]

Anybody that thinks these cameras will make it easy to kill a mature buck is dead wrong. As many know killing an older buck is never easy even if you know for sure he is bedding in a particular spot.

These bucks got old for a reason and just because you know where he is on that particular day doesn't mean you will be able to get in his zone every time for a killing shot. These bucks are survival machines and seldom make a mistake. You are in their world and most times they will win.

I highly doubt huge bucks will be falling just because of this technology. For scouting purposes they will save some time not having to pull cards but beyond that I guess we will see from Dan's review. Looking forward to the results!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[dan]

Dewey, I think one of the best features of the HCO cameras is the fun of playing cat and mouse. Knowing he is in the area when you hunt... Like you said, nothing is a given, and mature bucks are touchy. But what a better confidence builder than to know he is in the vicinity.

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I really think these will be more useful on Primary scrapes or active scrapes near known big buck bedding areas....Of course this tactic would only work pre-rut, but once the buck started hitting that scrape you would know he would be in that area. With that knowledge, you could start hunting beds in that area. It seems like you could move your camera around and use it more than just keeping it on one solitary bed that may or may not pan out for you.

[MOBIGBUCKS]

I really think these will be more useful on Primary scrapes or active scrapes near known big buck bedding areas....Of course this tactic would only work pre-rut, but once the buck started hitting that scrape you would know he would be in that area. With that knowledge, you could start hunting beds in that area. It seems like you could move your camera around and use it more than just keeping it on one solitary bed that may or may not pan out for you.

I guess you could do that with a regular trailcamera too though... However, I'd love to be notified that a big buck is currently using that area and not have to contaminate the area with scent Very awesome info to have at your disposal.

[Dewey]

Dewey, I think one of the best features of the HCO cameras is the fun of playing cat and mouse. Knowing he is in the area when you hunt... Like you said, nothing is a given, and mature bucks are touchy. But what a better confidence builder than to know he is in the vicinity.

No doubt that would make it exciting and keep you 100% focussed on stand at all times!

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Singing Bridge]

2 days of no power at home and 12 hour shifts at work... glad that's over with!

wow, that's quite a camera! i will definitely tune in to see what Dan comes up with and I'm sure it will have value.

i can see a camera like that being used to keep from messing up other areas as well... food plots, scrapes, the closest mini-funnel to a big bucks bedding area... on and on. It would be cool for around home too, there are many potential scenarios outside the hunting scene.

[dan]

I really think these will be more useful on Primary scrapes or active scrapes near known big buck bedding areas....Of course this tactic would only work pre-rut, but once the buck started hitting that scrape you would know he would be in that area.

I have shot a few of my biggest bucks over scrapes they were checking daily in early season. One of them was in early September. Primary scrapes are not just limited to the rut.

[BassBoysLLP]

I have some primary scrape areas that are just a sensitive to intrusion. This would definitely help improve my timing as I generally only get 1 maybe two good hunts out of those spots a year for that reason.

You obviously need to intrude to do the initial set up. What conditions do you wait for? Wind when you don't expect the deer to be using the bed? Pack it in as part of a "cold" hunt? The biggest pitfall is "wasting" the first intrusion to do the set up. Hmmm

[ Post made via Android ]

[dan]

I have some primary scrape areas that are just a sensitive to intrusion. This would definitely help improve my timing as I generally only get 1 maybe two good hunts out of those spots a year for that reason.

You obviously need to intrude to do the initial set up. What conditions do you wait for? Wind when you don't expect the deer to be using the bed? Pack it in as part of a "cold" hunt? The biggest pitfall is "wasting" the first intrusion to do the set up. Hmmm

[ Post made via Android ]

Rain and wind would be the best to erode your scent... Either put it there when you hunt the spot, or before weather conditions will work in your favor to remove your scent.

[Singing Bridge]

After thinking about potential uses of this camera, I came up with one that would be interesting. Like Dan, I have a number of buck bedding areas that contain quite a few individual beds within that zone. Rather than put the camera up on one of these individual beds, I would be tempted to place it over a "Buck Bed Scrape."

I have a number of buck bedding areas with a scrape just outside of the buck bedding area, and it is the first scrape within reach when they exit in the evening and lies within their staging travel before dark. I am not speaking of the occassional scrape I find right next to the buck beds themselves, but those just outside of the bedding area.

This may or may not be a potential stand site depending on its location in relation to the bed and current weather conditions. However, this scrape would likely be visited by nearly every buck using the bedding area sooner or later. It certainly would provide valuable intel as to what buck was using the area and when, based on varying conditions.

I think the "Buck Bed Scrape" could potentially provide even more intel than a camera set up on a singular bed in an area with several or more buck beds. It would be interesting to see the results.

[Singing Bridge]

After thinking about potential uses of this camera, I came up with one that would be interesting. Like Dan, I have a number of buck bedding areas that contain quite a few individual beds within that zone. Rather than put the camera up on one of these individual beds, I would be tempted to place it over a "Buck Bed Scrape."

I have a number of buck bedding areas with a scrape just outside of the buck bedding area, and it is the first scrape within reach when they exit in the evening and lies within their staging travel before dark. I am not speaking of the occassional scrape I find right next to the buck beds themselves, but those just outside of the bedding area.

This may or may not be a potential stand site depending on its location in relation to the bed and current weather conditions. However, this scrape would likely be visited by nearly every buck using the bedding area sooner or later. It certainly would provide valuable intel as to what buck was using the area and when, based on varying conditions.

I think the "Buck Bed Scrape" could potentially provide even more intel than a camera set up on a singular bed in an area with several or more buck beds. It would be interesting to see the results.