Trail cams, help or hindrance?

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muddy
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Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby muddy » Fri Jul 26, 2013 4:25 am

This is the first year I haven't ran trail cams in quite a few years and I am mentally much happier and more excited for season than ever before. The countless trips to go check a cam and get nothing, have the camera malfunction, or not get what I'm hoping for has just been piling up year after year. Last year I didn't hardly hunt a known farm simply because the summer pics sucked so bad. Then come November I hung one on a scrape (tagged out elsewhere) and came back to check the cam and find multiple shooters as well as the landowner and other hunter say they saw a PIG on the property.

I know the pros of cams, I understand the cons of cams, but man am I just happy to be heading into season with a totally clean and blank slate.


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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Fri Jul 26, 2013 4:34 am

I hear you Muddy.

I only use them for about six weeks a year. I put them out in late July and run them till the last week in August; I do not check them in that six week time period. I use minerals and just try to get an inventory of what's around. If my cameras placed strategically I should be able to figure out what bedding area the buck may have come from. Outside of that, I don't use them too much. I think they can hurt you as much or more than help you in most cases.
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby xpauliber » Fri Jul 26, 2013 5:07 am

For me personally, I usually use cams in season to scout for the next season. I have one heck of a time picking what stand I want to hunt, particularly during the rut because I hate to be wrong! haha If I pick stand A and don't see anything, the whole time I'm sitting there, I keep thinking that I should have picked stand B.

In the rut particularly, I know that I have limited time, so I usually try to hunt old standby stands that have worked for me in the past. I find it very difficult to just go out on a limb in the middle of the rut and try a spot that I've never hunted before, even if the sign is telling me that I should. This is a downfall that I've recently become aware of with my hunting. So what I've been doing for a couple years now is setting up cams in questionable stand locations or rut travel corridors and gaining all of that intel that may be useless in the current season, but I gain confidence in that location for the next season.

Kind of a long-term strategy, but it's worked well to give me confidence which is what I need to enjoy my time on stand...particularly if I'm going to be doing a dark to dark sit in November.
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby Brad » Fri Jul 26, 2013 5:20 am

That's a good idea, I should do that too. I am not afraid to hunt blind in the rut and usually do OK, but long term that is a good tip for learning next years spots.
xpauliber wrote:For me personally, I usually use cams in season to scout for the next season. I have one heck of a time picking what stand I want to hunt, particularly during the rut because I hate to be wrong! haha If I pick stand A and don't see anything, the whole time I'm sitting there, I keep thinking that I should have picked stand B.

In the rut particularly, I know that I have limited time, so I usually try to hunt old standby stands that have worked for me in the past. I find it very difficult to just go out on a limb in the middle of the rut and try a spot that I've never hunted before, even if the sign is telling me that I should. This is a downfall that I've recently become aware of with my hunting. So what I've been doing for a couple years now is setting up cams in questionable stand locations or rut travel corridors and gaining all of that intel that may be useless in the current season, but I gain confidence in that location for the next season.

Kind of a long-term strategy, but it's worked well to give me confidence which is what I need to enjoy my time on stand...particularly if I'm going to be doing a dark to dark sit in November.


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phade
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby phade » Fri Jul 26, 2013 5:28 am

My cam use really is my pre-season scouting. I check cams about 2 or 3 times from end of May through the start of hunting season, with that third time often when I walk in to hunt. Usually its set end of May, check July 4th, and then hunting...check it on the way in. If I can get in on a rain Labor Day weekend, then I'll use that intel.

I lack the ability to scout/glass from afar on many of my properties. I do rely on my post-season scouting, but when mixing in crop rotations in ag land, you cannot always rely on that post season scouting 100%. Corn one year may again be corn if the soil can handle it, or it may be beans or alfalfa.

These cams act as defacto inventorying tools and to pick up on any pattern that I can't see from my inability to glass.
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby UntouchableNess » Fri Jul 26, 2013 5:36 am

muddy wrote:This is the first year I haven't ran trail cams in quite a few years and I am mentally much happier and more excited for season than ever before. The countless trips to go check a cam and get nothing, have the camera malfunction, or not get what I'm hoping for has just been piling up year after year. Last year I didn't hardly hunt a known farm simply because the summer pics sucked so bad. Then come November I hung one on a scrape (tagged out elsewhere) and came back to check the cam and find multiple shooters as well as the landowner and other hunter say they saw a PIG on the property.

I know the pros of cams, I understand the cons of cams, but man am I just happy to be heading into season with a totally clean and blank slate.


From the summer of 2009, I ran cams year around. March of this year I pulled them and doubt I'll put them back out where I hunt. I have some hanging in the farm yard as security cams; I have pictures of a white mini-van one day recently. ;) I'll probably hang cams for trespassers closer to season/in season.

I gave away my homebrews, got tired of dead lithium batteries with either empty cards or them being full of random pictures.

Looking forward to being surprised (or disappointed) with what walks past this fall. I'm thinking not knowing might put some of the fun back in it, as it got to be a grind at times focusing on a specific target buck.
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby RUTIN » Fri Jul 26, 2013 8:36 am

My cams have become a way of life on some farms. I wont even step foot on their until something I want to kill shows up. This particular farm usually has one shooter during the summer on it and then come Nov-Jan its got 2-4, you just have to time them right. This is why trail cams SUCK sometimes. I don't know how many times I've checked my cam over there and had 140"+ deer cruising under my stand and I rarely hunt it. I may hunt this farm 6 times a year total so there's very little pressure on it.
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby blackwolf » Fri Jul 26, 2013 9:16 am

I like to put a couple out over mineral mid-July thru August for a general idea. Most of my big buck picture have come mid-August. I leave them like MoBigBucks and don't check them until I take them out early Sep
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Fri Jul 26, 2013 9:23 am

I set mine in July and don't touch them til the week of or leading to the opener. Here is SW Michigan deer change their patterns come the middle of September. Most cams aren't getting picks til then. I just put them out in July to let the "acclimate" the area. Really only going on 2-3 weeks of intel

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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Fri Jul 26, 2013 12:06 pm

I have 3 cameras that seem to malfunction occasionally (all different makes)...
My most consistent camera (Bushnell) has been out Since May 1st and will grab it sometimes soon.

If it fails again I'll be done buying cameras and base my success on old fashion boot leather and hot deer sign.

It's been a fun 10-years or so but I'm sick of spending money on hunting stuff when it really boils down to experience, luck and playin the wind...
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby PK_ » Fri Jul 26, 2013 12:29 pm

I wouldn't know, don't have any.
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby Bigb » Fri Jul 26, 2013 1:10 pm

I'm with Phade on this one. I put them out in early June and won't check them until next week then again for another two months. The ones of the field edges my buddy will check every month. I don't think it effects the deer too much, we have a farmer checking his crops all the time and the cameras are right on his trails.

I don't live anywhere near where I hunt so I can't go out and scout as much as I want. Trail cameras help me learn the spots deer seem to some out during daylight hours as well.

I'll be honest too, I really enjoy my trail cameras. I get very excited when I go out every 6 to 8 weeks and pull my chips. We'll pull all the chips of possible and when we get back to my buddies house at night, we open a couple beers and go through a few thousand pics. Every time I hit the forward key I never know what it going to be there. I find it really exciting. Plus, those days where you are pushing yourself to sit all day, you have those pictures of big bucks in your head and it will help you sit that extra couple hours.
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby gjs4 » Fri Jul 26, 2013 1:29 pm

I think they have some effect on some deer but as a majority generality their effect is not huge. BUT the one buck that scares could be target buck. I think people checking them screw things up. I hate the things but use them for inventory and find big value checking them for day time buck movement coming rut. My latest approach is based on a beast tactic of using a quad to access them...and i do not hang them near stands...the quad is noisy and they know i am coming and do not leave my scent all over. Their my go to for areas i cannot glass.
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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby jonsimoneau » Fri Jul 26, 2013 1:35 pm

I think if u are one of these guys trying to figure out what time the deer are passing by your tree you are likely to be disappointed. But if you use them to take inventory in food sources etc. they can help you not waste time hunting in an area that does not hold what you are looking for.

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Re: Trail cams, help or hindrance?

Unread postby goldtip5575 » Fri Jul 26, 2013 2:22 pm

jonsimoneau wrote:I think if u are one of these guys trying to figure out what time the deer are passing by your tree you are likely to be disappointed. But if you use them to take inventory in food sources etc. they can help you not waste time hunting in an area that does not hold what you are looking for.

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