Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
- dkoy85
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Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
After browsing through the all time best tactical threads topic, I noticed there is nothing specifically about trail cameras. Since trail cameras have been a big contributor to my success and I'm sure a bunch of you, it'd be nice to see how everybody uses trail cams effectively.
For me it begins around June in general areas(or areas I know a buck has lived for the last 3 years). I'll put my cameras over a food source, mineral site, or major trail. I find that old bucks will show up at least once to any of these given cam spots, even of they rarely use this section of the property. However, that's all I need to start the process of pinpointing the bucks "core" area. I've never killed a mature buck early season for a number of reasons, the main being bed locating and hunting is new to me, but I expect things to be different this year after I piece together the bedding areas in conjunction with the core area I located through trail camera surveillance. During this time period I try to learn as much, from a distance, about this particular "target" buck(even though I'll have more than one target buck).
When hunting season rolls around I'll move another camera in, being a little more aggressive, trying to find where he is during daylight hours- this tactic will probably change as to not put unneeded pressure on him, especially since I'm hunting more public this year, and since I should have a good idea which bed he is using. I will however start moving the cameras to an area far enough away and higher up in a tree, but close enough to confirm he's using the bed. With the information gathered in the offseason(beds) and the proof of a big buck using an area(trail cams), I'll move in for the kill(hopefully).
Rut- Now that the rut is here(and I haven't filled my tag like usual ) my focus shifts to the does and scrapes. I'll set my trail cameras up on doe trails coming out of bedding(preferably at a buck crossing trail) and once the older bucks start showing up(doesn't have to be daylight) I'll move into the bedding, or just outside, and catch the bucks cruising or pushing. This has been a very exciting way for me to hunt because I see a lot of rutting activity this way. In fact I killed my drop tine buck( I call it a drop tine- also never saw this buck or had pics) and my buddy killed his big 10 hunting opposite sides of a doe bedding area after we got this info, within 2 minutes of each other. I remember shooting mine, watching it run off, a minute later hearing my buddy shoot and think he just shot my buck. Very cool day for us!
As far as scrapes go, they tell me when a new buck has moved in and needs to be hunted right away. I'll use the same tactic of hunting doe bedding close to the scrape, immediately! I find that when a new buck is in the area where another dominant buck is living and close to doe bedding, that there is a doe in heat and that doe needs to be "hunted" right away. So many times has my group went out to Ohio and killed a new buck the same day or very next day that we got a picture of him.
Late season I'll switch back to my early season tactics.
Also one thing a trail camera does is help you pick up patterns of not only an individual buck, but the herd as well. For whatever reason(maybe old does coming into heat early) we seem to get pictures of our target bucks on their feet during daylight hours around OCt 16th-18th. I'll be hunting these dates harder from here on out.
Here's an example of what I'm looking for. This is a late season buck heading into his bedding area- forgive me on the quality, I snapped it off my comp with my phone. My camera is about 8' up in a cedar (Had a small game hunter walk by and never see my camera-AWESOME).
Please share
For me it begins around June in general areas(or areas I know a buck has lived for the last 3 years). I'll put my cameras over a food source, mineral site, or major trail. I find that old bucks will show up at least once to any of these given cam spots, even of they rarely use this section of the property. However, that's all I need to start the process of pinpointing the bucks "core" area. I've never killed a mature buck early season for a number of reasons, the main being bed locating and hunting is new to me, but I expect things to be different this year after I piece together the bedding areas in conjunction with the core area I located through trail camera surveillance. During this time period I try to learn as much, from a distance, about this particular "target" buck(even though I'll have more than one target buck).
When hunting season rolls around I'll move another camera in, being a little more aggressive, trying to find where he is during daylight hours- this tactic will probably change as to not put unneeded pressure on him, especially since I'm hunting more public this year, and since I should have a good idea which bed he is using. I will however start moving the cameras to an area far enough away and higher up in a tree, but close enough to confirm he's using the bed. With the information gathered in the offseason(beds) and the proof of a big buck using an area(trail cams), I'll move in for the kill(hopefully).
Rut- Now that the rut is here(and I haven't filled my tag like usual ) my focus shifts to the does and scrapes. I'll set my trail cameras up on doe trails coming out of bedding(preferably at a buck crossing trail) and once the older bucks start showing up(doesn't have to be daylight) I'll move into the bedding, or just outside, and catch the bucks cruising or pushing. This has been a very exciting way for me to hunt because I see a lot of rutting activity this way. In fact I killed my drop tine buck( I call it a drop tine- also never saw this buck or had pics) and my buddy killed his big 10 hunting opposite sides of a doe bedding area after we got this info, within 2 minutes of each other. I remember shooting mine, watching it run off, a minute later hearing my buddy shoot and think he just shot my buck. Very cool day for us!
As far as scrapes go, they tell me when a new buck has moved in and needs to be hunted right away. I'll use the same tactic of hunting doe bedding close to the scrape, immediately! I find that when a new buck is in the area where another dominant buck is living and close to doe bedding, that there is a doe in heat and that doe needs to be "hunted" right away. So many times has my group went out to Ohio and killed a new buck the same day or very next day that we got a picture of him.
Late season I'll switch back to my early season tactics.
Also one thing a trail camera does is help you pick up patterns of not only an individual buck, but the herd as well. For whatever reason(maybe old does coming into heat early) we seem to get pictures of our target bucks on their feet during daylight hours around OCt 16th-18th. I'll be hunting these dates harder from here on out.
Here's an example of what I'm looking for. This is a late season buck heading into his bedding area- forgive me on the quality, I snapped it off my comp with my phone. My camera is about 8' up in a cedar (Had a small game hunter walk by and never see my camera-AWESOME).
Please share
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
Trail cams can be a great tool. I find many people simply to more damage than good when using them.
There's alot of smart people here who do use trail cams effectively, so there is alot to be gained by reading their input.
We can't run bait or licks, so inventory use is difficult for me. I usually try to use field edge sets or main trails to pick up on bucks in velvet stage. I try to make cam sets as accesible as possible at that point to get in and get out, and I generally leave the cams for a very long period of time.
As hunting season nears I move to scrapes and fruit trees where buck use will be concentrated. I'm looking to find whatever daytime use I can. Cam checks occur when hunting happens on the way in/out. Based on my bed knowledge, the pics might help me decipher what beds are being used and when (we have alot of marsh bedding).
As rut kicks into gear, I'm moving from target bucks based off of their bedding, and moving more toward the "quantity" approach. That's not to say I give up on bed hunting, because its still valuable. I just use my cams to reveal trends over longer periods of time more than an isolated buck. After two or three seasons of cam sets at scrapes or buck travel routes through and to/from doe bedding, I generally start to get an idea of what window these bucks cruise in daylight. For instance, cams have revealed Nov 4-8 is the peak for one spot, with some decent days between 9-15th, but nowhere near the intensity of mature buck appearances. We generally avoid that spot since it is a doe bedding area and then sit it accordingly in November.
Late season here is a joke due to state season dates where I live. Usually moved to food sources to try to pick up any daytime activity to take advantage of or dive into deep cover as much as possible.
There's alot of smart people here who do use trail cams effectively, so there is alot to be gained by reading their input.
We can't run bait or licks, so inventory use is difficult for me. I usually try to use field edge sets or main trails to pick up on bucks in velvet stage. I try to make cam sets as accesible as possible at that point to get in and get out, and I generally leave the cams for a very long period of time.
As hunting season nears I move to scrapes and fruit trees where buck use will be concentrated. I'm looking to find whatever daytime use I can. Cam checks occur when hunting happens on the way in/out. Based on my bed knowledge, the pics might help me decipher what beds are being used and when (we have alot of marsh bedding).
As rut kicks into gear, I'm moving from target bucks based off of their bedding, and moving more toward the "quantity" approach. That's not to say I give up on bed hunting, because its still valuable. I just use my cams to reveal trends over longer periods of time more than an isolated buck. After two or three seasons of cam sets at scrapes or buck travel routes through and to/from doe bedding, I generally start to get an idea of what window these bucks cruise in daylight. For instance, cams have revealed Nov 4-8 is the peak for one spot, with some decent days between 9-15th, but nowhere near the intensity of mature buck appearances. We generally avoid that spot since it is a doe bedding area and then sit it accordingly in November.
Late season here is a joke due to state season dates where I live. Usually moved to food sources to try to pick up any daytime activity to take advantage of or dive into deep cover as much as possible.
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
I would like to see it also on best tactics. Their is so much great information on it. We need a trailcam picture gallery sticky. And a trailcam tactics or bed photos. To help us understand better how these bucks use their beds under different conditions.
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- oneflag
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
Look at (gutone4me) post and threads; he is a master mind in the way of trail cameras.
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
Without a doubt they're an effective tool, but I feel like many "Beast Hunters" prefer not to use them because it alerts the deer. Going in a few times in January-February isn't detrimental to your hunt but April-July would probably bring different results. I personally prefer to use trail cameras during January-March to evaluate the "survivors" and hopefully get some pictures of bucks that are still carrying antlers. This also gives you a leg-up on where they'll be when the hunting pressure picks up during the season.
I personally prefer to setup cameras on crossing game trails that make an X or something similar. Just outside of doe bedding areas to determine the population, on the edge of thickets, ect.. I also prefer to setup trail cameras on a rainy day or just before, I've noticed about a 2 day window that deer will avoid where my camera has been without a rain. I need to thank Dan for this advice, I would have never thought anything about this had he not mentioned it.
I personally prefer to setup cameras on crossing game trails that make an X or something similar. Just outside of doe bedding areas to determine the population, on the edge of thickets, ect.. I also prefer to setup trail cameras on a rainy day or just before, I've noticed about a 2 day window that deer will avoid where my camera has been without a rain. I need to thank Dan for this advice, I would have never thought anything about this had he not mentioned it.
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
Game cameras are becoming a big time scouting/hunting tool for a lot of hunters. We are in the electronic age. Trail cameras used properly, are very beneficial in today's generation of hunting.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
Tennhunter3 wrote:I would like to see it also on best tactics. Their is so much great information on it. We need a trailcam picture gallery sticky. And a trailcam tactics or bed photos. To help us understand better how these bucks use their beds under different conditions.
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You think getting it right with a regular trail camera is interesting, wait til you get it right with an MMS cam...while you are at work. This is the only pic I have here at work with a goofy 2.5, but trust me, it doesn't feel all that great, lol.
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- gutone4me
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
oneflag wrote:Look at (gutone4me) post and threads; he is a master mind in the way of trail cameras.
Not so much for deer or patterning certain bucks. I break all the rules .... Stomping all over every week or so.
I do get lucky once in awhile and kill a decent buck ive got patterned.
Im more of an artsy fartys picture getter
Love me some trail cams !
Thanks for the plug though !
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
Come on guys, more people have to have specific strategies on how they use cams. For instance what do you do to locate good bucks on public land if you can't shine? I get that some hunters go in and are ok with the unknown, but I know a lot of guys who don't want to waste their time on a spot that might not hold a good buck. What are some strategies to locate bucks with trail cameras- staging, thick stuff, food sources? When do you check them? During rain? Before a storm?
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
There is a podcast on Wired to Hunt with Bill Winke talking about how he uses cameras to pattern bucks. He advocates the use of plot watcher cams on ag fields to see where they are coming out. He also advocated using hip waders to help with scent reduction when checking cameras. He didn't get into a lot more detail but if I had the cameras, once I saw where a buck was coming out (assuming I couldn't locate his bed), I would start (this time of year) putting the cameras further back from their entry point to the field until you got to a place of seeing daylight movement. Is it possible to do this without blowing him out? I dunno...
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
lets hear some tactics in woods that have no fields or pre-dominant food sources. Does anyone use them to hone in on a bucks core and to learn a particular bucks habits
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
I love using trail cams ive used them for 5 years or so. Its a very good tool to know whats around and to also pattern and learn about a buck as he matures. I put mine on or near food sources. I get a 30 pound bag of loose salt cost 4 dollars and works awsome ill start a salt lick with it and it will stop any deer walking by so you can get good pics of them.
I like to put my cams out late august and during the first month i wont check them, after that ill check them about every 2 to 3 weeks. After they loose thear velvet if i stop getting pics of bucks witch happens alot i will pick a few bucks to go after and will take the cams that are not getting pics and put move it to the place i have the target bucks picked out so i can have 2 or three cams on the property. I will keep all the buck pics on my computer look and see ware the buck is showing up the most and set a plan up to get him.
Ive been pretty successful using cams and with my job im not home much to do much scouting so they are a good tool for that kind of life style. I also think to much walking around can damage the hunting close to season and cams also help with that.
In the short time ive used them its helped us get several bucks ive got 3 of my target bucks ive let my cousin get 2 and a swap hunt i had they both got one that i had on cam. Its also really neat to see how much a buck grows some bucks just get huge from one year to the next some nothing changes. good luck
I like to put my cams out late august and during the first month i wont check them, after that ill check them about every 2 to 3 weeks. After they loose thear velvet if i stop getting pics of bucks witch happens alot i will pick a few bucks to go after and will take the cams that are not getting pics and put move it to the place i have the target bucks picked out so i can have 2 or three cams on the property. I will keep all the buck pics on my computer look and see ware the buck is showing up the most and set a plan up to get him.
Ive been pretty successful using cams and with my job im not home much to do much scouting so they are a good tool for that kind of life style. I also think to much walking around can damage the hunting close to season and cams also help with that.
In the short time ive used them its helped us get several bucks ive got 3 of my target bucks ive let my cousin get 2 and a swap hunt i had they both got one that i had on cam. Its also really neat to see how much a buck grows some bucks just get huge from one year to the next some nothing changes. good luck
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
dkoy85 wrote:Come on guys, more people have to have specific strategies on how they use cams. For instance what do you do to locate good bucks on public land if you can't shine? I get that some hunters go in and are ok with the unknown, but I know a lot of guys who don't want to waste their time on a spot that might not hold a good buck. What are some strategies to locate bucks with trail cameras- staging, thick stuff, food sources? When do you check them? During rain? Before a storm?
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There's plenty of threads here about that type of stuff if you search and look in the trail cam subforum.
If all you want to do is locate a good buck ie inventory, find a concentrated food source or a well positioned water hole and set cams there, assuming you can't bait/use licks. Or find his trails to his bed, or his bed. There's no secret sauce to doing this. The same scouting principles apply.
I usually set them around Memorial day, let them run until July 4th, check to make sure they work that weekend/move cams as needed, and then let them sit until I feel like I can go in and pull one more time before season. Sometimes I try to wait til right after the velvet peels and shifts occur, but our season doesn't even open in Sept. so there's still some time left before the start of bow. From there, I simply check only when going to and from stand sites. I will carry a cam with me in my pack to set while hunting if I come across something that I didn't know or based on what I see and let it ride.
Most of my use is on private, but the same principles apply to public...I don't really feel like cams are all that great at patterning public bucks unless you are in an undisturbed area or the buck simply has a disposition that will get him killed more easily (it does happen). I have patterned bucks on cam on private to a relative success, but it's a learning curve. I'm sure I've messed up more than I know to this point.
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
Swampbuck wrote:lets hear some tactics in woods that have no fields or pre-dominant food sources. Does anyone use them to hone in on a bucks core and to learn a particular bucks habits
This is about the toughest condition to use a cam other than a typical marsh. The good thing is that this is often a good tool to add to your bag of tricks because you can't easily glass or use other visual confirmations besids scouting.
I don't honestly have much experience with this, but if I were, I'd probably be very picky about a cam to make sure it has quiet operation, black flash, reliable performance, and good battery life. I'd then probably get more agressive and set specifically on trails I think the bucks (that one if after) use in daytime and let it rip for a very long time, talking months and months. The intent would be to use it to learn trend use, not necessarily the specific buck (although that too is nice). I would assume in big woods, with no real destination food sources, that the trails, once you find them, will be habitually used long term (ie year to year) unless something changes. That's the best advice I think I can offer in my limited experience. Usually though there is some sort of concentrated food source, whether it be an oak flat or a natural crab apple, something, that can be used as a starting point.
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Re: Trail Cameras- For the "All Time Best Tactical Threads."
There have been several other good threads on trail camera techniques. here is one of them: http://thehuntingbeast.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25964&hilit=trail+cams
I don't have much experiance with big woods trail cam techniques, but use them a lot in farm and hill country. I will add a bit to what I posted on that thread:
Through the summer and leading up to the season I put cams on food sources or water if it is dry to inventory bucks. I keep them away from where I have setups picked out...I always try to stay several hundred yards away from suspected bedding. I rotate cams every 2-4 weeks and rarely have cams in any one spot more than once a year. In farm country that is not much disturbance.
As October rolls along and primary scrapes open up near food sources I move cams to them, once again well away from the buck bedding that I know of through scouting. To me a cardinal rule is to avoid where a buck will likely be in daylight, a mature buck won't stand for much intrusion. Late season cams are back over food. I always hang my cams high and far back, they are much less likely to spook deer when 50 feet back and 6-8 feet off the ground. I only use IRs but haven't tried true black flashes.
My strategy is probably moderately aggressive just based on how much ground I cover with them and this is why: There are only a handful of bucks I am interested in across the dozen or so chunks of public that I hunt and often I only have access to a portion of their home range. Through the course of the year I want to know if a good buck is frequenting the area, if it doesn't seem like it I will hunt other places. Scouting sign does not tell me the difference between a 120 inch mature buck (probably not interested in him) and a 150 inch mature buck (shooter), they both can tear up the woods.
I am always trying to hunt more and more efficiently. Trail cams are part of what I use to plan out my season week by week, but still I would say I don't try to pattern a single buck with cams, rather I use cams to confirm which properties to target through the season. Scouting is what tells me where to set up.
I also check trail cam photos against weather at that time to find correlations. Its surprising how often trends with temperature and wind exist. Another valuable part of the puzzle you can get with trail cams is a big buck's tracks. If there are a whopper set of tracks in front of the camera when I pick it up and only one big buck on camera recently, I now know that specific buck's tracks...if there are only medium sized tracks there but a big buck was there recently then I might be after a small footed big buck. I bring that up because that has happened more than once to me. Look closely, most tracks are unique.
In an ideal situation I get a big buck regularly on a food source. I look a map I marked up while scouting with the most likely buck bedding areas and determine what he likely used based on time and direction of travel. Pictures in the middle of the night are useless for that but those taken within 2 hours of daylight are what I am looking for. If I am really confident I know where he is bedding under certain conditions I will move in right then, otherwise I may scout around and check trails coming and going from the bedding to see if I can find his tracks. That has worked quite often for me.
I don't have much experiance with big woods trail cam techniques, but use them a lot in farm and hill country. I will add a bit to what I posted on that thread:
Through the summer and leading up to the season I put cams on food sources or water if it is dry to inventory bucks. I keep them away from where I have setups picked out...I always try to stay several hundred yards away from suspected bedding. I rotate cams every 2-4 weeks and rarely have cams in any one spot more than once a year. In farm country that is not much disturbance.
As October rolls along and primary scrapes open up near food sources I move cams to them, once again well away from the buck bedding that I know of through scouting. To me a cardinal rule is to avoid where a buck will likely be in daylight, a mature buck won't stand for much intrusion. Late season cams are back over food. I always hang my cams high and far back, they are much less likely to spook deer when 50 feet back and 6-8 feet off the ground. I only use IRs but haven't tried true black flashes.
My strategy is probably moderately aggressive just based on how much ground I cover with them and this is why: There are only a handful of bucks I am interested in across the dozen or so chunks of public that I hunt and often I only have access to a portion of their home range. Through the course of the year I want to know if a good buck is frequenting the area, if it doesn't seem like it I will hunt other places. Scouting sign does not tell me the difference between a 120 inch mature buck (probably not interested in him) and a 150 inch mature buck (shooter), they both can tear up the woods.
I am always trying to hunt more and more efficiently. Trail cams are part of what I use to plan out my season week by week, but still I would say I don't try to pattern a single buck with cams, rather I use cams to confirm which properties to target through the season. Scouting is what tells me where to set up.
I also check trail cam photos against weather at that time to find correlations. Its surprising how often trends with temperature and wind exist. Another valuable part of the puzzle you can get with trail cams is a big buck's tracks. If there are a whopper set of tracks in front of the camera when I pick it up and only one big buck on camera recently, I now know that specific buck's tracks...if there are only medium sized tracks there but a big buck was there recently then I might be after a small footed big buck. I bring that up because that has happened more than once to me. Look closely, most tracks are unique.
In an ideal situation I get a big buck regularly on a food source. I look a map I marked up while scouting with the most likely buck bedding areas and determine what he likely used based on time and direction of travel. Pictures in the middle of the night are useless for that but those taken within 2 hours of daylight are what I am looking for. If I am really confident I know where he is bedding under certain conditions I will move in right then, otherwise I may scout around and check trails coming and going from the bedding to see if I can find his tracks. That has worked quite often for me.
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