Maps of trailcam usage

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xpauliber
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Maps of trailcam usage

Unread postby xpauliber » Sun Oct 11, 2015 2:10 pm

I've really tried to focus my hunting efforts this year on properties that I KNOW have shooter bucks on them. Most of these properties, I've narrowed down by shining.

I know a lot of guys use trailcams to take inventory on the properties they hunt and I know this is an area that I need to work on. The problem is, I am paranoid about hanging cams on the properties I hunt for fear of tipping a buck off before I get a chance to get in there and hunt him. My area of PA would be considered more hill country than farm country so I don't have many fields to put cams out on and I don't want to venture too far into the woods.

I know seasons are in everywhere and most people's time is limited but it would be helpful to see some aerial photos at some point of where guys set their cams, how they access them to check them and not spook the bucks they're after and also possibly show the stand locations that they use after they've gotten the intel from those cams.

Thanks!

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Matty
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Re: Maps of trailcam usage

Unread postby Matty » Mon Oct 12, 2015 4:29 am

I'm not big into using cameras for several reasons. However, I do use them on occasion and this is how I do it.

- Always trust your gut instinct. (if you think a camera will hurt your odds, don't use it. If you think it will help, use it). (this goes for every aspect of life in my opinion though) TRUST YOUR GUT!
- 99% of my cameras are over scrapes and sometimes rubs (sometimes fence or creek crossings, etc)
- I set them in areas that I only expect to be used at night (areas a safe distance from known or suspected buck bedding)
- I put them out and leave them alone. I don't check them until I'm hunting the area
- I grab the SD card on the way in to hunt, bring a digital camera and look at the pictures after I settle in.

This allows me to see which bucks are using a general area and helps me decide what buck(s) to hold out for.

The main way I "inventory" bucks though is through spotting. I just have to know they are in an area to start figuring them out. Whenever that's possible, I don't bother with a camera.

When I do use cameras I think of it this way: Heavily pressured mature bucks still venture into areas where lots of hunters go, they just do it at night. They aren't really alarmed by human scent in these areas, they know that people trudge all over this land during the day. Night time comes though and that's usually when they lay down all the gorgeous sign that most guys are hunting. What those guys don't realize is, the buck paws the scrape and tears up the rub at 1am. Then he slinks off to bed in a tiny thicket 200 yards away all day and listens to this guy walk in, climb his tree, climb down and leave. They are virtually no threat to the big buck. If you use a camera the way most people hunt, you won't be viewed as much of a threat when you hang it and check it. Just don't expect daytime photos. You're only using the camera to see what kind of bucks you're chasing.

My one pet peeve is, it seems easy to get addicted to just getting pictures of big bucks. It's definitely cool, without a doubt, but I've known guys that basically just run cameras. They never try to figure out how to kill the bucks. They think sitting near where they have pictures of him at 2am every weekend will somehow result in a kill. Isn't that the definition of "insanity"? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. lol


Finally I want to add....

Always put the pieces together for yourself. Don't just take my word or anyone else's word as gospel. Be a big buck scientist and figure things out for yourself. Don't be afraid to experiment and fail.


I'm interested to see what some of the serial killers on here have to say.

Good luck. -Matt
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Wlog
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Re: Maps of trailcam usage

Unread postby Wlog » Mon Oct 12, 2015 8:40 am

This is a good topic. I'm reluctant to use cameras much for the same reasons you've mentioned. There seems to be an imaginary line where deer will and will not accept human scent and the key is to find that line where you hunt. The problem is you almost have to mess up to figure it out. I'm interested in seeing other guys maps also just to help me have a better visual.

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Re: Maps of trailcam usage

Unread postby headgear » Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:37 am

In the bigwoods I can't glass or shine all that much for inventory which basically leaves me cams and scouting. I run cams on old overgrown logging roads, the bucks use them for travel pretty steady. I've also had good luck with mock scrapes or just a high traffic scrape you know of. Now I also hunt 20-30 different chunks of public and I am just not buying close to that many cams so then I like to get out when the snow flies and see what is around. Usually right after rifle season closes is the best time, right then and there I know a buck is in the general area, he survived rifle season and judging by the track and any other sign I find he looks mature. Only about half my areas seem to hold mature bucks year after year, the hard part is sorting through the other properties trying to figure out when a good buck is around.
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Re: Maps of trailcam usage

Unread postby iowa whitetail » Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:41 am

I use cams all the time, I think it's an awsome scouting tool. It's out their 24/7 and can get good info. Keep them on the outskirts and check them every couple weeks during summer up till mid October. Late October I will check them on the days I can hunt until I get daylight pictures of the deer I want to hunt. Then I go attempt to get them. When oct hits and velvet comes off I narrow it down to a few bucks and put cams from spots I'm done with for the year on the property's that have the deer so I can better monitor it. I don't think a cam on the outside has ever screwed my chances up.

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Re: Maps of trailcam usage

Unread postby xpauliber » Mon Oct 12, 2015 10:15 am

headgear wrote:In the bigwoods I can't glass or shine all that much for inventory which basically leaves me cams and scouting. I run cams on old overgrown logging roads, the bucks use them for travel pretty steady. I've also had good luck with mock scrapes or just a high traffic scrape you know of. Now I also hunt 20-30 different chunks of public and I am just not buying close to that many cams so then I like to get out when the snow flies and see what is around. Usually right after rifle season closes is the best time, right then and there I know a buck is in the general area, he survived rifle season and judging by the track and any other sign I find he looks mature. Only about half my areas seem to hold mature bucks year after year, the hard part is sorting through the other properties trying to figure out when a good buck is around.


I can relate to the logging roads because I have some in my area. Now, do you put your cams where the logging road exits the woods or somewhere deeper in the woods?

Also, how far from where you put your cam would you hunt?

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Re: Maps of trailcam usage

Unread postby Debo03 » Tue Oct 13, 2015 4:41 am

xpauliber wrote:
headgear wrote:In the bigwoods I can't glass or shine all that much for inventory which basically leaves me cams and scouting. I run cams on old overgrown logging roads, the bucks use them for travel pretty steady. I've also had good luck with mock scrapes or just a high traffic scrape you know of. Now I also hunt 20-30 different chunks of public and I am just not buying close to that many cams so then I like to get out when the snow flies and see what is around. Usually right after rifle season closes is the best time, right then and there I know a buck is in the general area, he survived rifle season and judging by the track and any other sign I find he looks mature. Only about half my areas seem to hold mature bucks year after year, the hard part is sorting through the other properties trying to figure out when a good buck is around.


I can relate to the logging roads because I have some in my area. Now, do you put your cams where the logging road exits the woods or somewhere deeper in the woods?

Also, how far from where you put your cam would you hunt?

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I can't speak for headgear but I like to place my cams wherever is easiest to access without too much intrusion into where I suspect bedding.

As far as how far from it would I hunt would depend on what time I get pictures... Timing of the pictures will generally tell you how far from bedding the buck is.

Regular daylight photos -- Hunt on top of the cam (this is the easiest setup if you get lucky enough-least likely)

Shortly after dark or right at sundown -- Hunt close, slightly closer to bedding in the direction the buck comes from but be careful he is likely bedded close and you could bump him if you intrude too much and don't know exactly where he is bedded( 2nd easiest setup)

Middle of the night -- Could be coming or going from just about anywhere and would likely be hard to kill close to the cam (hardest setup)

Early morning just before daylight -- Same as shortly after dark hunt somewhere closer to bedding hopefully catch him returning to bed right at day break ---- This scenario is hard to accomplish because most bucks return to bed before daylight and these spots are also often hard to access. (next hardest setup)



*** Also take into account what the wind and weather along with the time of day and direction the buck is headed in those various conditions. This will help you determine when you have a good chance to setup in similar conditions and expect him to use the same bed and take a similar route*** This is key
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Re: Maps of trailcam usage

Unread postby JoeRE » Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:50 am

Man I wish I could help you out by posting maps of how I hang cams but its all public so not an option as I am sure everyone understands.

Early season I try to pinpoint the best buck bedding and whatever food source is hot, then put my cams on trails close to the food or on the food source itself. Easy to do in country with a lot of Ag, harder to do in other terrains I am sure.

Starting this time of year I pick out primary scrapes, most of them there year after year, between buck bedding and food or near big doe bedding in the area because soon bucks will start shadowing doe groups a bit while still bedding pretty consistently themselves. I always try to keep them away from stand sites and where I can pick them up without bumping too much. They just swing by the does to see if any are starting to smell right. The trick is to find the hot food sources as they change week by week thru the fall or identify exactly how bucks keep taps on the doe groups because every situation is different. They often hit scrapes around doe bedding just after dark in the pre-rut, get a picture of them doing that and know their most likely bedding from your spring scouting, say 300 yards away, and you have them. That's how I have gotten probably a majority of my bucks with a bow in the last 10 years.

Another key is it helps a lot to know how deer move through the area already. Use camera intel to support scouting not the other way around. I feel like a lot of hunters try to use cams to replace boot leather scouting. Gotta know your area, then intel from cams make a lot more sense.
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Re: Maps of trailcam usage

Unread postby JoeRE » Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:01 am

Another thing that might help is I pick a time period I think a spot should be good and work backward from that time with the idea I will pull a cam right before that so I want to get it out 2+ weeks prior. I have some spots that should light up in the last 10 days of October, so in the past couple weeks I got cams on scrapes in the greater area and will slip in there in 1-2 more weeks to grab them all. When hanging and pulling the cam access is important, I try to use ditches to move around as much as possible and obviously avoid bedding. My cams tend to end up in open woods or along field edges most of the time. In hill country ditch crossings really tend to bottleneck movement even well away from bedding. A big primary scrape is just a magnet for every buck coming through the area at night.


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