Tightening the Screws

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DropTyne
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Tightening the Screws

Unread postby DropTyne » Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:17 am

I have been kicking an idea around for a few days and wanted some opinions. Since I don't own a muzzleloader and my bow tag is punched I am moving onto the next buck.

I have two trail-cams that are currently just sitting in the garage. I have a few buck bedding areas that I've been having a hard time figuring out exactly how they enter and exit. I have some pretty good ideas how they do, but not exactly.

I generally strictly put trail cams on food sources or in areas I will not hunt, but thought with my season over I could throw the cameras up closer to the beds to try and get a better perspective as to what's going on there. I was thinking leave them for like a month or better before I move them at all.

Has anyone tried this? Could I burn out that area or bed out for next season? Or do you think the better thing to do would be simply to put them on good food sources now and simply take inventory on the bucks that have survived the season? Any other opinions on using trail cams after the season that could help you in the upcoming season?


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cornfedkiller
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby cornfedkiller » Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:28 am

I wish I had a better answer for you, but Im just going by what I THINK I remember reading on here once from Dan. Ultimately someone who knows alot more than me is going to have to chime in and agree or disagree..

If you are having a hard time figuring the bedding out, I would think you would be alright to put the camera up and leave it for awhile this time of year. This will give the deer plenty of time to return to it before next fall. I dont see much of a difference between putting a camera up now or wondering around the area and sitting in the bed and everything during spring scouting. I am under the impression that the reason Dan says to keep the cameras away from the beds and where you hunt has less to do with the actual physical presence of the camera, but more-so because you have to go there to put the camera out and check it, leaving your scent and presence there, which is exactly what you are doing while doing your spring scouting anyways..

Correct me if Im wrong..
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby solocam88 » Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:33 am

Deer will become slaves to their stomachs soon. My cameras will be over food sources now to collect inventory on what survived.
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby Hodag Hunter » Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:45 am

solocam88 wrote:Deer will become slaves to their stomachs soon. My cameras will be over food sources now to collect inventory on what survived.


This a very true statement. Deer bedding will more than likely change from preferred fall areas with a different food source being used now. I'm talking from experiance in big woods settings. Maybe farm areas, bedding stays constant?
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby Bucky » Thu Dec 02, 2010 8:41 am

I think deer for the most part switch their bedding areas now based on food. Especially in areas where deer travel greater distances to food sources (big wood locals). Not saying is an "always" statement. But my experience shows deer will relocate their bedding preferences this time of year related to best available food source. From my observation this is already taking place...
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DropTyne
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby DropTyne » Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:26 am

I agree with all statements. the reason I was considering putting the camera's around this particular bed is because there is food around this area, mainly beans and a cornfield across the road all of which contain spillage from the harvest. It's a tricky bedding situation as the buck using it has four different ways to leave or enter. I figured if I left the camera a month or better sooner or later I might catch the buck using it on camera and his exit/entrance routes.
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby huntinnurse » Thu Dec 02, 2010 11:20 am

Any chance you could use a solar panel for batteries and leave it out for several months? With as large of SD card as the camera will hold or remote computer access? This will lessen the scent left out there and I think you will get a more accurate picture, so to speak.
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby dan » Thu Dec 02, 2010 12:33 pm

cornfedkiller wrote:I wish I had a better answer for you, but Im just going by what I THINK I remember reading on here once from Dan. Ultimately someone who knows alot more than me is going to have to chime in and agree or disagree..

If you are having a hard time figuring the bedding out, I would think you would be alright to put the camera up and leave it for awhile this time of year. This will give the deer plenty of time to return to it before next fall. I dont see much of a difference between putting a camera up now or wondering around the area and sitting in the bed and everything during spring scouting. I am under the impression that the reason Dan says to keep the cameras away from the beds and where you hunt has less to do with the actual physical presence of the camera, but more-so because you have to go there to put the camera out and check it, leaving your scent and presence there, which is exactly what you are doing while doing your spring scouting anyways..

Correct me if Im wrong..

I would say thats a pretty good summery Cornfed...
I would add though, that good scouting after snow melt will probably reveal more than that camera for next years hunt. Also, in my opinion, every time you enter a buck bedding area you do some damage, try to keep it to a minimum, and learn as much as you can in one or two visits...
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cornfedkiller
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby cornfedkiller » Thu Dec 02, 2010 3:10 pm

dan wrote:...Also, in my opinion, every time you enter a buck bedding area you do some damage, try to keep it to a minimum, and learn as much as you can in one or two visits...


Sorry to hijack the thread DropTyne, but this brings a few questions to my mind for Dan.

Do you scout the same bedding areas on the properties you hunt each spring to be sure they are still being used? (After you kill a buck that was using that bed, another one [sometimes] uses it the following year right?)

Im assuming you do scout them each year, but I suppose if a new buck is using it, he wouldnt know about the other times you were there..
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby dan » Thu Dec 02, 2010 9:10 pm

Sometimes I take another glance, but buck bedding areas are usually used by several bucks and killing one, or one moving off don't stop it from being used.
Presure and sometimes food sources can have deer exiting and entering different as time goes by though, and it can be beificial to take a second look.
Its the mediocre buck beds that sometimes get abandoned, or the ones that recieive heavy pressure.
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby Wrinkleneck » Thu Dec 02, 2010 11:36 pm

Just a little side note - If you plan on putting a camera in the bedding area, make sure you keep notes on the wind direction for everyday that the camera is there. This way you will know what the wind direction was on the day he was using the route you placed the camera on ;)
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cornfedkiller
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby cornfedkiller » Fri Dec 03, 2010 1:16 am

Wrinkleneck wrote:Just a little side note - If you plan on putting a camera in the bedding area, make sure you keep notes on the wind direction for everyday that the camera is there. This way you will know what the wind direction was on the day he was using the route you placed the camera on ;)


Excellent advice!
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Re: Tightening the Screws

Unread postby DropTyne » Fri Dec 03, 2010 1:46 am

Just a little side note - If you plan on putting a camera in the bedding area, make sure you keep notes on the wind direction for everyday that the camera is there. This way you will know what the wind direction was on the day he was using the route you placed the camera on


Got it covered, Black Squirrel taught me about history data on Wunderground.com and it is extremely accurate and was instrumental in my hunts this year.
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