Camera Spooking Deer

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Hauntedwaters
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Camera Spooking Deer

Unread postby Hauntedwaters » Tue Aug 16, 2016 2:11 am

This is my second season running a few cameras. I only had a couple out for a few months later in the year last year. This year, I put some on water sources starting in April. I went in this weekend and pulled the cards to get an idea of what had been around. The cameras worked great. Got some great pictures. I had the cameras set on a 3 shot burst. Unfortunately, with one camera, in about 20-30% of the pictures, it had deer in full on panic mode. First pic was of the deer then two more with tails up, full on sprinting out of the area. The camera was obviously spooking them. I pulled the camera and tested it and while it did make a "click" it was very very quiet. So quiet that I would be very surprised if that what was spooking the deer. There is a red LED light that comes on when motion is detected. It is a Wildgame Innovations camera, which was my first camera purchase. Last year when I ran it, I ran it on video, and there was not any spooking of deer.

I pulled the camera and am hesitant to put it back out. It was about 8 feet off the ground on a grade pointed down, so about twelve feet above the deer it was taking pictures of. Is it possible that the camera malfunctioned for a period of time and had a louder "click" as the shutter opened? I still got a lot of pictures and one doe had a very distinct mark on her back and she repeatedly returned to the area so hopefully it didn't blow out the area.

Should I just retire this camera and hope the others (Stealth Cams) work better and don't spook deer? Not sure what I could have differently to avoid spooking deer. Maybe go higher in the tree? Any help or advice anyone can give would be great. Pretty sick feeling seeing deer peeling out of the area like that.


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Re: Camera Spooking Deer

Unread postby tbunao » Tue Aug 16, 2016 2:25 am

Yes retire it if you can afford it. Even better get $30 for it towards a new bushnell at Dicks sporting goods (12mp for $70 with that trade in is a steal!).

I have had the IR flash spook them only after one pic only to relocate them and have the cam do the same. If you can hear the click then imagine how loud it is to an animal with far superior hearing.

If you can't afford to lose a cam or get a new one then try combating to problem by getting the cam high up (6ft or so should do it).

Good luck

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Lockdown
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Re: Camera Spooking Deer

Unread postby Lockdown » Tue Aug 16, 2016 3:24 am

Upgrading like TBunao said wouldn't be a bad idea if u can afford it. If you keep it I wouldn't retire it... use it for an inventory camera over bait in a location that doesn't effect bedding. That's what I do with my white flash cameras. I use the IR's in and near bedding or places of importance.

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Jrichard
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Re: Camera Spooking Deer

Unread postby Jrichard » Tue Aug 16, 2016 3:28 am

Honestly a doe will have no problem with adapting to a camera. I put one on a skinny tree only about 6 and 1/2 feet off the ground and the first week or so I will get pictures of deer walking right up to it and sniffing it. and trying to look right in the lens. They'll bolt out most of the time. But honestly, they come back. Was the deer trying to smell it? and when did the disturbance occur? the first week? the whole duration of the camera being out? Sometimes the scent left behindwill linger for over 2 weeks if you don't get a couple good rain storms.

But back to what I was saying about does being startled and then adapting to cameras. If you are after a doe then leave the camera. I have the same doe and fawn frequent my camera on a daily basis. They show up at 2 am, 8 am, 9 am, 12 noon, 3 pm, 6 pm, and 8 pm. It does not phase them even though they busted out of there the first couple times after I first put it out there. It made me nervous. But as i checked my cameras every 3 or 4 weeks i noticed they came around A LOT. And in the middle of the day. Now I am not after just a doe. I have this camera on the outskirts of a doe bedding area. I am just keeping an eye on how long and how often these deer use this one particular bedding during the season. Because if I pull the card just before the rut and these deer are still here every day you best know where I am hanging a stand.

Now bucks are a MUCH different beast. I have noticed that bucks almost ALWAYS bust cameras. And the crazy part about it is half of them don't even acknowledge it even being there. They don't try to find it or look for it. They just walk by them, the camera takes a few snaps and then you never see them on the camera again. This has been true for almost every single one of the bucks I have gotten on camera over 2.5 or 3 years old. With an exception of one 5 pointer that looks like he is about 3 years old. He walks directly into my camera at his face level and he still walks around in broad daylight in this same spot every week lol. If there is any way that a deer can hear see or smell your camera I would take it out of there if you are hunting a buck you think or know frequents the area. All he needs to do is have something alert him while hes out of the frame and you wont even know you scared him off. Its good to get inventory. For bucks I try to put it in an area for 3 weeks then move it 50 to 100 yards away at least so that he doesnt get used to it being there and avoiding the area. And if its constant in the same spot or close vicinity he may abandon the area. He will certainly abandon the direct area that he camera is in for a while. But does seem to like to be movie stars ;)

I posted in another trail camera thread and explained my extensive prep for putting out trail cameras and it works pretty well. But even if you get a camera that has IR flash and black out over it and no red flashing light and no clicking sound, if you don't take the proper steps to keep that camera scent free they are still going to bust it. A lot of guys on here have cell cams that shoot the picture message directly to your phone. Now that is HELPFUL! you put it out. you dont have to check it every couple weeks. Only every so often to replace the batteries. The deer become acclimated to it, and that's possible because there's no human scent involved with it.

I have realized deer are acclimated to weird sounds. No two sounds are alike in the woods. But when they hear a different sound, and they smell human scent. That's when they put 2 and 2 together lol. Idk the only thing I have been successful at is getting deer on camera. lol No kills yet. But I have done a lot of camera scouting. Its finding what your deer are tolerant to. When hunting bucks with a camera I try to have a quick in and out with the camera unless I am doing extensive research on a bedding area for the rut.

Hope this helps
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Southern Man
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Re: Camera Spooking Deer

Unread postby Southern Man » Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:31 am

In most cases I hang mine about 10 - 12 ft high. I've never had a pic of a deer looking up at the camera.

My first camera was one that used 35mm film (many years ago). I had it set for a 3 shot burst and on my first camera check had a buck about 10 ft away, 2nd pic caught him dropping and turning to run, 3rd pic had him about 25 yards straight away from the camera. It was great, lol.
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Tufrthnails
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Re: Camera Spooking Deer

Unread postby Tufrthnails » Tue Aug 16, 2016 10:50 am

X2 on trying higher. I was running everything about 8ft (as high as I could reach), but now that I have my sticks I use one stick and get it over 12ft and getting a ton more pics of bucks then the already increased number of pics at 8ft.
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Bigb
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Re: Camera Spooking Deer

Unread postby Bigb » Tue Aug 16, 2016 3:05 pm

Personally, I run around 15 cameras and I rarely put one under 6 feet. I try to go to 8 feet whenever possible and I believe it helps. Very rarely do I ever have a deer looking at a camera because all of a deer's predators (other than humans) are on the ground so they concentrate on areas at eye level or below. Putting a cameras up in the air is a lot less detectable. I probably get 20,000 pictures a year and I can count on two hands on how many look at the cameras and even with those 10, I feel that the deer are looking up at a squirrel noise in the tree with some of them.

I did put one at hip level this year because I needed to cover three intersecting trails that are very active in the rut. I'm curious to see how it works out.
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Re: Camera Spooking Deer

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Tue Aug 16, 2016 11:41 pm

The funny part is, look at all the guys on TV putting cams out at eye level. Bill Winke putting cams out with the stick n pic waist level. No issues. I always put the cameras higher if I can...but heck, I have 1000s of pictures of deer at waist/chest level. Currently, I am running 25 cams. When you put cams on an apple tree, most times there is no 7-8' when placing. You have to put it at waist level. No way to get under the canopy. My rule of thumb is...if deer appear to be spooked, move cam higher.

I also don't worry too much about getting a camera stolen. I do get them taken...but only during rifle. Many of my cams are 1+ miles back in the woods. And very few people go in the woods around here before November.

Trails I put higher if possible. Sometimes, putting them low and too close to a trail will get you this reaction. Other times not. Especially one 10 sec video when the red IR comes on.

[bbvideo=425,350]https://youtu.be/OX_9__UheJQ[/bbvideo]

[bbvideo=425,350]https://youtu.be/H0M5A_Ta0Rs[/bbvideo]

I have one wildgame innovations cam. Its an oldy. It does click. So its the last cam I put out and its put in an "ehh, lets try it" spot. It has an very audible click when it takes a photo.


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