Midnight cam pics of target bucks

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greenhorndave
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Re: Midnight cam pics of target bucks

Unread postby greenhorndave » Wed Sep 01, 2021 6:06 am

That’s a cool example Brian. Bummer that you didn’t get him. He was a dandy.


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Re: Midnight cam pics of target bucks

Unread postby phade » Wed Sep 01, 2021 6:25 am

One thing I have started to really lean on is an image of a shooter buck in the middle of the night during the late seeking and chasing phases and parts of the "breeding" time. I used to discount that thinking they were in the next county by sunrise. It is the rut after all.

I have materially changed my belief. I collect alot of cell cam photos, alot. I have drawn a very clear connection to encounters - if I get an image of said buck in the middle of the night during this time of November, my odds of encountering that buck in the area that morning are pretty high, even if I don't have subsequent images of him at say 4, or 5AM there. We've even had success that evening for a photo taken in the dark the morning of.

The two past years I tracked this with what I would deem target bucks in my area of 3.5 or older. I would review my incoming cell cam photos when I wake up. I have them send while I am in the shower to send as late as possible for most recent intel. I'd review - if I had a buck overnight at that cam, I or my partner would sit that spot that morning if the conditions were right for entry/on stand. All of these stands were within eyesight of the camera. Every once in a while, we'd make a PM sit based on overnight intel, too.

Out of the 14 instances I did this, we saw said bucks 8 of 14 times prior to 1PM and once we saw a buck with an overnight pic the following evening. Some of these were images that were 5, 6 hours old before making that decision, and the sighting as late as the Noon hour vs. a camera photo at say 1AM earlier that day. But it was consistent over multiple states and properties. My partner killed his 2019 bow buck on that first of those 14 sits within 30 minutes of daylight. He killed his 2020 bow buck the same way but in that evening of a sent image from 3 or 4 AM. I passed a target buck in 2020 only because I had tagged already in October, but was exercising this theory. Killed my 2020 MO buck same way in gun season off the same premise.

It has been very eye opening to me, honestly. I haven't really focused much on the overnight images in early season, mostly because the morning hunts need to be prime scenarios to hunt. I think for me, it just reinforces that bucks are in an area with purpose during the rut, whether that be the doe group going into estrous at the same general time of the calendar each year, the 7 day window, etc. There is something to that spot in the rut that is bringing that buck to the area. For us to see 60% of the bucks we tested that on, during the craziness of the rut over two seasons, well, that was just mind blowing.
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Re: Midnight cam pics of target bucks

Unread postby Lockdown » Wed Sep 01, 2021 6:56 am

Great discussion so far 8-)
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Re: Midnight cam pics of target bucks

Unread postby Brian1986 » Wed Sep 01, 2021 7:08 am

greenhorndave wrote:That’s a cool example Brian. Bummer that you didn’t get him. He was a dandy.

Thanks Dave. It was exciting to be able to go after him. I was really hoping my dad was going to get him. He could never quite seal the deal.
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Re: Midnight cam pics of target bucks

Unread postby greenhorndave » Wed Sep 01, 2021 7:09 am

Those are fascinating observations, Phade. I must admit, being still green around the gills and all, that I might have missed the opportunity window if I had seen those pictures so late at night. I’m flipping my perspective on that now.

I have a real stud (in velvet) that showed up at 9 AM one day and then at 11 PM a couple weeks later having put on more antler growth. He can’t be too far off, as I think I bumped him out of bed when I hung the cam. I don’t have everything rock-solid on what he’s doing and when, but all of this has me leaning toward the fact that my spring and summer scouting is panning out the way I hoped… so far. Long way to go. ;)
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Re: Midnight cam pics of target bucks

Unread postby mipubbucks24 » Wed Sep 01, 2021 7:40 am

phade wrote:One thing I have started to really lean on is an image of a shooter buck in the middle of the night during the late seeking and chasing phases and parts of the "breeding" time. I used to discount that thinking they were in the next county by sunrise. It is the rut after all.

I have materially changed my belief. I collect alot of cell cam photos, alot. I have drawn a very clear connection to encounters - if I get an image of said buck in the middle of the night during this time of November, my odds of encountering that buck in the area that morning are pretty high, even if I don't have subsequent images of him at say 4, or 5AM there. We've even had success that evening for a photo taken in the dark the morning of.

The two past years I tracked this with what I would deem target bucks in my area of 3.5 or older. I would review my incoming cell cam photos when I wake up. I have them send while I am in the shower to send as late as possible for most recent intel. I'd review - if I had a buck overnight at that cam, I or my partner would sit that spot that morning if the conditions were right for entry/on stand. All of these stands were within eyesight of the camera. Every once in a while, we'd make a PM sit based on overnight intel, too.

Out of the 14 instances I did this, we saw said bucks 8 of 14 times prior to 1PM and once we saw a buck with an overnight pic the following evening. Some of these were images that were 5, 6 hours old before making that decision, and the sighting as late as the Noon hour vs. a camera photo at say 1AM earlier that day. But it was consistent over multiple states and properties. My partner killed his 2019 bow buck on that first of those 14 sits within 30 minutes of daylight. He killed his 2020 bow buck the same way but in that evening of a sent image from 3 or 4 AM. I passed a target buck in 2020 only because I had tagged already in October, but was exercising this theory. Killed my 2020 MO buck same way in gun season off the same premise.

It has been very eye opening to me, honestly. I haven't really focused much on the overnight images in early season, mostly because the morning hunts need to be prime scenarios to hunt. I think for me, it just reinforces that bucks are in an area with purpose during the rut, whether that be the doe group going into estrous at the same general time of the calendar each year, the 7 day window, etc. There is something to that spot in the rut that is bringing that buck to the area. For us to see 60% of the bucks we tested that on, during the craziness of the rut over two seasons, well, that was just mind blowing.


Great post, I have never used trail cams but that is some great knowledge of how to hunt based off trail cam photos.
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Re: Midnight cam pics of target bucks

Unread postby Prairie Sasquatch » Wed Sep 01, 2021 8:10 am

This year I’ve had a buck hitting a camera on a water hole. Sometimes middle of the night sometimes an hour before daylight and sometimes an hour after sunset. I finally located his bedding area which turned out to be a mile away from the camera. Last Saturday he stood up out of bedding at 8:07 and he was on my water hole camera at 9:17 that night. He covered a mile in that amount of time which was shocking. Although most of it was under the cover of a corn field.

If I get a buck on camera I draw a circle one mile around and start searching within that circle. After that it becomes a crap shoot.
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Re: Midnight cam pics of target bucks

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Sep 01, 2021 10:34 am

Both of my 2020 bucks were middle of the night summer pics.

One I shot across the road from the TC location, he must have been pushed out or shifted. The other buck had x2 bedding areas - on each side of the cam and both 100 yards away from its location. I shot him in one of the beds.

I will say this was shocking to me and id much prefer different times on camera, especially when I have them setup for bed entry/exits. Seeing those times I did not plan to hunt those deer, I was just hunting the beds.

Another buck I did not kill was on cam in Nov peak rut, middle of the night.. But in Dec he came through at last light.

In 2016 I had one pass through an open field at 3am 10/16, he was not bedding on the property but close by. I attacked in peak rut and he was moving around at 4pm.


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