talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

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Grizzlyadam
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Grizzlyadam » Sun Mar 27, 2022 11:19 am

I have been running trail cams pretty much since they first came out. At first I thought I would just put a cam out and pattern the deer then sit there and shoot them next time I expected them to come by. Boy was I wrong!! I spent many years chasing my tail in circles and getting very frustrated. I did learn a lot but it was through a lot of hard lessons and failures. In the end I have concluded that inventory is by far the best and most effective use of a trail camera.

For inventory purposes cams don't need to be near bedding or sensitive areas to get pics of the deer on a piece of property. I run lots of cams on road crossings, field edges and hard pinch points. All the deer go past them eventually. If you put your cams in places deer expect to come across human sign (like a road) you can get away with a lot and check it more frequently without screwing the place up. The biggest thing is to set them up so the deer don't see them and other people don't see them. I have found that with the cams I can get an inventory of what deer are there and put together the famous "hit list" of bucks. From that I know which ones I will shoot if given an opportunity and which ones to let walk. Ultimately scouting and experience with a property is what kills the big ones, not the trail cam.

I have a saying that the cams have actually saved the lives of more bucks than they have helped me kill. If I know a 140 is in an area, I'm not shooting the 110 that walks by. Most of my best bucks I have on the wall were on a hit list.


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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Hawthorne » Sun Mar 27, 2022 12:15 pm

I like using them for summer inventory. Fun to get nice summer velvet pics. I won’t use them on public during the fall. I’d be donating my equipment or intel to another hunter or thieves . They are everywhere in the woods around here. I think I’ve come across at least 2-3 every scouting trip this winter. Probably much more out there in fall
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Moose » Mon Mar 28, 2022 12:40 pm

seazofcheeze wrote:
G-Patt wrote:I don't use them but that's mostly because camera's don't align with my hunting goals on public land. I like the fact that I don't know what's in there, and when a slob pops up while on stand, it's the most exciting thing in the world. I personally wouldn't be able achieve that same level of excitement if I maintained and monitored the "stock" of bucks using trail cams. My main goals are to have fun, live for the day, and kill what gets the heart pumping.


This pretty much sums up my opinion these days as well. Haven't put a cam out since I moved to Montana. Cameras played no part in any of my top 5 bucks, so I probably won't be using them any time soon. With that said, I think they have their place, mostly inventory, and in skilled hands, they can fill in the puzzle pieces for killing a target buck.


I'm with these guys. I like the fact of not knowing what's out there. I rather go off of track size and rub heights. I want to shoot a deer in that moment in time that gets my blood pumping. Nothing wrong with cameras. I put 4 out last year.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Brad » Mon Mar 28, 2022 1:37 pm

mipubbucks24 wrote:In my opinion the ultimate test of a woodsman is killing mature bucks on public land without the use of cameras.
Hunting based on sign, instinct, and skill is more intriguing to me then using cameras.

That being said I have no idea if the public I am going to hunt this year has 2 or 10 mature bucks. May not have any and I will waste hunts and scouting learning that info.

Seems like there a lot of guys that don’t have a clue how to hunt, and do everything based off camera info. If you can become a good woodsman first then adopt camera tactics, that would probably make for a consistent killer.

At this point I’m still not using them, some of that is money and time, but a lot of it is wanting to build my skill in the woods.



I would say that not just killing a mature buck on public land is not quite the ultimate test of a woodsman, but being able to do so consistently would be. I have killed a very mature buck on public land, and have never used a trail camera, but would not consider myself a truly great woodsman by any means. I do however do my best and try to improve constantly, and feel I have made big improvements each of my three seasons hunting deer. Most areas I hunt I will not be using cameras. I probably will be doing so in only one spot, and will be letting it soak through the early season, then check it or switch cards when I'm in there during the pre-rut to rut time frame, then letting that one soak till end of season. I would say improving my woodsmanship is always my top priority, and I don't think using cameras in that way will take away from my progression as a woodsman.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Prairie Sasquatch » Tue Mar 29, 2022 9:10 am

I’ve used a lot of different cameras and to be honest I like the Tasco ones from Walmart the best. They are cheap and they work.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby PK_ » Tue Mar 29, 2022 12:19 pm

Brad wrote:
PK_ wrote:Do it.

It’s not as enjoyable as I thought it would be. But the amount of intel you can easily gather is remarkable. I would highly suggest lots of cheap cams vs any high dollar or cell cams especially when you are starting out. I run the cheapest batteries and they run forever on picture mode. Just buy a few each year and in 5 years you will have a fleet and a mountain of intel.

Also, targeting specific bucks isn’t hard without cams, it’s just hard to find specific bucks to target without cams :lol:


Thats pretty much what I was thinking too, but I'm having trouble figuring out which cameras to get. Do you recommend any certain cheap cameras? even though they're cheap, I would hate to waste the time and effort setting them up and sneaking in to check them (or even worse risking effecting the deer activity) only to have poor pictures or no pictures at all.


I have run about 30 of the $28 8mp tascos. A few of them gave up the ghost after the first season but most of them are going strong still after a few seasons.

There is a $30 cam by muddy. It is my new favorite. I think they changed the model name of it so idk what it’s called, but I usually get them off academy sports website.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby mipubbucks24 » Tue Mar 29, 2022 1:27 pm

Brad wrote:
mipubbucks24 wrote:In my opinion the ultimate test of a woodsman is killing mature bucks on public land without the use of cameras.
Hunting based on sign, instinct, and skill is more intriguing to me then using cameras.

That being said I have no idea if the public I am going to hunt this year has 2 or 10 mature bucks. May not have any and I will waste hunts and scouting learning that info.

Seems like there a lot of guys that don’t have a clue how to hunt, and do everything based off camera info. If you can become a good woodsman first then adopt camera tactics, that would probably make for a consistent killer.

At this point I’m still not using them, some of that is money and time, but a lot of it is wanting to build my skill in the woods.



I would say that not just killing a mature buck on public land is not quite the ultimate test of a woodsman, but being able to do so consistently would be. I have killed a very mature buck on public land, and have never used a trail camera, but would not consider myself a truly great woodsman by any means. I do however do my best and try to improve constantly, and feel I have made big improvements each of my three seasons hunting deer. Most areas I hunt I will not be using cameras. I probably will be doing so in only one spot, and will be letting it soak through the early season, then check it or switch cards when I'm in there during the pre-rut to rut time frame, then letting that one soak till end of season. I would say improving my woodsmanship is always my top priority, and I don't think using cameras in that way will take away from my progression as a woodsman.


I agree, I’m on the same page as you just have not taken the plunge yet with the cams. I want to get consistent killing mature bucks without cams before I start using them.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Brad » Wed Mar 30, 2022 2:42 am

mipubbucks24 wrote:
Brad wrote:
mipubbucks24 wrote:In my opinion the ultimate test of a woodsman is killing mature bucks on public land without the use of cameras.
Hunting based on sign, instinct, and skill is more intriguing to me then using cameras.

That being said I have no idea if the public I am going to hunt this year has 2 or 10 mature bucks. May not have any and I will waste hunts and scouting learning that info.

Seems like there a lot of guys that don’t have a clue how to hunt, and do everything based off camera info. If you can become a good woodsman first then adopt camera tactics, that would probably make for a consistent killer.

At this point I’m still not using them, some of that is money and time, but a lot of it is wanting to build my skill in the woods.



I would say that not just killing a mature buck on public land is not quite the ultimate test of a woodsman, but being able to do so consistently would be. I have killed a very mature buck on public land, and have never used a trail camera, but would not consider myself a truly great woodsman by any means. I do however do my best and try to improve constantly, and feel I have made big improvements each of my three seasons hunting deer. Most areas I hunt I will not be using cameras. I probably will be doing so in only one spot, and will be letting it soak through the early season, then check it or switch cards when I'm in there during the pre-rut to rut time frame, then letting that one soak till end of season. I would say improving my woodsmanship is always my top priority, and I don't think using cameras in that way will take away from my progression as a woodsman.


I agree, I’m on the same page as you just have not taken the plunge yet with the cams. I want to get consistent killing mature bucks without cams before I start using them.


I understand that. I definitely can't say I'm consistently killing bucks without using cameras, but if I was I'm not sure I'd even want to use them. I plan to only use them on one spot that I don't know what age class of buck will be using the area after killing the mature buck in the area last season. I want to figure out who the biggest buck using the area is, and if he's one I should be hunting this =seaon or giving it another season before spending time in there.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Brad » Wed Mar 30, 2022 2:44 am

PK_ wrote:
Brad wrote:
PK_ wrote:Do it.

It’s not as enjoyable as I thought it would be. But the amount of intel you can easily gather is remarkable. I would highly suggest lots of cheap cams vs any high dollar or cell cams especially when you are starting out. I run the cheapest batteries and they run forever on picture mode. Just buy a few each year and in 5 years you will have a fleet and a mountain of intel.

Also, targeting specific bucks isn’t hard without cams, it’s just hard to find specific bucks to target without cams :lol:


Thats pretty much what I was thinking too, but I'm having trouble figuring out which cameras to get. Do you recommend any certain cheap cameras? even though they're cheap, I would hate to waste the time and effort setting them up and sneaking in to check them (or even worse risking effecting the deer activity) only to have poor pictures or no pictures at all.


I have run about 30 of the $28 8mp tascos. A few of them gave up the ghost after the first season but most of them are going strong still after a few seasons.

There is a $30 cam by muddy. It is my new favorite. I think they changed the model name of it so idk what it’s called, but I usually get them off academy sports website.


I've been doing alot of research on cameras, and am leaning toward no glow cams instead of low glow, just in case it helps reduce likelihood of a mature buck avoiding the spot... not sure if it would or not. If I go with the low glow, I'll probably use the Tasco's, but am looking at the Tidewe if I can find anywhere them since they claim to be No glow.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby oldrank » Wed Mar 30, 2022 2:56 am

I have alot of spots. There is times I won't make it back to certain hunting spots for a year or 2, sometimes longer. It all depends on what pressure I am seeing. Putting a cam up would mean I would need to take the time to check it and that would take time from my hunting. I go alot by feel and flow of what's going on around me. I don't feel they would really help me. I rely on the sign and historical movements from past experiences.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Brad » Wed Mar 30, 2022 1:59 pm

PK_ wrote:
Brad wrote:
PK_ wrote:Do it.

It’s not as enjoyable as I thought it would be. But the amount of intel you can easily gather is remarkable. I would highly suggest lots of cheap cams vs any high dollar or cell cams especially when you are starting out. I run the cheapest batteries and they run forever on picture mode. Just buy a few each year and in 5 years you will have a fleet and a mountain of intel.

Also, targeting specific bucks isn’t hard without cams, it’s just hard to find specific bucks to target without cams :lol:


Thats pretty much what I was thinking too, but I'm having trouble figuring out which cameras to get. Do you recommend any certain cheap cameras? even though they're cheap, I would hate to waste the time and effort setting them up and sneaking in to check them (or even worse risking effecting the deer activity) only to have poor pictures or no pictures at all.


I have run about 30 of the $28 8mp tascos. A few of them gave up the ghost after the first season but most of them are going strong still after a few seasons.

There is a $30 cam by muddy. It is my new favorite. I think they changed the model name of it so idk what it’s called, but I usually get them off academy sports website.


I've looked at the Muddy camera you were referring to. I noticed the trigger speed is 1.5 seconds, which seems really slow. Have you noticed it getting pics that are not triggering in time to get the deer in the pics? I know most deer won't be running, so maybe it wouldn't be an issue at all? what makes that one your new favorite over the tascos or any other camera?
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Rich M » Wed Mar 30, 2022 2:17 pm

I wont hunt without avtrail cam. My time is limited and i want to know if there is anything around.

Do what feels right for you. If you leave and area around and soak a camera, the intel is forever.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby 1STRANGEWILDERNESS » Wed Mar 30, 2022 2:33 pm

I cant hunt and observe all the places I want to at once. Cameras help me narrow down where I want to be. I in season scout a lot. If I have time during the late morning/mid day before or after the rut I’m out trudging around. I find a lot of stuff I have a good feeling about but I can’t warrant a hunt over other places I have in mind. It’s nice after season to go back to these spots, pull a cam and get an idea of what you did or did not miss out on.

Should I be hunting it? Should I forget it? Or do I need a little more research?

Without the cam or having hunted it, I can’t answer those three questions.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Ack » Wed Mar 30, 2022 4:00 pm

I didn’t get real serious about cams until a couple years ago, but they have really opened my eyes to what caliber of deer are running around in some of the areas I hunt. I soak my cams from August until mid-November...after rifle season starts I don’t feel like donating my cams or intel to the masses. I always place them in areas where I find historical sign to determine if it’s a spot worth sitting.

We all know that our eyes can’t be on all of our spots at once....I need that cam doing some of my work for me to hopefully make things easier in the future. The best bucks in an area will often tend to repeat patterns, and those patterns and the caliber of bucks are what I’m looking for. I also like to know as many bucks as possible in an area because of shed season....it’s nice to have that history with them.
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Re: talk me in... or out... of trail cameras

Unread postby Brad » Thu Mar 31, 2022 1:30 am

Ack wrote:I didn’t get real serious about cams until a couple years ago, but they have really opened my eyes to what caliber of deer are running around in some of the areas I hunt. I soak my cams from August until mid-November...after rifle season starts I don’t feel like donating my cams or intel to the masses. I always place them in areas where I find historical sign to determine if it’s a spot worth sitting.

We all know that our eyes can’t be on all of our spots at once....I need that cam doing some of my work for me to hopefully make things easier in the future. The best bucks in an area will often tend to repeat patterns, and those patterns and the caliber of bucks are what I’m looking for. I also like to know as many bucks as possible in an area because of shed season....it’s nice to have that history with them.


The spot I'm most likely to use the cameras on is a bow only spot that is small enough that it isn't extremely high traffic for much of the season at all, so I have considered just leaving the cameras up all season and only switching cards when I go in there during the pre-rut time frame. I'm not sure how safe they are, but I might find out. I have seen some old camera lock boxes on a few trees in there, but it doesn't look like any have been used in the recent past. During the season I never saw any cameras in them, and I can tell they've been there a while. There are also a few old ladder stands, but most of those look to be pretty well abandoned also. I know there have been a few other hunters out there, but I don't think it gets hit extremely hard. If it were almost any other spot I hunt I would not even consider leaving cameras up in November, because I would bet they'd be gone... in fact several of the places I hunt are pressured heavily enough from day one of the season that I wouldn't use cameras at all, because I know for sure they'd be gone quickly.


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