Finding cameras

[Swedishbowhunter]

As mentioned already but a good point: if human sign deterred me I would have no where to hunt. Also, keep a viewer with you and check the guys camera. You will learn a lot like how long the camera has been there, how many if any other hunters have been in there, also what is around for mature bucks. I dont have a problem if another hunter checks my cameras as long as he isnt deleting pics or goofing it up.
Story time- Last year in June I was going to hang some cameras on public leading to private ag, there was already a camera on that runway, & I was discouraged to say the least. I didnt have my viewer with me that day so I went about 30 yards down the runway & hung my camera. I also hung a camera about 125 yards further down the line on another runway leading to a soy bean field. I went back in December to get my cameras and I saw the other guys camera was still there. My camera didnt have squat on it for bucks, so I am sure his didnt have much either. But the camera I put out 125 yards away had at least 20 different bucks on it and 4 were definite mature shooters. I felt I should mention this as it pertains to your question, and shows a guy should never hunt solely by cameras as I am sure if this guy ever did check his camera he would think this property sucks. Also, his camera might still be hanging there unchecked to this day!! I found one in the popular public by me one time, I was looking at his pictures on my viewer and determined it had been there for at least 4 years!! It had at least 12 other hunters on it and it had not been stolen!!! It had his name and number on it, I called and told him about his camera, he laughed and thanked me, he said he completely forgot about it.

Uh oh...this group ate me alive about this a couple years ago.

I still do it though

Really? The only thing I have ever seen anyone get stirred up on here about is xbows, but that topic stirs up every group.

[RatMe]

That camera check is truly strange to me, but I’ll stop there. I buy and hang my own.

It is important to note that not all cameras will simply allow you to take a card out, put it into a device, and then re-insert into a camera without formatting and thus deleting pictures. on Some old Mountie A series of mine you could not do this.

You would effectively be deleting someone else’s Intel.

[Dellingerj]

If the camera is where you need to set up then maybe you find other options, and keep that in your back pocket. Another option is pick a day to hunt that spot when the weather is nasty or really windy and the other hunter may not be out. Then again you may just bump into them on the way to the tree.

[mauser06]

I have learned to base my hunting on the deer sign.


People leave stuff in the woods. Including several hundred dollar cameras and stands.

I ran into that in Ohio. Ran into cameras and stands. But the deer sign looked fresher than the hunter sign. I saw 6 bucks on a 1/4mi or so long ridge in 3 hunts all 2.5yo or better. I saw where someone climbed a tree recently, a camera and a ladder stand on that little ridge.

[Grizzlyadam]

Same as when I find treestands I hang a stick over them post season scouting. More often than not the stick is still there a year or two later when I scout through again. It's amazing the amount of stuff like this people abandon in the woods. If the sign I'm looking for is there I will just work around a trail cam or stand left out there.

[Boogieman1]

I think most of us you cameras in a different ways. In many cases I agree just spotting a camera would not be much of a deterrent. But in my case I put em directly where I anticipate to arrow a buck. I mean in his tracks! So if there is a camera there that is not what I believe to be a good spot any longer. I compare it to locating this perfect worn down buck bed in your post season scouting. You sneak back in a few weeks b4 the season starts and notice 2 cameras directly over the bed. Are you still expecting him to bed there? Me neither! For the close range game I play moving a few hundred yards closer isn’t much of an option. Terrain dictates where I can get them in range. Without that I’m doing a lot of hoping. I prefer to just move along to where I know Mother Nature stacked the deck.

[szwampdonkey]

I find evidence of a guy regularly encroaching on a spot i’m gone. Just like the mature buck he thought he was going to kill there.

The buck won’t tolerate him checking his camera once a week or even every other week like the vast majority of people who use them do so why would I? There is hunter sign i ignore if they look to have been just passing through and sign i never ignore, as in they’re setting up shop. A guy running cameras is setting up shop especially if he got any pics of a nice buck there. I firmly believe trail cams do far more harm than good for the vast majority of people. I’d argue they have saved more public land bucks by tipping them off they’re being hunted than they’ve helped guys kill.

There are always other spots less encroached upon. My money is on you having a better chance killing a jammer in one of those spots, best of luck.

[hunter_mike]

Sounds like the camera is right in the best bedding area in your case. Maybe there is a next-best bedding spot nearby. The sign you are seeing says its a spot conducive to being good bedding but not if a guy is stomping around in it weekly. I think it would still be worth scouting around that general surrounding area in-season to see if any fresh big sign was being layed down then you know there must be some other bedding area nearby, and theres more pieces of the puzzle to figure out. Otherwise it sounds like i'd maybe check back in a couple yrs when the guy inevitably stops stomping around in that bedding area after burning it out.

[A-bach]

Ill definitely do some more digging around there are other similar points that lead to the same general area where i think what ever made the sign is coming from. This particular point really grabbed my attention because of the sign the other points didnt seem to have it but i guess that really doeant mean that they arent being used.

[mibowhunter]

Being from MI I can only imagine how many trail cam pics have been taken of me... they are EVERYWHERE! I take note of them, I will look around a bit to see if I can find the stand or other sign of pressure but that's about it. Typically if it is a heavily hunted spot, you will quickly be able to identify that (that's my experience anyway).

Funny story about this exact scenario happened to me last season. I was still hunting to a brand new spot at gray light in the morning. I came to the area I wanted to get to, sat down next to a tree, and started to pick out areas for shots. I immediately noticed a camera, so my first instinct was to move on. I pulled out my phone and was trying to determine how I wanted to move to spot B, when I caught movement. Holy smokes here comes a P&Y stud buck, right at me... Walked right past the camera tree but the camera was facing the other direction so it never took a picture. Buck ended up at 15 yards but I couldn't get a shot and he ended up walking out of there without me being able to get a clean shot at it.

So yeah, I note them but unless I notice heavy nearby pressure and/or stands, I'm ok with them.