Setting trail cameras

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RUTIN
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Setting trail cameras

Unread postby RUTIN » Sat May 22, 2010 8:58 am

I always enjoy talking and hearing other whitetail hunters logics behind why they do what they do. I think sometimes we over look certain things and need someone elses experience or wisdom to help us grow as a hunter. The reason for this thread is im curious as to how people set their cameras... Angles, time of day, settings, Flash vs. No Flash, etc... Why do you do the things you do?
Personally i try to use scent control everytime in, around noon if possible during pre season, try to get the camera facing north or south, and early season on feeding areas or water sources.
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What this camera sees:
Water to the right, food source to the left... Man made trail leading to both where i place a trophy rock for staging
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby dan » Sat May 22, 2010 9:07 am

I like I.R. cameras... I think the flash spooks some deer of flash cameras.
I set the camera where it needs to be, angle, direction, etc. based on the exact area I place the camera.
I don't put cameras where I hunt, or I should say "rarely" put them in a hunting spot for deer. I put them away from the kill area and keep that spot virgin till the time is right to make the kill.
The cameras are set up in feeding/travel areas. My spring scouting tells me where the bedding areas are, and based on the time of the picture, which direction they come and go, tell me which bedding areas they came from.
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby Swampthing » Sat May 22, 2010 2:02 pm

Take Dan,s advice about setting the cameras only in feeding and travel areas. I learned the hard way about that.I was setting them close to where i was hunting which made sense to me a t the time.I assummed I was setting them up perfect cause I was gettin pics of a lot of big bucks.But they were always some of the 1 st pictures in that spot.And then I would,nt get anymore after that.But after watching MARSH HUNTING I learned real fast to take them outa the hunting areas and move,em to feeding areas and other trails AWAy FROM BEDDING.
I usually face them NORTH SOUTH also.
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby ocontocnty » Sun May 23, 2010 1:57 pm

I also learned the hard way when it comes to cameras. This year I put a camera in Douglas county and I am not going to go check it until September. No more in and out of a good area every couple of weeks.
I did end up getting lhymes disease this spring though.
Spring scouting comes with a price.
It has put me out of commission for about 2 1/2 weeks.
Heavy headaches and severe flu symptoms. I think I'm on the downhill side of it now though.
Damn ticks.
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby PredatorTC » Mon May 24, 2010 5:07 am

One thing i learned quickly and still watch other people do, is they see hot sigh and set up the camera to see what is coming through..... I believe in most situations, you should be setting up your stand and hunting it right away.

This year i got a buck on trail camera just before the season opener. I hunted that spot right away with no luck. I had scented it up with the camera and blew my chance. So i waited a few weeks and went to the spot again. He came through and i shot him. I believe if i would have set the camera up again, i would have stabbed myself again.
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby Southern Man » Sat May 29, 2010 12:48 am

I kinda went "Whole Hog" on trail cameras last year. I ended up with 7 cameras. I set mine on travel corridors, and left them there all season. If I wanted a camera in a new spot, I bought another one. I also didn't set them where I wanted to hunt and checked them as if I was hunting, scent control, latex gloves, woods boots, etc, with access where I can avoid disturbing the deer. If possible, I always set them facing north or a variation of north, northeast, northwest, because of the sun. I feed in January, Feruary, & March and I set a camera over feeding stations to see what's still roaming the woods. This year I'm building some locking frames for use on public land. On one of the BB dvd's (I think)talked about putting a camera high up, out of reach of other hunters. I'm not fond of that, it really cuts down on the field of view, but will work I s'pose.
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby dan » Sat May 29, 2010 1:19 am

On one of the BB dvd's (I think)talked about putting a camera high up, out of reach of other hunters. I'm not fond of that, it really cuts down on the field of view, but will work I s'pose.

It also makes the tines appear shorter when the photo is from above... But if its just for inventory rather than quality photo's it does keep cameras safer from thieves.

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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Sat May 29, 2010 7:24 am

dan wrote:
On one of the BB dvd's (I think)talked about putting a camera high up, out of reach of other hunters. I'm not fond of that, it really cuts down on the field of view, but will work I s'pose.

It also makes the tines appear shorter when the photo is from above... But if its just for inventory rather than quality photo's it does keep cameras safer from thieves.

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Dan,

I have done this too, but seem to get false triggers on the ground when it heats up. Not all of my cam's are IR and some of them are flash cams; these cameras in particular I like to set up high. In your experience of mounting them high, how high do you set them? Also, do you have any problems with the ground heating up and false triggering them? It is only in the late summer months and early fall I have this problem, but that is usually the only time I mess with cameras...to take an inventory.
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby dan » Sat May 29, 2010 7:45 pm

The only times I have had issues with false triggers is when the camera is aiming somewhere that is lit up by the sun and mostly during late summer.
In the woods it shouldn't be a problem.
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby RUTIN » Sun May 30, 2010 7:57 am

Since ive switched my cameras to Bushnells, you have the option to set the heat sensor on it. Meaning in the summer you can switch it to HIGH so that it takes high body heat to trigger, or low in the winter to trigger body heat. I go one lone wolf stick high and my body height (6' 2"). Honestly when hanging the cameras high, its all about the angle of the dangle! I usually set over an interior scrape or minerals at 15 ft away and that way the angle isn't so severe downward. Heres a few example pics...
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby MOBIGBUCKS » Sun May 30, 2010 10:12 am

RUTIN wrote:Since ive switched my cameras to Bushnells, you have the option to set the heat sensor on it. Meaning in the summer you can switch it to HIGH so that it takes high body heat to trigger, or low in the winter to trigger body heat. I go one lone wolf stick high and my body height (6' 2"). Honestly when hanging the cameras high, its all about the angle of the dangle! I usually set over an interior scrape or minerals at 15 ft away and that way the angle isn't so severe downward. Heres a few example pics...
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Very awesome pics! Are you on the top step of the LW stick or are you standing on the bottom step and placing it that high? just trying to figure out height of your set; that height looks ideal. Also, what mount do you use to hold that angle? Thanks
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby RUTIN » Mon May 31, 2010 11:21 am

Im standing on the top step, so prob 10 ft off the ground. Honestly i just take 3 inch sticks and break them into 12" sections. Make an "X" with two and then run the 3rd stick right down the middle to increase/decrease the angle to make it right, then lock it up. It has worked great for me on out-skirt bedding during the rut to see whats moving without going into their beds.
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby Indianahunter » Mon May 31, 2010 12:17 pm

I agree that camera height look ideal. Thanks for the post. Now all I need are some cameras!!
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Re: Setting trail cameras

Unread postby dan » Thu Mar 03, 2011 11:37 am

When checking Andraes cams with him I noticed that he often goes way out of his way to not cross deer trails and come in from a way that the deer don't travel. He will shoot the camera over a fallen tree or other obstacle so as to not get scent near the deer.


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