Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
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Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
So just thought I'd share some of my target bucks for this yr and a little on how I use cameras to get close to them. I will post some of these bucks and then a couple maps showing trail cam sites. My basic strategy is locate target bucks in June and July by bouncing cameras around all over the place. Now that I have done that I will concentrate my cameras around them. My goal is to find where these different bucks hang out most of the time. I will then correlate that with my knowledge of bedding and seasonal transitioning to capitalize.
5yr 130" 8pt
4 yr 130" 8pt
4yr 135" 10pt
6or7 yr 6pt
Red is already placed cams. Blue is cams I will have up as soon as I can get back out. These will stay in place until just before season. At that time I'll check and evaluate. Once season is going these cams will be in very similar locations on mock scrapes in specific but easy to check locations. This alows me to really hone in on bucks core areas, their home ranges, bedding, etc. I'll be looking for patterns: which cameras get activity close to dawn? Which get activity at dusk? Which get mid night activity? Most activity? Direction of travel? Wind direction consistencies.. Phase of rut, etc.
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5yr 130" 8pt
4 yr 130" 8pt
4yr 135" 10pt
6or7 yr 6pt
Red is already placed cams. Blue is cams I will have up as soon as I can get back out. These will stay in place until just before season. At that time I'll check and evaluate. Once season is going these cams will be in very similar locations on mock scrapes in specific but easy to check locations. This alows me to really hone in on bucks core areas, their home ranges, bedding, etc. I'll be looking for patterns: which cameras get activity close to dawn? Which get activity at dusk? Which get mid night activity? Most activity? Direction of travel? Wind direction consistencies.. Phase of rut, etc.
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- dkoy85
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
Cool stuff. Keep us posted on your season.
- Stanley
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
Sounds like a solid plan.
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
Would like to gear how others use similar strategies. How ppl are utilizing cameras preseason vs in season. And how you distribute them across a property. I know Bucky and others have talked a lot about piling cameras on an area. How small of an area are you talking? You can see my cameras are spread out some half a mile or more from each other.
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- Zona
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
I am attempting to do the same here. Can't really glass or shine any of my areas. Thanks for sharing and keep updating your post.
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
I have had 4 cams in 30 acres or less
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
The three red dots, those cams are in probably a 5 acre area. Trying to find how those bucks are accessing the field. To narrow down one of 3 known bedding locations, with in 300 yrds of that field. The rest are in transition areas. On points connecting big hollows. In saddles connecting hollows. Really just to know where they transition to knowing they are going to and how far they travel. Once/ how that happens I can re evaluate how to best distribute those cameras. I'd like to put a couple cams on known beds as well to leave throughout season.
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
BHC wrote:Would like to gear how others use similar strategies. How ppl are utilizing cameras preseason vs in season. And how you distribute them across a property. I know Bucky and others have talked a lot about piling cameras on an area. How small of an area are you talking? You can see my cameras are spread out some half a mile or more from each other.
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I think you will see two schools of thought there. I spread my cams out in the best areas to cast as big a net as possible then use the intel to support what I know from past scouting. I rarely put two cams within several hundred yards of each other. Based on how consistent I see the same bucks and how consistent I see bucks year after year I don't think I miss much.
My angle is to keep the pressure minimal, I understand the theory of patterning bucks with a bunch of cameras in a small area but I wonder what proportion of bucks just get educated doing that. Another thing, I suspect how efficiently a person uses cams goes down the more they try to run. No offence Bucky! I have 6 cams right now and its all I can handle. I set them on the best travel routes to the best food, the best primary scrapes, etc ect. I could put out 30 but most of them would end up in less than ideal spots.
The funny thing is 6 cams used to be a lot. 5 years ago I would have gotten - you have SIX cams??
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
I like to cast a wide net and then close it down as information dictates. Right now we have 16-17 cams out.
Casting a wide net in summer and early season hopefully gets you multiple targets. As time wears on, sightings in stand, glassing, and sign, help to support the photo/vids you capture of the various bucks. Eventually certain target bucks start to become more visible or huntable as the info become available. Cams will start to be set closer to try to find more specifics about travel if the scouting and hunting isn't filling the gaps in on a particular buck or two.
Some cams however are more used to monitor activity levels rather than specific bucks. These are usually set at scrapes or travel routes between doe bedding, or food sources early/late season...and even water if feasible.
Doing damage is always a concern, but checks and cam setting in-season are typically done with stand on back or when going to hunt a pre-set. At that point, I don't feel the risk is significantly more. I also don't check my cams in summer all that often unless work is going on in that area - ie stands being moved, set or lanes trimmed, etc. I will need to go on a mass cam check soon though because I haven't checked some cams in two months, so I have no idea what's on them. We can't shoot a buck until Oct. 16 and I'm not getting into bedding areas to check cams.
Casting a wide net in summer and early season hopefully gets you multiple targets. As time wears on, sightings in stand, glassing, and sign, help to support the photo/vids you capture of the various bucks. Eventually certain target bucks start to become more visible or huntable as the info become available. Cams will start to be set closer to try to find more specifics about travel if the scouting and hunting isn't filling the gaps in on a particular buck or two.
Some cams however are more used to monitor activity levels rather than specific bucks. These are usually set at scrapes or travel routes between doe bedding, or food sources early/late season...and even water if feasible.
Doing damage is always a concern, but checks and cam setting in-season are typically done with stand on back or when going to hunt a pre-set. At that point, I don't feel the risk is significantly more. I also don't check my cams in summer all that often unless work is going on in that area - ie stands being moved, set or lanes trimmed, etc. I will need to go on a mass cam check soon though because I haven't checked some cams in two months, so I have no idea what's on them. We can't shoot a buck until Oct. 16 and I'm not getting into bedding areas to check cams.
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- Stanley
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
The thing to keep in mind; are my cameras tools or toys? Is your objective to get pictures? Do you want to use the cameras to help you hunt? You have to also consider property sizes. If you ruin your chances by using cameras what have you gained? I kind of use cameras to help me see what's going on in certain areas. Also for inventory purposes. I have cameras that are 4 hrs away and some that are 15 minutes away.
I think most guys that use cameras have different agendas. So it's kind of an individual thing, not a one size fits all thing. Right now I'm trying to locate a buck that I'm sure survived last year. I have not been able to lay eyes on him this summer yet. I hope my camera intel will help me out, if I don't see him before hand. I'll know more in about 7 week when I check my cameras.
I think most guys that use cameras have different agendas. So it's kind of an individual thing, not a one size fits all thing. Right now I'm trying to locate a buck that I'm sure survived last year. I have not been able to lay eyes on him this summer yet. I hope my camera intel will help me out, if I don't see him before hand. I'll know more in about 7 week when I check my cameras.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
JoeRE wrote:BHC wrote:Would like to gear how others use similar strategies. How ppl are utilizing cameras preseason vs in season. And how you distribute them across a property. I know Bucky and others have talked a lot about piling cameras on an area. How small of an area are you talking? You can see my cameras are spread out some half a mile or more from each other.
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I think you will see two schools of thought there. I spread my cams out in the best areas to cast as big a net as possible then use the intel to support what I know from past scouting. I rarely put two cams within several hundred yards of each other. Based on how consistent I see the same bucks and how consistent I see bucks year after year I don't think I miss much.
My angle is to keep the pressure minimal, I understand the theory of patterning bucks with a bunch of cameras in a small area but I wonder what proportion of bucks just get educated doing that. Another thing, I suspect how efficiently a person uses cams goes down the more they try to run. No offence Bucky! I have 6 cams right now and its all I can handle. I set them on the best travel routes to the best food, the best primary scrapes, etc ect. I could put out 30 but most of them would end up in less than ideal spots.
The funny thing is 6 cams used to be a lot. 5 years ago I would have gotten - you have SIX cams??
Come to WI and kill a public land buck
Why does everyone in WI pay $750 bucks to hunt public land in Iowa... most kill a deer in 7-10 days. I have some buddies that do it in a weekend on fresh ground... you are not comparing apples to apples
One cam in an area is good for inventory... does nothing for patterning a specific deer other that knowing he has gone through that area at a specific time of year hopefully in daylight
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
phade wrote:I like to cast a wide net and then close it down as information dictates. Right now we have 16-17 cams out.
Casting a wide net in summer and early season hopefully gets you multiple targets. As time wears on, sightings in stand, glassing, and sign, help to support the photo/vids you capture of the various bucks. Eventually certain target bucks start to become more visible or huntable as the info become available. Cams will start to be set closer to try to find more specifics about travel if the scouting and hunting isn't filling the gaps in on a particular buck or two.
Some cams however are more used to monitor activity levels rather than specific bucks. These are usually set at scrapes or travel routes between doe bedding, or food sources early/late season...and even water if feasible.
Doing damage is always a concern, but checks and cam setting in-season are typically done with stand on back or when going to hunt a pre-set. At that point, I don't feel the risk is significantly more. I also don't check my cams in summer all that often unless work is going on in that area - ie stands being moved, set or lanes trimmed, etc. I will need to go on a mass cam check soon though because I haven't checked some cams in two months, so I have no idea what's on them. We can't shoot a buck until Oct. 16 and I'm not getting into bedding areas to check cams.
Exactly what I do.... some areas that I know I won't hunt... I check cams more frequently. In fact, I do it on purpose to hopefully push deer into daylight travel patterns in areas I do plan to hunt. Cameras are my groups ABSOLUTE #1 scouting advantage. It allows you to gather year round information... then you use your off season scouting to discover bedding and other sign related to your cams. Once in a while I will take an in season walk, but most of the time I'm relying on my post season walks for in season stand placements
"When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values, with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God." Fred Bear
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Re: Trail cams and preseason/ in season scouting
Heading out tomorrow to check my "bed trail" cameras. Also putting out my mock scrape cameras in big terrain funnels to see how these 4 bucks are spreading out. Also checking one last camera in a bother area to see if there is somethin I missed over there.
I dunno if it makes a difference but I'll be using aseptic technique. Trying to leave as little scent as possible. Got high hopes!
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I dunno if it makes a difference but I'll be using aseptic technique. Trying to leave as little scent as possible. Got high hopes!
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- blueKYstream
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