changing my mind on trai cams...

[dreaming bucks]

The other use we did this year I learned from Dr. Grant Woods at http://www.growingdeer.com I placed a camera in a high traffic triangle between bedding and feeding and water with a mineral block and a corn to take an inventory of the deer on my property in order to have a harvest plan. This is from the last week of July to the middle of August. Now I have a good picture of the number of does, fawns, and bucks I have and can better manage the herd vs. the DNR solution to kill every antlerless deer we see. I bit in to that for a long time, but after some of you commented on the affects it has had in your states over the years, I decided this was a much wiser way to determine a harvest plan.

I just listen to a podcast interview where Dr. Grant explains this practice. It seems like a very good way to inventory, and even pattern deer. You can determine bed location based on where the buck enters the field, and your previous spring scouting. Good stuff in my opinion.

I get the concept, but I'm just starting to wonder how many mature bucks will tolerate getting their picture taken for 2 or 3 months straight ? I'm thinking I might just keep my camera's on the field edges for now, and hope to get an idea of whats in our woods from those pictures... I'm just getting nervous about keeping those camera's up in the woods where the hunting takes place.... I love getting pics of nice bucks in the middle of our woods, but I don't like the idea that I am educating those deer as I am in and out checking cards and such... I almost can't wait for the season to be over so I can dive in and look for buck beds...

[Black Squirrel]

The other use we did this year I learned from Dr. Grant Woods at http://www.growingdeer.com I placed a camera in a high traffic triangle between bedding and feeding and water with a mineral block and a corn to take an inventory of the deer on my property in order to have a harvest plan. This is from the last week of July to the middle of August. Now I have a good picture of the number of does, fawns, and bucks I have and can better manage the herd vs. the DNR solution to kill every antlerless deer we see. I bit in to that for a long time, but after some of you commented on the affects it has had in your states over the years, I decided this was a much wiser way to determine a harvest plan.

I just listen to a podcast interview where Dr. Grant explains this practice. It seems like a very good way to inventory, and even pattern deer. You can determine bed location based on where the buck enters the field, and your previous spring scouting. Good stuff in my opinion.

I get the concept, but I'm just starting to wonder how many mature bucks will tolerate getting their picture taken for 2 or 3 months straight ? I'm thinking I might just keep my camera's on the field edges for now, and hope to get an idea of whats in our woods from those pictures... I'm just getting nervous about keeping those camera's up in the woods where the hunting takes place.... I love getting pics of nice bucks in the middle of our woods, but I don't like the idea that I am educating those deer as I am in and out checking cards and such... I almost can't wait for the season to be over so I can dive in and look for buck beds...

I should clarify what I heard, as I was referring to another practice that he uses in addition to what INH stated. In the pod cast, Dr. Grant says he places camers overlooking food sources in late summer to early fall. They are place higher in the tree than normal. He then sets the camera on time laps settings. He gets a picture of the field every so often. I think he said he gets a picture every 5min, set for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours before dark in the evening. He only takes pictures in daylight, no night time or flash pictures. He tries to hang the cameras in an area that gets a good view of the food source, and is located away from most of the deer activity. Obviously every situation is differnt. But the concept is to get pictures at times when activity is greatest. I see it like glassing a field, only everyday, twice a day. You aren't going to get stunning photos of every big buck you got, but he says he can see enough to determine if the deer is a shooter or not. I think he compared it to sniper recon, as it is very low impact!

[dreaming bucks]

ahhh, yes, that makes more sense to me.... that is a pretty good idea.. but he must have to change the time frame on the cams as the year goes on huh, being the days get shorter every day ?

[dan]

he said he gets a picture every 5min, set for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours before dark in the evening. He only takes pictures in daylight, no night time or flash pictures.

I would want night photo's as well at the food sources... Mature bucks often don't move around in daylight outside of there safe zone even in summer... I know we all see more big bucks out in daylight in the summer. But if you only look at the fields in daylight I would say you are most likely not seeing some of the bigger and older animals.

[Bucky]

I'll admit I'm a trail camera junky!

But I have learned trail cameras where you plan to hunt is a bad idea. Just like the discussion of killing on your first set... trail cameras are similar. When you set one up in a new area often you get your best buck pictures the 1st or 2nd time you check it. After that the mature animals go nocturnal in the area around the camera or avoid it all together.

This year I have picked up a new cam called the PlotWatcher... IMO this camera is the cats meow. You can set it up at distances to watch food sources/open CRP/open woods (better in open areas). It takes a wide angle picture every 5 or 10 seconds all day long during daylight. This way you can slide in and check the activity on certain food sources and stay further away + it shows how deer enter the area/ work through the area and exit. Then the software provided allows you to watch a weeks worth of daylight activity in one area in about 20-30mins total time (you can fast forward at x1-x5 speed). You can save individual pictures or sequences (50 at a time, 100 at a time, etc) of deer activity. I think it provides much more info and cost relatively the same as scouting cameras. Deer don't seem to notice it as much either being that it does not "glow or flash" in the dark. I use it along with scouting cameras = inventory and the plot to watch movement through an area but at a distance if possible. Similar to spotting with a light or watching with binos but it is recorded.

[Dewey]

I put out trail camera's not so much for patterning bucks but more for taking inventory of what size of bucks are in a certain area.
The only time I will check a camera and pull my card is if I am already hunting near the area and this usually every 3 weeks or more.
Most people I know check their camera's at least once a week and wonder why they never see any deer during daylight.