Trail cams.....

Discuss deer hunting tactics, Deer behavior. Post your Hunting Stories, Pictures, and Questions/Answers.
  • Advertisement

HB Store


User avatar
BBH1980
Posts: 256
Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2018 1:15 pm
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline

Trail cams.....

Unread postby BBH1980 » Mon Apr 29, 2019 11:37 pm

Recently saw a post on the Facebook beast asking when others were deploying trail cams. Started seeing comment pictures of 15 to as many as 30 cams that guys are getting ready to put out on the properties they hunt. Surprisingly lots of guys on the Facebook page aren't familiar with Dan's tactics. I have definitely scared mature bucks I was after by using cameras so I am very hesitant to use them unless it's in areas that I won't hunt and want Intel or if it's away from my hunting spot or where human scent is common. What's everyones thoughts on them ? I was just surprised to see guys on the beast page using so many trail cameras....


User avatar
218er
500 Club
Posts: 1070
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 2:55 pm
Location: MN
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby 218er » Tue Apr 30, 2019 1:04 am

Based on beast related info I wouldn’t run them anywhere near a bed. However a 1/2 mile to a mile away in the direction of where they might be headed seems safe. I get not wanting to spook them but I wanna make sure there are mature bucks around.
Persistence is undefeated.
User avatar
megavites
Posts: 81
Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2017 12:38 am
Location: NJ
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby megavites » Tue Apr 30, 2019 1:49 am

I don't put mine out until late May-mid June....then its once a month check
User avatar
Grizzlyadam
500 Club
Posts: 1488
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:33 am
Location: CT
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby Grizzlyadam » Tue Apr 30, 2019 2:38 am

I run about five of them year round. I have another three that I bounce around with in season. The cams are a great tool to get an inventory of the herd and figure out what the biggest bucks available are. In my experience they are not at all a useful tool to pattern and track movement to try and predict where to be when. That seems to me to be the biggest misconception about them for most hunters. Especially with mature bucks, you do more harm than good if you try and push it on a big one. If you set up a cam close enough to catch pics of him during shooting light you have likely gotten too close to where he feels safe. He will pick up on your intrusion and quickly learn to avoid that place or monitor it from a safe distance. You may get a few good pics the first day or two, but you just educated him to your presence and it's bye bye. Not to mention you need to make several trips in to check the cam after it's been set up. The wireless cams may be an exception but I don't have any experience with them yet.

IMO there is no defined distance to set up a cam away from a bedding area. I always try to set up as close as possible while not breaking that "intrusion barrier". What I mean is that I will not go set one up where he doesn't normally detect human activity. I will set up where trails bottleneck and enter on the edge of a crop field or a road crossing, a stone wall split in open hardwoods, and other transition spots where activity funnels through and human scent is common. Most of the time I'm intentionally going to set them up where deer will only be going through at night. That way I get regular pictures of just about every deer on the property in spots they know are safe at night and they don't get too worked up over human scent being there periodically. I still keep the cams hidden from sight of deer as well as people as best as I can. I also only check them during the middle of the day during rain storms once a month at most and wear rubber gloves when I handle them.

Once I know what the deer line up looks like I can then target the ones I want and that's when my winter/spring scouting comes into play. I already know where they are bedding and where they travel through well before they get to my cam setup. I know where my stand setups will be. I just need to get in close enough undetected when the time is right. That's the hard part that the cams don't help with. If I check a cam and get three days in a row of a big buck going through I can be pretty sure of where he was bedded, the only problem is I'm already three days too late.
KIMG1188.JPG
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
may21581
500 Club
Posts: 1186
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 12:48 pm
Location: north east ohio
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby may21581 » Tue Apr 30, 2019 3:14 am

Lots of good info here!
"Failure is the price for entry for achieving something great"
User avatar
Dpierce72
500 Club
Posts: 1144
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 2:30 pm
Location: Arkansas (NEA)
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby Dpierce72 » Tue Apr 30, 2019 5:26 am

I noticed a marked improvement getting the same deer on camera multiple times (ie not spooking them) by putting them 10'-12' high and angling them down. I initially did this for camera security, but believe it has helped get more consistent footage (clearly not a scientific study, but personal observation).

Personally, I don't care about 'year round' photos, but that is simply a personal preference. I will begin deploying cameras July 4 (just my standard time I can remember year-to-year) for inventory. This is the timeframe when I can begin to tell characteristics of the animal.
"Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make your a better person." ~Fred Bear
User avatar
llcooljames
Posts: 258
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2016 7:04 am
Location: WI
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby llcooljames » Wed May 01, 2019 1:44 am

I am not going to put a camera out this year. I dont think it helped me much, I have a pretty good Idea about the way deer move on the private land I hunt, and wont put trail cams on public.

I also enjoy the thrill of not knowing what might show up. I once passed on a buck that would have been much bigger than any deer I had shot, because there were a few pictures we had of a 170 inch or so deer. If i hadnt known bout the bigger deer (which I never laid eyes on) I would have shot the deer I passed up and been very happy with it.
Strenke629
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2017 5:25 am
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby Strenke629 » Wed May 01, 2019 1:02 pm

llcooljames wrote:I also enjoy the thrill of not knowing what might show up. I once passed on a buck that would have been much bigger than any deer I had shot, because there were a few pictures we had of a 170 inch or so deer. If i hadnt known bout the bigger deer (which I never laid eyes on) I would have shot the deer I passed up and been very happy with it.


Perfectly said, I agree 100%. I don't want some buck that I may never see in person get in the way of a decision to take a buck that I'd be very happy to harvest.
User avatar
Twenty Up
500 Club
Posts: 1885
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2014 1:06 pm
Location: Dirty South
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby Twenty Up » Wed May 01, 2019 1:25 pm

I’m assuming you’re referring to my Facebook post.

I utilize trail cameras heavily from May through August. This helps me prioritize my time able to hunt on which tract of public i should hone in on. I hunt 10 different tracts of WMA’s spanning 65,000 acres across too many Counties.

I’m a big buck hunter, not killer but hunter. I’m seeking the biggest and most mature buck I can physically find. Glassing & Shining Deer Down here is simply not an option. Illegal and too thick to see much.

So I utilize trail cameras on food sources, water and pinch points. Through scouting and hunting experience in these areas I’ll place these cameras roughly 1/4 to 1/2 mile away from their projected bedding areas.

Their home ranges change. That big,+ 160” velvet buck was found dead 1.16 miles as the crow flies, from where that picture was taken.

I personally prefer hunting September through October because I can put a reasonably good pattern to these deer by utilizing the information gained from my trail cameras.
Trust the Process~~ Lost Boys Outdoors ~~

YoutTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC7TXknGut5WfZQ6CbddgqYg
User avatar
JAK
500 Club
Posts: 1051
Joined: Tue Mar 07, 2017 5:49 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby JAK » Wed May 01, 2019 2:37 pm

I put one out this year already. Its on a property 1 hr 30 min from home and ive found some big buck sign. So want to see whats there. Ive also got that one about 10ft up the tree. Back home if i can glass or shine a food source near bedding ill just do that insted of cameras. But remote where i cant keep a eye on ill run some cams.



Im not to sure how close a guy can get without spooking the deer. Im going to the cams out early and grab them on a heavy rain. Just to be safe. Because i will be pushing closer in with my cameras
User avatar
tgreeno
500 Club
Posts: 4770
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 5:06 am
Location: WI
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby tgreeno » Wed May 01, 2019 2:44 pm

Trail cams are a tool, just like anything else. I think many people rely too much on them.

I typically only use them in new spots to get intel for future hunts. I let the sign dictate where I'm hunting, not a camera.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it an remove all doubt
User avatar
BackCoverBowHunter
Posts: 356
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2016 6:33 am
Location: Pennsylvania
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby BackCoverBowHunter » Thu May 02, 2019 12:42 am

tgreeno wrote:Trail cams are a tool, just like anything else. I think many people rely too much on them.

I typically only use them in new spots to get intel for future hunts. I let the sign dictate where I'm hunting, not a camera.

My success has gone up big time now that I have been doing this the past few years. Plus, I am more confident going to those "new spots" that my cameras were watching the year(s) before. I also am not hunting those camera locations per say. But the active sign in that area. Best tactic I have added to my .
Extreme Effort Only
User avatar
may21581
500 Club
Posts: 1186
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 12:48 pm
Location: north east ohio
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby may21581 » Thu May 02, 2019 11:25 am

Anyone else listen to the don Higgins podcast on trailcams? There is a wealth of info to be gained from it. I highly recommend listening to it. It has definately made me think about my approach and expectations from them.
"Failure is the price for entry for achieving something great"
User avatar
ZSV
500 Club
Posts: 672
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:00 am
Location: Iowa
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby ZSV » Thu May 02, 2019 11:52 am

may21581 wrote:Anyone else listen to the don Higgins podcast on trailcams? There is a wealth of info to be gained from it. I highly recommend listening to it. It has definately made me think about my approach and expectations from them.


Can you post a link or tell us who interviewed him?
“I only live once, I will not die a coward “ - Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel
User avatar
may21581
500 Club
Posts: 1186
Joined: Mon May 28, 2018 12:48 pm
Location: north east ohio
Status: Offline

Re: Trail cams.....

Unread postby may21581 » Thu May 02, 2019 1:59 pm

"How to successfully hunt a specific buck with Don Higgins" look this up on YouTube. It was recorded at the exodus headquarters in Ohio. Check it out, post your thoughts and let us know what you think.
"Failure is the price for entry for achieving something great"


  • Advertisement

Return to “Deer Hunting”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Noreast10pt and 78 guests