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Have trail cams ever got you to psyched?

rem270

rem270

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This is my 3rd year running cameras and it seems i get way more shook up when i see a deer i want to kill walk up and know which one it is because he's on camera. Used to i didnt know what was out there until i seen it, but now knowing the few bucks i know i'd take and then have them walk up shakes me up even more and about ruin it all in the heat of the moment.
 
I'm quite the opposite. I had over 2000 pictures of one 11 point last season. The first time he walked in on the 3rd day of the season, I said, oh, there's the 11. It was like I knew his middle name. Seeing a buck that was previously unknown gets to me a little more.
 
one of the main reasons I don't run trail cameras any more is I love the surprise factor. but I do know what you mean when we ran them I did get shook up when I saw a deer I was targeting.
 
I had a deer show up on a cam a few times and while he was not a big 'un, he was okay by me. So there I am on the lease, last day i was going to be able to hunt, and I catch an antler meandering through some cedar trees. I hope he is gonna follow the same path all the others do and sure enough, here he comes E G A D S !! its him from the cam! I almost let him pass, nahh, he meandered into range, i got a sight picture and squeezed it off.
here he is from the cam
NiceBuck.jpg
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and a bit later in life...
SAM_1247.jpg
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I have been running cameras for almost 13 years now. Seen a lot of cool things over that time. I have been fortunate to hunt 2 world class bucks in my years of hunting. One was in Kentucky when I lived there. Never got a picture of him. Disappeared early in the season after watching him all summer. Came back from OCS after joining the service and he was on the cover Kentucky Fish and Game Magazine, killed down the road by a muzzleloader, one of biggest 8 points ever killed in the state, live weight over 350#.

Then there was a buck on my farm in VA. Missed him with a bow in 09. Missed with muzzleloader in 2010. Got a trail cam pic late in the season that year. Watched him all summer 2011. Didn't see him that year, but found one of his sheds turkey hunting.
Got this pic summer of 2012


So I knew he was still around. Then last November got this pic right under one of my stands. Got me really fired up.



Then the heartbreak. Found him in a cooler in the area, killed on a nearby property. I got his jawbone and he was old....very old. Lost about 10 inches from the year before based on the shed.

 
I've found that over the years I've been running trail cams over 10 years now its almost better not knowing whats around 4 me anyways. I've had my heart broken so many times by not seeing the target bucks i'm after year after year
 
I completely get the many sides to this coin. I understand having knowledge of exactly what bucks are out there taking the "excitement" out of seeing a shooter buck for the first time. I also understand the disappointment of not being able to see and kill target bucks a hunter has on cam.

Personally, I like having realistic expectations of what is out there. And to me, not being able to see/kill target bucks is just a reality check. It's another reminder of why older bucks have survived to the age they have (by not making dumb mistakes), and that we aren't anywhere near as good of hunters as we think we are.
 
FIREMANJIM said:
It sure makes it easier to sit on stand all day if you got recent pics of a bruiser in the area.
Click to expand...

I find my enthusiasm for hunting stays much higher when I know bucks I want are really out there.
 
BSK said:
FIREMANJIM said:
It sure makes it easier to sit on stand all day if you got recent pics of a bruiser in the area.
Click to expand...

I find my enthusiasm for hunting stays much higher when I know bucks I want are really out there.
Click to expand...

I agree with this, but then if you don't get big ones on camera, it is depressing and you kind of don't want to to hunt. I do anyways, relying on some "luck" that one will wonder through.
 
I understand 2 things about bucks and cameras. Just because you don't have his pics doesn't mean he's not around and just because you do have his pics doesn't mean he is. Still, somewhere in the back of my mind having pics of a good buck in my immediate hunting area is a plus. When I glimpse or hear a buck approaching my stand I still get fired up for what might be...pics or not.
 
The big advaantage for me is identifying shooter bucks before they show up in front of me on stand. If you already have a hit list, then you don't waste precious seconds evaluating the deer. You already know which one he is (hopefully) and you can spend your seconds getting the shot. More often than not, this is a pipe dream but we have to try since the penalties for making mistakes are severe. For me, it doesn't distract from the excitement of seeing a mature buck for the first time with my own two eyes, even though I may have a picture of him.
 
fairchaser said:
The big advaantage for me is identifying shooter bucks before they show up in front of me on stand. If you already have a hit list, then you don't waste precious seconds evaluating the deer. You already know which one he is (hopefully) and you can spend your seconds getting the shot. More often than not, this is a pipe dream but we have to try since the penalties for making mistakes are severe. For me, it doesn't distract from the excitement of seeing a mature buck for the first time with my own two eyes, even though I may have a picture of him.
Click to expand...

This.

For a hunter, the greatest advantage to running trail-cams during the season. No time wasted evaluating the age/size of a buck. You recognize him the instant you see him and know if he is on your "hit list" or not.
 
I rarely ever see a buck that I want to kill and have to think about it. I tell myself if I have to think about shooting him, then he isn't big enough or worth it or whatever. I like to immediately know I am going to shoot him as soon as I see him.

Its like just when you get that big rush "OMG, its a big one, BAM!" Providing it is a clear shot.

I bet for most of the bucks I killed (with a gun) I didn't watch them no longer than a minute before I shot them. In most cases shorter than that. Maybe still my nerves, but that is just the way I am.
 
woodsman87 said:
Its like just when you get that big rush "OMG, its a big one, BAM!" Providing it is a clear shot.
Click to expand...

I used to be that way Woodsman and secretly still am but on our club being off only a few inches in score could result in dollar penalties, loss of hunting time and horrible shame. It is much safer when its premeditated versus heat of the moment. Only a picture or previous sighting will do that for you.
 
BSK said:
I completely get the many sides to this coin. I understand having knowledge of exactly what bucks are out there taking the "excitement" out of seeing a shooter buck for the first time. I also understand the disappointment of not being able to see and kill target bucks a hunter has on cam.

Personally, I like having realistic expectations of what is out there. And to me, not being able to see/kill target bucks is just a reality check. It's another reminder of why older bucks have survived to the age they have (by not making dumb mistakes), and that we aren't anywhere near as good of hunters as we think we are.
Click to expand...

And then they shift ranges on you and a booner you've never seen before steps out
 
I mainly use mine just for the enjoyment of seeing what's walking around out there. It's really exciting to me to see that there are in fact the big bucks out there that I always wonder about. I also keep in mind my chances of seeing them in person are slim to none, so I try not to focus on killing a certain deer I have on camera.

I do still like seeing deer I didn't know about. Yesterday evening, a young 8 point came out that I have on camera and decided I would pass him up. I knew it was him and this is the 2nd time I've seen him in this spot. After I realized it was him I calmed down. 2 minutes later a stud of an 8 point with lots of mass comes out on the same trail. I had never seen this deer before and my heart started racing. He never came in range though so maybe next time. I would say I actually get more fired up over being surprised by a random buck than seeing one I already know about.
 
This is my first experience with trail cams.
I love knowing what is out there.
Adds a new dimension to my hunting.
 
Its a double edged sword but definitely the good outweighs the bad imo. I don't get to use them on many of the areas I hunt for fear of getting them stolen (public land) but I do use them when/where I can.
 
fairchaser said:
woodsman87 said:
Its like just when you get that big rush "OMG, its a big one, BAM!" Providing it is a clear shot.
Click to expand...

I used to be that way Woodsman and secretly still am but on our club being off only a few inches in score could result in dollar penalties, loss of hunting time and horrible shame. It is much safer when its premeditated versus heat of the moment. Only a picture or previous sighting will do that for you.
Click to expand...

Yes good point. If I were on a club or a quota hunt where I had to be careful, I would be. But as for now, when I see it I usually have my mind made up that I am going to shoot it that very second.
And I don't consider myself a novice, I have never killed one over 120 or so, but many in the 100 + or - range.
I just get overly excited when I see that good lookin 8 point.
 

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