Trail Camera Warning

[Hillbilly Hunter]

I bought my property in 2003.

 

[Ski]

IMO, same 500 acre tract for 21 years is what makes your "situation" more of an anomaly when compared to most. Also, you are on your property A LOT more than most messing with/moving/checking cameras when compared to most other guys/hunters I know. I try not to disturb my properties, and definitely not disturbing them "just to check a camera". I check cameras when I am "in the area" hunting. I also try to hunt a new property every year, even if it means new public ground. Other than one 22 acre tract, I do not have the "historical knowledge" that you do for most of my tracts because I have not hunted them that long, thus I am always in learning mode learning lay of the land, neighbors and their management styles, nearby land use patterns, etc. Again, one size does not fit all when placing/running/checking trail cameras.

Fair point. That continuity or lack thereof is a factor I hadn't considered. I've been hunting one particular property for nearly 40yrs and running cams for about a decade. I'm as familiar and comfortable in those woods as I am my house. It's a completely different dynamic than when I'm hunting public ground or permission properties. I do have a couple places I've been hunting in recent years that I'm building familiarity with and for sure it is a learning curve.

 

[BSK]

IMO, same 500 acre tract for 21 years is what makes your "situation" more of an anomaly when compared to most. Also, you are on your property A LOT more than most messing with/moving/checking cameras when compared to most other guys/hunters I know. I try not to disturb my properties, and definitely not disturbing them "just to check a camera". I check cameras when I am "in the area" hunting. I also try to hunt a new property every year, even if it means new public ground. Other than one 22 acre tract, I do not have the "historical knowledge" that you do for most of my tracts because I have not hunted them that long, thus I am always in learning mode learning lay of the land, neighbors and their management styles, nearby land use patterns, etc. Again, one size does not fit all when placing/running/checking trail cameras.

This is all true.

 

[BSK]

The more I read through these posts, I'm beginning to consider hunters are using trail-cameras very differently than I do. If someone places cell cams near their stands, and then watches the pictures to decide which stand to hunt or whether it's even worth hunting, I think that is a huge mistake. Even with our very limited visual distances (can rarely see more than 50 yards from each stand), there could be so many travel routs past that stand that would be killable but would never get caught by the camera.

I've got my cameras placed at the highest odds travel locations, just trying to catch as many deer on cam as possible. If a spot slows down, I move the camera somewhere else. Then when looking at pictures, I'll see a particular buck on 2 or 3 cameras, and I'll step back and look at how his travel route between those camera locations might look in general, and then begin looking at stands we already have in place in that general location (we have a stand for every 9 acres). Usually, I'll find we have 6 to 10 stands located in what I believe that bucks general travel route is. I'll then rotate through those stands based on wind direction that hunt. This technique has proven fairly successful at picking off THAT buck.

 

[WilcoKen]

If someone places cell cams near their stands, and then watches the pictures to decide which stand to hunt or whether it's even worth hunting, I think that is a huge mistake.

I think many, many guys are doing this very thing. Especially with cell cams the day of or night before they hunt. I just don't think it honors the sport. I will take my physical observations of scrapes, rubs, tracks, trails, funnels and "senses" over pictures/videos any day.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

I have owned the land that I primarily hunt for 20 years so I am pretty comfortable and confident in my stand locations by scouting, observations, thermals, and how the deer use the geographical features on the property. I enjoy cameras but i don't use them to dictate where i hunt.

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

The more I read through these posts, I'm beginning to consider hunters are using trail-cameras very differently than I do. If someone places cell cams near their stands, and then watches the pictures to decide which stand to hunt or whether it's even worth hunting, I think that is a huge mistake. Even with our very limited visual distances (can rarely see more than 50 yards from each stand), there could be so many travel routs past that stand that would be killable but would never get caught by the camera.

I've got my cameras placed at the highest odds travel locations, just trying to catch as many deer on cam as possible. If a spot slows down, I move the camera somewhere else. Then when looking at pictures, I'll see a particular buck on 2 or 3 cameras, and I'll step back and look at how his travel route between those camera locations might look in general, and then begin looking at stands we already have in place in that general location (we have a stand for every 9 acres). Usually, I'll find we have 6 to 10 stands located in what I believe that bucks general travel route is. I'll then rotate through those stands based on wind direction that hunt. This technique has proven fairly successful at picking off THAT buck.

Good post

 

[BSK]

I think many, many guys are doing this very thing. Especially with cell cams the day of or night before they hunt. I just don't think it honors the sport. I will take my physical observations of scrapes, rubs, tracks, trails, funnels and "senses" over pictures/videos any day.

Because we move our stands around long before season starts (usually mid-August), I have no way of knowing what the patterns will be like that year. I use my knowledge of 1) how deer use terrain in the area, 2) past patterns, 3) any changes to the habitat that might attract/repel deer movement, and 4) past sign concentrations to place those stands. Trail-cameras produce no seriously useful input.

 

[BSK]

I have owned the land that I primarily hunt for 20 years so I am pretty comfortable and confident in my stand locations by scouting, observations, thermals, and how the deer use the geographical features on the property. I enjoy cameras but i don't use them to dictate where i hunt.

When review trail-camera data, I often find a particular buck I'm interested in is using one part of my property (perhaps 1/3 to 1/2 the property). I will then focus my hunting in that part of the property in an attempt to kill that buck. By trying to pinpoint his exact route and time from cameras? Nope, don't even attempt that. I use my scouting skills and knowledge of how deer use the terrain to go after that buck in a fairly large area (say 150-acre section of the property). Without the cameras, I would not of that particular buck's existence or what section of the property he is using most often, so the cameras absolutely help. But I don't use them to try and pin-point an exact location to hunt him from.

 

[Ski]

It only makes sense cams and stands will be placed in same spots because they share the same purpose of being in close proximity to the bulk of deer movement. Most of my cams are congregated around stand sites watching the exact same trails.

 

[Outdoor Enthusiast]

It only makes sense cams and stands will be placed in same spots because they share the same purpose of being in close proximity to the bulk of deer movement. Most of my cams are congregated around stand sites watching the exact same trails.

Good point. Except for me, there are situations in which I am monitoring scrapes with trail cams, but I don't locate stands over the scrape. Usually I am somewhere along the travel corridor to/from the scrape.

 

[DMD]

Say it louder for those in the back. This cannot be emphasized enough. Like I said, put a cell camera in my closet and you might get me 2x per day, and you will have no idea what is going on the rest of the day in "my house". Same can be said for deer in "their house".

Now...put it in the pantry, and you'll get me at least 32 times a day

 

[huvrman]

I will stand behind what I've said many, many times. Trail-cameras are the greatest management tool every invented. I would also say I've learned more about deer behavior from trail-cams than any other source. This knowledge has made me a much more successful hunter.

Notice I did NOT say they are a great scouting tool! My eyes and my brain are the best scouting tool.

Back before the days of cell cams, trail cams, trail cams that used film, I actually put strings across trails to determine direction of travel. Now that's living'!

 

[BSK]

Good point. Except for me, there are situations in which I am monitoring scrapes with trail cams, but I don't locate stands over the scrape. Usually I am somewhere along the travel corridor to/from the scrape.

This. I rarely have cams near stands. The few that are near stands are located in high traffic areas, hence both cam and stand. But most of the traditional scrapes I camera monitor are not hunted (because most of the activity at those scrapes is nocturnal).

 

[BSK]

Back before the days of cell cams, trail cams, trail cams that used film, I actually put strings across trails to determine direction of travel. Now that's living'!

I remember the devices that use a string across a trail, and when a deer walked into the string it triggered a timer that told you what time the string was broken. My how things have changed.

 

[fairchaser]

Concur on management tool (along with trigger restraint), as cameras have taught all of us so much over last few decades, especially those of us who have had the opportunity to run numerous cameras over large contiguous tracts (18k+ acres). With that said, cameras capture itty bitty "snapshots" in time, but they miss 10,000x the things they capture. I see hunters nowadays, with many being 20+ year seasoned hunters, put all of their faith in trail/cell camera data. That irks me beyond belief. At one point in time, they all knew how to scout, read the landscape, read the deer/buck sign, look for pinch points and travel corridors, etc. For "some", I belief "relying on camera data" is just a way to justify being lazy and opting out of going to the woods, essentially their excuse for why they have not been hunting lately. My .02

Sadly, as I get older, I'm less inclined to trek through the woods looking for sign and mapping buck routes. Guilty as charged Andy. Cameras are the lazy man's way to scout. I've noticed that older bucks are wise to cameras and will avoid them. I've got one that saw the camera and the next two shots he was darting away. I never got another picture. The lesson here is to not put all your confidence in what the camera is telling you. It's only part of the full picture.

 

[Creek]

This. I rarely have cams near stands. The few that are near stands are located in high traffic areas, hence both cam and stand. But most of the traditional scrapes I camera monitor are not hunted (because most of the activity at those scrapes is nocturnal).

I don't see how you keep up with all your cameras, numbers/data and other info.
And it seems like every single year something changes, and you discover something new.

 

[kaizen leader]

I've got my Edge camera up about 18'. It looks down on a Trophy Rock that I placed where there has always been a lot of game traffic. I haven't had a deer look up at it yet and works great. I don't know if the buck are weary of it but I rarely get bucks. A lot of everything else. I probably should move it but I enjoy watching all the animals and their behavior, except for the tree rats. Can't hardly find them in the picture.
I had to put it up high using sticks because somehow a previous one got the motion detector stabbed. Maybe a buck but pretty sure it was one of those damn humans. Never got that in a picture and can't figure out why. In over a year I've only got two humans.
I am saving the spot for a nice big doe at the end of the season. She's a regular with two late fawns. I was hoping she would bring in a big buck. She may be ready next week.

 

[BSK]

I don't see how you keep up with all your cameras, numbers/data and other info.

Relational databases (dBase V), spreadsheets (Excel), and GIS (ArcView 2.3). Every camera location I've ever used is marked on the GIS layer for cameras for that year in my GIS. All data for that camera location is entered into the GIS/databases/spreadsheets. All of the camera data for the year entered into a separate spreadsheet for that year. And a year's camera data spreadsheet includes all of the camera deer counts (for herd dynamics and population calculations), the list of unique bucks and their characteristics, a sheet for the dates each buck was photographed, and an over-all series for all years side by side so I can see comparisons.

And it seems like every single year something changes, and you discover something new.

And that is why I say trail-cameras are the greatest management tool ever invented. I have learned more about deer population dynamics and behavior from trail-cameras than any other tool at my disposal.

 

[BSK]

In addition to the above, I'm also running a couple of research projects from my own property's trail-camera data. The first is looking at the times bucks are photographed. I go through every picture/video and get the time, date, and age of every buck photographed and enter that in a database. I can then analyze and graph when bucks of different ages are photographed moving around. Currently, I'm only looking at the months of November and December, because that is when we are hunting (and the times I'm most interested in). We do not hunt in October, hence data from October would be of unhunted deer, while data from November and December would be of hunted deer. This apples-to-oranges comparison is why I haven't calculated any October data. Although, someday I will, just to see the differences.

I'm also running a study on buck behavior at scrapes. I use the entire season's data for this, as I'm mainly interested in behavior when visiting a scrape, which shouldn't be affected by hunting pressure. For every buck visit caught on camera, I record the date, time, buck age, and which of the primary behaviors he exhibits: working the overhanging limb, pawing out the scrape, and peeing in the scrape (and whether he pees over his hocks or avoids peeing over his hocks). It is interesting to see the differences in behavior at scrapes and how that is influenced by the buck's age.