Bottom Hunter
Well-Known Member
nice topic with some legs to go in many directions.....keep it open....thanks.
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Help Support TNDeer:
Trail cameras, more harm than good?
- Thread starter backstraps
- Start date
pros: let u see the quality of bucks in area
provide a recreation
u can keep tabs on deer density in an area
cons:
leads to further human intrusion in the deer woods
can educate mature deer
cost/ time
provide a recreation
u can keep tabs on deer density in an area
cons:
leads to further human intrusion in the deer woods
can educate mature deer
cost/ time
BSK
Well-Known Member
redblood said:
Good pro and con list redblood.
Shed Hunter
Well-Known Member
horn master said:
That must be some nice public land you're huntin!
Did you get camera pics of most of the ones you killed?
BSK brings up a good point.
Again, there needs to be more parameters about the way a camera is used.
the way BSK is checking the cameras, and in areas where 4-wheelers are NOT perceived by deer as a threat, it may be a good idea th ride right up to the camera, wearing gloves, and check the camera without getting off the wheeler or leaving much scent.
But don't try this on public land. I assure you, if there is a 4 wheeler trail next to a deer trail, your camera is headed to the PAWN shop.
Again, there needs to be more parameters about the way a camera is used.
the way BSK is checking the cameras, and in areas where 4-wheelers are NOT perceived by deer as a threat, it may be a good idea th ride right up to the camera, wearing gloves, and check the camera without getting off the wheeler or leaving much scent.
But don't try this on public land. I assure you, if there is a 4 wheeler trail next to a deer trail, your camera is headed to the PAWN shop.
BSK
Well-Known Member
Honestly, I would never consider hanging cameras on public land. They are darn easy to steal, no matter what type of locking cable you put on them.
horn master
Well-Known Member
That is why I have never used one BSK. I prefer to use pure luck instead.
horn master
Well-Known Member
just saw your post Master Chief. Thanks and no I've never used a trail camera. If I hunted private land I would use them. I do have alot of their sheds though. I mainly hunt around Tims Ford lake with the help of a jon boat to get away from people. Waterways hold some great bone.
As far as trail cameras and their use hurting chances of killing a big buck, it is one of those questions we will never know for sure - unless deer start talking! Every hunter will have a different opinion about it. But it does not seem like there are any less mature bucks being killed since the explosion of trail cameras over the last few years. If the use of trail cameras was a negative, the number of mature bucks being killed would have dipped significantly, because there are tons of trail cam users. It is my opinion that we get all bent out of shape about things that really don't bother deer at all. They MAY skirt around our cameras, but they aren't taking a ticket to the next state. Maybe I'm wrong, wouldn't be the first time!
That being said, the biggest help trail cameras are to me is for deer inventory. The pictures I get, give me the extra "oomph" I need to stay longer and pass up smaller bucks waiting on a bigger one. If I didn't know what was out there, I think I would convince myself there were no mature ones and shoot a younger buck.
That being said, the biggest help trail cameras are to me is for deer inventory. The pictures I get, give me the extra "oomph" I need to stay longer and pass up smaller bucks waiting on a bigger one. If I didn't know what was out there, I think I would convince myself there were no mature ones and shoot a younger buck.
Mike Belt
Well-Known Member
Cameras are fun and useful but they by no means put meat in the freezer. Most who use them to inventory the buck portion of their deer herd find out quickly that most of the bucks they capture during the summer are gone by Fall which sort of renders them useless. The bucks your're interested in picking up can only be captured during the Fall and into hunting season and the liklihood is of only getting a single picture of them. With this being the norm I hardly see where setting a camera up and getting a pic/s of a buck/s could be considered cheating.
Most of my camera use is from pre-rut through the season primarily at scrape sights. What I've found is that from the first set until the first time I pull my card and check out the pics I may only have a single pic of any given buck. All too often in order to set up for a good pic at the scrape sight the camera is set very close and highly visable. Many pics show the buck eyeing the camera. Even when you are very conscious of your scent while setting up I believe the camera itself (even when not shuttering) is enough of a visual deterent to prevent you from getting any more pics of that particular buck and could possibly deter him out of the immediate area. The only resolution is to hang the camera high with a downward view.
Most of my camera use is from pre-rut through the season primarily at scrape sights. What I've found is that from the first set until the first time I pull my card and check out the pics I may only have a single pic of any given buck. All too often in order to set up for a good pic at the scrape sight the camera is set very close and highly visable. Many pics show the buck eyeing the camera. Even when you are very conscious of your scent while setting up I believe the camera itself (even when not shuttering) is enough of a visual deterent to prevent you from getting any more pics of that particular buck and could possibly deter him out of the immediate area. The only resolution is to hang the camera high with a downward view.
Shed Hunter
Well-Known Member
horn master said:
I've had one camera that was found on public land. Instead of stealing it they Cut the strap laid it on the ground. They also took the scentwick I had over my mock scrap down. It was kind of a stupid spot for it though, only about 100 yards off of a horse trail.
I also have wanted to start using a Jon boat to get to some secret hunting spots on public land. My buddy dd last year and killed a big 10 and his son got a monster seven. I think it was Big sandy or duck river but ge never told me for sure.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Actually, it's been my experience that those who think this way will find just the opposite in reality. Using trail cams as a hunting tool has actually made it more difficult for me to take a specific buck. But on the flip side, using trail cams has also made me aware of the otherwise unknown existence of particular bucks I would target, which has been the greatest actual hunting value they've provided for me, i.e. just letting me know what's out there.horn master said:
I think the collective use of trail cams over the past decade may have done more to help all hunters either "get a buck" or a "better buck" than any other single thing. By "seeing what's out there", more and more hunters have become eagerly willing to pass up young bucks.
This phenomena has not only helped the individual hunter using the trail cam, but also all those hunters not using trail cams. Kind of a "domino effect" in that as more young bucks are passed, more hunters see more older bucks, and the number of hunters willing to pass up younger bucks continues to grow, regardless of whether they're personally using trail cams. But this phenomena doesn't just help those who become eager to pass up younger bucks, it may help even more those hunters who are eager to shoot ANY buck, since there are so many more bucks period compared to when TN had its 11-buck limit and shooting female deer wasn't very popular. Although we may not have "more bucks" than we had back then, there's a lot fewer hunters competing for just "a" buck, and a young or novice hunter today has a much better opportunity of getting "a" buck than say back in the 90's. And his opportunity for a 2 1/2 or older buck tremendously higher, I say, in large part because of the widespread usage of trail cams.
My conclusion is that trail cams do more good than harm overall, but if you use them to pinpoint a hunting set-up ambush, they will typically do YOU more harm than good. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but generally speaking, that's been my experience to the point that I essentially stopped using trail cams last year during the season. I'd also gotten a little burned out in putting so much time into trail cams that it had become a burdensome activity, especially when I had so many cams that were failing to work properly. This year, plan to do more with trail cams, but will cut back when it seems more work than enjoyment.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Exactly.pastorbmp said:
It's really little different than seeing a mature buck run across the road in front of you as you're driving onto your hunting area, except that by using trail cams, you may see more of those bucks than you would by driving down the road. Setting up near where a trail cam obtained a particular buck's pic would be little different than climbing a tree on the side of the road where you saw a big buck run across at 4AM in the morning ---- probably not the best strategy.
However, the excitement and enthusiasm is similar. Does it excite you when you see a big buck run across the road in front of your truck when you're near your hunting area? Similar is what you get when your trail cam produces pics of big bucks.
BSK
Well-Known Member
Wes Parrish said:
X3.
Knowing a good buck is out there keeps me hunting longer.
Football Hunter
Well-Known Member
I think Im gonna put mine out soon,then take em up come deer season.
Bottom Hunter
Well-Known Member
What about the hunter that runs cameras 24/7/365 and does not get a mature deer that they want on camera?
Does this information keep them at home more than it should?
I think it very well might keep some people at home when they should be out there hunting. Nothing out there worth shooting, so I'll just stay at home today......
I think that trail cameras are great tools for the hunter that wants to stay atuned with his hunting ground. If running these cameras year round makes him happy and keeps him interested in hunting during the offseason, then great! Nothing wrong with that.
He must realize too that not every deer using his place will be caught on camera and deer that are not homeboys to his place may indeed come through there at certain times of the season, the rut in particular.
the first time that a hunter catches himself basing his hunting time/location on what he has caught on camera, then he should put them away OR only put them out right after the season to see what made it and maybe very early season and then more for giggles.
Never base your time in the field on pictures, especially if the lack of pics keeps you at home.
ALWAYS HUNT YOUR PROPERTY LIKE THERE IS A MATURE BUCK THERE THAT YOU WANT. You might even surprise yourself at the way you choose to approach each season, relying on the faith that HE is there and you are going to hunt him...
if I only hunted deer that I knew were there, my walls would be pretty nekkid right now.....have faith in your location and the work you have done pre-season. Simply put, the time we spend seeing mature deer is so minute in regards to the average time we spend on stand, sometimes mere seconds in a single season (if we are lucky), then who's to say that even if we know he's there that we'll get to see him anyway, much less get a shot.
Every minute I am hunting I feel like a big buck could walk out in front of me , and in reality, he could.
good luck!
Does this information keep them at home more than it should?
I think it very well might keep some people at home when they should be out there hunting. Nothing out there worth shooting, so I'll just stay at home today......
I think that trail cameras are great tools for the hunter that wants to stay atuned with his hunting ground. If running these cameras year round makes him happy and keeps him interested in hunting during the offseason, then great! Nothing wrong with that.
He must realize too that not every deer using his place will be caught on camera and deer that are not homeboys to his place may indeed come through there at certain times of the season, the rut in particular.
the first time that a hunter catches himself basing his hunting time/location on what he has caught on camera, then he should put them away OR only put them out right after the season to see what made it and maybe very early season and then more for giggles.
Never base your time in the field on pictures, especially if the lack of pics keeps you at home.
ALWAYS HUNT YOUR PROPERTY LIKE THERE IS A MATURE BUCK THERE THAT YOU WANT. You might even surprise yourself at the way you choose to approach each season, relying on the faith that HE is there and you are going to hunt him...
if I only hunted deer that I knew were there, my walls would be pretty nekkid right now.....have faith in your location and the work you have done pre-season. Simply put, the time we spend seeing mature deer is so minute in regards to the average time we spend on stand, sometimes mere seconds in a single season (if we are lucky), then who's to say that even if we know he's there that we'll get to see him anyway, much less get a shot.
Every minute I am hunting I feel like a big buck could walk out in front of me , and in reality, he could.
good luck!
Bottom Hunter said:
You make some good points. Last 2 seasons, I hadn't gotten any mature bucks on camera. That was most unusual. But, I knew what I had been getting in the years prior on camera, so I knew there had to be some mature bucks lurking around. I was blessed to kill a mature buck both years.
You got to have confidence in your hunting spots. Trail cameras just help foster that confidence. It is not an end-all, and you have to understand it's limitations, but it is a fun and helpful tool for inventory of your deer herd. Nothing more - nothing less.
tellico4x4
Well-Known Member
backstraps said:
What's wrong with it becoming another hobby? I enjoy it and it keeps me in tune with the game on our property. It's taken a 3 month long hobby (hunting) and turned it into a year round one.
BSK
Well-Known Member
pastorbmp said:
Well said pastorbmp. That's what I use trail-cameras for--to inventory my deer herd. Not just for hunting purposes, but for long-term knowledge. I now have 13 years of inventory data, and that data is most illuminating.
Bottom Hunter
Well-Known Member
when running these cameras, do you often recognize individual deer and even groups?
have you got enough cameras out in key locations around the property that you can make an educated guess as to how many deer your place holds and their patterns, or are these cameras merely taking random pics of deer passing through your porperty?
I own a few cameras, but right now they are all in my garage...lol. I plan on putting a few out during august and september...mainly because the landowner has never had cameras on his property and wanted to see some pics....so i agree to put a few out ..also, I think it would be cool to simply leave them out for about a month, then go get them out and see what I got on them....
like many said here before, if might be hard to resist the temptation to go check them every weekend, but I think I can do it..
I was just curious about how much USABLE data you really get from cameras ?
Usable, meaning that you identify a particular deer and can tell by where he shows up and how often he shows up that he is indeed living on your property or spending a great amount of time there. Do you get enough data to develop a particular strategy to hunt the deer or are you just getting pics of him, but can't figure out any pattern....
I doubt that most here hunt large enough tracts of land to effectively use cameras to pin down particular deer movement, right? More often than not, these deer cross your property and aren't permanent residents...right?
I guess what I'm asking is this....have you ever noticed particular deer on cameras repeatedly and noted times and dates and was able to get a rough guesstimation about his daily travels, thus patterning him? maybe get him on different cameras at different times of the day and thusly be able to tell more about when and where he goes...?
thanks
have you got enough cameras out in key locations around the property that you can make an educated guess as to how many deer your place holds and their patterns, or are these cameras merely taking random pics of deer passing through your porperty?
I own a few cameras, but right now they are all in my garage...lol. I plan on putting a few out during august and september...mainly because the landowner has never had cameras on his property and wanted to see some pics....so i agree to put a few out ..also, I think it would be cool to simply leave them out for about a month, then go get them out and see what I got on them....
like many said here before, if might be hard to resist the temptation to go check them every weekend, but I think I can do it..
I was just curious about how much USABLE data you really get from cameras ?
Usable, meaning that you identify a particular deer and can tell by where he shows up and how often he shows up that he is indeed living on your property or spending a great amount of time there. Do you get enough data to develop a particular strategy to hunt the deer or are you just getting pics of him, but can't figure out any pattern....
I doubt that most here hunt large enough tracts of land to effectively use cameras to pin down particular deer movement, right? More often than not, these deer cross your property and aren't permanent residents...right?
I guess what I'm asking is this....have you ever noticed particular deer on cameras repeatedly and noted times and dates and was able to get a rough guesstimation about his daily travels, thus patterning him? maybe get him on different cameras at different times of the day and thusly be able to tell more about when and where he goes...?
thanks
