Trailcams

[ncboman]

Do you think trailcams and the constant going and coming to check them educates the big buck and makes him hard to hunt or does he get use to it over time?

ncboman

[nodakker]

I've wondered that too, so I avoid extra trips and take the same scent precautions I take to hunt a stand.

[LampLighter]

To Answer nc's Q.

YES, of course. One must realize that there are always people posting trail cam pics of monster bucks, and this mignt tend to fool some into thinking the answer to your Question is NO. But remember, often these particular photos were taken somewhere along a travel route at night, OR in front of an introduced food source.

If you hunt big bucks in big woods, and hunt them on their own playing field ( no bait, no corporate wet bar box stands) and you hunt by figuring out sign and slipping in to take stand, then YES comings and goings in this "sanctuary" will blow it quick.

I would play around with this from January 31st to about August, then shut it down totally. Exceptions are if there is normal activity such as bush-hogging or discing by farmers that regulary pass along a fence, etc. that is in your buck's travel area, then maybe you can hitch a ride on the tractor, jump off set the camera, and hop back on when the tractor makes his next pass. But I would not go roaming in the woods just to check a camera.

[dave-t.]

In the thick, I think it can tip a buck off. Maybe not once or twice, but eventually he'll suspect something. If it was placed on the edge of a bean field with easy access, it probably wouldn't be near as big a deal.

I have a buddy in IL that puts a T post in the ground with a camera on it in wide open bean fields. He gets some decent pics.

Unless you are really off season, as in after the season, or on somesort of common travel way, then I wouldn't put one back in a thicket where I suspect a buck to be.


There's a county park just down the road from here where I bet you could get a pic of a 150"+ by hanging a camera without needing to set foot off of one of the paved walking trails.


I've thought about getting one of these, for other animals as much as for deer, but I would set it for access from a mowed trail and pointing over to the "good stuff" whatever cover/travel/water that may be. There is one durn deer track I see from time to time that really has me curious. The track is wider than a 3" turkey shell, and just shows up out of the blue a couple times a year. I'd love to lay eyes on him even if he never came within 1/4 mile of me during the season. Seeing bobcats and other stuff would be great too.

[pepaw]

Sure. Too much scent in an area where there should not be human scent has to make the buck wary in that area.

Our deer live near town where they is a lot of human/deer contact. Seldom are there times where you can't hear a car, truck, tractors, farmers, mesquite wood cutters, dogs, kids, sirens, radios or something. I particularly hate the donkey braying! Unless I was in the buck's sanctuary, I don't think they notice our comings and goings at all.

pepaw

[DaveHawk]

I have to agree with pepaw, I've watch to many bucks walk the same trails that hunters and dog walkers walk.

But get off those trails and yes you can cause a buck to spook I would not set up a trail cam anywhere close to where I hunt if I use the things which I don't.

[ncboman]

One of the better bowhunters in the country uses the cams but not real close to the spots he hunts.

I have two of the nicer trailcams but I only set them out as a novelty around here. I bought them for the trips to the midwest. Usually I'll run into lines of huge rubs and I figure the cams might allow me to see the size of the buck.

... which brings up another question. If a true booner is in your hunting area, would you want to know?

ncboman

[LampLighter]

Yes I would want to know.

[dave-t.]

That is what I keep wondering about the mystery track! Just how big is that sucker?

Having a little mystery ain't all bad either though.

The property that I killed my biggest buck from, nobody had ever seen/recognised that deer. Was he there the whole time and just nocturnal, or was he from 4-5 miles away? Both are entirely possible, but with a game cam you'd know about the nocturnal bucks. Still, they won't tip you off to what might just wander through come November.

[bugsNbows]

I've never used one. I thought about it once, but my cousin had two stolen within one week of installation. Besides, I'm just and old fart and have killed deer for 45 years without using them!

[ncboman]

I've never used one. I thought about it once, but my cousin had two stolen within one week of installation. Besides, I'm just and old fart and have killed deer for 45 years without using them!

People steal deer stands too. :D

ncboman

[DaveHawk]

I will know before to long if a big boy is in the area. Either I will see him 1st or he will see me 1st. LOL

[LampLighter]

In dave's avatar pic, it looks like he is on an offshore fishing boat.

[DaveHawk]

Fishing Lake Erie

[pepaw]

I use camera's for fun. Not to really scout. I do like to use them after season to see if any big bucks survived the 4 month gauntlet of our bow and gun season.

I hunt as if I know a mature buck is in the area at all times. Since it is low fenced, that may or not be true.

pepaw

[ncboman]

I use camera's for fun. Not to really scout. I do like to use them after season to see if any big bucks survived the 4 month gauntlet of our bow and gun season.

I hunt as if I know a mature buck is in the area at all times. Since it is low fenced, that may or not be true.

pepaw

I feel much the same, only a fun novelty mostly. I got my cameras mainly to try and see what makes these in the limited amount of time I have in these areas;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/ncboman/Ohio%2007/12807Ohio161r.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/ncboman/Ohio%2007/12807Ohio035reh.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/ncboman/Ohio%2007/12807Ohio233.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/ncboman/Ohio%2007/12807Ohio251.jpg

Check the height on the last two. ... healthy rubs. :)

[TJF]

I got one for a Xmas present. Britney and I set it out at the farm I work at today just for the fun of it. For a scouting tool... I would rather long range scout since it is so open here and not disturb an area. I trail cam would be pretty much worthless to me in that reguard.

Tim

[LampLighter]

OK. I know this is old news, but I only had a camera 1/2 year so far so I don't have many to show, but this is good to know :


http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm148/manygobbles/MDGC0005-1.jpg


Here is a black bear whom tore my camera off the tree- same spot as the deer above. I found it 50 yards away. I had to go to Ace Hardware and get a new glass window cut for it.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm148/manygobbles/MDGC0014.jpg

That creek crossing is 100 yards behind a corn field. Thatnks to the camera, I know that all the sign I set up on was at night. I know where they go at first light, and I now know that I can slip in early while they are still out in the corn field. By Nov. there is no corn growing, but the farmer leaves some out there, plus they have big automatic feeders out there.


http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm148/manygobbles/MDGC0006.jpg

I wouldn't shoot pee wee anyways.

[ncboman]

The feeders ruin the natural order of things.

I keep hoping a disease will incite the outlawing of baiting everywhere.

[LampLighter]

The feeders ruin the natural order of things.




Yeah, the farmers also have box stands every few hundred yards and they occupy the boxes with 300 Win Mags :eek: They have taken many 120 to 160 clas bucks over the years almost always in January during the rut. ALL of the deer come from the woods along the edge, which is NWR.

[LampLighter]

Kooooooooo! I found D40's for $84.00 each. :eek:

[ncboman]

D40's

what are D40's?

[LampLighter]

Moultrie D40, the most popular basic inexpensive game camera on the market. The deer pics at the stream crossing were taken with a D40. If all you want is knowledge, they are the way to go. If you are making portrits for auction at Sutherby's, you might would choose a Cuddleback.

[ncboman]

I'm good to go with my two custom jobs. :)

[dave-t.]

Lamp-If you're against cornfields, and rifles during the rut, stay out of the midwest. Heck even out state lands have leased grain/ag. rights on them.

[LampLighter]

Lamp-If you're against cornfields, and rifles during the rut, stay out of the midwest. Heck even out state lands have leased grain/ag. rights on them.


Now where do you get such ideas from ? Watch out for those self-fulfilling prophecies.

[dave-t.]

Post #20 pointed in that direction.

[LampLighter]

HERE IS A D40 WITH A HOME-MADE LOCK BOX, mine





http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm148/manygobbles/P1020461.jpg

[DaveHawk]

Well I bought me a camera for the big woods in Va. I had a good amount saved on my Bass Pro account and said what the heck, give a try. I hope to get it set up this weekend.

[LampLighter]

ok. What kind ?

[pepaw]

The D40 is what I use. Great photos for my purposes. Wish I was smart enough to share some of the better ones. Coons, pigs, deer, green jays, javelinas, squirrels, coyotes, but nothing extremely rare yet.

pepaw

[ncboman]

I finally succeeded in luring deer into my yard at night and have been wanting to play with my cameras ... but the rounds of thunderstorms we've been getting has me on hold for now.

My cams are suppose to be waterproof but I doan like taking chances for no gain. :rolleyes:

[pepaw]

Rain and raccoons did no damage to my Moutrie. Lots of the photos showed raindrops last winter.
Under the protein feeders the coons apparently hear the camera and come to investigate over and over.

pepaw