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Young Bulls
Young Bulls
CO_Bowhunter's Link
Several of the areas I've been scouting for elk this year have more activity than I've seen in over 20 years. This wallow is no exception. Video link included.
Nice vid, thanks for sharing Those after elk in a couple weeks will get pumped watching that
Yes, great video! I've used cams for years to check out the clientele, haven't noticed them spooking a thing, not sure how you came to that conclusion?
ElkNut/Paul
Thats amazing video. So crisp and clear.
WOW!!! Very cool videos!!
WOW!!! Very cool videos!!
Great fun to watch video Jhill
Very nice! I have a cam on that same wallow :)
Great video as usual, David!
I've been using cameras at waterholes and wallows ever since they came out. Like you (the consummate pro) Ive never seen any evidence of cams spooking or educating any animals, ever. You would know better than anyone..
Great vid.
I don't think they spook elk either and the intel gained is very valuable.
Scrappy, I've been using cams in Iowa for years and I haven't spooked an elk yet. :-)
Midwest... that's my take in Oklahoma as well. I never spook the elk.
Very cool, that just got me excited to sit my favorite elk spot in 15 days!
Great video as usual, David!
I've been using cameras at waterholes and wallows ever since they came out. Like you (the consummate pro) Ive never seen any evidence of cams spooking or educating any animals, ever. You would know better than anyone..
Dang guys relax, I didn't say spooking the elk. The video clearly shows the elk see the camera, and I'm sure walking in and out checking said camera is alerting elk to your presence. Just not my cup of tea.
Midwest you must not be using your cams right if you haven't gotten pics of elk here in Iowa:-) I know we have them here. I have this one hanging on my wall.
I think I killed this cow here opening day last year - Or maybe it was one of the ones in the background :)
Trail camera didnt bother them one bit
Dang, Scrappy! How lucky can you be to have elk in your area AND draw an Iowa elk tag!
Looks like an Iowa elk........ ;)
Scrappy, I hear ya, it does stand to reason if elk could reason out matters like hunters then this would certainly be of concern. Thing is elk do not have reasoning capabilities like we do. They are looking at the camera out of curiosity not connecting it to a human threat that someone may be out after them even though we are! (grin)
ElkNut/Paul
I have pics of the last thee bulls I’ve killed. One of them I got a pic the morning before I shot him. Almost the same time of day to the minute. Maybe he was coming back to see if the camera was still there. :)
Great content and video quality. Thanks for posting
Very cool footage! Thanks for sharing.
Exciting footage for sure!!
It won't be long now--------->
Thanks for sharing
Good luck, Robb
Like others, I've never seen any impact on these elk by setting up cameras or checking them every few weeks. When I'm hunting in this area I watch elk walk by my cameras all the time, in person, and they are not influenced in the least. Yes, they may be curious but that is far different than being spooked. It may happen, I just have never experienced it in the last 15 years with thousands of videos in my archive.
The only animal that has walked cautiously around my camera are wolves. But even then it has no impact on whether I see them again the next day on the same camera.
If you have footage of an elk coming up to a camera and then spooking because of it, I'd love to see it. I never have experienced that myself. I suppose it could happen. I've just never seen it.
Note this bull's reaction to the camera. I was in a brush blind when this footage was captured, watching him the whole time. He never flinched when he walked near the camera.
John Erickson's book Tree Stand Hunting Rocky Mountain Elk includes a great section on what does and doesn't spook elk. Like John, I'm convinced it's being upwind of an elk and little else. Human urine, feces, or my hands on a trail camera don't phase elk in the least. I've had curious elk come up and lick the lens of my camera less than 30 minutes after I leave without ever jerking their head back. And these are wild elk, not habituated elk.
I'm sorry....those elk are obviously terrified....... (lol)
Awesome. Why in the world did you not shoot that last bull?
Awesome thanks for sharing!
It is amazing how quick they pick up the scent from the camera eh? And it's tough to beat that video to see elk front shoulder bone structure at about the 1:45 mark and watch it move.
Great video again and thanks for sharing.
I didn't shoot that 7x7 bull because it was 12 minutes after legal shooting light and I'm very picky about the memories I want from the field. Plus I'd never shoot an animal illegally. I mentor other hunters on how to hunt ethically and successfully. Shooting an animal illegally, even if I could make a clean kill, is like dating your cousin. In the end it never turns out well.
Rutting Bull
Rutting Bull
CO_Bowhunter's Link
Here is another bull at the same wallow. I have a hunch that camera had no bearing on his activity. Click the link to see the video.
Very cool video. Brings back some great memories. I’ll never forget the sight of watching a bull roll around in a wallow like a puppy dog for nearly 15 minutes. I repaid the favor by shooting him when he finally stood up. ;-)
Co Bowhunter amazing footage of all your vimeo footages. How did you do the areial shots? Airplane or drone?
Thanks. Some of the aerial shots were filmed with a drone while others from a friend's plane.
My primary focus over the last 14 years has been capturing completely wild footage of mountain lions without the use of any lures. I concentrate on four factors which results in footage on a weekly basis. After thousands of hours in the field I've developed a strategy that works consistently. This approach has helped me capture more footage of other wildlife as well.
In addition to finding the right location for a camera, how the camera is positioned for a particular animal makes all the difference. Most guys set their trail cameras way too high off the ground. This results in an odd angle for photos and videos and drastically reduces the effectiveness of the PIR sensor. For mountain lions, I rarely set the camera more than 18 inches off the ground. This results in a fantastic camera angle and maximizes the heat signature coming into the PIR sensor.
Sometimes, like in the attached video and image, the setup doesn't allow for a low camera angle but when you know the lion is returning to a kill, you have more options. My dog found this lion killed mule deer within a few hours after it was taken by the lion. I was very fortunate to get daytime footage with overcast skies.
I plan to put together an instructional video on how I do what I do three times a week, 52 weeks a year. I'll post a link, probably in October, when it's ready. For those who want to take their trail camera efforts to a new level, I guarantee it will be of value.
I welcome any questions.
Thanks,
David
say cheese
say cheese
I am thinking of doing two things, one is to tie my sweaty t shirt around my game cameras so that the elk get use to my sent and will thing there is a game camera near by when I am walking through the woods and the other is to make a giant ground blind that looks like a camera.
These elk really like to get close up selfies of themselves at every one of my cameras. Sometimes they will be up to the cameras hours after I leave.
Very interested David. I started making my own home brew cameras about 5 years ago. It seemed at the time you could get a lot better picture at a lot lower price. Now days the commercial cameras are getting a lot better but the price also is up there. I would be interested in the details of placement and angles.
Custom Trail Cam - Sony Cybershot Camera
Custom Trail Cam - Sony Cybershot Camera
Sony Cybershot Camera and Control Board
Sony Cybershot Camera and Control Board
flybyjohn, yes, the commercial cameras are getting better but they still don't beat the custom cameras I built years ago. The attached photo was taken with a Sony point and shoot camera that I tore apart and connected wires from the common, ground and shutter to a control board, all inside a pelican case. I included a few photos the camera as well. I don't use these very often anymore as I prefer to shoot video instead of still images.
flybyjohn, send me a PM and we can discuss your interest in learning more about setup and placement of trail cameras.
Great stuff, thanks for sharing. I look forward to reading your setup suggestions. Simple stuff like camera generally pointing north to avoid rising/setting sun I do. I also usually put cams relatively low - but the reason being they are more easily hidden from 2 legged passerbys. But I'll be interested in your tricks!
I have one of David's custom Sony-Yeti-Pelican cams that I no longer use for what I do. If anybody is interested PM me and I'll let it go for cheap. It needs a good home with a serious cam person.
I must add David is a personal friend of mine and the best trail camera guy I've ever met. He's the real deal and as honest as they come. Regarding trail cameras, when he talks you'd be wise to listen up. BW
Fun read with some great photos and tips. Thanks
Scappy -
Not to give you a hard time, but if it's not your cup of tea, why do you have a trail cam picture of an elk that's hanging on your wall....?
Cool Bruin
Cool Bruin
CO_Bowhunter's Link
Geez Barry, thanks. This clip's for you. It's so fresh the SD card still had mud on it. An elk busted the door off my trailcam and the bear splashed a lot of mud that way, which you'll see. Picked this up today.
Looks like we have the same hobby David. Not only the camera traps but the building the cameras part too. I also put my cameras in the pelican cases. I have some Fuji's and Panasonics. Had 5 at one time but they are slowly starting to wear out. I only have 2 out this year. Three of them had board errors or camera focus issues. Looking to upgrade to the cheap 4k hd video cameras this next year. Although pictures usually give me the best resolution, video lets me see just what the animal's attitude is, more so than a single snap shot. The best video I have to date is probably two bull moose chasing each other around the perimeter of a pond, staying almost exactly 180 degrees from each other.
flybyjohn, I've not been impressed with the 4k cameras to date. The best camera, by far, records in 60fps both day and night in HD mode. I find the quality of that camera is far superior to any of the 4k models that are out so far.
Yes, video provides a lot more information about wildlife and it is far more interesting to view over a still image. I like using the 64GB class 10 cards if the camera can handle it.
CO_Bowhunter "If you have footage of an elk coming up to a camera and then spooking because of it, I'd love to see it." Well here is a series of photos showing just that. I'll attempt to get them in the right order. This elk was clearly spooked by the camera but could have been the flash going off right in his eyeballs!
Sorry about the duplicate photos. Adding pictures by editing the previous post doesn't appear to be working on my computer.
And he's off! Clearly spooked by the camera. This camera had been in the woods for probably 6 weeks before these pictures so I don't believe scent was an issue.
With infrared light or white light sometime spook them but they will come back again. If you use no glow then you don’t worry about it.
