Lateand post season trail cams any use?
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: DMTJAGER
23-Dec-18
Need some advise from those with extensive trail cam use experience. Just got permission to hunt a new farm I know nothing about and was wondering is it a good idea to put up trail cams now or will I be wasting batteries, especially since the farm is (like my other one very near it) a little over 3 hours drive from my home so (between work and family) I will likely only be able to get to the farm once a month. I will be heading down to the other farm I hunt very near it later this month for my last days of bow hunting and then to pull my hang on stands down till next season.
After I walk every last inch of the new farm, I was considering putting up a few trail cams on the new property, but am wondering if the deer sightings especially any bucks that show up on the cameras will help me kill those same bucks once next years rut begins. Thanks, Art.
From: TREESTANDWOLF
23-Dec-18
Art, I'm no expert, but I do the same as JTV. . Naturally, all bets are off when the rut starts, but you may be able to see if you have any bucks that live on the farm most of the year. . Also the cams may give you an idea of your buck to doe ratio.
Have fun.
From: DMTJAGER
23-Dec-18
Thanks for the replies so far. Am heading back down in a little over a week for my last couple of hunts and will put up several after walking the property.
From: Brian M.
23-Dec-18
No doing you any good in a closet. If you can get a couple months of battery life, keep them out. See what survives.
From: drycreek
23-Dec-18
I'm with the rest. I run some cams 365 days. A bunch I don't, but I like looking at developing antlers as well as seeing what made it through the season.
From: lv2bohunt
23-Dec-18
Checking the camera only once a month is a good thing. Cameras now will run batteries for a long time. I would put em out and check them when you can. One thing to keep in mind sometimes the batteries won’t take the heat so checking them in hot summers months is important. Batteries upturning from heat inside a camera is never a good thing. I know this from experience.
From: DMTJAGER
23-Dec-18
Thanks to all for the excellent responses. Brian, true enough, not many bucks likely to pass through my basement where I store my cams along with all my other hunting gear.
From: tkjwonta
24-Dec-18
Just piling on with all the earlier responses, but I think that late/post season is one of the better times to get an "inventory" of the deer in the area. They should be concentrated on the few available feed sources.
From: PushCoArcher
24-Dec-18
Am I the only one who leaves most of there cams out year long? I enjoy studying deer behavior on the farms I hunt year round not just in the fall/winter. If you have the time and resources why not worse case scenario you learn more about your farm during the off season. Best case it gives you that extra piece of the puzzle you need to make things happen in the fall. Personally I think the price of a few extra batteries and some time and gas is worth it(my farms are less then a hour from my home).
From: Hunt98
25-Dec-18
I run mine year round. It’s fun to see all the critters that are the woods, bucks that made it through the season, etc... You might want to write down where you put them. Sometimes I forget where that are all at.
From: sitO
25-Dec-18
Mine are out year round as well, Put a buck decoy or target in front of one and see what happens ;)
From: BigOk
25-Dec-18
I usually run mine until late Febuary however this year will be leaving out and moving around. Hogs have moved in and I want to eliminate this problem ASAP.
From: joehunter
25-Dec-18
Just put them out with new batteries. Pick them up in the spring or when convenient. You do not need to check them since you are just getting data on what bucks made it through the season. I have 7 out now here in MI. I will may or may not pull cards until March!
From: Franklin
25-Dec-18
I don`t run any trail cams but will comment on deer behavior. If you have a preferred winter food source the deer that are on that property may not be the ones on it next fall. It could give you an idea about the quality of bucks in the area that survived the season but until you confirm they are using the property next summer, it`s going to be interesting....maybe not that helpful.
Even though the deer may not be staying on the property they are in the neighborhood. So you may see them during next years rut, traveling looking for does. It will be up to you to determine which scenario is most likely.
From: JL
26-Dec-18
I run cams most of the year. I recommend using AA lithium batteries year round....especially in cold weather. When it gets very cold, regular batteries will peter out quicker whereas lithiums hold up much longer. Also....if not already doing it, I suggest going to vid mode as vids will give you more info of the target.
From: DMTJAGER
26-Dec-18
Thanks for the replies so far. This was the first year I had permission to hunt this farm and I was not able to get any trail cams up prior to my first hunt. I had what I would've bet the house was a spook-proof way to get into and out of my stands, but I was wrong. Now that my sons and I are done hunting I want to use the cameras for multiple reasons, but chief among them is using the to determine where the deer AREN'T the first 2hrs before and the first hour after sun up so we can get into and out of our stands without educating or spooking any deer. I also wish to do the same with the new farm I just received permission to hunt.
From: wildan
26-Dec-18
Three hours away;sounds like you need a cell based camera or two.After the season is great to see what made in through.