Camera Analysis
Massachusetts
I have finally committed to really using a camera this year. Camera number one has been out for a few weeks in a new spot that I scouted during late season. I pulled the camera Saturday. It seems every four or five days, multiple deer are passing through this spot.
So I have a couple of questions. What do you guys consider a good location when camera scouting? Do you have to see deer passing through every day, every few days, is it bucks only, or do does count? Second question is, when you hit a spot like I did, do you move your camera around in the general area to see what is going on? I was thinking moving the camera fifty feet, and pointing it in a different direction. Maybe I get a better idea of travel patterns and even find a better choke point. Thx Pete
If you are getting deer on the camera why move it Pete ? The more you walk in there the more scent you spread around then eventually the deer might change that route. Leave the camera there and see what happens.
This is why I want to buy more cameras. Once you learn a little you want to learn more. As a note the deer are absolutely aware of my camera they stare directly into it when they pass. They will get right up on it and some shots are just a giant eye.
I put cameras where I expect to hang my stand and see what happens picture wise. If it pans out favorably I will run cameras in that spot again next fall a few weeks before the season starts and pull them before the opener.
I hunted many hours this season but only saw one buck from a stand. I only got one buck on camera (different spot different buck.) I get jealous of the buck pics and sheds. Recently I found some amazing new spots as I go to my second season my 2019 goal is to identify some good bucks on camera. I think elevated cameras would be less intrusive than ground level. Less scent less visual obstruction.
Remember where your hunting. This isn’t Illinois. I saw two bucks all season so not much better.
Pete, Guys like Sev run a LOT of cameras over many areas and do tend to get some great deer on film, and often on the ground. But they also hunt really well and scout like mad... If they only had 1-2 cam's they would still get a ton of pics.
I've run 2-3 the last few years. I set em, then I go into a pattern of moving them every 2-3 weeks... staggered, so that way I only need to mess with one cam a week. Some I put in spots I know are good from past history, but I dont want to go to the area to often nor let others know someone is interested in this spot. So I've grown to put them all up high - out of sight out of mind - or hide them in funny spots like a hole in a tree or in a rock wall I manipulate a little so you can only see the working parts of the camera.
I dont base everything on what's on film. I dont have time to manage a bunch of cams so I just use those few, and my rotation of areas with them is how I try to ID spots where bucks are around. The glitch, is that where a buck is on Sept 1, is not always where he will be on Nov 1 or Oct 18... So take it with a grain of salt.
Last year was the first year I only got a few rack deer on cam. Usually I get 1-2 mature deer and several spikes etc. Last year I got 5 (I think) rack deer and only 1 that I think was 4.5+. It's a simple approach but works for me.
Thx Will and others. I am only using two cameras right now. Last year I scouted a dozen spots. This year the goal is to really work three or four of those locations and narrow down exactly where they are.
But I also want to start working some location for the following season as well.
