Camera strategy

That's a good question. My answer is probably going to be different as my best hunting ground has been some smaller suburban plots the last few years. I was able to kill the buck in my avatar this year becasue I could tell by camera action that the deer were using this one little tract I hunt during mid mornings. I was there on the right day when a hot doe showed up dragging him along. Camera scouting for sure led to that buck otherwise I might not have been in a tree at 11am with the wind chill around zero!

I typically don't move them much unless I think the deer have changed patterns a little. I did adjust the cam about 50yds west once this year becasue the deer adjusted their travel route that direction. Right now, I'm running a cell cam and I absolutely LOVE it. I'm a big believer in staying out of an area as much as you can until you're ready to kill a deer.

I've vowed to only shoot quality bucks on that ground so I don't hunt it much UNLESS everything is right. And, I don't want to be on it messing around looking for a dead doe, gutting and dragging and just leaving too much "sign" behind.
Same as being in there changing SD cards and messing around. I do run another camera there that takes SD cards but I'm not in there every other day checking it.

Good luck!

Oh yeah, one other thing. I had pics of another really big, mature buck showing up pretty regular on a different cam. Slid in there and hung a stand and never got another pic of him in that spot! You gotta be careful messing around in their houses!!!

WOW! GREAT TOPIC
So many variables. Here is what I do for deer. You can put the odds in your favor by doing a little scouting. Using maps or common knowledge to locate watering holes, food sources, and bedding areas. After all, we are trying to establish where the travel routes are between these areas. I always stay out of a bedding area.

When I check out a new area, tree claim/shelter belt, I try to walk my way around the outside by placing a camera every 200+ yards (in vision a corn field or grassy area outside the trees). Set the cameras on " 15 minute time lapse" for 1/2 hour before sunrise for a 2 hour period; then again for a 2 hour period just before sundown + 1/2 hour afterwards. Let the cameras work for 3 days. Then move them to another side and do the same thing for three days. Eventually working around the entire property. Hopefully this will show us where the critters prefer to travel. When you locate a preferred spot, put a camera closer, 20 yards or so, still using a time lapse setting and the normal motion mode. Then you can see what type/size of critter is in the area. Once you locate a buck you want to work, just use the normal motion detect mode. I check these cameras weekly. If you only have a short time to hunt, these times would have to be modified.

When moving the cameras in close, I use good scent control. Just like when hunting. Be mindful of the wind and spray down. I use rubber gloves when handling the cameras. Spend as little time and commotion around the camera as you can. I only use cameras that you can change out SD cards. Avoiding spending to much time in the area trying to view the pics on the camera.

If a mature deer "makes/sees a camera", it normally will not walk in front of it again. I've spun the camera around to the back side of the tree and caught the same animal again 10 yards or so out. Same goes for elk. The critters will use the same route, just walk around your camera.

Most cameras will take the best photos when pointed in a north/south direction. This is due to the sunrise/sunset washing out the photo. You will still get some pics you can see and it will work 1/2 of the day when you have to point them at the sun. If you have livestock in the area, the camera must be mounted high enough so they don't destroy it. The only thing you can't control is the human element. If they want to trespass and steal a camera it's hard to stop. I've used a second camera mounted up high to catch people trespassing.

Number of cameras you use would depend on your budget. At an initial 200 yard setting, 2 cameras will cover 1/4 mile easily. I like to put out enough to cover one side of any area, the more the better. Typically this would be 1/4 mile by a 1/2 mile patch of trees in deer country. Makes no difference if public or private.

Elk are different. All my hunting is on public land. Those setups generally are on known water holes or wallows. I usually start with 2 cameras per location. One set on time lapse and one mounted close in and just set on motion. Surprising how many animals will be in the area and not trigger a camera. Depending on how many hunters I have coming, I have put out 40-50 cameras in a 10 mile square area. It takes better than 6 hours to run a line this large. Lots of this area is ATV trails, or walk in only areas. Takes longer to view the pictures when you get the cards back to camp.

In our area, elk tend to make a 15-20 mile circle. Usually takes them 3 days to make the loop, so I check them every week. I leave the cameras in place the entire season.

When I locate a critter that I want, I'll leave cameras in the area until it's down. If the critter isn't harvested, I'll leave the cameras out for a month after season ends or until antlers drop. I try to confirm if the critter is still alive.

Sorry I got off topic with the elk. Hope this sheds some different light on your hunting.

I leave my cams set up on food plots 24/7...365 days a year. I religiously change out cards weekly not worrying about my scent. Store-bought scents aint going to fool a deer and believe it or not they do get used to my scent being there. This past season I didn't have the first deer blow at me although I KNOW the wind shifted a few time bumping the deer off the plots. They were back the next day. With my presence being there weekly I think they get "used" to me. Mostly I hint he plots but when the bucks reach full rut I go to the hardwoods where the does feed under the oaks. This year wasn't good in the hardwoods as I didn't have many acorns at all. I did set some cams in the hardwoods and found little movement where there is usually a lot. I do let the cams do more scouting for me than I should, but what can I say? I'm a lazy hunter...….and that come with age. LOL

What can I say? I shot enough deer with my two crossbows to fill the freezer. Nothing big this year but still a great year as far as I'm concerned. I aint a trophy hunter. I'm a meat eater!

Examples of critters locating a camera

My nephew sets his cameras out on an old woods road that had been closed as long as I can remember. It always has scrapes on it before archery season starts for some reason. Only place on the mountain we have found that this happens on. He checks his cameras at least once a week and has bucks and does on them within an hour or so of leaving usually. He does not use any scent control what so ever. He even pees in the scrapes on a fairly regular basis.
On the other side of the mountain my cameras are put out being a lot more careful of scent but no scrapes until mid Sept at all. I rarely get a nice buck except on a food plot and that will usually be a night pic. But in mid Sept. on I start getting more buck pics while he gets less. Now at season's end he has pulled all his cams for lack of action and I pulled my next to last yesterday when I shot that 8 point. I still have one camera on a food plot that is getting lots of night shots but little daylight action. Will pull it Sunday weather permitting as that is last day of the season here.

KTownKiller said:

Are them Bushnell cams noisy or somethin? I don't seem to get them doing that with my Spypoints.

Thanks, Gab...interesting...

Click to expand...

Don't think they are noisy, at least not to my old wore out ears, although I can hear a slight "click". It's probably enough to get a critter's attention. That, combined with the idiot light (red light that shows when a picture is being taken) on the thing gets there attention. In all fairness, I just happened to pull those two pics out of my files. I've got similar pics with other brands of cameras.

That bull elk has an attitude problem. You can see it in his eyes and facial expression. That bugger destroyed that camera. It's placed in a funnel area, so I moved the camera 10 yards to the side. He found that one and destroyed it as well.

Ever seen a picture of a camera taking a picture ? Night time pic of a bull elk.