Check cams or not prior to hunting?

Give me your thoughts on this. Let’s say you have not hunted or checked cams on a property for a month and have a week long to hunt on it starting Saturday.

You have two options which would you choose?

1. Go in Saturday morning and pick a stand you think will be hot. Waiting to check cams after your hunt that day.

2. When you arrive friday night. Sneak into the woods and check cams to try and gain some information what is going on and where you should hunting in the morning.


There has been no pressure now for a while. Do you value the "surprise" factor more or the having intelligence factor more?

 

Choice 2. It all comes down to wind in the long run, but if you have 2 stands that favor a South wind, I want to know which I should be in based on MRI.

 

I would just hunt in that situation. If I was choosing between different parcels I would check cams.

 

2. I always grab my card on Friday right before I go to my sit. Then I will look through the pictures. However - my camera is 40 yards from my stand.

If I had to walk around the property to check it, I think I'd wait it out and use the surprise factor. Evenings are always the best for my spot.

 

Option 1. You have all week to hunt. If you find a hot location from your cams, hunt there the next day. I don't understand why you would walk into your hunting woods this time of the year if your not going hunt a stand. Everytime you go out your adding hunting pressure to the deer there.

 

I think it depends on how easy your cameras are to check, are deer used to a fourwheeler and do you have a fourwheeler? If you would have to walk all over the property I would hunt and check cams on your way to/from stands.


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We have a few cameras that are an easy in and out. Drive up, or walk just a bit down powerline or path, switch card and then leave. The cameras that are not as quick and easy to get to will get pulled when we hunt the area. Id rather sit and see nothing be uase they have changed patterns than to pull card and disturb the area for the next day if there is something awesome on the camera

 

I don't take the ATV on the land during hunting season excpet to retrive deer. I would not be walking all over but it is possible I could bump deer or leave just enough scent to tip off deer in the coming days.

 

Another point. This is a big woods area. Not a farm where there is normal equipment and disruptions.

 

Then I would wait until it is more convienent to do.

 

We used to check our cameras when we got there. We started noticing that the deer would stay away from that spot for about 2 days before they started coming back in. We don't do that anymore.

 

If given those two options I would just hunt without checking the night before.

But.. you can take digital camera, tablet, or whatever with you to the stand that morning, pulling the card as you go by. That way you can check the camera while waiting for first light, then decide based on what you're seeing.

 

Exactly what I have been doing.

 

If I had a week to hunt I wouldn't take the chance of bumping anything the night prior to. I would sneak in Saturday morning, then grab the cams at lunch and decide for the afternoon.

 

This was what I was leaning towards.

 

I'd hunt then pull them.

A cam will tell you what was not what will be.

That being said, I will pull a card heading to stand to view while waiting for daylight. Helps it's only about 15 yds from my stand though.

 

I would go with option 1. Then grab the chips after my morning sit.

 

Grab the card later go in and get surprised its always fun to get a surprise.

 

My plan for this weekend is to hunt the moring in a stand I know is usually decent with the predicted wind. Then around midday I will climb down swap cards on a few easy to get to cams and head back to the house for lunch and show and tell. After I have looked at the pics I will make my decision for the next few days.

 

I usually hunt then grab the cards. I agree with the surprise idea!!