I think I'm done running a trail camera. For the following reasons: 1. I'm cheap and the ones I buy rarely work right. Can't stomach paying $200 to put something in the woods. 2. I feel like running into woods every two weeks to check them is doing more harm than good. 3. What's the point? I know deer or there, its fun to see what deer are there, but why not be surprised? Thoughts?
Sounds like pretty good reasons and actually thought about the same reasons. Sent from my SM-G900R4 using Tapatalk
I'll never stop running cams. Only 25% of the time am I running them for hunting purposes. Every year they get better and you can find quality ones for cheaper. I used to check my cams every week, not I'm waiting 3-4 weeks. If you feel you're pressuring the deer too much, don't check your cams as often. I still get surprises in the woods, but when I know whats' out there I can more easily pass on smaller bucks.
I thinks it's nice to know what caliber of bucks you have running around. That makes it easier for me to pass up a buck that might need just one more year if I know there's one bigger in the area.
All of what Mike said. As far as the theft problem, it's always a risk but you can do some things to deter it. Using Python cables, lock boxes, and padlocks certainly doesn't make things 100% theft proof, but it will slow them down a good bit. I think most of your problems may be the kind of cameras you have been using and the frustration that goes with them. If you use a good quality cam, the rewards are well worth it. While I like getting pics of deer, my cams are no longer just about deer but about all wildlife. It has totally morphed into it's own hobby that I can enjoy year-round. Just my take on it. Blessings.......Pastorjim
Ditto, endless hours of excitement thinking about pictures, checking them, looking through them, showing them off, looking through them again, and thinking about checking them again. Makes the non hunting months worth living
I see you point but as mentioned the surprises are cool. Bears, Coyotes, foxes and of course huge bucks I've never seen but, with that said there is something cool about just sitting on a stand with big hopes of what might come in that you never knew about.
1) $200 and doesnt work?? you can find awesome cameras for $100 2) then dont check so often 3) suprises are nice but IMO I rather make quality deer management choices. why shoot a 3yr. old if you couldve known you had a mature 5yr old running around. weigh the pro's and cons of both and do whats best for you. good luck!!
Im kinda with you on this. While I want a trail cam, I cant justify the money spent to see something I know is there. I travel 40 min one way to my spot, another reason I cant seem to pop on a camera. This is only my second year hunting so, but I have seen plenty of deer on the property. I enjoy the hunt and its not about a trophey for me, but the the inexpensive meat in the freezer.
I am surprised every year whether I run a camera or not. Bucks move around when the Rut comes around. 2 of the last 3 bucks I killed I had 0 pictures of. Neighbor didn't have pics of him either. I just enjoy going through the pictures, its fun for me. To each their own. Its like everything else in life if it becomes a chore it's not fun anymore.
Definitely your preference but I personally will always find away to use cameras. Mainly because I don't have time to scout the area from afar and cameras can lessen the amount of time I spend in the woods stinking things up. We use them also to identify deer not to shoot, essentially young deer that are off the list. I am cheap too but bowhunting is my passion and to be honest its like christmas for me on almost every pull. Sadly it is something I look forward to. The area I hunt is almost 3 hours away so I check them once every 4 to 6 weeks. You can always find cameras on clearance in wally world and some decent prices on ebay. But if it is not something you enjoy and you can not justify the expense then by all means don't. It does not hurt anyone else.
I check mine every 3-4 days and the deer get use to it. I also wear knee high rubber boots every time I go in the woods which helps.
I'll be honest. I really like getting deer pictures. But like most hunters, I'm half ADD. I over-check cameras and very rarely see deer during the season (bucks at least) that I have seen on camera. That being said...I'm not sure if putting out my cams actually helps my chances. If anything, I think it may hurt my chances. This year I have moved. I'm at a place that is public land and it's covered up with hunters. I'm going to go into places cold turkey and see what happens. Like you said, surprises are going to make this season interesting.
I just like seeing what's there when I'm not. You do get some unexpected surprises sometimes. But there's no specific way to hunt. If you enjoy it more by not knowing what's there, go for it. Let's face it, we do this because we love it and it's a ton of fun!
I'm envolved with deer hunting all year long. Running cams are just part of the hunting season to me. You get out of it what you want out of it. Running lots of cameras and checking them often has not changed my success bow hunting. It has made me more selective. I have had megga bucks come in 30 minutes after I checked a cam. I really think folks take this thing about messing up hunting by running cams to far. First off I don't hunt the place I hang cams.. I do hunt trails and pinch points close to them sometimes...
