Just curious on the people that use game cameras alot. On average what percentage of the bucks you shoot every year have you also caught on your trail cameras at some point in their life. (that year or years past) My first year using cams so I have no data on this.
I've only been using cams for a few years now. Last year was my first year harvesting a buck that I had previously gotten pics of. The first pic is my buck checking a mock scrape I had made. I took this guy a little less than 2 months from the pic. Notice the "nub" on the end of his left main beam? Same buck.
The last couple I have had pics of. My son is 13 and has shot bucks the last two years w his rifle, had pics of both.
My last 2 bow bucks I had multiple pics of and last years buck I had 2 years of pics :D Ironically 2009 buck was shot where the 2010 buck pic was taken and 2010 buck was shot where the 2009 buck pic was taken 2009 bow buck 2010 bow buck Here's a video I made with all the trail camera pictures I had of my 2010 bow buck http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G4hCkTrLEQ
I got three trail pictures of a buck then found that match set of shed. I then got a picture of him the next year and shot and missed him. I then shot him the next year after that. Here are the pictures.
My buck last year was standing within inches of a spot I had pictures of him earlier that summer. I struck out the year before, and never ran cameras much before that.
Well, the only buck I have taken was in 2009. That is also the first year I started using a trail cam. I probably have 4 or 6 bucks on camera. Having taken 2 of these (I took one and my friend took one), that puts us at 33-50%.
I rarely put out cams but a couple years back a lot of nice bucks were visiting the neighbors apple trees over the summer. So I put a cam out. I killed one of the bucks in the woods behind my house that fall.
I had trail cam pictures of both the bucks I shot last year. One was shot within 20 yards of where I got the pictures, the other within 100 yards. I wouldn't say that having the pictures necessarily helped me kill the deer, but they certainly gave me confidence that I was in the right spots.
I have shot 2 deer I had pictures of but you will get a lot more pictures of different bucks then you ever will shoot. It is just nice to know they are in the area.
The first 2 years I did cameras we killed 3 bucks and none of them were on camera. The last 3 years we've killed 5 bucks and all but 1 we had pictures of. Not sure if we got better at hunting or better at using the cameras?
The last 3 bucks i've arrowed I have pictures of. I also got pictures of 2 of the past 3 bucks my brother has arrowed. Like some other said, it gave me confidence to know I was in the right area.
I concur with Justin...more about the confidence of hunting the right area. A couple of years ago I over-hunted a draw that was covered with sign yet never saw a deer. Hung a camera there last year and behold ALL of the pics were 10 PM to 3 AM from Sept-Nov. One of the 8 pointers from last year's pics my buddy harvested at the top of the ridge that led to this area early in the morning during gun season.
i saw most of the bucks on my trail cam but 1 and the 1 i was after was 80 yards away and i had a bow....thats why its called hunting the one im still after the one i didnt see
