Well I got my Trail cams back being I'm done using them for bear hunting. Today I put up all 3 of my trail cams In area's that I will not be hanging tree stands or hunting In. Last year was an eye opener for me on placing trail cams out (my 1st year using them). I learned to not put them In spots I planned on hunting anymore. The bucks that were frequenting the area I had them In last year decided to no longer take the routes they were once taking before. Where I have them now Is set up on feed trails In different edges of the woods. The only thing I'm trying to find out Is where about's there coming out of the woods to feed in the beans and corn and/or where there coming into the woods In the mornings and also I'm seeing what I have for inventory. I had them out about 5 weeks ago and wasn't just to impressed with the size of bucks I was seeing. A couple 130" class bucks was the biggest I got on tape. My stands won't be going up In the spots I have the cameras. They will be going up In the staging areas where these trails come from In the bedding areas. Another thing too my cams will only be up for about 2 weeks tops In the same spot and then there coming down. Maybe even put away after that, we'll see. I'll be checking them Sunday If I don't head back on up to northern Minnesota to bear hunt again this weekend.
Same thing happened here Steve so no more cams for me. Heading out for my first hunt in about a hour. T
Yep I had my cams up all summer, took inventory, and took em down about a month ago. Letting the area "rest" before I mess it up again hunting:d
Good luck Steve it wont be long now. If you do score on a bear, its going to be tough to beat the two on your wall now.
Good luck to both of you. So what you're saying is that cams don't necessarily help in being successful, because what's on film today, may not be there tommorrow. OR is it that the cams & checking on them are altering the deer patterns. I know a guy at work that has a tremendous 12ptr on his cam under his stand. He's been hearing that same buck is frequenting his neighbor's land alot.
I think that cameras have to be done properly. I completely agree that for the most part, mature bucks will completely avoid an area once human scent is at all a regular occurance. Even over bait piles, mature bucks will rarely, if ever, show up because of the human interaction. Still cameras over bait piles are fun. I get lots of pics of "up and comers" and great shots of does with their fawns. Late winter is another matter due to the lack of other food sources, but the biggins still won't come in during daylight. Around me buck "patterns" are pretty random. You just don't see a mature buck do the same thing twice (again not talking late winter). I think it is part of their survival insticts here in such a high pressure area. Cameras in good funnels may catch the same mature buck a couple of times, but not on any recognizable pattern.
