Hey Everybody, With the use of trail cameras it gives us the ability of knowing what's out there. In the past two seasons I've been using my cameras quite a bit and love the dynamics that they bring. This summer I have yet to get a buck that I would consider a "shooter" on camera. I am not worried because this fall I guarantee I'll be getting some pics of some bruisers. My question is would you rather go into the season knowing what bucks you have out there and have a hitlist, or would you prefer to have that mystery and wait until Mr. Big shows up at the moment of truth?
Last year I had zero shooter bucks on one of the farms I hunt. I went into the season thinking that something has to show up sooner or later, right? So I kept hunting there and kept checking cameras. Nothing ever showed up and after about Nov 20th I stopped hunting there entirely for the rest of the season. It sucked. And I wasted all of that time when I could have, or should have, been hunting elsewhere. Live and learn. So I'll take the bucks on camera from here on out. Even if I never see them on the hoof just knowing they are around makes me want to hunt both harder and smarter. When I'm operating on a chance and a prayer I just don't have as much motivation. Now on the flip side of this, if I ran no cameras at all and truly had zero idea what was around I can see myself hunting harder. For example - walking into our KS hunt this fall I will have zero idea what's out there. That intrigues me as I haven't had that experience in quite some time. I think running cameras and knowing there's nothing exciting out there is a bit self-defeating.
I would rather know what is around so I get a better idea of what I want to do as far as numbers management. If I have enough bucks, I will be more willing to shoot does for meat and hope for the big buck. If the buck and herd numbers are down, I will pick certain lesser bucks to fill the freezer with if I don't see the monsters and leave does to increase the population.
One reason I quit running cameras so much is so I can maintain that element of surprise for myself. Sure it's nice to take a survey of the deer in the area, but I don't have enough property or cameras to use the technology to pattern them. I'm hunting anyway. I put out one or two cameras & ive gotten lucky a few times with the pic sequences and found a few bucks on patterns. Overall I like the element of surprise. My goal is to have fun & kill deer, not kill a 1XX" buck. Everyone's different, different goals.
I definitely know where you're coming from. I have also had a season where I'm getting bucks on camera here and there during the season but never get the chance of seeing them on hoof. If you go a whole season without seeing a buck you're after, it's pretty tough to take knowing that they are out there but you aren't getting a chance to make it happen.
I prefer to have them on camera. It's just nice knowing and reassuring having a shooter on camera in particular area. Like Justin said why spend all that time in a place that has no activity when you could be hunting somewhere that does? Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
I hunt in both scenarios. Where I hunt in Indiana I run anywhere from 6-8 cameras at any given time because I like to have some kind of idea of what's out there as far as my deer population goes. Plus it is pretty exciting trying to pattern a mature whitetail and then put a plan in place to take them. Where I hunt in Illinois I run zero cameras and in all honestly I couldn't tell you what is using the property I hunt. Some years it could be nothing and others it could be something awesome. I actually kind of like the not knowing because it adds a little bit of surprise to the hunt. but if I had to choose I would like to at least have a couple cameras at my disposal.
I like knowing I have a good shooter around but like you I typically don't have anything to great yet. I'm ok with that while we are still in summer patterns but by October I hope to have a good shooter on camera. Zooming in on one particular animal is fun, especially when it works out.
If I'm not sure if deer are in an area, I can't muster up the patience to wait it out. I think hunting has a lot to do with confidence, and if I'm not confident in an area, the first time my stomach growls, I'll talk myself out of the tree 80% of the time most of the time. On the other hand, if I have pics of a big buck, all day sits during the rut a breeze.
I like knowing what is there. Essentially level setting what the season is going to look like. If I know I have a mature deer in the area I am more inclined to hold out vice taking shot of opportunity. Doesn't mean ol boy is gonna show but the chance he will keeps me from dropping the string on a younger deer.
I run cams for NO other reason than... I just enjoy doing it!! I have NEVER been able to "pattern a mature buck" with the use of one. Here today, gone the next! Those states that allow the use of bait may have some merit. Over the years(many), I've found out I seldom see the bigger bucks I've been seeing over mineral licks all summer during hunting season.
Once the rut kicks in who knows where the bucks will be. Opening weekend and late season are about the time you can reliably pattern mature bucks from my experience.
I love running cameras and trying to get big bucks on camera almost as much as hunting. I do not ever see a time when I would stop running cameras.
I hunt 4 different properties. Two of them are fairly large, so in a sense, I hunt 6 distinct areas. Cameras definitely help me decide where to hunt and where not to. On the flip side, sometimes it almost turns into work. At times, I lone for the simpler times when I just hunted.....
I just like running the cameras and looking at the pics, hunting be damned. I have properties that I get basically no pics on all year until rut and those are a total crap shoot what happens in front of you. The properties I have that have resident bucks all year long, I may never see a good buck in person or I may have a totally new buck walk in front of me that I never had on camera. It's deer hunting, it's like fishing in a river, you just never know what will happen, may be nothing or you may hit the jackpot.
Depends on the property, a funnel that only picks up during the rut won't give a whole lot of useful inventory until the rut. A cam could hurt if you write off an area like that. Just need to know your property Sent from my SM-G930P using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
I will take having trail cameras and knowing what is in the area. It lets me know that the property has good bucks and I can focus on getting things right in certain areas to try to keep the does happy and him there.
Like using them or not... trail cameras can and do save the lives of a lot of bucks that are a year or two from reaching their potential. I really enjoy using them but beyond that I value the opportunity to identify deer that absolutely cannot be shot that might otherwise catch an arrow due to what they are packing on their head. Case in point the buck pictured. Looks to be 2.5 or 3.5 and absolutely needs at least another year but with that antler to body ratio he's going to get shot more often than not if a hunter hasn't had a good analytical look at him. Trail cameras can't save all such bucks but they might save a few and that makes a big difference in getting these deer to an age class where they begin to be able to take care of themselves.