Trad Gang

Hope!! It gives me hope! I use mine after the gun season to see what survived. I know what I have to look forward to next year.

merf

Started this thread as a question not to get people defensive. Restate the question: Aren't most of the photos nocturnal?

Bob,

Yes,in our part of the country at least.I do get some pics of daytime activity,but the majority are at night,be it just after dark or just before dawn sometimes,I would have to say the largest portion in my experience are between 10pm and 4am.But,like I said,I just like to see what type,how many,and how big/healthy the deer herd is where I hunt.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/hickstick/trailcam/8pnt07.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/hickstick/trailcam/4pnt07.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/hickstick/trailcam/bboy.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v504/hickstick/trailcam/sevenr.jpg)

all of these were taken over mock or natural Scrapes !  all at night, but all showed me there were bucks in the area, what kind of bucks, and what days they came thru.   I ended up seeing 3 of the 4 bucks during the season.  

I think they work.   nuff said!

I should add....

it gives great info...

a) do I have a mature dominate buck in the area?  
b) should I rattle with large horns or small?
c) do I have  a doe with fawns that I want to pass on?
d) what type of blind calling should I do (aggressive or non-aggressive)?
e)) do I have other hunters passing thru the area (believe it or not I have gotten pics of other hunters walking up cart roads or down deer runs).
and the list goes on.


edited to add.....Plus its just GREAT FUN!   :)

Also handy for getting pics of the local tresspassers!  Someone posted some really cool pics on another site of a guy that had stolen his stand and had been poaching / tresspassing in the area.  The camera was a high dollar one with the little anti-theft steel bar / case, and the last 20 or so pictures were close ups of the guys grunting face as he was trying to pry the camera off the tree to take it away - he was still trying to get it off the tree when the owner showed up with the game warden.  The pictures on the card inside were used when they took the guy to court... and won.

I have a cheap one.  I used it to verify that there were deer in a certain area that we thought was baren of animals.  7 days - 13 pictures.  Unfortunately, most of the 13 were of open woods, or the rear end of a deer that had passed by.  Unfortunately, ones like I have, have slow detector / shutter speeds, so I miss a lot of good shots of deer.  I know they are there though... just not exactly what they are - except for the one doe that looked like she was getting ready to lick the camera.  That was a great shot.     :D  

All the best,
Glenn

I've found putting them on a trail to see the deer coming/going up/down the trail vise catching them crossing takes away the slow shutter/dtector speeds.

I've also gotten pictures of people that were not supposed to be on the land.Found out it had been happening for quite some time.Deer sightings went up dramatically after the people were confronted and made aware that we knew they were trespassing.

On a side note...........I also have pics of a dog peeing in a scrape,and 4 bucks visiting that scrape and working it AFTER the dog did his thing.Just food for thought about the urine posts that pop up from time to time.I've also "freshened" scrapes myself and had bucks visit them and really tear them up afterwards.

glenn....put something there to slow them down...a film can with cotton balls and vanilla or anise.  a small scrape with ammonia in it....something that would just add a bit of curiosity for them to pause long enough to get a good shot.

also....check the direction you have the camera mounted...some camera's sensors false when the heat of the sun reflects off of a moving leaf or stalk.  i tend to face my northeast or southeast.

I bought one last year, great scouting tool..
I found in my hunting area they feed eariler in the evening  and later in the morning.. Don't get me wrong I did get lots of night pics, but I found out when the time were coming in when I wasn't there in the day time. I needed to get in stand eariler in the evenings than I was..

Big Plus on a game cam
Their like a box of chocolates
you never know what you will get   :D

QuoteI don't see the purpose of trail cameras. Most of the pictures shown here were taken at night and over unnatural bait. I don't know where you hunt but where I live it is against the law to hunt at night, and against my ethics to hunt at a feeding station. So why, other than nocturnal pictures of game.

Seems you already had your mind made up.  Why ask the question?

Game cameras are first and foremost a scouting tool.  They allow this weekend hunter to see what the deer are up to, when they are up to it and where they are doing it.

I find it offensive in the extreme that you assume game cams are used over bait stations exclusively.

I got one for christmas. So far it's just been fun to see what's out there.Right now the cam is set up over a gut pile from yesterdays doe kill.  There has been some speculation we have coyotes coming into our area. I think the cam will help to determine of this is so. I'm looking forward to sharing the pics with neighbors.

The area I hunt gets a lot of gun pressure and access is limited. The cam gives me an idea of what is out there and another way of enjoying the woods and it's offerings.

If I kill a big deer it will be because I did the due dilligence to be in that position. Or dumb luck. I think if you have control over a piece of property and the deer are not under a lot of pressure then you could use the cam to pattern deer movement. The cam could give an advantage in this instance.

My neighbors have been complaining about the loss of their cats, so I put the camera in a wooded area by my house and got this pic on New Years Eve.

I guess the mystery is solved...thanks to the trail camera.

 (http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/lwscott/coyote-2.jpg)

I'm with Santiam,all for fun. Just cause you get a pic of a buck,he ain't in the back of the truck yet. Lots of pics are at night,cause thats when the deer are out most around here. No bait for me either.

Actually bought the one I have to try and catch somethin else,but it hasn't happened yet. I don't set it where my stands are either,too many one pic sequences with the big boys. Just my .02,have fun whatever you do!  :wavey:

It's always interesting to see what's in your area, Trail Cameras can give you pictures of game that you  may not have the opportunity to see otherwise. I think they can also make a person a little more confident. Even if you are only getting pictures of deer at night a person may stay on stand a little longer and hunt a little harder if they have some pictures of an otherwise unseen monster from their trail cam.

Jeff,

It really depends on where you live. Here in Michigan, bait is huge. Come October just about every gas station has bags of it stacked 6 feet high and semi trucks come in a dump sugar beets at little stores to sell. Guys will get a pickup truck load and take it to their "spot" they are hunting (really it's just shooting at that point as you can't call it hunting). I bet at least 90% of the hunters, bow and gun hunt over bait now. If they have a trail cam, it's set up on there bait pile. You just have to see it to beleive it.

CJ

For me Fishmerf nailed it, it gives me hope.  For example this year I got a pic of a huge (monster for this are) 10pt.  Yes it was at night but at least I knoew he was in the area.  That gave me hope to stick it out those cold evenings when not even the squirrels were out playing.  Eventually I saw him about 30 minutes before sunset and he came as close as 18 yrds but the wind shifted and he was out of there.  I work in the city so the only time I can get out is Saturday and Sunday morning so the camera does the scouting for me to a certain extent.  I still have to read the sign to determine where I think the deer are coming/going.  The camera helps confirm my hunches and helps me focus the precious  few hours I can put in on the weekend.  If I was retired I'd probably have no need for a camera as I would be out there all the time.

I use them for fun and to gather information. 2006 was the first year that I had ever used them and I would have sworn to you that there aren't any large rack bucks in my area but I got a pleasant surprise.

Yes most of the pictures are nocturnal but I always look forward to checking my cameras. My cameras allow me to hunt all year long and really build up the anticipation for the upcoming hunting season.

I have been practicing QDM on our property and would like to start a Co-op in my area. I am hoping the pictures form my game cameras will encourage my neighbors to join me.

The cameras have given me an indication of the buck to doe population and the age class of the deer herd. For instance I know that there is one 9-point buck that uses our property that is approximately 3.5 – 4.5 years old that I have named Moose and another 2.5 year old 13-point buck that I have named Baker. Baker will be an absolute monster if he makes it to 4.5 – 5.5 years old but the cameras tell me he may not make it because a lot of his pictures were in the daytime. It is a thrill for me to get a picture of the deer and other wildlife that inhabit our property.  Last week I got a picture of my first bobcat! Also last week, two of the cameras let me know that Moose made it through gun season!

Game cameras are a lot of fun you should give them a try. Check out my avatar it was taken with a game camera.

Yes there are many uses as indicated above. I would like to add one more. For me they are humbling. I missed this buck at 15 yards two days prior to this picture. The picture reminds me to concentrate on the shot and that "....the outcome of the hunt is written in uncertainty!"
Mike
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/misser.jpg)

Blackhawk, excellent pics.Where can I get some of those coyotes as we cant do away with stray(actually pets that people let out at night) cats by our own hands in my town.Back to the post topic, baiting is legal in some areas and and highly ethical if someone so feels.I dont use them but I have friends who spend more time trying to get pics than game.I guess theyre fun and to each his own.

I had to pass up on a six-pointer like the one in the photos on page 1.  I was hunting on land that the rules were eight points or more.  Now I know that one had eight points with those two little ones in the middle of his head counted, but I still had to let him pass, because he'll make a nice 10 pointer next year, but I sure wish I had a photo of him.  So that's what I would you use a trail cam for.

And just like some people said those cameras are " Just Great Fun"


Pastor Carl

It's a good post.  For me using one is kinda like finding out if it's a girl or boy before it's born.  That's part of the fun of waiting.  For me I like seeing deer but have no problem seeing a buck that made the sign for the first time within my bow range.

really what's the difference between Bill Jordan or any other famous bowhunter, hunting over an expensive man made food plot or one of us average Joes hunting over a poor mans food plot.....a 3 foot pile of corn?
Trapper,

oh yeah, I use a trail camera during the summer months to locate my early season stands, and it works well....

An expensive man made foodplot takes time and effort and improves the habitat for all wildlife in the area...a pile of corn does not.

QuoteOriginally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
An expensive man made foodplot takes time and effort and improves the habitat for all wildlife in the area...a pile of corn does not.

Yes your right but not everybody belongs to a big lease or has the ground or equipnet were they can plant those pricey food plots.So as long as it's legal you have to do what you can to make the most of a situation...I'm not saying nothing to nobody for using corn or camera's...lots of people put down baiting wildlife....wonder when the last time they went fishing & left their tackle box at home....  :bigsmyl:

I've never seen this in the day time..
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/kywarrior/Bobcateating.jpg)  (http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/kywarrior/bobcat3.jpg) (http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/kywarrior/Bobcat2.jpg)
Homemade Food Plot..
(http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b164/kywarrior/ICAM0020.jpg)

Some are nocturnal...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/treekiller/cudde301.jpg)

Some aren't...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/treekiller/cudde307.jpg)

I keep my trailcams deployed year round for fun...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/treekiller/cudde344.jpg)

Treestands on the other hand, talk about unethical!    :D
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/treekiller/cudde353.jpg)

Biggie, I see your point but we all have to stick together, no matter what the preference....united we stand, divided we fall.
Trapper

I see them as a "to each their own" thing. I used the original string timer and was a little uncomfortable about how close I could pattern deer with them so I quit using it. Those were my reservations though and not other people's.

I love looking at everybody else's pictures and I know they are a valuable management tool for many places. I think that is why you so often see them at bait stations so people can do herd counts or surveys (formal or informal).

I also know a lot of people have a lot fun with them and I do not see the harm.

They are just plain fun.

Even if a person believes they offer an unfair advantage in hunting, I bet they would think they are alot of fun if they put them in an area that they do not hunt.

I have two trail cameras, and I have several pictures of bucks that I have never seen.

These cameras have proven to me what true survivors our wildlife truely are. They give me a glimpse of deer I otherwise never would.

Santiam    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

It's another tool.  You know like ATV's, Treestands, Buck Lure, Cough Silencers, Scent Drippers, Shaggy Suits, Headnets, Grunt Calls, Bleat Calls, Doe In Heat Lure, Rangefinders, Bow Holders, Deer View Mirrors, Hearing Enhancers, Video Mounts for your bow, String Trackers, Stump Likker, GPS units and Microwave Popcorn 8^).  :help:

I just like getting pictures of deer and other critters. During a season I usually move my trail cam around a lot trying to fill up a roll of film, by the time I get that done and actually send my film away to get it developed, I forgot exactly where I had the thing out anyways. Not exactly a scouting tool because I always forget to reset the date/time stamp too.

Wow George your pack must be heavy. I can see why you need an ATV.  :biglaugh:

What??

QuoteOriginally posted by Herdbull:
Yes there are many uses as indicated above. I would like to add one more. For me they are humbling. I missed this buck at 15 yards two days prior to this picture. The picture reminds me to concentrate on the shot and that "....the outcome of the hunt is written in uncertainty!"
Mike
 (http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff289/MittenM/hero/misser.jpg)

I like your recent Christmas buck better.

QuoteJeff,

It really depends on where you live. Here in Michigan, bait is huge. Come October just about every gas station has bags of it stacked 6 feet high and semi trucks come in a dump sugar beets at little stores to sell. Guys will get a pickup truck load and take it to their "spot" they are hunting (really it's just shooting at that point as you can't call it hunting). I bet at least 90% of the hunters, bow and gun hunt over bait now. If they have a trail cam, it's set up on there bait pile. You just have to see it to beleive it.

CJ

I will take your word for it.  That's one state.

You would be surprised how many bucks you never see.  As for bait its really an excuse for those non-successful hunters to whine about.  Its no diffrent than hunting over a harvested field.  They either show up or they dont.

I've been using trail cams for 12 years. I have very little available time for hunting and scouting. Trail cameras help me maximize my time in the woods. Yes, I get a lot of night pics of bucks, but it helps piece together a pattern. I have killed a few very nice bucks that the only photo I had of them, was at night. I have also gotten a lot of big buck pics during the middle of the day. I even make my own camera units now.  I know it just seems like a gadget to some, but It is almost like another hobby to me. Plus my family likes to sit around a look at the slide shows on the computer.I usually set my cams up on trails, scrapes, rub lines, field edges, funnels, etc.

David

they tell you everything you need to know. When where what time and where to. To me the best scouting tool I have. Going to pick my camera tomorrow and yes it is over bait which is legal where I live. But you hunt your way and I'll hunt mine as long as every one has fun and no one gets hurt I think every thing is just fine-Scott

I have a feeder and a camera set up at it, but I don't like to hunt over bait.  The closest tree stand is a 1/4 mile away.  I use it to help keep deer and turkeys on my place and to see whats there.  

About 6 years ago during the rut, my mother wanted me to come over for dinner and I told her it would be late because I would be hunting.  Well she said its just one afternoon so I went.  I had a camera at the stand and when I check the pictures there was a 10 pt. 160 class at 4:20 Nov. 4th.

Cameras help you learn more about the deer in general and more about deer in your hunting areas in particular. I started using cameras this year and was totally amased at how many bucks are there. I keep a file of the differant bucks we get pictures of. After the rut started,half the bucks we had are gone.Mostly young bucks though. But a bunch of new bucks start showing up on the cameras. One big 9 pt. showed up on two cameras 1 1/2 miles apart in the same evening. A huge crab claw ten pt. and a giant six pt. with ten inch brow tines,both old deer, have never been seen by any hunters in our group even though the pictures tell us they have been there all thru the season. We would never know about these deer without the cameras.
With a little imagination in camera use they can teach us so much about the deer where we hunt. Whether I put it to use or not, I like knowing more about the wildlife,and it`s definitely doing that.   Bob

Like computers, cell phones, GPS units, ATVs, fast cars, hot women, scotch, etc. set cameras are not for everyone. I think of mine as learning tools. My brother shows much less interest in setting them out or checking them but always crowds me to see what shows up on the screen. There is a sincere element of personal satisfaction involved with their use. I think of their use as catch and release trapping. Aside from the fun factor, the PRIMARY reason I use them is to see what is on my outdoor menu. Its a whole lot easier to pass up a decent buck knowing there is a giant in the neighborhood. A trail camera set on an edge scrape the last two weeks of October will reveal over 75% of the bucks in the area. That fact alone makes them very valuable to me. How can they be used as learning tools? There are almost too many ways to list. Which scrapes are used most? Are scrapes really used that much by doe deer? When? Do multiple bucks check certain rubs? Cameras determine sex ratios and age structure. They determine preferred food sources. How many elk use any given wallow? Which waterhole has the biggest or most pronghorns? I know several guys who worried themselves sick searching many days for a wounded buck only to discover later with relief (via trail camera) that their shot was only a flesh wound. Got a dog trashing your garbage can? Identify WHICH dog. Got dogs running deer? Prove it to your neighbors. Which brands of scent work best? Got bears hitting three baits ten miles apart? Know which one has the most or biggest bear. Think there is a sasquatch using a wilderness waterhole somewhere in Oregon? Go for it. I will not go back to Africa without a set camera. Aside from being a learning tool, they are just plain fun.

Well, said, Gene. My wife and I have several and we just find it fun, just plain fun, to see what we have around the house..which we rarely hunt. This year we purchased 23 acres of forested wetland that borders a river and is surrounded by large tacts of privately owned, mostly posted land (meaning it is not disturbed) and is a known area for deer and moose and an occaisional bear. Not knowing what the deer heard really "looked" like we set out some cameras. We found that we had at least 8 antlered bucks and numerous does. Interestingly enough, while the bucks did show up at night most of the pics we got of them were in daylight hours, usually in the AM. Here's a couple.

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/STUD.jpg)

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/stud2.jpg)

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/propbuck2.jpg)

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/propbuck10.jpg)

Since we have only had the property for a short while we have not "learned" it very well and have only recently gotten the surveyor's plot plan. This winter we will be scouting, picking tree stand sites (we have two huge white oaks about 80 yards apart on one of the property lines) and making some trails to get in, out and thru the property more easily and quietly. Having the trail cam pics of the deer in the area makes the work ahead of us all the more exciting because we now know for a certainty the deer that are using the property on a regular basis and have a sense of how they use it. We love our cameras and plan on getting a few more.

Ted: Trail cameras are traditional at our house. Actually, since the cameras have come into the market place they have saved me a lot of time simply because I can determine which stands are "useless" during the hours I am able to hunt. They are a good tool and I find they add excitement to my hunts because I actually have solid info on what deer are actually using the areas I hunt. I have learned, for example, that a number of stands that I hunt that have been "hot" in regards to deer sign, etc., are really low percentage stands to hunt at different times of the day. Here in NH we have a healthy but not dense deer herd. Finding deer and getting shots is not a daily occurrence so I use the cameras in order to make the best use of my hunting time.

simple, they are fun, educational and you can include your children when putting them out and checking them and it gives a reaonable idea of what kind and how many deer you have around

they also make great security cams when ya have someone messin around your property(woods or home)

expensive food plots ? has anybody priced corn lately ? looks like you could raise food plots cheaper than buying corn, and it looks alot better than the feedlots i see posted in alot of these trail cam photos. The biggest problem i see with baiting is it concentrates animals in a small space to the point the are eating and crapping and eating each others cooties. Looks like a good way to spread diseases to me. I guess its legal in Kentucky, but not on public land. Why is that ?

I really enjoy my trail cams, I find them both educational and entertaining.
For one thing, I have two youngsters (2 & 4), this severely limits my hunting time. The cams sort of hunt for me, the kids and I set them up, move them around, bring the memory cards home and they sit on my lap as we browse the pictures on the computer.

We set them up over our "expensive" food plots and salt licks mostly - biggest bang for your buck. Each batch has at least one picture of my kids and me approaching the camera, some of my favorites are back when my son rode in one of those baby carrying belly packs.

Just another way to enjoy the great outdoors.

QuoteOriginally posted by randy grider:
expensive food plots ? has anybody priced corn lately ? looks like you could raise food plots cheaper than buying corn, and it looks alot better than the feedlots i see posted in alot of these trail cam photos. The biggest problem i see with baiting is it concentrates animals in a small space to the point the are eating and crapping and eating each others cooties. Looks like a good way to spread diseases to me. I guess its legal in Kentucky, but not on public land. Why is that ?

Corn may not be exspensive to plant but the equipment needed to get it in the ground is....

After watching this thread I'm starting to think maybe a trail cam isn't so bad. I sure do like the pic's being posted, the Elk and Bobcat pic's are great and that bunny looked tasty. But many of you have comments on bait and/or food plots too. Here in Michigan, bait has changed a whole generation of hunter from knowing woodsmanship and how to hunt to being a suger beeter. Instead of learning deer patterns, they hunt for a good tree first to set up their treestand, start a bait pile and wait for the deer to come to them. Where's the hunting? It's shooting at that point. I know this can't be stopped because of the huge amounts of money spent on bait each year and if a guy thinks that;s what he needs to do to be successful that's cool with me but I am teaching my two kids that there are other more rewarding ways to kill deer then when they are munching a suger beet 15 yards away and still shoot your two deer a year. I'm not saying I'm better then the next guy. I just think it's a shame that the "art" of hunting is dieing.

BG, I know a guy who's got the equipment that may help you out,I don't have a corn planter, but can get the ground worked up to sow something on. I've had pretty good luck with winter wheat in the fall. maybe some clover or type of greens for in the spring. I seem to recall you had a nice bottom down there that would make a real foodplot. let me know and we will try and do it this spring.

Sometimes we get other critters on our cameras. It's not just a hunting tool.

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/foxonlog.jpg)

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/Arrowworks/snowturkeys.jpg)

Wow that turkey picture is cool

I use mine as a scouting tool more than anything.  Rather than the old way of hunting a stand sight hoping that a deer uses that trail durring daylight hours I can put a camera on it and determine if they frequent it mostly at night or at least use it occasionally durring daylight.  Besides who doesn't like close up pictures of real deer?

QuoteOriginally posted by bluegrassbowhunter:
 

QuoteOriginally posted by randy grider:
expensive food plots ? has anybody priced corn lately ? looks like you could raise food plots cheaper than buying corn, and it looks alot better than the feedlots i see posted in alot of these trail cam photos. The biggest problem i see with baiting is it concentrates animals in a small space to the point the are eating and crapping and eating each others cooties. Looks like a good way to spread diseases to me. I guess its legal in Kentucky, but not on public land. Why is that ?

Corn may not be exspensive to plant but the equipment needed to get it in the ground is.... [/b]

all you need is a stick to poke a hole for the seed   :bigsmyl:  indians and pioneers managed, we are all about "traditional"  :goldtooth:

QuoteOriginally posted by randy grider:
BG, I know a guy who's got the equipment that may help you out,I don't have a corn planter, but can get the ground worked up to sow something on. I've had pretty good luck with winter wheat in the fall. maybe some clover or type of greens for in the spring. I seem to recall you had a nice bottom down there that would make a real foodplot. let me know and we will try and do it this spring.

Thank you Randy,may take ya up on it....

My son used one to see what size bears were coming into his bait. He did confirm there were bears coming in; but as a bear put its tooth right through the guts of the camera- he doesn't have a working camera now.

I would like to know if there are sows with cubs coming into my bait- and what the sow looks like. And too what boars are there.

I really enjoy the pictures here taken with trail cams; I think they are pretty neat from that aspect alone.

When I am hunting bears ( thats on my mind now) I don't like to move around to take pictures; and I sure would like a picture of the three legged boar that has been at my bait for years.

I think I will invest in a trail cam; but I will have to remember to 'put on rubber gloves BEFORE touching the camera'.  Probably will put that on a sign in my bedroom- next to the one that says " socks FIRST- THEN shoes".