The evils of trail cameras

[Kaiser878]

I am running aabout 8 cams. I have fallen victim to not hunting an area in the past because of no photos. This year I still hunted those areas and my cams were not lieing. It seems I don't get a lot of roaming big bucks on the farms I hunt. Oldhunter who hunts about 1/4 mile.behind my house will occasionally get a random new buck during the rut....like the deer he killed last year. But.that doesn't happen often.

I know just about everyone who runs.cams.within a mile.radius of me....2 miles in some directions. Almost all of them have no "big" deer either. It seems in my area it was just a bad year for big.deer. when I say big, I am referring to 140 plus

 

[Fullbore]

Well I've run TC's for about 10 years now. They have gotten a whole lot better from the beginning. Even though technology has grown in this industry , my scoring of bucks through the years has stayed the same. It seems like I am always 10 or so inches off on every buck I score. Iam not the only one. My TC pic of the buck that I harvested is a great example. Everyone that I showed the pic TOO, fell victim to over scoring and inside spread as well. Oh, I could see that he was a mature buck with mass, but length of tines, main beams and spread weren't what I expected! So, from now on I give each deer a 10" deduction after I score him on camera. Do any of you fellow TOOZERS have similar results?

 

[hickslawns]

Well I've run TC's for about 10 years now. They have gotten a whole lot better from the beginning. Even though technology has grown in this industry , my scoring of bucks through the years has stayed the same. It seems like I am always 10 or so inches off on every buck I score. Iam not the only one. My TC pic of the buck that I harvested is a great example. Everyone that I showed the pic TOO, fell victim to over scoring and inside spread as well. Oh, I could see that he was a mature buck with mass, but length of tines, main beams and spread weren't what I expected! So, from now on I give each deer a 10" deduction after I score him on camera. Do any of you fellow TOOZERS have similar results?

Yes. Your buck fooled me as well. Don't get me wrong, he was an old warrior with awesome mass and a trophy for certain. When I saw the inside spread in your write up in the contest and 7.5" longest tine it surprised me a bit. Oh well. I still say congrats on a fine old warrior!

 

[Bowhunter57]

I've given some thought to getting a trail cam or two, but that's where my interest has stopped. I see no good reasoning to see what I can't have or knowing a particular deer is in the area, but only at 11 a.m. or midnight.

When I hunt, that's the time that I'll see what I can shoot. Spending the extra time setting up trail cams, when I could be setting up in a different location based on tracks, rubs, scrapes, etc. makes no sense to me. An example of this is the apples that I've been putting out this year have been coming up missing...but not when I'm there. The apples keep them coming back to the area, so that I may get a look/shot at something...when I'm there. At least I know the apples are keeping the deer coming back and not spooking them off.

Perhaps, in the future, they'll come out with trail cams that offer scent dispersal and calling abilities, so that you can really mess with their heads...while you sit in the comfort of your lazyboy. :smiley_blink:

Bowhunter57

 

[Bowhunter57]

Everyone that I showed the pic TOO, fell victim to over scoring and inside spread as well. Oh, I could see that he was a mature buck with mass, but length of tines, main beams and spread weren't what I expected! So, from now on I give each deer a 10" deduction after I score him on camera.

Happens all the time. It's called "ground shrinkage". :smiley_crocodile: The bucks are always bigger, before they're shot or on a trail cam.

Bowhunter57

 

[blemas]

I will say that I haven't harvested a mature buck since 2008, and after having success back to back years, I figured that adding a couple of cams would be the icing on the cake. They have helped me stay motivated but I need to keep perspective. Just because I see them on the cam does not mean that I'll see them in the woods where and when I want them to be. I only have 10 acres to hunt but it is in a good position. I have to contend with sloppy neighbors and trespassers and the cams are great for that. They also showed me that had I put more late season time in stand, I may have had a chance to harvest a mature buck that had turned my little slice of land into his refuge. When used with the proper perspective, they are just like any other useful tool that you take into the woods.
They do like to taunt us though. This is his first mid day appearance in my shooting zone. I have him coming in or going out every few days but with my limited hunting opportunities, I can't seem to narrow it down for us to cross paths. I have him and a 150+ 10pt on another cam about 200 yds away where my wife is hunting but they manage to evade us.

 

[cotty16]

So, this is how it's gonna be. I decided not to sit in this stand this morning. Instead, I opted for a different location. I ended up in this stand at noon and look what was there an hour before I arrived. He was there with a doe, but I only bothered posting the buck.



Forgive the squirrel pic, can't get rid of it for some reason.

 

[brock ratcliff]

And that, sir, is why I hate cameras! They are of the devil!

 

[RedCloud]

If he was in there this morning with a doe he didn't go far. They will be back in there in the morning again. Get on him man.

 

[cotty16]

I'm stuck to evenings the rest of the week.

 

[RedCloud]

I feel that your getting a cold and won't make it in tomorrow

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

Dang that's a kick in the dick

 

[Monster Raxx]

I may be the worst person to answer this because I absolutely LOVE running trail cameras. It has gotten TOO the point that I enjoy running cameras as much as I love hunting. I like the whole aspect of figuring out the wind to decide which cameras I am going to check, to moving a camera to catch a particular buck as many places as possible to figuring out different camera locations to catch a special pic. I do hear what you are saying about not feeling as confident with a spot because of what you see on camera. The thing is this time of year you could see a buck that has never been on your property, it is like everything else that makes hunting so great...time and place. The best thing about cameras for me is the guys I hunt with. Because I can show a number of really nice bucks to them they are more willing to let the younger bucks that need more time to walk. Good luck with that spot Cotty I hope you have a real bruiser suprise you there.

 

[Monster Raxx]

Hey Cotty I can show you two pics from a trail camera that a buddy that hunts with me wishes I never got :smile:

 

[cotty16]

I feel that your getting a cold and won't make it in tomorrow

Wish I could.

 

[hickslawns]

Ouch. Those pictures hurt. Maybe Old Scout can tag one this year. He won't be at work in the morning will he? rotflmao

Sorry bro. Couldn't resist. Every friggin' buck picture I get is just a tease for me until next year. I just want to see Garrett or one of the cousins or my foreman tag one of them.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I may be the worst person to answer this because I absolutely LOVE running trail cameras. It has gotten TOO the point that I enjoy running cameras as much as I love hunting. I like the whole aspect of figuring out the wind to decide which cameras I am going to check, to moving a camera to catch a particular buck as many places as possible to figuring out different camera locations to catch a special pic. I do hear what you are saying about not feeling as confident with a spot because of what you see on camera. The thing is this time of year you could see a buck that has never been on your property, it is like everything else that makes hunting so great...time and place. The best thing about cameras for me is the guys I hunt with. Because I can show a number of really nice bucks to them they are more willing to let the younger bucks that need more time to walk. Good luck with that spot Cotty I hope you have a real bruiser suprise you there.

I'm the same way Tom. I love my cams and can't imagine life without them now. For me, they are their own addiction and one that I've come to love as much, if not more than my actual bowhunting. But they can put a dampener or two on things. The biggest issue I have is getting my hopes up and losing track of the reality of my deer hunting situation. Captain Jack is a great example of this. If I hang a camera and leave it for two weeks, I'll get a picture of him. However he has proven himself to be hard to kill and I need to remember he always has the upper hand regardless of how easy it is to get him on camera.

Stick with it Mike. Some years just suck and maybe this is going to be one of those years. But the good news is that it can always get better and it can happen at any time!!!