Not sure if I am against or for them... why do you?

[PASQUINELL]

I am sure this has been discussed many times but being new to Trad gang I have not seen the question yet and would like to know everyones opinions. Here goes; If you use cameras, what is your reasoning? I myself lean toward the element of suprise and dont use them. Convince me on why I should.

[madness522]

I believe you are talking about trail cameras right.  I use them to help minimize my time spent in my hunting areas.  I can put one up over a trail or area that looks hot to know if it actually is being used currently or if it is an old trail or area.  This information helps me to maximize the precious time I get to spent hunting with me wasting it hunting a cold trail or area.

[frassettor]

Originally posted by madness522:
I believe you are talking about trail cameras right.  I use them to help minimize my time spent in my hunting areas.  I can put one up over a trail or area that looks hot to know if it actually is being used currently or if it is an old trail or area.  This information helps me to maximize the precious time I get to spent hunting with me wasting it hunting a cold trail or area.

I'll second that  

[sendero25]

I like cameras. If you scout an area, find tracks, rubs, scrapes then you already know what is there, the camera just confirms it and really gets the excitement level up.
It also lets you know if the area isn't worth wasting alot of time on stand, bow season is short enough without wasting time on raccons, squirrels and crows.
Or as one of my cameras showed last year, 119 pics of turkey vultures! I guess the trail I set it up on was near a roost, never found a carcass.
If the camera has a time stamp on it, it will let you know if the tracks you are finding are being made at night or during shooting hours. I know that is subject to change, but it gives a good starting point.
Just my opinion, and I like to take the chip home and look at my local wildlife on my computer with friends.
Even if it is only vultures!
John

[texbow2]

the art students i hired to sit in my stands got too expensive

[Huntrdfk]

I do it because it is fun, I love seeing the pictures of animals that I wouldn't otherwise see.


David

[PASQUINELL]

Originally posted by texbow2:
the art students i hired to sit in my stands got too expensive

Now that is funny!

[beaver#1]

im not totaly against them.  i just dont use them because i like to be surprised by what i do  or dont see.  but i also live in a state that you can hunt with bows during rifle season.   that gives me plenty of time to figure out where i need to hunt.  plus i  would rather put my money towards my next bow.  i am not for and really not against them.  everything has its purpose.

[Killdeer]

I hate them. I just KNOW that at some point, there will be pics of me copping a squat posted all OVER the internet.

Killdeer  :mad:

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by texbow2:
the art students i hired to sit in my stands got too expensive

Yeah, I'm with ya.......those were the days weren't they.

[sendero25]

Last season, I rented a gorilla suit for the weekend and snuck up on a friends camera while wearing it. Our club members usually bring the camera chips into the cook shed so everyone can see them on the tv, he thought he found the Florida skunk ape! It got a pretty good laugh.
I've been thinking about "streaking" in front of some of them in our hunt club........but I'm not sure I want to expose anyone to that horror! or "expose" myself to mosquitos and deer flies!
I get bit enough with my clothes on.
John

[Gun]

I'm fairly new to using them. (2 yrs.)I like to try and get pix of bucks in areas I hunt just to keep track of whats out there. If I'm lucky enough to get one of them I can hang before & after pix by the mount or in an album. I've been lucky once so far. It also reminds me of when I trapped when I was a kid. You never know what you might get. Like christmas opening presents wondering what you got.

[bm22]

i love them for several reasons

1. i live 4.5 hr drive from my deer lease, i can't scout every weekend or when i get off work in the evenings like some can.
2. i don't like to shoot the first deer i see, i want to get an idea of what is in the area before i shoot something.
3. it is cool to see the other non deer animals in the area.
4. as mention above it lets you know if the trails are being used primarily at night or during the day.

there aren't any very defined funnels or trials in south texas like there are up north so if you choose to hunt from a trail you have to be selective where you put a stand.

[Bonebuster]

Scouting cameras are just plain fun.

If you feel they give you too much of an advantage, then do not hunt where you put them out.

They proved to me that there were indeed a few mature bucks in the heavily hunted public land where I live, and they also showed me that I (we)
underestimate their ability to avoid us when we hunt.

The only time I use my cameras during open season
is to monitor scrapes, to see the size of the bucks visiting the scrapes. Most scrape activity where I live happens after dark. I have learned this because of my cameras. All these years I thought I was doing something wrong, because I rarely saw bucks visit scrapes.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Help with scouting, shows what's in your area, cuts down on time for those that only hunt one day a week. It's a great tool for game management

[str8jct]

I just like the pics.

[pronghorn23]

I don't have one or use one. However, I think they are fascinating. I don't know if I would use them for actually scouting or not. I just find the pictures exciting. Being able to catch surprises on film that you never knew were there...bucks you never saw, bobcats, coyotes, etc.

If I had one I probably couldn't wait to run out and download and develop the pictures. I think the suspense would drive me crazy. I'd be like a little kid on Christmas morning.

Heck I get excited wondering if I caught something before checking the traps in my garden for the ground squirrels that eat everything.

[PASQUINELL]

yea I see the point of wanting to know what is there but what would make your heart pound harder? Knowing there is a nice buck in the area and seeing him finaly coming toward you or not knowing what is out there and then...holy crap ...look at this coming my way!

[J-dog]

I do not have one YET, but it looks like it would be  ablast just to see what is around. Though in my area a bear might chew it to bits, specially if it flashes at em. Anyone had this happen that hunts bear in bear world?

J

[TradPaul]

J-dog,

I think most of them are infrared beams as opposed to flash, but since i dont have one i could be very wrong.

 When i get mine, it will help keep me from scaring all the deer away trying to scout too often....


P.